If you’ve postponed purchasing a budget-friendly SSD for the holidays, now is the time to act. Reports from Taiwan indicate that the cost of the flash memory used in SSDs is on the rise, resulting in higher prices for consumers.
TrendForce’s DRAMeXchange monitors the spot market for DRAM and flash, which power a PC’s memory and storage, as well as external storage. Spot prices fluctuate based on supply and demand. Memory makers have implemented production controls to try and raise prices after suffering during the pandemic, as reported by Tom’s Hardware.
TrendForce notes that the price of 512Gbit TLC flash has almost doubled from about $1.30 to $2.57 from July to November. The street prices of finished SSDs, such as the 240GB WD Green SSD, have also begun to climb. As Tom’s noted, the spot price of 2x8Gb DDR4-3200 RAM has jumped from $2.99 in July to $3.21 in November, evidence of a rising trend.
Manufacturers of memory and flash face the ongoing challenge of pressure from SSD and memory module makers to lower prices. However, they must find a way to make a profit in order to justify further investment. As demand is expected to seasonally drop in the first and second quarters, flash and memory makers will be able to raise prices, impacting the cost of memory modules and SSDs. Therefore, it’s advised to take advantage of the best SSD deals now, as prices are likely to increase in the next few months.
