Best value SSDs in May 2026 — by $/TB

Cheapest NVMe and SATA SSDs ranked by price per terabyte. Find the best value during the 2026 NAND shortage. Live Amazon prices, top 30 picks.

30SSDs ranked
$59.50Cheapest $/TB
14,600Top read MB/s
May 14Last update

Best value

TeamGroup MP44L 2TB
Cheapest per terabyte at $59.50/TB. 5,000 MB/s read without DRAM (HMB-based).
$119 · $59.50/TB
View on Amazon →

Top speed

Lexar NM790 4TB
7,400 MB/s sequential read — the fastest in this category. $67.25/TB.
$269 · $67.25/TB
View on Amazon →

Best balanced

Silicon Power US75 2TB
Solid all-rounder: 7,000 MB/s, $62.50/TB, 4.4/5 customer rating, 1,200 TBW endurance.
$125 · $62.50/TB
View on Amazon →

This is the bottom-up view: every SSD we track ranked by price per terabyte, cheapest first. During the 2026 NAND shortage (NVMe prices up ~115% from mid-2025), every dollar per TB matters. The drives at the top of this list are where the value is.

All prices are current Amazon US listings, verified weekly. We include Gen 4 NVMe, Gen 5 NVMe, SATA SSDs — all directly comparable on $/TB basis.

Important: cheapest $/TB doesn't always mean best buy. A DRAM-less budget drive at $60/TB may have weaker sustained write performance than a $100/TB drive with DRAM cache. For OS, gaming, general use — the cheapest $/TB picks are excellent. For sustained writes — content creation, databases — pay extra for DRAM.

ProductPrice$/TBReadWriteTBWRating
TeamGroup MP44L 2TB★ Best $119 $59.50/TB 5,000 MB/s 4,500 MB/s 1,200 TBW ★ 4.4 Buy →
Silicon Power US75 2TB $125 $62.50/TB 7,000 MB/s 6,500 MB/s 1,200 TBW ★ 4.4 Buy →
Lexar NM790 4TB $269 $67.25/TB 7,400 MB/s 6,500 MB/s 3,000 TBW ★ 4.4 Buy →
Lexar EQ790 2TB $135 $67.50/TB 7,000 MB/s 6,000 MB/s 1,200 TBW ★ 4.3 Buy →
WD Blue SN5000 2TB $139 $69.50/TB 5,500 MB/s 5,000 MB/s 900 TBW ★ 4.4 Buy →
TeamGroup MP44 4TB $279 $69.75/TB 7,400 MB/s 6,000 MB/s 3,000 TBW ★ 4.4 Buy →
Lexar NM790 2TB $149 $74.50/TB 7,400 MB/s 6,500 MB/s 1,500 TBW ★ 4.5 Buy →
Crucial P310 4TB $299 $74.75/TB 7,100 MB/s 6,000 MB/s 1,760 TBW ★ 4.4 Buy →
Crucial P310 2TB $155 $77.50/TB 7,100 MB/s 6,000 MB/s 880 TBW ★ 4.4 Buy →
Corsair MP600 Elite 2TB $155 $77.50/TB 7,000 MB/s 6,500 MB/s 1,200 TBW ★ 4.5 Buy →
WD_BLACK SN7100 4TB $319 $79.75/TB 7,000 MB/s 6,700 MB/s 2,400 TBW ★ 4.6 Buy →
WD_BLACK SN7100 2TB $165 $82.50/TB 7,250 MB/s 6,900 MB/s 1,200 TBW ★ 4.6 Buy →
Samsung 870 EVO 2TB $169 $84.50/TB 560 MB/s 530 MB/s 1,200 TBW ★ 4.7 Buy →
WD Blue SN5100 1TB $89 $89.00/TB 6,600 MB/s 5,400 MB/s 600 TBW ★ 4.5 Buy →
WD_BLACK SN850X 4TB $359 $89.75/TB 7,300 MB/s 6,600 MB/s 2,400 TBW ★ 4.7 Buy →
Crucial T500 2TB $189 $94.50/TB 7,400 MB/s 7,000 MB/s 1,200 TBW ★ 4.6 Buy →
Samsung 990 PRO 4TB $389 $97.25/TB 7,450 MB/s 6,900 MB/s 2,400 TBW ★ 4.7 Buy →
WD_BLACK SN850X 2TB $199 $99.50/TB 7,300 MB/s 6,600 MB/s 1,200 TBW ★ 4.8 Buy →
WD_BLACK SN850X 8TB $829 $103.62/TB 7,300 MB/s 6,600 MB/s 4,800 TBW ★ 4.6 Buy →
Samsung 990 EVO Plus 4TB $419 $104.75/TB 7,250 MB/s 6,300 MB/s 2,400 TBW ★ 4.6 Buy →
Samsung 990 PRO 2TB $219 $109.50/TB 7,450 MB/s 6,900 MB/s 1,200 TBW ★ 4.7 Buy →
Samsung 990 EVO Plus 2TB $229 $114.50/TB 7,250 MB/s 6,300 MB/s 1,200 TBW ★ 4.6 Buy →
Crucial T500 1TB $115 $115.00/TB 7,300 MB/s 6,800 MB/s 600 TBW ★ 4.6 Buy →
WD_BLACK SN850X 1TB $119 $119.00/TB 7,300 MB/s 6,300 MB/s 600 TBW ★ 4.7 Buy →
Samsung 990 EVO Plus 1TB $129 $129.00/TB 7,250 MB/s 6,300 MB/s 600 TBW ★ 4.5 Buy →
PNY CS2150 2TB $259 $129.50/TB 10,800 MB/s 9,500 MB/s 1,000 TBW ★ 4.3 Buy →
Samsung 990 PRO 1TB $135 $135.00/TB 7,450 MB/s 6,900 MB/s 600 TBW ★ 4.7 Buy →
INLAND TD510 2TB $299 $149.50/TB 14,600 MB/s 12,900 MB/s 1,200 TBW ★ 4.3 Buy →
TeamGroup Z540 2TB $329 $164.50/TB 12,400 MB/s 11,800 MB/s 1,400 TBW ★ 4.4 Buy →
Crucial P510 1TB $169 $169.00/TB 11,000 MB/s 9,500 MB/s 600 TBW ★ 4.4 Buy →

Frequently asked questions

What is the cheapest SSD per TB in May 2026?

The TeamGroup MP44L 2TB is currently the cheapest SSD on a per-terabyte basis at $59.50/TB. Note that prices during the 2026 NAND shortage change weekly — verify on Amazon before purchase.

Is the cheapest $/TB always the best buy?

Not always. The lowest $/TB drives are often DRAM-less budget models with weaker sustained write performance. For OS drives, gaming, and general productivity — they're excellent value. For sustained random writes (databases, professional video editing, AI workloads) — a slightly more expensive DRAM-equipped drive is usually worth it.

Why are SSDs so expensive in 2026?

Three converging factors: AI infrastructure demand absorbing NAND production capacity, manufacturers cutting production in 2023 (when prices were unprofitably low) and not ramping back up, and capacity allocation prioritizing higher-margin enterprise SSDs. Consumer SSD prices rose approximately 115% from mid-2025 to early 2026, with TrendForce forecasting continued increases through Q2 2026.