Prices Surge for Sandisk WD Black SN7100/SN8100 1 TB SSDs to $246-$366; 8 TB SN8100 Now Approaches $3000 at Sandisk Japan Store

The soaring prices of Solid State Drives (SSDs) have reached unprecedented levels, with the cost of an 8 TB SSD now rivaling that of a complete high-end computer build.

Current Prices for SanDisk WD Black SSDs

While a spike in SSD prices was anticipated, the extent of the increase has outstripped expectations, particularly when compared to the fluctuations in RAM prices. Just a few months ago, high-performance PCIe 5.0 SSDs were available for under $100; however, these prices have surged to around $300. This drastic increase—over 200%—is alarmingly steep, and further hikes in the coming period are likely.

WD_BLACK SN7100 NVMe SSD - 2 TB capacity

WD_BLACK SN7100 NVMe SSD - 4 TB capacity

The prices of SanDisk’s WD Black SSDs have surged to such a degree that it’s feasible to say one could have built a premium gaming rig instead of purchasing an 8 TB SSD just a few months ago. Recent updates from the official SanDisk store in Japan indicate that the cost of even a basic 500 GB SSD has skyrocketed to approximately 20, 680 Yen, equating to around $134. Meanwhile, 1 TB models from the SN7100 series are now priced around 38, 060 Yen, which is near the $250 mark.

SN8100 8TB – 451, 000 yen (~$2, 920)
SN8100 4TB – 225, 500 yen (~$1, 460)
SN8100 2TB – 112, 860 yen (~$732)
SN8100 1TB – 56, 540 yen (~$366)
SN7100 4TB – 151, 580 yen (~$982)
SN7100 2TB – 75, 900 yen (~$492)
SN7100 1TB – 38, 060 yen (~$247)
SN7100 500GB – 20, 680 yen (~$134)

Transitioning to the newer PCIe Gen 5.0 interface will set buyers back over $100 compared to Gen 4.0 models. The SN8100 1 TB SSD now retails for about 56, 540 Yen, which translates to roughly $366. This pricing disparity highlights a significant gap between the two generations of SSDs. Notably, the difference in performance for most users in practical applications or gaming is often marginal. Nonetheless, acquiring a high-capacity PCIe SSD has become increasingly unaffordable for the average consumer.

For those eyeing a 4 TB model, costs exceed $1, 000, while the price for the 8 TB SN8100 reaches a staggering 451, 000 Yen or approximately $2, 920. To put this into context, this price is already about 50% more than the official MSRP of the GeForce RTX 5090 GPU, reflecting similar trends in high-capacity DDR5 RAM kits.

Significant price hikes have been announced by major NAND manufacturers, so consumers should brace themselves for continued increases in coming months.

Source: @lightning_dream

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