Samsung's 9100 Pro and WD Black SN8100 are flagship PCIe 5.0 SSDs, but independent tests reveal meaningful differences in sustained writes, thermals, and value.
The post Samsung 9100 Pro vs WD Black SN8100: Which Is Better? appeared first on TechRepublic.
For 48 hours during Amazon's Big Deal Days event (don't call it Prime Day), Samsung's fastest-ever (up to 14,700MB/s) 9100 PRO M.2 solid-state storage drives had dropped in price twice. The 1TB 9100 PRO was down to $196.64 $243.27, edging somewhat closer to the lower prices I preferred before the memory crisis, so it was actually a great time to buy.
These are PCIe Gen 5 drives, which provide the fastest read and write speeds for commercial storage drives, as long as you have a compatible motherboard. If not, they'll fall back to PCIe 4.0 and can be transplanted into an upgraded rig later. Similarly, the 2TB 9100 PRO (had) dropped to $334.99 $399.99, which seems like it would sting, but was a relatively decent price for double the space.
9100 PRO 1TB M.2 2280: was $339.99 now $243.27
"Tackle massive files and power up your gaming with Gen5 — twice as fast as the 990 PRO SSD."View Deal
9100 PRO 1TB M.2 2280: was $339.99 now $196.64
"Tackle massive files and power up your gaming with Gen5 — twice as fast as the 990 PRO SSD."View Deal
9100 PRO 2TB M.2 2280: was $679.97 now $399
"With random read/write speeds up to 1,850K/2,600K IOPS, enjoy fast game loads, seamless AI apps, and efficient multitasking."View Deal
9100 PRO 2TB M.2 2280: was $679.97 now $334.99
"With random read/write speeds up to 1,850K/2,600K IOPS, enjoy fast game loads, seamless AI apps, and efficient multitasking."View Deal
For those with more of a stretchy budget, you could have also sprung for more space, since the 4TB 9100 PRO was 'down' to $734.99 (now, even further to $712.49). You can see where the value multiplier starts to slip, but it's still slightly better than it has been in the past. If you're lucky enough to own one of the rarer motherboards with two PCIe 5.0 slots, you'd perhaps consider picking up two 2TB drives instead.
On the other hand, you could go completely overboard and grab the 8TB 9100 PRO for.. $2,279.50. That's not a typo. It might be listed as a deal, but that's still within the realms of fantasy for most, especially when the dollars-per-gigabyte metric falls off so hard.
Then again, I know people with these kinds of drives. They're usually in massive home server units, powering self-made servers, but these things do sell. Either way, I have a couple of the 1TB 9100 PRO drives in mine and my wife's desktop PCs, and they've been running strong since day one. It was an expensive adoption, but I've had no regrets. This price was much more like it.
9100 PRO 4TB M.2 2280: $712.49
"Perfect for video editing, gaming, and creative tasks, with the compatibility to match your device."View Deal
9100 PRO 4TB M.2 2280: was $1359.99 now $734.99
"Perfect for video editing, gaming, and creative tasks, with the compatibility to match your device."View Deal
9100 PRO 8TB M.2 2280: was $2719.99 now $2279.5
"Enjoy vast space to grow your game library, save every title, and keep all your favorites without compromise."View Deal
9100 PRO 8TB M.2 2280: was $2719.99 now $2279.5
"Enjoy vast space to grow your game library, save every title, and keep all your favorites without compromise."View Deal
To enjoy all Prime Day discounts, you'll need a paid membership or, if you haven't previously registered, a 30-day free trial.
Amazon Prime: Free 30-day trial
New members can enjoy exclusive Prime Day discounts for free and cancel anytime. After the trial, membership is $14.99/month plus tax. Includes access to games via Prime Gaming alongside Prime Video and Prime Music.
Amazon has launched this year's Prime Big Deal Days event with 48 hours of more exclusive deals, which started on Tuesday, October 6, and ran until Wednesday, October 7, 2026
Join us on Reddit at r/WindowsCentral to share your insights and discuss our latest news, reviews, and more.
After much waiting, Gears of War: E-Day has fully launched for all players to enjoy on Xbox and PC, yet its base game's 115GB install requirement is going to take a big chunk out of your preferred platform's storage.
Fortunately for PC players, Prime Big Deal Days has cut down the insufferably inflated price of the Samsung 9100 Pro 2TB SSD from "$679.97" to $349.99 at Amazon, so they can more easily fit Gears of War: E-Day and other games into their gaming PCs.
While it's still higher than its original launch MSRP of $299.99, it's still a relatively decent price, considering the current state of tech thanks to the ongoing RAM crisis — just take that previous '$600+' listing with a pinch of salt. $349.99 for 2TB is more like the new normal these days.
9100 PRO 2TB SSD: was $679.97 now $349.99
"The Samsung 9100 Pro is Samsung's first 'true' PCIe 5.0 SSD, and it definitely delivers fantastic performance with the fastest write speeds I've ever tested." ~ John Loeffler
TechRadar Review: ⭐⭐⭐⭐½View Deal
The Samsung 9100 Pro comes in multiple storage sizes, including 1TB, 2TB, 4TB, and 8TB. It also features 14,700/13,400 MB/s sequential read/write speeds, and random read/write speeds of up to 1,850K/2,600K IOPS.
With these advanced technological features combined, you have a powerful PC storage hard drive capable of storing tons of important work files, 4K videos and images, and video games while being able to transfer data with blazing speeds.
The only major criticism of this SSD is that its current MSRP on Amazon is a whopping $679.97 (while the highest detected price on Amazon was $505.46 according to CamelCamelCamel), which is ridiculous considering it originally launched with an MSRP of $299.99.
However, this isn't necessarily this SSD's fault because this price hike was mainly caused by the ongoing RAM crisis this year, driving the market price of all tech-related products to unaffordable levels every single day to offset the memory demands of AI.
Frankly, I'm surprised we're seeing a price drop on the Samsung 9100 Pro or any SSD at all during this crisis, as the way things are going, I fear there may come a point where we might never see a decent price drop on ANY SSD or any tech product ever again.
So, if you're looking for a long-term solution for your gaming PC's storage woes before its MSRP gets permanently untenable, then Amazon's Big Deal Days discount on the 2TB variant of the Samsung 9100 Pro SSD couldn't have come at a better time because it's now on sale at the same time as Gears of War: E-Day's public launch.
This long-awaited prequel to Xbox's iconic Gears of War franchise has a huge 115GB install requirement for the base game alone, a number that will no doubt grow with post-launch updates.
With this discounted 2TB SSD, you will be able to more easily fit Gears of War: E-Day and prep your PC for all its future updates and other upcoming games like Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4.
Additionally, the 1TB model of the Samsung 9100 Pro is also on sale for $206.99 at Amazon (MSRP is currently $339.99) if you just want its solid performance at a lower price. Plus, the 4TB model of the Samsung 9100 Pro is on sale for $699.00 at Amazon (MSRP is currently $1,359.99) if you're willing to break the bank for the most storage possible.
However, if you're looking for an even cheaper SSD on the Samsung Pro line, the Samsung 990 1TB SSD with 7,150/6,450 MB/s sequential read/write speeds (which we gave a glowing 4.5/5 review to) is also on sale right now for $189.99 at Amazon (MSRP is currently $228.95).
Yes, to enjoy all Prime Day discounts, you need a paid membership or, if you haven't previously registered, a 30-day free trial.
Amazon Prime: Free 30-day trial
New members can enjoy exclusive Prime Day discounts for free and cancel anytime. After the trial, membership is $14.99/month plus tax. Includes access to games via Prime Gaming alongside Prime Video and Prime Music.
The Samsung 9100 Pro SSDs are compatible with any devices that uses M.2 2280 NVMe slots. However, if you want to take full advantage of its' performance, make sure whatever device the Samsung 9100 Pro SSD is installed into has PCIe 5.0 support.
Amazon's Prime Big Deal Days sale will last from October 6, 2026 to October 7, 2026.
It ultimately depends on your current wants and needs. If you're desperate to upgrade your PC's storage now, then Amazon's Big Deals Day discount on the Samsung 9100 Pro 2TB is a good time to buy one.
However, there is a chance it may get an even greater price drop during Black Friday, as that's usually when tech products get their biggest discounts of the year. So, if you're willing to wait, it may be best to hold off on buying the Samsung 9100 Pro 2TB SSD until Black Friday starts on November 27, 2026.
Join us on Reddit at r/WindowsCentral to share your insights and discuss our latest news, reviews, and more.
Get ready, players, because Gears of War: E-Day is nearly here, and it’s shaping up to be one of the best games in the Gears of War franchise and the biggest gaming blockbuster of the year, second only to Grand Theft Auto VI.
However, there is one caveat Xbox players must be aware of before buying it on October 6 (or October 1, if they've secured early access via pre-ordering the game), and that is its required install space of 115GB (as confirmed on its Steam page).
That’s about one-tenth of a standard Xbox Series X’s 1TB storage space, and that’s just for the base game alone without any DLC. Plus, the developers plan (confirmed by GameSpot) to update Gears of War: E-Day’s Horde Mode with new classes, missions, modifiers, and seasonal content, along with adding other in-game items like gun cosmetics and character skins, so that 115GB install requirement is going to bloat fast.
So, we have sought out the best Xbox Series X|S storage expansion devices, from external SSDs to plug-and-play SSD cards, to help you fit in Gears of War: E-Day while having tons to spare for its post-launch updates and other awesome Xbox Series X|S titles for your Xbox.
Now, granted, finding Xbox external storage upgrades is a lot harder these days thanks to the ongoing RAM crisis, jacking up the prices of all things tech-related while making their availability scarcer.
One of the more affordable and available options is external hard drives, which can offer tons of storage space ranging from 512GB, 1TB, 2TB, and even 4TB. In addition, they can be formatted to store all kinds of media, not just Xbox games, depending on what platform you intend to use it for.
The drawback is that you can’t play Xbox games directly from an external hard drive, you have to manually transfer them from the hard drive onto your Xbox’s internal hard drive if you wish to play them.
T7 Portable SSD 1TB Titan Gray: was $274.99 now $229.99
“The Samsung T7 portable SSD is every bit as good as the T7 Touch but at a lower price. It makes it a brilliant all-purpose portable SSD that can be used for both computers and the latest Xbox consoles.” ~ Richard Devine, Managing Editor, Windows Central
Windows Central review: ⭐⭐⭐⭐½View Deal
1TB P40 Game Drive SSD: $209.00
“Western Digital's P40 Game Drive SSD is a stellar external storage upgrade for Xbox Series X|S consoles, and is even better on PC with RGB customization and faster speeds. If you're only getting this for Xbox, though, there may be more affordable options.” ~ Zachary Boddy, former Staff Writer, Windows Central
Windows Central review: ⭐⭐⭐⭐View Deal
T5 EVO Portable SSD 4TB Black: $559.00
“If you specifically need a super portable external SSD for playing your classic Xbox games and storing Series X|S games, then the Samsung T5 EVO is a fantastic pick. It has a slim form factor that can easily fit in your pocket or in a bag. Plus, it's drop-resistant to better withstand jostling on the go.” ~ Rebecca Spear, former gaming staff writer, Windows Central
Best Premium USB from our best Xbox SSDs in 2025 listView Deal
Plug & Play expansion cards are scarcer and more expensive, but more convenient Xbox storage expansion units compared to external hard drives.
They fit easily into an Xbox’s dedicated expansion card slot, so they don’t take up desk space, and they let players play games installed on the cards directly without needing to shuffle them into the Xbox’s internal SSD, saving you from tedious file management.
However, you can’t reformat these Plug & Play Xbox expansion cards for other devices, as they were purely designed for Xbox consoles.
1TB Optimus GX C50 Storage Expansion Card for Xbox: $239.00
The SanDisk Optimus GX C50 is the newest Xbox storage Expansion Card line on the block.
It comes in multiple storage models from 512GB to 2TB, with low-latency performance that matches Xbox Velocity Architecture, so games can be played directly from it. Plus, it’s compatible with Xbox’s Quick Resume feature, so players can swap between multiple games without losing progress.
Plus, it has a free one-month trial membership for Xbox Game Pass Ultimate.View Deal
1TB C50 Expansion Card for Xbox: $269.00
“Western Digital's long-awaited competitor to the exorbitant Seagate Expansion Card for Xbox Series X|S is functionally and practically great, and it has lowered prices.” ~ Zachary Boddy, former Staff Writer, Windows Central
Windows Central review: ⭐⭐⭐⭐View Deal
Storage Expansion Card 2TB Solid State Drive: $279.99
"Microsoft and Seagate partnered up on a slick memory card-style SSD expansion for Xbox Series X and Xbox Series S, filling demand where standard hard drives simply don't cut it.” Matt Brown, former Staff Writer, Windows Central
Windows Central review: ⭐⭐⭐⭐View Deal
If you don’t mind waiting for discounts, it may be wise to wait until these external hard drives and plug-and-play cards go on sale, as many of them have retail prices that cost hundreds of dollars as of this writing.
However, the RAM crisis is stirring extreme levels of FOMO (Fear of Missing Out) behavior in consumers, driving them to buy popular Seagate and WD_Black Xbox expansion cards online until they run out of stock, even at full price.
With this in mind, it may also be a risky but good idea to grab one of these devices quickly because they may sell out before they even get a chance to be discounted during sales events like Amazon's Big Deal Days in October or Black Friday in November.
And there you have all the best options to upgrade your Xbox’s Storage size in time for Gears of War: E-Day. Are you looking forward to playing Gears of War: E-Day? Will you be sticking around to play its Horde Siege mode months after launch to see its post-game updates?
If you have any thoughts on the matter, please send them to the comments section below, or our Discord, Reddit, or cast a vote in the poll above.
Gears of War: E-Day is scheduled to launch on Xbox Series X|S (with Xbox Play Anywhere support), Xbox Game Pass, and PC via Windows and Steam on October 1, 2026, for early-access players who pre-ordered the game, and then October 6, 2026, for everyone else.
Gears of War: E-Day (Xbox): $69.00
Relive the tragic day that started the long, grueling war between the COGs and the Locust horde in the highly anticipated prequel of the Gears of War franchise, Gears of War: E-Day.
• Xbox Store
• SteamView Deal
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This secure storage platform uses open source code, zero-knowledge file systems, and end-to-end encryption to keep your online data truly private.
The post Get Secure Cloud Storage on a 2TB Lifetime Plan with Internxt for $100 appeared first on TechRepublic.
Every furniture workshop generates a particular kind of guilt. There are the offcuts, the trimmings, the odd-shaped remainders of boards that got cut to size and are now too small for anything useful, or so we assume. Most of them end up as kindling, compost, or landfill. We’ve accepted that as the cost of making things, a small fine paid for the privilege of precision. Studio Booboon is not interested in paying that fine.
The Copenhagen-based studio, founded by Richard Bone and Jisu Yun, two designers who both trained under Japanese studio Nendo, released their latest collection, Fragments Becoming, and it’s exactly the kind of work that makes you wonder why no one thought to do it this way sooner. The collection is built entirely from timber offcuts, and before you picture something rustic or deliberately imperfect, let me be clear: these pieces are stunning. A cabinet, a dining table, and a lounge chair, each constructed from assembled fragments of discarded wood arranged with such precision and intention that the effect is closer to fine art than furniture-as-apology for sustainability.
Designer: Studio Booboon
The concept the studio uses is something they call “3D marquetry,” which sounds technical but is actually a fairly elegant idea once you sit with it. Traditional marquetry, the kind you’d see on antique furniture or decorative boxes, applies a pattern to a surface. It’s essentially decoration laid on top of structure. What Studio Booboon does instead is treat each fragment of wood as the structure itself. The pattern isn’t on the cabinet door; the door is the pattern. It runs through the object’s entire volume, which means the visual logic and the physical construction are the same thing. That’s not a subtle distinction. That’s a fundamentally different philosophy.
What I appreciate about this approach is that it removes the option to hide mistakes. The studio works with unstained wood, which means every fragment has to earn its place on its own terms, no pigment masking a poor match, no stain blurring the edges. Each piece has to work compositionally before it works functionally. That kind of constraint tends to produce either chaos or brilliance, and in this case, it’s clearly the latter.
Bone and Yun bring a cross-cultural sensibility to the work that shows up in the details. Their debut collection, Playful Reappropriation, released at Milan Design Week 2024, pulled from Korean craft traditions, and Fragments Becoming continues that thread. The materials include hanji (traditional Korean paper), canvas, silk, and Ottchil, a Korean lacquer technique that adds depth without dominating the natural tones of the wood. The combination of a British RCA education, Korean craft heritage, and a shared apprenticeship at Nendo, one of the most conceptually rigorous studios in contemporary design, explains a lot about why this work feels so considered without ever feeling cold.
The collection premiered at Milan Design Week 2026 and later showed at Other Circle 2026 during 3daysofdesign in Copenhagen. That double-billing matters. Milan tends to reward spectacle, while the Copenhagen circuit rewards ideas. The fact that Fragments Becoming landed well in both contexts suggests it’s doing something more than just looking good in photographs, which, for the record, it absolutely does.
Sustainability in design has become such an overused talking point that the word barely registers anymore. Every brand gestures toward it. But there’s a difference between sustainability as a value and sustainability as a method, and Studio Booboon’s work lives in the second category. They’re not telling you the collection is responsible and letting the aesthetics carry a different message. The responsible practice is the aesthetic. The offcut isn’t hidden. It’s the whole point.
That feels rare enough to be worth paying attention to. Design tends to celebrate the new, the seamless, the perfect. Fragments Becoming makes a quiet argument that the incomplete, the leftover, and the discarded might be where the most interesting work is still waiting to happen.
The post Furniture Made From Wood Scraps You’d Actually Pay For first appeared on Yanko Design.
The Seagate Xbox Expansion Card is a must-have accessory for the Xbox Series X and Xbox Series S. It's a plug-and-play drive with quick enough speeds to play games right from the card.
But the Seagate Xbox Expansion Card is running out of stock. Scanning the web shows retail listings with warnings of low stock or a lack of stock at all. Other stores have the cards but at inflated prices. If you want to get a Seagate Xbox Expansion Card, you need to act quickly.
Below, I'll list all places I've found the card in stock. It's now difficult to find them at all, let alone at a good price.
This card allows you to expand the storage of your Xbox Series X or Xbox Series S. Stock is extremely limited.
1TB at GameStop for $199.99
2TB at Walmart for $299
2TB at GameStop for $299.99
2TB at Adorama for $349.99
1TB at Newegg for $362.01
Right now is a good time to buy a Seagate Xbox Expansion Card for three reasons. First, the card is below its launch price at certain retailers. Second, the card is running out of stock, so if you want one you need to act quickly. Third, games like GTA 6 and Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 will take up a lot of space, so you'll need more storage.
Gaming prices are out of control right now. RAM and storage seem to get more costly each month. There aren't signs of the market correcting any time soon, either.
The most pressing factor here is that stock of the Seagate Xbox Expansion Card is running out. Literally as I wrote this article, Best Buy marked the card as unavailable. Newegg and Amazon have the card in stock but at wildly inflated prices.
The only Seagate Xbox Expansion Cards I've found in stock are the ones listed above, including the 2TB model at Walmart. If you spot a model in stock, please flag it and I'll update this piece.
Join us on Reddit at r/WindowsCentral to share your insights and discuss our latest news, reviews, and more.
Photograph of the 1TB Seagate Storage Expansion Card for Xbox Series X|S
Photograph of the 1TB Seagate Storage Expansion Card for Xbox Series X|S
Instead of paying iCloud or Dropbox more every month, get a 20TB cloud storage that stays with you for life.
The post This 20TB Cloud Storage Lifetime Subscription is on Sale for $350 appeared first on TechRepublic.
A Pixel 11 pricing leak suggests Google may drop 128GB storage and start all models at 256GB, potentially raising entry prices.
The post Google Pixel 11: Pricing Leak Reveals Bigger Storage, Higher Costs appeared first on TechRepublic.
If you have an Xbox Series X or Xbox Series S, you probably need more storage. Having to uninstall a game to install a new game or an update to one of your favorite titles is a hassle.
The Seagate Storage Expansion Card for Xbox Series X|S is a plug-and-play solution that lets you expand the storage of your console.
Right now, all sizes of the Seagate Storage Expansion Card for Xbox Series X|S are on sale. The 1TB model costs $189.99 Best Buy (was $249.99), the 2TB version costs $259.99 (was $349.99) at Amazon. Best Buy's deal on the 4TB card drops the price to $549.99 (was $649.99).
"Seagate's Storage Expansion Card is the best way to add more space to the latest Xbox consoles, while avoiding the annoying limitations of USB drives. While it's an expensive investment that might be hard to justify, those who drop the cash won't be disappointed with the returns." — Matt Brown, former Senior Editor
Windows Central review:⭐⭐⭐⭐View Deal
This 2TB model has double the storage of the base expansion card and is a great way to get more space for games on your Xbox Series X|S.View Deal
This massive 4TB expansion card is the largest available for your Xbox Series X|S.View Deal
The Seagate Expansion Card is the simplest way to expand the storage of your console. There's no setup or configuration required to use the card.
Xbox Series X|S games can be massive. Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 alone is 161GB, and that's without DLC. The Seagate Expansion Card delivers similar speeds to the native storage of the Xbox Series X|S, so you can store games on the card and play them without having to transfer files around.
The Seagate Expansion Card also supports Quick Resume, which is a feature that lets you pause your game and power down your console and then pick up exactly where you left off when you load the game again.
Considering how big games are and how many great games are available on the Xbox Series X|S and on the way to the consoles, an expansion card of some kind is a must have. The Seagate Expansion Card is the easiest to use, quick enough to play games off, and is a great deal during Prime Day.
Prime Day discounts and a deal at Best Buy provide the best prices on the Seagate Expansion Card, but if those deals expire, you can check out these alternatives:
1TB
2TB
The Seagate Expansion Card is meant to be used with an Xbox Series X or Xbox Series S, but it can work with a PC if you pair it with the right adapter.
Join us on Reddit at r/WindowsCentral to share your insights and discuss our latest news, reviews, and more.
Photograph of the 1TB Seagate Storage Expansion Card for Xbox Series X|S
Photograph of the 1TB Seagate Storage Expansion Card for Xbox Series X|S
Looking to store your media privately? Explore five top self-hosted photo and video gallery solutions for full control and customization.
The post Ditch the Cloud: 5 Best Self-Hosted Photo Video-Gallery Options appeared first on TechRepublic.
Google is testing a change that gives some new accounts 5GB by default, with the full 15GB unlocked only after phone verification.
The post Google’s Default 15GB Free Storage Is Ending for Some New Accounts appeared first on TechRepublic.
The Samsung T9 delivers read and write speeds of up to 2,000 MB/s, making large file transfers feel instant.
The post This Samsung 4TB Portable SSD Moves Files at 2,000 MB/s For $1K appeared first on TechRepublic.
Close-up of a WD_BLACK 2TB SN850X NVMe SSD on a wooden surface. The sleek black rectangular device features labels and specifications in white text.
WD_BLACK's 2TB variant of the SN850X on display.
Samsung 990 Pro SSD on a brown surface, partially in a white case. The packaging highlights "2TB" and "Blistering speed, endless victory."
Samsung 990 Pro SSD on display with its packaging.
A hand holds a SanDisk SSD against a reddish-brown wooden background. The SSD features various certification logos, giving a tech-focused, modern feel.
The WD_Black SN8100 read and write speeds are out of this world.
A futuristic spiral design features multiple WD_BLACK SN710 NVMe SSDs with 4TB capacity, arranged in layers, emitting a warm glow against a circuit board backdrop.
A futuristic spiral design features multiple WD_BLACK SN710 NVMe SSDs with 4TB capacity, arranged in layers, emitting a warm glow against a circuit board backdrop.
Photograph of an Seagate Expansion Card being used on a Xbox Series S
A Seagate Expansion Card being used on a Xbox Series S
Kingston NV3 SSD
Kingston NV3 SSD
WD_BLACK SN770M SSD and ROG Ally gaming handheld.
<p>The ROG Ally 2 could really benefit from offering a larger SSD capacity than the first gen did.&nbsp;</p>
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