SanDisk's latest Optimus gaming SSDs start at $799 MSRP for the 2 TB model and you don't even get Gen 5 speeds for that

SanDisk's Latest Optimus Gaming SSDs: A Pricey Proposition

The current state of PC storage and memory prices is no surprise to anyone familiar with the market. However, the pricing and specs of SanDisk's new Optimus gaming SSDs are still eye-opening. The SanDisk Optimus GX 7100X is a PCIe Gen 4 M.2 drive with read speeds up to 7,250 MB/s and write speeds up to 6,900 MB/s. Despite these impressive numbers, the 2 TB model has an MSRP of $800, while the 4 TB version is priced at $1,580.

SanDisk is currently offering a "discount" on its website, with the 2 TB model slashed to $630. Even with this discount, the price remains high, especially when compared to other options available on the market. For example, a 2 TB WD Black SN8100, a Gen 5 drive, is currently available for $386 on our Prime Day SSD deals page. This makes the SanDisk drive seem overpriced, even in the current storage market climate.

The Justification for the High Price

Is there any justification for the incredible $800 MSRP and still-silly $600-plus sale price of the SanDisk Optimus GX 7100X? It is "officially licensed" for the Asus ROG Xbox Ally consoles. However, to the best of our knowledge, a generic Gen 4 SSD should work fine in the Xbox Ally. There are no apparent warranty implications for using a non-licensed drive in the console.

The situation gets even more confusing with the SanDisk Optimus GX PRO 850P. This M.2 SSD is another Gen 4 drive, with read speeds of up to 7,300 MB/s and write speeds of up to 6,600 MB/s. The 1 TB model has a list price of $475, while the 2 TB model is priced at $950. The 1 TB model is currently on sale for $380, but this is still an extremely high price for a 1 TB Gen 4 drive, especially when considering the current storage crisis.

For comparison, a 1 TB WD Black SN7100 is available for just $189 on our Prime Day SSD deals page. The Optimus GX PRO 850P is also "officially licensed" for the Sony PS5 console. However, this likely doesn't offer any significant benefits since the PS5 should work with any 4-lane PCIe Gen 4 M.2 NVMe drive in capacities between 250 GB and 8 TB.

The drive features a chunky heatsink, presumably optimized for the PS5's thermal performance. Still, it's hard to understand where the high prices are coming from. It's worth noting that SanDisk also offers an Optimus M.2 drive with PCIe Gen 5 support, the Optimus GX PRO 8100. This drive is listed at $525 for the 1 TB model and $350 on sale.

Interestingly, the Gen 5 1 TB drive is actually cheaper than the Gen 4 1 TB Optimus GX PRO 850P based on current pricing. Despite this, the overall pricing strategy of SanDisk seems to be to set extremely high MSRP prices, which they can then "discount" later. This could be a way for them to position themselves ahead of the market as prices for other drives rise.

In the end, it seems that SanDisk is aware of where the market is headed and has decided to get ahead of the curve with these inflated MSRPs. While other drive makers may raise their prices, SanDisk can then offer "discounts" from these high starting points, making their products appear more competitive in the long run.