Recent analysis indicates a notable shift in the storage market dynamics. Since September 2024, prices per gigabyte for solid-state drives (SSDs) have experienced a decline, contrasting with a rise in the prices of SAS hard disk drives (HDDs).
Price Trends for Flash Drives and HDDs
Flash drive prices, encompassing MLC, TLC, and QLC types, decreased from an average of $0.085 per GB to around $0.079 per GB, representing a reduction of approximately 7%. In contrast, the price for SAS spinning disk drives rose from $0.041 per GB to $0.049 per GB, marking an 18% increase. This price surge is coinciding with the introduction of high-capacity HDDs, including Western Digital’s 32TB shingled drives and Toshiba’s 24TB and 28TB models.
Historical Context of Price Changes
Prior to this recent decline, flash drive prices had been on a downward trajectory during the first three quarters of 2024, falling to $0.085 per GB—an over 10% decrease since April. The prices of SSDs had peaked in early 2024 at $0.095 per GB, leading many to anticipate even higher prices throughout the year. However, as production ramped up, consumer demand did not keep pace, resulting in falling prices.
Current Market Analysis
Currently, average prices for spinning disks have remained relatively stable, with a slight increase from $0.039 to $0.041 since September 2024. This figure, however, obscures the significant 18% rise in SAS drive prices during the same timeframe. The analysis conducted by Computer Weekly compiles data from over 65,000 drive prices sourced weekly from Amazon.com, with averages derived specifically for different drive types.
Key Factors Influencing Ownership Costs
While price per gigabyte is a crucial factor for consumers, the overall cost of ownership also plays a significant role. This encompasses not just the initial purchase price but also energy consumption and maintenance expenses. SSDs, while generally more expensive upfront, tend to have lower maintenance costs compared to their spinning disk counterparts.
Reliability Insights
Cloud storage provider Backblaze has published reliability statistics indicating that SSDs have an annual failure rate (AFR) of 0.9% as of mid-2023. For HDDs, the AFR reported for 2024 was 1.57%. This data underscores the reliability advantage of SSDs in various applications.