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Electronics

SSD, Hard Drive & Memory Card

Storage is sold on one number — peak MB/s — that you'll only see for the first few seconds of a big copy. What decides real speed and lifespan is the connection type, flash type, cache, endurance rating and, for memory cards, the video speed class.

Quick answer

Internal: 4.0 with flash is the sweet spot.

Portable: USB 3.2 Gen 2 (10 Gbps) suits most; USB4 only for editing off the drive.

Check sustained write speed and endurance, not peak MB/s.

Hard drives are for cheap backup, not for running your system.

Find your fit

A few questions about your situation, not about the product.

What is the storage for?
How much space do you need?
0/20

Add one short need not covered above.

Answer all 2 questions to see the spec sheet to shop with.

Extended warranty & AMC — what to check before you say yes

For electronics the expensive failures are the display, the board and the battery. Extended cover is worth it only when it names those parts and offers a repair path in your city.

Ask these five questions

  • ✓Is the display / motherboard covered, and up to what value?
  • ✓Is accidental and liquid damage included, or is that a separate add-on?
  • ✓Is repair done at an authorised service centre with genuine parts?
  • ✓Is battery degradation covered, and below what health threshold?
  • ✓What's the turnaround promise, and is a standby device provided?

Usually not covered

  • ×Theft and loss (that's a separate insurance product)
  • ×Software issues, data loss and unauthorised repairs
  • ×Batteries and chargers on most plans
  • ×Cracked screens unless accidental damage is bought explicitly

Rule of thumb: worth considering on a high-value device you carry around, rarely worth it on a low-cost one where a plan costs more than ~15% of the price.

These are comparison links, not recommendations — we don't sell plans and we don't rank providers. Some outbound links on KnowBeforeBuy are affiliate links. Cover, exclusions and pricing change; read the plan document before you pay.

Buy it locally

Shops near you that stock ssd, hard drive & memory card

Sometimes the local dealer beats online on price, installation or the exchange offer. Tell us where you are and we'll list nearby stores. We don't rank or take money from any shop; results come from Google Maps.

The area you enter, or coordinates rounded to about 1 km if you use your location, are sent to Google Maps through Lovable to find places. Lookups are temporarily cached for up to 30 minutes.

The spec sheet, decoded

Interface: PCIe 3.0 / 4.0 / 5.0 NVMe vs SATA

How the drive talks to the computer.

Why it matters

4.0 (5,000–7,400 MB/s) is the value sweet spot; caps at ~550 MB/s.

What to check

5.0 runs hot and rarely speeds up everyday work — check your slot supports it.

Flash type (TLC vs QLC) and DRAM cache

How data is stored on the chips, and whether there's a memory buffer.

Why it matters

with stays fast under load and lasts longer — best for a main drive.

What to check

drives can slow to hard-drive speeds once their cache fills.

Sustained write speed

Speed after the fast cache runs out during a long copy.

Why it matters

Copying 100 GB of video is decided by this number, not the peak.

What to check

Budget portable SSDs can fall from 1,000 MB/s to under 150 MB/s mid-copy.

Endurance (TBW) and warranty

Terabytes you can write before wear-out.

Why it matters

About 600 per 1 TB plus a 5-year warranty is a solid drive.

What to check

Warranty ends at the limit even if the years haven't run out.

Portable USB speed (10 / 20 / 40 Gbps)

USB 3.2 Gen 2, Gen 2x2 and USB4/Thunderbolt.

Why it matters

10 Gbps (~1,000 MB/s) works almost everywhere; 40 Gbps enables editing straight off the drive.

What to check

Gen 2x2 (20 Gbps) drives drop to 10 Gbps on most laptops and Macs.

Memory cards: V30 / V60 / V90, A1 / A2, UHS-II

Guaranteed minimum write speed and app performance class.

Why it matters

V30 handles normal 4K; V60/V90 for high-bitrate video and long RAW bursts.

What to check

'Up to 200 MB/s' is read speed — the V rating is the write guarantee.

Before you pay

  • ✓Match the interface to your slot or port before buying.
  • ✓ flash with (or a strong HMB design) for your main drive.
  • ✓Check sustained write in reviews, not peak MB/s.
  • ✓ and 5-year warranty in writing.
  • ✓Keep a second copy — one drive is never a backup.

Common traps

  • !Unbranded '2 TB' flash drives and SSDs with fake capacity.
  • ! drives sold as 'fast' for video work.
  • !Paying for 5.0 on a laptop that only supports 4.0.
  • !Using a single hard drive as your only copy of family photos.

1 TB 4.0 : ₹6,000–₹9,000 (≈$72–$110). 1 TB portable SSD: ₹7,000–₹11,000 (≈$84–$130). 4 TB backup hard drive: ₹9,000–₹12,000 (≈$110–$140).

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