What to Buy on Amazon : SSDs and HDDs - Updates

In a previous article about SSDs, I list out a few options of the possible value-for-money SSDs you can buy. The scene has changed somewhat. It looks like Crucial is going the offensive and keep lowering the pricing of their M500 series. As of today -

• Crucial M500 240GB SATA 2.5-Inch 7mm (with 9.5mm adapter) Internal Solid State Drive CT240M500SSD1 - $114.99
• Crucial M500 480GB SATA 2.5-Inch 7mm (with 9.5mm adapter) Internal Solid State Drive CT480M500SSD1 - $229.99

If you check the camel3 price tracker data, you'll realized that the prices have been hovering around this level. I can only postulate that there is a somewhat downward price pressure on the SSDs. The Crucial M500s are good enough for your average workload and is now more affordable than ever. Also, there's no reason to buy locally anymore. If you went to the most recent show, you'll realize that the local pricing are a total rip-off.

Let's turn our attention to Intel. Previously, the Intel 530 Series 240GB 2.5-Inch Internal Solid State Drive (Reseller Kit) SSDSC2BW240A4K5 is attractive because of their strong 5-year international warranty. However, if you consider the price differential today, I will probably just go for the Crucial ones. Also, recently Intel introduced the 730 series as a brand new in-house designed enterprise-classed SSD. Now, before you rush out and buy this spanking new drive, do note that it draws power from the 12V rail, making it unsuitable for mobile use. Don't ever think of putting this drive in a USB-powered case. It will not work. In any case, I'm sure you'll be put-off by the initial pricing as well.

Lastly, Seagate NAS HDD 4TB SATA 6GB NCQ 64 MB Cache Bare Drive ST4000VN000 is now at it's lowest price point of $169.99. It's a pretty good deal at this price point. My guess is that it's priced similarly to the standard 5900RPM 4TB locally.