2023 could bring about the death of HDD storage - here's why

Experts are split as SSD prices stay low

SSD vs HDD image showing multiple models on both sides with gamesradar crosses in the background
(Image credit: Future)

There have been quite a few technology wars in my lifetime. VHS vﷺs DVD, CD vs MP3, Blu-Ray vs HD DVD - I mean, even Twitch vs Ustream was pretty entertaining. One that's been silently trundling on longer than any of those, however, is the war between HDD and SSD storage. Even if it's seemed as though the two can co-exist at times, the battles have raged on. But according to experts, analysts, and the biggest names in the sector, 2023 might be the year that HDD finally loses its footing.

Of course, this may not come as a surprise if you've been following things closely. The 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:best SSDs for gaming took a dominant position in the mainstream market as soon as they were adopted by consoles like the PS5, the Xbox Series X, and the 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:best gaming PCs. It's safe to say that before that point,ꦬ the cheaper prices of HDD meant it was the go-to solution for 🐟system storage.

But ever since the tide turned in 2020, things have been very interesting indeed. SSD has been the premium option for gamers as they've realised that it vastly out performs HDD. Load times have become a thing of the past as sequential read and write speeds have surpassed 7,000MB/s, compa🍌red to the fairly pathetic 200MB/s an HDD would be lucky to reach. 

For that reason, getting a hold of an SSD in recent years has been tough - demand has been at an all time high. HDD, playing to its capacity strengths, kept a low profile, and even lower prices. In that way, it's clung to a market position that's solely dependent on people needin🍒g cheap and cheerful e♓xternal storage.

A product shot of the WD Black SN850 against a motherboard

(Image credit: Western Digital)

It's not easy at the top...

But SSD hasn't had it easy, especially not recently. 2022 proved tumultuous for the biggest names in storage, because as they've tried to recoup the higher production costs of the pandemic era, they've 🌃had a slowly decreasing demand as more and more people have gotten their desired drives. Executives at Seagate and Western Digital even came forward in September to say that both companies were struggling to meet their sales targets for the year. This announcement came after nine months of gradual SSD price decreasing, 🦩too.

SSD prices in October ꧟were roughly the same as their discounted 𝓀Black Friday prices almost a year previous, which led to historically low prices for Black Friday 2022. Although nothing is certain, SSD is projected to remain cheap throughout the first half of this year, and that certainly wouldn't surprise me.

This is, of course, incredible for consumers. The top performing sꦑtorage drives on the market are now more affordable than eve✱r. SSD must be one of the only commodities to get cheaper during worldwide cost of living crises. While manufacturers struggle to bring SSD prices back up, HDD is at serious risk of being left in the dust.