The Best SSDs and Storage - Early 2025
Storage keeps getting faster and more efficient. NVMe SSDs dominate for speed, HDDs remain best for bulk storage, and portable drives offer convenience. Here are the top picks for every need in 2025.
Scientists use crystals to cram terabytes of data into millimeter-sized memory
Crystal defects create ultra-dense memory
Western Digital targets 100TB disk drives with HAMR and HDMR advancements
Roadmap for next-generation HDD technology
What was the size of the first-generation floppy disk?
Were they always 3.5-inch? Also, do you remember the Zip drive?
Seagate is now sampling 36TB hard drives based on HAMR technology
The highest-capacity units are based on SMR technology
AI adoption to double storage demands in just 3 years, Seagate survey finds
72% of surveyed businesses say they are already using AI
Samsung 990 Evo Plus drops to $134 for 2TB, $79 for 1TB SSD
Samsung's 990 Evo Plus is a hybrid PCIe 4.0/5.0 DRAM-less SSD that was initially priced too close to the more powerful 990 Pro. However, with its current discount, it offers good value for a fast and efficient SSD.
iOS 18.2 doubles storage needs for Apple Intelligence - and users aren't thrilled
From 4GB to 7GB, applies to all supported devices
Cuneiform-inspired polymer could be the future of sustainable digital storage (or not)
Digital Clay: Cuneiform languages represent the earliest known writing systems in human history. The Sumerians used this method by making indentations in clay tablets, a practice later adopted by other civilizations, including the Akkadians and Persians. Millennia later, cuneiform could once again prove significant – this time, as inspiration for innovations in the field of data storage.
DRAM manufacturers explore new designs to overcome 3D stacking hurdles
The efforts require years of development before gaining commercial traction
SK Hynix beats Samsung by launching its 321-layer TLC NAND flash memory first
The South Korean manufacturer is the first to come out with it
MIT's light-activated antiferromagnetic memory could replace today's ferromagnets
The breakthrough could enable next-gen memory chips with improved density and durability
Seagate to launch world's first high-capacity HDDs based on HAMR technology
Forward-looking: Heat-assisted magnetic recording is a technological breakthrough that has been decades in the making. The first patent describing a method for using heat to record data through a magnetic field dates back to 1954. Seagate began researching "modern" HAMR hard drives in the 1990s. Now, the American manufacturer is finally shipping its first commercially available HAMR hard drives.
Modders give the new Raspberry Pi 500 keyboard PC an NVMe storage upgrade
Much faster than the microSD storage solution
Samsung is prepping 400-layer V-NAND for future 16TB SSD storage and PCIe 5.0 performance
Rival SK Hynix is also working on 400-layer NAND
WD unwraps the holidays with new high-performance PCIe Gen 4x4 SSDs starting under $60
Faster and more power efficient than the previous generation
Phison steals Micron's PCIe 5 SSD crown after just one day with a 122TB drive
Phison doubles Micron's capacity and exceeds its already blistering read speeds
Micron unveils world's first PCIe 5.0 60TB SSD for AI workloads and cloud storage
Faster and more energy efficient than existing 60TB SSDs
Huawei sidesteps US sanctions with new MED storage that fuses SSD and tape
First-gen 72TB MEDs use just 10% of the power required by HDDs
Another day, another SSD deal: Samsung 990 Evo 1TB drops to $69
The SSD 990 Evo (not to be confused with the newer 990 Evo Plus) is a DRAMless hybrid SSD with PCIe 4.0 x4 and PCIe 5.0 x2 support. It runs cool, balancing performance and efficiency, ideal for compact systems and laptop upgrades.
Grab 2TB of uber-fast SSD storage from Samsung or Corsair for only $149
Early Black Friday deals bring the Samsung 990 Pro and Corsair MP600 Pro 2TB SSDs down to $149, making them excellent options for expanding PC storage.
Samsung 990 Evo Plus SSD debuts to positive reviews
The 990 Evo Plus upgrades the 990 Evo with faster speeds while keeping the hybrid PCIe 4.0/5.0 and DRAM-less design. Pricing is too close to the more powerful 990 Pro though.
Samsung speeds up development of a new breed of memory that combines RAM and SSD properties
Forward-looking: Samsung is working to accelerate the development of a promising new memory technology called Selector-Only Memory. The latest tech combines the non-volatility of flash storage and DRAM's lightning-fast read/write speeds, making it a potential game-changer. Furthermore, manufacturers can stack the chips for higher densities.
New optical storage breakthrough could make CDs relevant again
Breakthrough could usher in "ultra-high-density" optical media, but more research is needed
Scientists unlock a faster, cheaper way to store data on DNA
There's the potential to store 215 petabytes per gram of DNA, but obstructively slow speeds are a big hurdle