Why You Can Trust CNET Get a 480GB SSD for $169.99
That's your post-rebate price, but it's also one of the best deals to date on a massive solid-state drive.
Many times before I've extolled the virtues of the solid-state drive, the only kind of storage I'll ever use again.
In fact, my last laptop came with a 128GB SSD, which has proven awesome for lightning-fast booting, silent operation, and low power consumption. But it's not quite enough space; I'm now finding myself deleting or offloading stuff because it's getting full.
If you're in the same boat, or you're just looking for a killer upgrade for your PC, check this out: TigerDirect has the PNY Optima 480GB SSD for $169.99 shipped. That's after a $10 instant coupon and $20 mail-in rebate (PDF).
Let me note straight away that this is just a bare drive -- no cables or brackets for desktop installation, no software for imaging your existing drive to the new one. So this might not be the best choice for novice users.
That said, the transfer process isn't terribly complicated -- all you need is software (your fellow cheeps will no doubt recommend free/cheap favorites in the comments) and a USB-to-SATA cable (like this one) for the one-time migration.
Beyond that, the drive features a three-year warranty, though you must register with PNY in order to get that coverage (otherwise it's just one year).
Incidentally, Amazon sells the Optima for the same prerebate price ($189.99). I mention that only so you can check out the user reviews, which are mostly positive. A few folks ran into rebate issues, though I rarely hear about such problems nowadays. YMMV.
This is an awful lot of SSD goodness for an awful lot less than it would have cost you a year ago. I'm mighty tempted to give my laptop lots of extra breathing room, courtesy of this drive.
Bonus deal: Want to know how I spent my summer vacation? Two words: flying drones. I'm officially an addict, and it all started with this one: Today only, and while supplies last, Sellout.Woot has the refurbished Parrot AR.Drone 2.0 for $169.99, plus $5 for shipping. Priced at $299.99 new, this quadcopter features two built-in HD cameras, a removable foam blade guard (for safer indoor flights), and apps that turn your Android or iOS device into the controller. These things are seriously fun. Seriously.
Bonus deal No. 2: Tablet Tuesday -- on Monday! Today only, DailySteals has the refurbished Google Nexus 7 (Wi-Fi + 32GB) tablet for $99 shipped. This is the first-gen Nexus 7, model 1B32, which was released in 2012. It's probably a little long in the tooth by today's standards, and indeed I've never quite understood the appeal of the Nexus tablets -- but I've also never seen one priced this low. If you want "pure Android" (minus an expansion slot, cough, why, Google, why?), this may prove hard to pass up. Although it ships with Android 4.1, you can easily update to Android 4.4 KitKat.
Bonus deal No. 3: You know that old DVD collection of yours? Those standard-def movies probably don't look so great on your HDTV, but they'll be a lot prettier on a smaller screen. So get rippin'! For a limited time, WonderFox Soft is offering WonderFox DVD Video Converter (Win) for free. This newly updated version is optimized for phones like the iPhone 6 and Galaxy Note 4, though it can also convert videos and rip DVDs for viewing on just about any mobile device.