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Monica J. White is a journalist with over a decade of experience in covering technology. She built her first PC nearly 20 years ago, and she has since built and tested dozens of PCs.
PC hardware is her main beat, and graphics cards and the GPU market at large are her main area of interest, but she has written thousands of articles covering everything related to PCs, laptops, handhelds, and peripherals. From GPUs and CPUs to headsets and software, Monica’s always willing to geek out over all things related to computing.
Outside of her work with How-To Geek, Monica contributes to TechRadar, PC Gamer, Tom’s Guide, Laptop Mag, SlashGear, Whop, and Digital Trends, among others. Her ultimate goal is to make PC gaming and computing approachable and fun to any audience.
Monica spends a lot of time elbow-deep in her PC case, as she’s always making upgrades, testing something, or plotting out her next build. She’s the go-to tech support person in her immediate circle, so she’s never out of things to do. Whenever she has spare time, you’ll find her gaming until the early hours and hanging out with her dog.
Let’s face it: now is not exactly a great time to shop for PC upgrades. With the RAM-pocalypse in full swing, it’s not just RAM that’s getting pricey—many components are. Those who were hoping to score a thrilling piece of tech this holiday season are in for a disappointment.
I, too, wanted to treat myself to an upgrade, but after some deliberation, I realized that the only thing that makes sense right now is an SSD.
SSD prices are kind of okay—for now
Not for long, unfortunately.
While RAM prices have more than doubled in the last few months, with some kits going from $70 to $400 since August, SSDs have been a little steadier. Not exactly steady, and definitely not static, but steadier.
I’ve checked a bunch of different PCIe Gen 4 and Gen 5 SSDs, and some have seen a steep price increase in the last few months, according to PC Part Picker’s tracker. The WD Black 2TB SN850X used to be $149 in the summer, but now, the price is up to $190 on Amazon and $220 at other retailers. Meanwhile, the Samsung 990 Pro (2TB) is currently $190, and that’s a discount from $230. Amazon’s own price tracker indicates that the lowest price in 30 days was $159.
Those are some hefty increases, but they don’t seem so bad when looking at RAM. The Corsair Vengeance RGB DDR5 32GB went up from a low of $129 in September to $442 at the time of writing. By the time you read this, it might cost even more.
SSDs currently shine by comparison.
It’s not just RAM that’s in high demand
Data centers want NAND flash memory, too.
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A recent report from TrendForce revealed that NAND flash memory, an essential component in SSDs, is suffering from a shortage all of its own. The demand is fueled by data centers, so as usual in these situations, we have AI to thank for our misery.
The shortage has resulted in price hikes on mainstream NAND wafers. TrendForce reports that the monthly average price increases ranged from 20% to 60% across all types of SSDs.
The worst part is that this is not the end. As these shortages continue (and potentially only get worse), the prices are projected to keep on rising.
We’ve already heard market analysts speculate that the RAM shortage, and thus the price issues, may only come to an end in 2027 or 2028. Things are looking grim for SSDs, too. Unless the so-called AI bubble bursts and leaves the market in shambles, we’re unlikely to see SSDs drop in price for at least a few months.
I know I do…
Circling back to PC upgrades, we know that RAM is out, and we know that SSDs are on the verge of being out. Skyrocketing RAM prices might also spill over to the GPUs, so it might be your last chance to get one before bad becomes worse.
But the good thing about SSDs is that you can always kind of use one, and even though they’re pricier, they’re never as expensive as a graphics card. That’s why, this year, I’m getting myself an SSD, knowing that I might regret not buying one in a few months when prices will likely be even worse.
Adding more storage to your PC or laptop is always an option, and that’s what I’m planning to do with my new SSD. I already have one boot drive and one storage drive, but I’m running out of space due to my chronic need to install every single game I own (and then proceed to not have time to play them).
You can also replace one of your SSDs with a newer one, and then use an enclosure to turn it into an external drive for backups. Similarly, you could just get an external SSD to begin with, such as the Crucial X10. Seeing as Micron, the company behind Crucial, is exiting the consumer market, those SSDs will soon become vintage.
Lastly, that SSD purchase could be the beginning of your very own NAS build. You always want at least one in a NAS for the OS.
UGREEN M.2 NVMe SSD Enclosure 10Gbps USB 3.2 Gen 2
$15
$22
Save $7
The UGREEN M.2 NVMe SSD enclosure will help you turn your old SSD into a USB backup drive. This is what I do when it’s time to let an old drive retire; buy a new one for my PC, and stick the old one in one of these SSD enclosures.
Other upgrades are an option, but be careful
Check price history to make sure you’re not getting ripped off.
If you have no use for an SSD, don’t let me tempt you into buying one you don’t need. There are other tech upgrades you can pick up this holiday season, but unfortunately, some of the prices are really not that great.
For starters, now is a good time to pick up a new GPU (if your PC needs one). The prices are as low as we’ve seen them this year, but many signs point to another increase in GPU pricing over the next few months. AI demand, DRAM shortages, and so on—you get it.
But you could try something else entirely. Instead of upgrading your GPU, look at upgrades that level up your entire PC experience. Peripherals, like keyboards and mice, are always a good gift to yourself (I say, having gifted myself a new keyboard for my birthday last year). A good monitor that can actually keep up with your GPU is a must-have, as pairing a solid GPU with a cheap, outdated monitor is essentially wasting frame rates.
Some less exciting, but affordable right now, PC upgrades also include coolers, the PSU, and even the CPU, although that’s essentially a whole new system. If you do go for a new CPU, make sure you don’t get sucked into the “CPU bottleneck” trap.
Don’t wait for too long
Prices of PC components are volatile.
The holidays are around the corner, and all the big sales are already behind us. Whatever deals and discounts were supposed to happen have already happened.
If you want to treat yourself to a PC upgrade this year, I believe that buying an SSD is the best option, given various use cases and the current state of the market. It might take a long time for prices to normalize, and they’re most likely getting worse, so stock up while you can. That’s what I’m planning to do.
Samsung 990 Pro SSD 1TB
$110
$145
Save $35
I just ordered this Samsung 990 Pro SSD after some research. It’ll go nicely with my existing combo of Lexar SSDs as a more premium option, and it’s currently on sale.
- Hardware Interface
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PCIe 4.0
