Why You Can Trust CNET This is the best Cyber Monday to get a solid-state drive
CNET editor Dong Ngo comments on the low pricing of solid-state drives this Cyber Monday.
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Solid-state drives are an excellent alternative to regular hard drives. With no moving parts, they are not only much faster but much less susceptible to damage from drops, shocks or vibrations. On top of that, most of them use very little power, great for laptops. That said, the only reason I'd think twice about replacing my computer's internal hard drive with an SSD is the price. Not today, though.
Without a doubt this Cyber Monday is by far the best for time to get an SSD if you've been thinking about it. Most drives are now priced at just around 40 cents per gigabyte. The 250GB version of the popular Samsung SSD 840 Evo can be had for just $100, orat 500GB for just $200. The 120GB Kingston Digital SSDNow V300, which is the update to the entry-level V100, now costs just $50 or you can get the 240GB for just $80.
If you're also concerned about capacities, the unique WD Black 2 Dual Drive, which combines a 120GB SSD and a 1TB hard drive in a single standard-design box, is also on sale for just $180.
High-end drives are also much more attainable. The SanDisk Extreme Pro, which is the first drive on the market with a 10-year warranty, currently costs just $135 for the 240GB version, $100 less than its original price. Not far behind is the Samsung SSD 850 Pro which currently goes for as low as $145 for 250GB.
There are also many drives from OCZ, Plextor, Crucial and other vendors that are on sale today with incredibly good prices. Just do a quick search on Amazon or Newegg and you'll find them.
As for which drive to get, in terms of performance if you have a computer that's currently using a regular hard drive as the main storage device, any SSD will make a huge difference in its performance. That means just get the cheapest deal you can find. On the other hand, if you're looking to upgrade the performance of a computer that's already equipped with an SSD, a high-end drive is a better fit.
With SSD pricing on the decline, my guess is you'll find even better deal if you wait till next year's holiday season. But should you really deprive your computer or game console (not to mention yourself) of top performance until then?