Cheapest 1TB SSDs by Price per TB
For a boot drive or a first game drive, the cheapest 1TB SSD that fits your slot — a DRAM-less NVMe or a SATA drive — is usually enough; the list below ranks today's new 1TB offers by price per TB.
A 1TB SSD is the default size for a budget PC build, a laptop drive swap, or a handheld PC upgrade. It holds Windows, your apps, and a handful of big games. The list below ranks today's new 1TB internal SSD offers — NVMe and SATA — by price per TB, each with a deal score against typical pricing, and re-ranks on every snapshot refresh.
The cheapest 1TB SSD is not always the cheapest per TB. Every drive carries fixed costs — controller, circuit board, packaging — so 1TB drives often cost more per terabyte than 2TB ones. That's fine if 1TB is what you need: for a boot drive or a first game drive, a cheap DRAM-less NVMe or a basic SATA model does the job. What matters most is buying the right interface for the slot you have.
ZRAAPC SATA 1TB III Internal SSD, 2.5" Solid State Drive with 3D NAND Technology, Computer Hard Disk Storage Upgrade for Desktop and Laptop -Green
$102.96 · $102.96/TB as of Sep 26, 12:43 PM
Ranks #1 at $102.96/TB — 38% below the typical 1TB SSD. New condition, SATA, 2.5".
SUNEAST 1TB 2.5 SSD SATA III Internal Solid State Drive
$114.99 · $114.99/TB as of Sep 26, 12:43 PM
Ranks #2 at $114.99/TB — 31% below the typical 1TB SSD. New condition, SATA.
Ediloca 1TB SSD Internal Solid State Drive 2.5" SATA III 6Gb/s, 550MB/s Read Speed 3D TLC NAND, 1TB SATA SSD PC/Laptop Upgrade, Shock-Resistant & Drop-Proof(ES106)
$116.99 · $116.99/TB as of Sep 26, 12:43 PM
Ranks #3 at $116.99/TB — 30% below the typical 1TB SSD. New condition, SATA, 2.5".
Timetec 1TB SSD 3D NAND SATA III 6Gb/s 2.5 Inch 7mm (0.28") Read Speed Up to 550 MB/s SLC Cache Performance Boost Internal Solid State Drive for PC Computer Desktop and Laptop (1TB)
$120.99 · $120.99/TB as of Sep 26, 12:43 PM
Ranks #4 at $120.99/TB — 28% below the typical 1TB SSD. New condition, SATA, 2.5".
KingSpec 1TB 2.5-inch SATA III Internal SSD 6Gb/s - Championship Edition
$125.69 · $125.69/TB as of Sep 26, 12:43 PM
Ranks #5 at $125.69/TB — 25% below the typical 1TB SSD. New condition, SATA, 2.5".
Lufasnd Internal 1TB SATA SSD, 2.5 Inch SSD SATA III 6Gb/s, Solid State Drive, Up to 520MB/s Read Speed, 3D NAND Flash, Compatible with Laptop & Desktop PC
$125.99 · $125.99/TB as of Sep 26, 12:43 PM
Ranks #6 at $125.99/TB — 25% below the typical 1TB SSD. New condition, SATA, 2.5".
KingSpec 1TB 2.5 SSD SATA III Internal - 550MB/s Read, 520MB/s Write with 3D NAND Flash, for Laptop & Desktop PC Upgrade
$129.59 · $129.59/TB as of Sep 26, 12:43 PM
Ranks #7 at $129.59/TB — 22% below the typical 1TB SSD. New condition, SATA.
PNY CS900 1TB 2.5" SATA III Internal SSD
$129.99 · $129.99/TB as of Sep 26, 12:43 PM
Ranks #8 at $129.99/TB — 22% below the typical 1TB SSD. New condition, SATA, 2.5".
fanxiang 1TB SATA SSD 2.5'' SSD SATA III 6 Gb/s Internal Solid State Drive Up to 560 MB/s 3D NAND SLC Cache for Laptop and PC Desktop Performance Boost 7mm(0.28″) S101Q
$129.99 · $129.99/TB as of Sep 26, 12:43 PM
Ranks #9 at $129.99/TB — 22% below the typical 1TB SSD. New condition, SATA.
TEAMGROUP AX2 1TB 3D NAND TLC 2.5 Inch SATA III Internal Solid State Drive SSD (Read Speed up to 540 MB/s) Compatible with Laptop & PC Desktop T253A3001T0C101
$129.99 · $129.99/TB as of Sep 26, 12:43 PM
Ranks #10 at $129.99/TB — 22% below the typical 1TB SSD. New condition, SATA, 2.5".
Compare live hard disk prices for all matching deals →
What to look for
Check your slot first. M.2 is a shape, not a speed: an M.2 drive is either SATA or NVMe, and each motherboard M.2 slot supports one, the other, or both. A 2.5-inch SATA drive needs a SATA cable and a drive bay instead. Buying an NVMe drive for a SATA-only slot, or the reverse, is the most common mistake with cheap drives. Handheld PCs such as Steam Deck and ROG Ally take the short M.2 2230 size, which exists at 1TB.
Don't pay extra for endurance at this size. A mainstream TLC 1TB drive is rated about 600 TBW and a QLC NVMe drive about 220 TBW — both far beyond typical home use. QLC drives cost less per TB but can slow to hard-drive speeds once their write cache fills; for booting and gaming that rarely matters. DRAM-less drives, which borrow a little system memory instead of carrying their own, show their limits mainly under heavy sustained writes.
Know what 1TB actually holds. Windows 11 needs at least 64 GB and uses more in practice, and big games install at roughly 100 to 150 GB each — so after Windows and apps, a 1TB drive fits about five or six large games. If your library is bigger, compare the 2TB page before buying: larger drives usually cost less per TB.
FAQ
Why is a 1TB SSD so expensive?
SSD prices follow NAND flash contract prices, which rise and fall in cycles with data-center demand and factory output. At 1TB, the controller, board, and packaging also make up a bigger share of the price than on larger drives. The deal score on each entry shows how today's price compares with typical pricing.
How much should I pay for a 1TB SSD?
Judge by the price per TB and the deal score in the live list rather than a fixed number, because prices move. A drive that scores well against typical pricing is a fair buy, and a DRAM-less NVMe or SATA drive is all a boot drive needs.
What is the cheapest SSD per TB?
Larger drives usually win: 2TB and 4TB drives spread the fixed costs of controller, board, and packaging over more storage, so they typically cost less per TB than 1TB. SATA drives also tend to cost less per TB than NVMe. The 2TB and 4TB pages rank those sizes the same way.
Is a cheap 1TB SSD good enough for gaming?
Yes. For booting and loading games, a DRAM-less NVMe drive performs close to a pricier one, and even a SATA SSD is far faster than a hard drive. The real limit is space: 1TB holds about five or six big games after Windows.