SSD prices are climbing, but these Memorial Day deals tell a different story

The storage industry has been through a brutal cycle. NAND manufacturers cut production aggressively after prices cratered in 2022 and early 2023. Now supply is tighter, prices are recovering, and the manufacturers are breathing easier. But "recovering" doesn't mean "recovered." There's still inventory to move, particularly at the higher capacity tiers where consumer demand is softer.

Look, a 4TB internal SSD is overkill for most people. An 8TB external drive is even more niche. These are enthusiast products, content creator tools, maybe small business backup solutions. The mainstream buyer is still grabbing 1TB or 2TB drives. So the deeper discounts on high-capacity models make sense: Western Digital needs to clear stock that's moving slower than their bread-and-butter SKUs.

The timing matters too. We're heading into summer, traditionally a slower period for PC hardware sales. Back-to-school demand is months away. Memorial Day weekend is one of the last big promotional windows before the summer lull hits. Retailers and manufacturers alike have incentive to push volume now.

I should note that I don't have visibility into Western Digital's actual inventory levels or margin structure. This is informed speculation based on market patterns, not insider knowledge. The company didn't disclose why these specific products are discounted this heavily.

For buyers, the calculus is straightforward. If you need high-capacity storage, these deals are genuinely good. The SN850X is a proven performer, basically the default recommendation for high-end Gen4 storage over the past two years. The SanDisk Desk Drive is less exciting (it's an external drive, after all) but 8TB of SSD storage for under $700 is hard to argue with if you have the use case.

The harder question is whether to buy now or wait. Prices are rising, yes, but they're rising from historic lows. A 4TB NVMe drive at $229 is still cheaper than it would have been at any point before 2023. You're not getting ripped off if you wait six months and pay $280. You're just not getting the deal.

From my time in hardware, I learned that the "perfect" buying moment is mostly a myth. There's always a better deal coming, or a new generation launching, or some reason to wait. At some point you need storage and you buy storage. These prices are low enough that I wouldn't hesitate.

What remains unclear is how long these discounts last. Best Buy lists them as Memorial Day deals, which suggests they'll expire after the holiday weekend. But promotional pricing in consumer electronics is notoriously fluid. The drives might stay discounted, get a smaller discount, or bounce back to full MSRP depending on how sales perform.

The broader trend toward higher SSD prices is real and probably continues through 2025. NAND manufacturers have pricing power they haven't had in years, and they're not going to give it up voluntarily. But the transition isn't instant or uniform. Deals like these are the market working through the messy middle period.

If you're in the market for storage, this weekend is a reasonable time to buy. If you're not, don't let the discounts create artificial urgency. The storage will still be there in six months. It'll just cost a bit more.

Sarah Williams · 23 Jun · 4 min