Storage

Higher storage prices may be impacting the sales of Switch 2 games. A Bloomberg report describes how many buyers are balking at the cost of MicroSD Express cards. Bulky third-party titles and Game-Key Cards are quickly consuming the console’s 256GB internal drive.

Thanks to an ongoing combo offer on Newegg, folks on the hunt for a high-capacity SSD and a gaming GPU can now save a whopping $635 on the RTX 5070 Shadow and WD SN850X 8 TB combo. Considering the ongoing insanity surrounding hardware prices, the aforementioned deal is definitely quite lucrative.

A UK Redditor says surging high-capacity hard drive prices at home, driven by tightening supply and escalating data-center demand, made it cheaper to fly to New York to buy ten 28TB Seagate Expansion drives in person.

Kioxia has started shipping samples of its new UFS 5.0 embedded flash memory featuring the High-Speed Gear 6 (HS-Gear6) mode, designed to address growing data bandwidth requirements with on-device AI and AR/VR applications.

Sandisk has announced the third iteration of its Portable SSD lineup, consisting of the Extreme, Extreme PRO, and vanilla Portable SSDs. Available with capacities ranging from 500 GB to 8 TB, the drives appear to pack decent performance.

A new external enclosure for high-speed SSDs is supposed to offer high storage capacity and quick data transfer rates. It comes with active cooling that should prevent overheating, while the aluminum housing should also provide some passive cooling.

Toto, a high-end toilet maker from Japan, holds key tech that could make it integral to the memory/storage supply change. Its ceramics can withstand incredibly low temperatures, making them a key component in NAND manufacturing.

The increasing RAM and SSD demand caused by the AI craze is expected to last for at least 5 more years and prices would remain high if current production capacities are not increased. Phison CEO Chien-Cheng Pan warns that this crisis could spell the demise of many small and medium consumer electronics companies especially from the smartphone, PC and TV sectors.

Even with 2013 origins, GTA 5 now demands more than 100GB of install space. A new mod creates a much lighter, more portable version of the title. While players could avoid pricey storage upgrades, they may decide that the visual downgrades forced by the GTA 5 mod aren’t acceptable.

PS5 owners may want to free up storage space before the Resident Evil Requiem pre-load goes live. Capcom’s survival horror title will require a larger install than any previous Resident Evil game. A generous campaign length and upgraded graphics could explain the hefty file size.

Despite advancements, cloud gaming still has downsides compared to playing titles locally. A Sony patent balances both approaches, leading to smaller PS5 and PS6 game installations. Executables would run on a console, minimizing latency and the need for storage upgrades.

The DXP4800 Pro is a new NAS designed for storing large amounts of data. It also supports SSDs and comes with very quick Ethernet connectivity.

Orico’s two new NAS devices are supposed to stand out with built-in AI features and a sleek metal case that still allows quick drive access thanks to a magnetic front cover.

Yet another customer appears to have lucked out at Walmart's clearance section, shelling out just $210 for four SSDs with a total capacity of 7 TB. If purchased from online vendors at current prices, this bargain haul would have cost well over $1,200.

Square Enix is quickly monopolizing Switch 2 storage, with Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth the largest title yet. By its June 3rd release date, gamers will need to clear over 100GB on the Nintendo console. Although the file size is inconvenient, the Switch 2 game is smaller than the PS5 and PC versions.

ASUS has announced a new 20Gbps M.2 NVMe enclosure under its ROG lineup. Also compatible with M.2 SATA SSDs, the ROG Strix Aiolos features a heat-resistant liquid-silicone coating to help keep temps in check, along with exclusive software for real-time monitoring.

The WD Black D30 2TB SSD is normally listed for $404.99 on the SanDisk store. However, thanks to a new deal, you can save 70% and score it for only $119.99.

The Ugreen NeoDrive Go is a new card-sized portable SSD that taps into USB4 for fast transfers of up to 3,800 MB/s. It packs 1TB of storage, a built-in USB cable that doubles as a lanyard, and 7-foot drop protection, but it comes at a premium.

While RAM prices in Germany have barely increased over the past two weeks, further price hikes are expected. Analysts anticipate that DRAM costs could be up to 110% higher in the first quarter of 2026.

Memory and SSDs have already become significantly more expensive over the past months, but the worst could still be ahead. Samsung Electronics and SK Hynix are reportedly planning to reduce NAND production to shift capacities to more profitable business areas, namely DRAM production.

Final Fantasy 7 Remake Intergrade is the largest Switch 2 game on the console. Too massive for a 64GB cartridge, its Game-Key Card requires more than a 90GB installation. With higher Switch 2 storage costs looming, gamers are becoming increasingly frustrated by the handheld’s limited capacity.

Seagate has unveiled 32TB hard drives in its Exos, IronWolf Pro, and SkyHawk AI lines. All utilize Mozaic 3+ HAMR (heat assisted magnetic recording) technologies coupled with CMR (conventional magnetic recording) to achieve high data densities.

The Minisforum N5 Max is a new network storage device that can also be used as a mini PC and promises high performance in both roles. It supports fast network connections and additional SSDs can also be installed.

As the memory shortage continues, one buyer may be a victim of post-sale shenanigans. After purchasing a Corsair prebuilt PC, the retailer cancelled his order and relisted the item at a much higher price. With DDR5 RAM values in flux, sellers may regret setting too low of a price on a desktop.

An Amazon shipping error left one Reddit user with two full cartons of Samsung 9100 PRO 2TB NVMe SSDs worth an estimated $6,000 after ordering just two drives, prompting both logistical dilemmas and joking “first-world problem” laments on r/pcmasterrace. After contacting Amazon, the customer was told they could legally keep the unrequested surplus under U.S. FTC rules, sparking community debate over authenticity checks, resale plans, and whether the viral windfall was too good to be true.

Companies willing to cross ethical lines can still purchase memory at reasonable prices. A new report exposes Samsung workers who may have accepted kickbacks from anxious distributors. As the memory shortage escalates, AI data centers are depleting most of the DRAM supply.

The only conventional physical option for Nintendo Switch 2 games is costly 64GB media. That could soon change, after reports that smaller cartridges are in the works. The decision may be a response to higher storage prices, but Game-Key Cards are likely to remain prevalent.

Hyper has now released its first M.2 SSD enclosure that supports USB4 v2 transfer speeds. Advertised as an 80 Gbps PCIe SSD enclosure, the HyperDrive Next USB4 M.2 PCIe Enclosure also supports AI accelerators and networking cards while delivering up to 25 W USB Power Delivery too.

StationPC launched the PocketCloud portable NAS earlier this year via Kickstarter. It can now be purchased via Amazon and the company's official website.

The Beelink ME Pro has been teased as a new NAS that's touted as 50% smaller than competing systems. It will be available in two-bay and four-bay HDD models and sport an unibody design to offer more internal space without increasing the size.

The Youyeetoo NestDisk is a newly introduced mini PC that can function like a NAS. It has a palm-sized form factor that’s powered by the Intel N150 with support for up to four SSDs. The launch price is $198.06.

South Korea is expected to hit the $700 billion mark in total exports by the end of 2025. The unprecedented figure is driven by a semiconductor boom, while most other export segments decline.

Valve may consider shifting the burden of finding affordable components to buyers. A prominent leaker proposes selling a barebones Steam Machine without memory, storage, or controller. The company could still offer the $399 gaming PC even after the DDR5 RAM shortage exhausts its supply of parts.

The Team Group PD40 Mini External SSD has been formally introduced by the company. It's a compact external storage solution that's available with up to 4 TB of capacity and uses USB4 connectivity.

Atlas Data Storage has unveiled the Atlas Eon 100 DNA-based data storage device designed to retain data longer than conventional computer storage media can, including CDs, DVDs, HDs, and SSDs. Actual DNA has been successfully recovered from thousand-year-old artifacts recovered from archeological sites.

The UnifyDrive UT2 is still enjoying a Black Friday price cut. Thanks to this deal, the portable NAS with built-in battery is currently down to $399, which matches its early-bird pricing.

What kind of storage is faster than any SSD? Your system memory. With an open-source tool, you can spin up a virtual drive directly in RAM — and it’s ridiculously fast. It’s not just useful for testing, either. With a bit of experimentation, it can be handy in everyday work, too.

Lenovo has built an extensive component inventory, helping keep PC and laptop prices stable in 2025. The company, however, has warned that prices might need to rise in 2026 as skyrocketing AI demand drives DRAM and NAND prices higher.

For Switch 2 owners who rely on microSD Express cards, there are signs of trouble in Japan. MicroSD alternatives are selling at unprecedented rates, making the faster format a target. AI investors have strained the global memory supply, which also impacts NAND flash memory.

With the StorageKey Gen2, data can be accessed at a very high transfer rate. It uses a modern connector, while both active and passive cooling supposedly prevent throttling. Users need to provide their own SSD, which can actually be a good thing.

The Dual Portable SSD is a new compact storage solution from Kingston. It comes with a dual-interface, is rated for USB 3.2 Gen 2 speeds, and sports a flash drive-like housing. The drive starts at $97 and maxes out at 1 TB.

Xiaomi is reportedly working on a NAS, which is rumored to launch in 2025, alongside the Xiaomi 17 Ultra. A recent report shares that the device will offer broad compatibility and focus on ease of use.

Samsung has hiked contract DRAM prices by up to 60%, with DDR5 among the hardest hit. Driven by the AI boom and soaring data center demand, the surge could soon spill into retail, leaving PC gamers and builders facing noticeably higher RAM costs.

Asustor has unveiled two new network storage devices. These two models in the Drivestore lineup are quite similar, but come with either 2 or 4 HDD bays. Asustor is likely targeting budget-conscious customers with these new products.

Movespeed has launched a Kickstarter crowdfunding campaign for its new See U Smart Display USB Drive. There are five versions of this gadget, with storage capacities ranging from 128GB to 2TB. Each variant offers both USB-A and USB-C connectors, with a digital display showing a range of data points.