When Could SSD And HDD Prices Finally Come Down?

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If you haven't noticed, storage prices are on the moon. That's because data centers have consumed DRAM and NAND (used to make SSDs) production capacity to fill server racks and power models like ChatGPT, Gemini, Grok, and Claude. As a result, popular SSD options like the Samsung 990 Pro 1TB, which used to cost $60 a couple of years back, are currently selling for $259 on Amazon. That's a 431% increase! The same is true for hard drives. People who can't afford SSDs are opting for HDDs, and their prices are also up, roughly 100% across the board.

Will the storage prices ever come down? Not anytime soon. However, we are seeing signs of the memory crisis plateauing. Because of the increased prices, TrendForce expects smartphone production to decline by about 20% year over year in 2026. And that's where the relief would come from. Weaker smartphone and laptop sales, which still account for 40% of overall demand, will ease pressure on production capacity, leaving the market with a deficit of only 5% for the rest of 2026. Going into 2027, prices should stabilize, at least for SSDs.

While SSD prices should start falling in late 2027, HDD prices are trickier. Both Seagate and Western Digital operate on contracts. For example, Seagate said on a recent earnings call that it has already allocated almost all future production through 2027. Since 90% of its capacity goes to data centers, those prices and configurations are already set. The same is true for Western Digital, which has agreements in place through 2028. So, even if some data centers are canceled or delayed, HDD procurement will not stop.

Chinese memory is coming. Yangtze Memory Technologies Corporation (YMTC) became one of the world's top three memory suppliers a few months ago, accounting for 14% of the global NAND flash market. According to the Financial Times, YMTC now wants to become the largest NAND flash maker by the end of 2027. Even if the company doesn't become the largest maker, the increased competition, despite Micron's exit from the consumer business, is very welcome news, as prices could come down.

Data centers are also increasingly unpopular. 59% of Americans oppose building data centers in their local communities. This has already resulted in $130 billion in investment being canceled or delayed in Q1 2026 alone.

If you're building a PC, we'd recommend waiting until around mid-2027, so prices aren't crazy. That said, a recent LinusTechTips video showed that there are still some good PC and SSD deals to be had. Their team found a refurbished, prebuilt Alienware Aurora desktop with 64GB of DDR5 RAM, an Intel Core Ultra 7 processor, and an RTX 5070 Ti for around $1,800. You should also check for deals at your local Costco and browse Facebook Marketplace, but with much more caution.