SanDisk and Samsung SSDs for Less Than $100

Even early Black Friday deals are doing serious damage to SSD prices, with headline-grabbing discounts on Samsung, SanDisk, Crucial, WD, Kingston and Lexar all jostling for position in the sub-$100 space.

Whether you’re flexing an aging laptop, building a budget gaming PC, or in need of some storage on the go, this smattering of markdowns may just give you the push you need to upgrade and update.

The equation of value has seldom looked more favorable. SATA drives—storage mainstays for common workloads—cost a fraction of last year’s price, and there are now PCIe 4.0 NVMe options under $100 that unlock multi-gigabyte-per-second transfers, the kind capable of shrinking game loads down to nothing in no time. Quad-bay network-attached storage (NAS) boxes have shown up at new prices we were quoting for two-bay systems, while portable SSDs offer pocketable capacity without plugging into the wall. Inventory resets and competing retailer promos are combining to help pull prices down ahead of that traffic.

The Best Sub-$100 Internal SSD Deals Available Now

Budget-friendly doesn’t mean slow. A 2.5-inch SATA drive such as the Samsung 870 Evo at 1TB often hangs around the $100 mark and offers to-the-SATA-port speeds of about 560 MB/s reads—you don’t need your system drive (a.k.a., the C: drive) to do anything more than that on a daily basis, or in photo- or video-editing situations that benefit from consistent, day-to-day performance. The biggest “pro” for the 870 Evo is that it’s a Samsung drive and their Magician utility can be pretty useful for health monitoring, firmware updates, and secure erase.

On the NVMe side, you can expect 7 GB/s models supporting PCIe 4.0—such as WD’s Blue SN570 and Crucial’s P3 Plus—to drop under $100 for that capacity within the span of a few weeks, not to mention Kingston’s NV2. You can anticipate real-world reads a few times speedier than SATA drives, making for more snappy game level loads and app launches. Keep in mind that some budget NVMe models use host memory buffer rather than onboard DRAM. Upcoming sales will see big discounts against SATA, but we’d still favor SSDs with both DRAM and TLC NAND for heavy multitasking and writes, such as the Lexar NM790 or higher-end Samsung and WD lines on sale.

Endurance and warranty are important for longevity. Most of the mainstream 1TB SSDs come with a rating between 300 TBW and 600 TBW, in addition to warranties from three to five years. For large media libraries or heavy scratch-disk users on a budget, choose between models with higher TBW values and those built on TLC when you can. And look for thermal solutions, too—if you’re eyeing a clamshell laptop or small form factor PC, pay special attention to whether it includes a heatsink (or at least supports an aftermarket one).

Portable SSDs Below $100 Picking Up Speed Now

External USB-C SSDs are dropping in the sub-$100 lane as well. The SanDisk Extreme Portable 1TB nearly always touches this price point, with IP55 dust and water resistance and shock protection winning it plenty of fans among photographers on the go and field editors. Performance peaks at around 1,050 MB/s over USB 3.2 Gen 2—more than enough for high-res photo libraries and quick project offloads.

Both the 970 Evo line and Samsung’s T7 series continue to be reputable survivors with hardware-based AES 256-bit encryption and a slim, metal design that easily fits into any tech pouch. For creators who switch between machines, plug-and-play compatibility with Windows, macOS, and Android is a definite plus; many drives now include both USB-C to C and USB-C to A cables in-box for wider use.

PS5 Storage Deals With No Fuss and Solid Speeds

PlayStation 5 owners, meanwhile, have the speed and cooling must-check box: Sony recommends NVMe SSDs with a minimum read speed of 5,500 MB/s and a heatsink.

That usually translates to PCIe 4.0 models like Samsung’s 990 Pro or WD’s SN850/SN850X. And while 1TB options with heatsinks occasionally flirt with $100 doorbuster territory, more often than not they hover just above. If a sub-$100 PS5-ready pick becomes available, move quickly—they are almost always the first to sell out.

Pro tip: If you can get a qualifying SSD for under $100 without a heatsink, make sure it meets Sony’s dimensional spec, then drop in an additional third-party low-profile heatsink for a few extra dollars. It’s an inexpensive, warranty-friendly way to stay within budget and comply with thermal recommendations.

What to Consider Before Buying an SSD This Season

Interface and slot compatibility

Make sure your system is compatible with SATA 2.5-inch or M.2 NVMe (PCIe 3.0 or 4.0). A quick look in your motherboard or laptop manual can prevent a return headache.

NAND type and DRAM considerations

TLC NAND plus DRAM contributes to better mixed and sustained workloads. QLC-based SSDs using a dynamic SLC cache are good for light use and big reads, but when the transfer is heavy and continuous, they might slow down once that cache fills.

Thermals, firmware, and software tools

Seek throttling-resistant designs and mature software stacks. Samsung Magician, WD Dashboard, and Crucial Storage Executive also make updating the drives and checking on their health a painless process.

Security features and warranty terms

Hardware encryption support varies by model; corporate users may want TCG Opal. For peace of mind, stick to warranties in the 3-year or 5-year range from established brands.

Why Discounts Are Coming Early for SSDs This Year

Retail’s not-so-secret but top advertising tool is getting in gear earlier every holiday cycle as retailers race to the top for eyeballs and wallets.

Industry trackers like TrendForce also point out that NAND flash supply strategies and waves of inventory balancing can lead to seasonal fluctuations in retail pricing, while early discounts help retailers make sure their shelves are tidy for that late-season doorbuster rush. Circana’s holiday reports have also pointed out how long sales windows pull demand into the future, benefiting shoppers who don’t procrastinate.

The bottom line: If you find a good-quality, 1TB internal NVMe or portable SSD from Samsung, SanDisk, Crucial, WD, Kingston or Lexar for under $100 and with your minimum spec requirements, this is probably a no-brainer to buy today. With sequential reads and writes that crush hard drives, attractive warranties and full platform compatibility, these early Black Friday SSD deals punch well above their price.