Extensive research into the pricing of some of the best hard drives on the market for large capacity, economical storage indicates that prices are beginning to increase sharply, with some of the most popular models on the market seeing increases upwards of 60%. According to research from ComputerBase, pricing analysis on 12 of the most popular mainstream drives on the market indicates an average price increase of 46% over the last 4 months.
While the research and price checks on these drives track movement based on European prices (ComputerBase is a German outlet), Tom's Hardware checks on similar or identical SKUs in the U.S. indicate that the trends are indeed replicated, or perhaps worse, on the other side of the pond.
CB reports that various drives like Seagate's IronWolf NAS line, Toshiba's Cloud Scale Capacity Drives, Western Digital's WD Red, and Seagate's BarraCuda lines are all showing price increases of between 23% and 66%. As noted, the average price increases clock in at 46% since September 2025.
The trend is also visible in the U.S. A Seagate IronWolf drive with just 4TB capacity would have set you back $70 in early 2023; that drive is now $99. Similarly, the 8TB model is $199, when it would have been priced as low as $130 a couple of years ago. Western Digital's Red Plus alternative is now $175 for 8TB. The toughest blow of all? Seagate's iconic BarraCuda 24TB drive, which we've seen cost as little as $239 during sales events, now costs a whopping $499 on Amazon, and you'll be buying it from a third party. Newegg doesn't even have it in stock.
Optical hard drives mark yet another casualty claimed by an explosion in AI buildouts in recent months that is consuming global DRAM capacity, squeezing RAM and SSD prices. The increases in RAM and SSD prices have become elevator noise at this point, with 100% or more price increases stifling enthusiasts and forcing a return to DDR4 PC building for some. While HDDs are obviously more insulated against DRAM and HBM supply issues, they play a crucial role in storing bulk data used for training AI models. Production is also being pivoted towards higher-capacity enterprise drives for AI data centers, squeezing supply for consumers.
As such, while HDDs may not directly be impacted by DRAM shortages, prices are being pulled up by the industry. Indeed, very few core components of PC building remain unaffected by price rises, with RAM, SSDs, HDDs, and, of course, GPUs all vulnerable to ongoing AI pricing pressure.
Stephen is Tom's Hardware's News Editor with almost a decade of industry experience covering technology, having worked at TechRadar, iMore, and even Apple over the years. He has covered the world of consumer tech from nearly every angle, including supply chain rumors, patents, and litigation, and more. When he's not at work, he loves reading about history and playing video games.
