4TB drive becomes 1.8T

[DeltaMac]

Sorry, I wasn't trying to provide technical insights into the relative performance between cheap and inexpensive.
Perhaps I could have phrased that differently.
I look for good values all the time. Sometimes I happen on good deals, usually good prices. I normally use the term "cheap" the describe the deal that I got (and might use the term "cheap" to refer to myself -- I admit it...)
I want to have customers that are pleased with the performance of the SSD that I use to replace a dead/dying HDD.
I also want those customers - my friends - to continue to be pleased, so I do take the opportunity to read ratings/reports, and usually have a good idea about the results that I can expect.
And, contrary to what you might think, I understand the merits of DRAM cache, and the quality and features of the chipset used for the SSD controller..
I hate cheap stuff... but, I relish an unexpected bargain. I hope we can agree on that..

 

[Randy Singer]

Sorry, I wasn't trying to provide technical insights into the relative performance between cheap and inexpensive.
Perhaps I could have phrased that differently.
I look for good values all the time.

I understand. Just about all of the close to 10,000 members in my user group are extremely...price sensitive. I look for bargains for them all the time.

You are correct in pointing out that there are a number of inexpensive SSD's on the market. I wanted to point out that they are NOT a "good value." They are very cheaply made and their performance and lifespan will be extremely disappointing.

 

[DeltaMac]

I hate to put all inexpensive SSDs in the same "cheap" trashcan.
But, then I also remember telling a lot of folks that "A cheap replacement battery for your MacBook is never a bargain", so - we are really on the same page, I think. Same kind of idea...

 

[Randy Singer]

I hate to put all inexpensive SSDs in the same "cheap" trashcan.

That's why I asked to be pointed to an inexpensive SSD that wasn't cheaply made. All that you have to do is look at the specs of any given inexpensive SSD to see what they have left out. (Or ask a lot of questions of the manufacturer if they are loath to give out specs.) If you find an inexpensive SSD (i.e. very close to the price of an equivalent capacity RDHD) that has included DRAM, over-provisioning, etc., that would indeed be an excellent value. I'd probably buy one immediately, and recommend it to folks on a bunch of other Mac discussion lists that I'm on.

Here is an interesting experience that I had recently. I've been recommending the Samsung 970 EVO Plus SSD NVMe for folks who want to put together their own external SSD using a particular case kit that I've found to be good. Amazon reports that there is a newer version of the Samsung SSD (though you can still purchase the old version.) The pricing difference between the two is just about negligible. However, people doing benchmark testing were reporting significantly reduced performance with the newer version. It took a lot of sleuthing to figure out why. Samsung has quietly removed the DRAM from the newer model.