Choosing between an SSD and a hard drive comes down to speed and cost per terabyte. Here is how they compare in 2026 with real UK prices.
Quick comparison
| Feature | HDD | SATA SSD | NVMe SSD |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cheapest per TB | £26.02/TB | £72.50/TB | £87.50/TB |
| Median per TB | £63.87/TB | £176.37/TB | £173.73/TB |
| Read speed | 100-200 MB/s | 500-550 MB/s | 3,500-7,000 MB/s |
| Durability | Moving parts | Shock resistant | Shock resistant |
| Noise | Audible | Silent | Silent |
| Max capacity | 24TB+ | 4TB | 8TB |
| Products tracked | 161 | 60 | 209 |
When to choose a hard drive (HDD)
Hard drives remain the best choice when you need maximum storage for minimum cost. At just £26.02/TB for the best deals, they are unmatched for NAS systems, backups, large media libraries, and surveillance storage.
When to choose an SSD
SSDs should be your default for anything where speed and responsiveness matter: boot drives, gaming, creative work, laptops, and everyday desktop use.
The best of both worlds: SSD + HDD
Many users use a smaller SSD (500GB-2TB) for Windows and apps, plus a larger HDD (4TB-16TB) for bulk storage — speed where it matters, value for the rest.
SATA SSD vs NVMe SSD
SATA SSDs max out around 550MB/s and work in any SATA port. NVMe SSDs reach 7,000MB/s+ via M.2 PCIe. For most users both feel instant; NVMe wins for large transfers and professional workloads.