I was considering making a 30+ TB NAS to simplify and streamline my current setup but because it’s a relatively low priority for me I am wondering is it worth it to hold off for a year or two?

I am unsure if prices have more or less plateaued and the difference won’t be all that substantial. Maybe I should just wait for Black Friday.

For context it seems like two 16TB HDD would cost about $320 currently.

Here’s some related links:

  • This article by Our World in Data contains a chart with how the price per GB has decreased overtime.

  • This article by Tom’s Hardware talks about how in July 2023 SSD prices bottomed out before climbing back up predicted further increases in 2024.

  • hazeebabee@slrpnk.net
    0·
    5 months ago

    There are a number of storage technologies in the works right now. However, I think they will result in a new type of memory device rather than HDDs getting cheaper. Kind of like how a stack of CDs isn’t cheaper now than it was in 2005, rather there are new types of storage that offer more memory and longer life spans.

    So if you are definetly going HDD, prices are probably not going to get that much cheaper, if any cheaper at all.

    I’d say keep an eye out for sales & that will probably make a bigger difference than waiting a set amount of time.

      • hazeebabee@slrpnk.net
        0·
        5 months ago

        That tech looks super cool & might be worth waiting for, but from what I’ve been reading it is still being perfected and will likely see big improvements fairly quickly after release.

        Heres a clip from this article I think is relevent: Teh said the new drives have double the capacity of storage systems using conventional 16TB perpendicular magnetic recording (PMR) drives, and this can be doubled again over the next four years. The company is projecting 4TB platters in the next couple of years, with 5TB coming shortly thereafter, and 6TB out beyond the current roadmap.

        So there’s a chance you wait for those drives, pay a little extra cuz the tech is new, then have something twice as good get released a year or two later.

        It’s definetly a tricky situation & ultimately up to you and what you want. Do you need that extra storage asap, or is it more of a eventually kind thing? Does new tech have its own intrinsic value to you, or is it more about price per terabyte?

        Good luck with your decision! I know how hard these kind of choices can be. You never know what the market will look like after you finally make that big purchase.