Everyone needs storage media, whether you want to store documents on an internal or external SSD, want to be able to exchange files or archive your entire possessions. We'll show you the best storage media, from SSDs and Blu-rays to external enclosures and USB sticks.
Prices
Storage media prices vary from day to day. We have noted the average daily price for you at the time of writing, the actual retail price may be slightly higher or lower.
Samsung 860 EVO 1TB
Price:€ 139,-
www.samsung.nl
The prices for SSDs have fallen enormously in recent months and that is why you can buy SSDs for a very reasonable price these days. The Samsung EVO 860 series is a very good choice if you are looking for an internal SSD. The EVO 860 is available in five different sizes: 250 GB, 500 GB, 1 TB, 2 TB and 4 TB. The 1TB version offers the best price per gigabyte. There are variants of the 860 series, the 860 QVO is a budget version with slightly less good nand memory (4bit-mlc), the 860 PRO offers slightly better nand memory (2bit-mlc) but is also slightly more expensive. The EVO is in between with 3bit-mlc (multi-level cell) nand memory.
SanDisk Extreme Portable 1TB
Price: € 149,-
www.sandisk.nl
If you're looking for an external SSD, the SanDisk Extreme Portable is a great option. The product is available in 250 GB, 500 GB, 1 TB and 2 TB sizes. The SanDisk Extreme Portable has a hole at the top so that you can attach it to a key ring, for example. The SSD is dust-free and waterproof, but don't think you can submerge it in a bath, because the Extreme Portable has an IP rating of IP55. This means that the device is supposedly spray-tight. The SSD has a USB-C connection, but is supplied with a normal USB adapter.
WD Elements Portable 3TB
Price: € 89,-
www.wd.com/nl-nl
If you want to store a lot of data, an SSD is of course still a lot more expensive than an old-fashioned hard drive. This hard drive from Western Digital can store no less than three terabytes of data and that for less than ninety euros. The versions up to 3 TB are equipped as portable 2.5 inch drives, from 4 TB a desktop model is available with a built-in 3.5 inch drive. These models go up to 10 TB. The Portable has a USB3.0 connection.
Samsung EVO 970 m.2 1TB
Price: € 199,-
www.samsung.nl
There is no longer a standard SSD in a laptop these days, there is a good chance that you can only install an m.2 SSD. M.2 is an odd standard in that it comes in several sizes, the most common being 2280 (22 by 80 millimeters). This nvme-m.2-ssd from Samsung can achieve read speeds of up to 3300 MB/s, which is five to six times faster than a normal ssd. It is not expensive at all, for the 1TB variant you pay about 200 euros.
Crucial BX500 120GB
Price: € 19,-
//eu.crucial.com
You don't have to spend hundreds of euros on an SSD. If a small SSD is enough for you, you can get it for a few bucks. The Crucial BX500 with 120 GB of storage is big enough for some users to store all their documents and photos, and currently costs less than twenty euros. The SSD is also available in 240 GB, 480 GB and 960 GB sizes. It is already a slightly older model, but is still offered in many stores at very competitive prices.
Samsung FIT Plus 64GB
Price: € 19,-
www.samsung.nl
Samsung is one of the leaders in the field of storage media and it is therefore not surprising that we also mention a product of the Korean company in the USB stick category. The FIT Plus is available in 32 GB, 64 GB, 128 GB and 256 GB versions, and has a USB3.1 connection. According to Samsung, you can copy a file of 300 GB to the USB stick within 14 seconds. Since the device is so small, you'd better use the eyelet to attach it to your keychain.
SanDisk Ultra 128GB
Price: € 29,-
www.sandisk.nl
A trick from SanDisk: a USB stick that has two different connections. The normal plug is of the USB 3.0 type and makes it easy to connect it to your PC. If you want to use the Ultra 128 GB with your smartphone or tablet, slide the transparent cover to the other side. Here you will find a micro USB connection. You can also slide the cover to the middle position so that both connectors are protected against bumps. Smart thinking!
USB Flash Drive Finger Shape 8GB
Price: € 7,-
www.aliexpress.com
The Chinese AliExpress interprets the term 'thumb drive' very literally: this flash drive is actually designed as a thumb and you can connect it to a USB3 port of your PC. The USB stick is available in variants of 8 GB, 16 GB, 32 GB and 64 GB, and costs between seven and eleven euros. As with other items you order on AliExpress, you may have to wait a few weeks for your order.
LG BH16NS55
Price: € 89,-
www.lg.com/nl
With this Blu-ray burner from LG you can burn almost all types of Blu-rays, DVDs and CDs. You can connect the device to the motherboard of your PC by means of a SATA connection. Besides burning all kinds of optical media, you can also enjoy 3D Blu-rays as it supports 3D playback. If you want to use blu-rays for archiving data, you can use m-disc blu-rays.
Verbatim 43888
Price: € 106,-
www.verbatim-europe.nl
If you prefer an external Blu-ray burner, the Verbatim 43888 is a good choice. For just over a hundred euros you have an ultra-thin burner that can also read and write m-disc blu-rays. The burner has a USB-C connection and is supplied with Nero Burn & Archive. This software can only be installed on the PC, but the burner works under both Windows and macOS. Of course you can also burn BD XLs, DVDs and CDs with the device.
Sony BD-R 25GB 6x (10x)
Price: € 15,-
www.sony.nl
Which optical media do you choose for your burner? If you don't necessarily need a box for your individual Blu-rays, you can buy ten pieces on a spindle for less than twenty euros. The Blu-rays can store 25 gigabytes of data and can be written on with any Blu-ray burner. The maximum speed at which you can burn the data to the disc is 6x. There is also a 50 gigabyte variant on the market.
Verbatim M-Disc 100GB 4x
Price: € 17,-
www.verbatim-europe.nl
On a blu-ray type m-disc, your data is theoretically safe for up to a thousand years, long enough for most of us. Another advantage of an m-disc is that it can hold up to 100 gigabytes of data. The price of a BD XL m-disc is still higher than a normal blu-ray, for one disc you pay between 15 and 20 euros. To burn an m-disc, you do need a recent blu-ray burner.
