Portable storage devices and external hard drives may not be the sexiest hardware on offer this Prime Day, but anyone who’s used one to boot an operating system or reduce a game’s load times knows what a difference they can make. Anytime you work with massive files — and most of us do, given the size of software these days — a solid-state drive (SSD) can improve on a built-in hard drive in almost every way. The SSDs gathered below can boost processing speeds while keeping computers cool and quiet, and they’re all discounted from the usual price. Check out our list to find your next PS5 SDD deals and more.
Best Prime Day SSD deals
Crucial P310 1TB for $60 (20 percent off): This deal on the Crucial P310 is one of the best we’ve seen so far for a Gen 4 SSD. At the 1TB capacity, it reads up to 7,100MB per second for noticeably faster performance. Just be warned that the deal doesn’t include a heatsink.
WD_BLACK SN850X for $150 (25 percent off): Our current favorite Gen4 NVMe drive is on sale for Prime Day, making a read speed of over 7,000 MB/s more accessible than ever. In our tests, we found the 1TB SN850X significantly boosted our Windows operating speeds without adding much heat.
WD Blue SN5000 for $210 (30 percent off): Here’s a great deal on an internal SSD with 4TB capacity and compatibility with the fast-performing NVMe protocol. Western Digital, the same brand behind the WD_BLACK (see above) claims the Blue model can hit read speeds of 5,500 MB/s.
Sabrent Rocket 2230 for $150 (45 percent off): The Sabrent Rocket 2230 is a thumbnail-sized NVMe card that we found to be perfect for the M.2 slot on a Steam Deck. Thanks to this deal, you can save a lot by buying a lower-end Steam Deck and upgrading it with one of these.
Samsung Fit Plus for $23 (34 percent off): The Fit Plus is our favorite thumb drive, and it’s not close. Running on USB 3.1 with transfer speeds between 300 and 400 MB/s, it even comes with a keychain hook. The current deal takes 34 percent off an already cheap product.
Samsung 990 Pro for $150 (29 percent off): The whole Samsung Pro line of SSDs is excellent for gamers, with PS5s in particular seeming to run much faster with one installed. The 990 Pro can reach read speeds of up to 1,400 KB/s — and yes, that’s kilobytes, not megabytes.
Samsung 9100 Pro for $220 (31 percent off): Samsung’s first NVMe SSD dropped earlier this year, and currently, they’re still a bit faster than most people can use. However, if you want to get a jump on the next console generation with 14,800 MB/s sequential reading speed, this deal is your opportunity.
Kingston Fury Renegade for $420 (33 percent off): Although it sounds like a Jamaican kung fu movie we’d watch the hell out of, the Kingston Fury Renegade is actually a 5th-gen NVMe SSD that can reach hardcore read speeds of up to 14,800 MB/s. It’s expensive, but Prime Day discounts knock off 33 percent.
Best Prime Day portable SSD deals
Samsung T7 for $114 (39 percent off): The T7 spent a long time as our reigning champion portable SSD, and it’s still an amazing deal — being technically outdated means record-low prices on hardware that’s more than fast enough for a Steam Deck or Switch.
Samsung T9 for $170 (43 percent off): We once named the Samsung T7 as our favorite portable SSD, but the T9 handily outdoes it, nearly doubling data transfer speeds. It’s marked down 43 percent from now until the end of Prime Day on the 11th.
Crucial X9 Pro 1TB for $75 (17 percent off): As a Gen 2 USB drive, the Crucial X9 Pro loses out to some newer competitors on speed — but it’s much cheaper, and far more compatible with everyday personal computers. The 1TB model is on sale at 17 percent off its normal price.
Crucial X9 Pro 2TB for $120 (33 percent off): The Crucial X9 Pro with 2TB storage space is marked down 33 percent for Prime Day.
Crucial X9 Pro 4TB $260 (10 percent off): If you’re after the highest-capacity model of the Crucial X9 Pro, you can grab it for 10 percent off through the end of Prime Day.
Crucial X10 1TB for $82 (41 percent off): The Crucial X10 is a portable SSD for power users, only working at full strength on devices that support the latest version of USB 3.2. If that’s what your build needs, you’re not likely to see it much cheaper than this.
Crucial X10 2TB for $135 (18 percent off): A 2TB version of the X10 is almost 20 percent off right now.
Crucial X10 Pro 2TB for $150 (28 percent off): The Crucial X10 Pro is perfect for a fairly small range of users. If your PC build currently works with USB 3.2 Gen 2×2 but isn’t yet handling USB4 or Thunderbolt, you won’t find a faster portable SSD for your needs.
Kingston XS1000 for $80 (15 percent off): We named the Kingston XS1000 the second-best portable SSD in our current roundup, so it’s great to see it going for 15 percent off today. It’s almost as fast as the Crucial X9 Pro, just not quite as tough.
ADATA SE920 for $142 (5 percent off): The piddly 5 percent off is disappointing, but there’s nothing disappointing about the ADATA SE920 itself. This is the ideal model for anyone regularly making huge downloads. The SE920’s maximum read speed of 3,800 MB/s would be impressive for a full-size SSD, but it’s fully portable, weighing less than half a pound.
Best Prime Day microSD card deals
Lexar Professional Silver Plus for $40 (45 percent off): Our tests showed this to be the fastest microSD card on the market, beating out the whole Samsung line. Not only is it fast enough to download and upload 4K files without trying your patience, it’s also waterproof, cheap and squeezes in both USB-A and USB-C ports.
Samsung Pro Plus for $17 (35 percent off): The Samsung Pro Plus is a great microSD card for most needs, so if it’s cheaper than the Lexar option, go for it. We’ve found that it’s particularly good in handheld game systems. Just make sure to get the version rated for 180 MB/s, nothing less (it should say on the package).
SanDisk 128GB microSDXC for $18 (25 percent off): If you’re still rocking the Switch 1 (thanks, Target) and want a cheap storage expander with some fun branding, this deal on a SanDisk 128GB microSD card is for you. It’s going for $18 right now, far less than most of the games you’re likely to store on it.
Best Prime Day external hard drive deals
Seagate Portable for $65 (18 percent off): All the Seagate hard drives we’ve used are refreshingly good at combining thin, light hardware with consistent speeds, and the Portable is no exception. At 4TB, this is a great deal on an external HDD with no tradeoffs.
Seagate Game Drive for $76 (15 percent off): Seagate’s Game Drive is a prime choice for adding extra space to a PS5 or Xbox Series X. Formerly overpriced, it’s now dropped down to $90 for 2 TB, and that’s before Prime Day makes it even cheaper.
WD My Passport for $153 (17 percent off): The Western Digital My Passport line is ancient by computer hardware standards, but it’s been updated as far as USB 3.0 and 3.1, and remains one of the cheaper options for a 6 TB hard drive. This version includes automatic backup software.
WD Elements for $149 (15 percent off): The Elements HDD from Western Digital has gotten consistently positive feedback from our staff over the years, and as an older model, it’s now wildly cheap for 6 TB of storage. It’s compatible with both PC and Mac out of the box.
WD_BLACK P10 Game Drive for $161 (15 percent off): We’re big fans of the WD_BLACK SSD, and the gaming-focused external P10 is a worthy companion. It comes with 6 TB of storage for your PC, PS5, or Xbox gaming library.
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