Hard drive prices continue to fall, now near pre- 2011 Thailand flood prices

It has been more than a year since the tragedy happened in Thailand, causing almost an economic standstill in the manufacturing market. I was in a LCD assembly plant in Malaysia with some of my coursemates and their manufacturing was also hit badly by the floods in Thailand. Components that were sourced from Thailand were lacking, causing a huge reduction in the number of assembly lines and manufacturing almost came to a standstill. There was almost no one in the factory on a weekday when we visited.

Hard Drive prices continues to drop

Before the floods in Thailand, I remember buying a 2TB 3.5″ hard drive at only SGD110, and an external 2.5″ 500GB hard drive from challenger costed around SGD80 at its lowest point. After the disaster, prices skyrocketed 2 to 3 times. 2TB drives went beyond the SGD300 line and a 500GB external hard drive was not affordable at all.

Looking at the current market trends, the prices of hard drives in Singapore is finally reaching back to the pre-Thailand flood periods. The prices could even go lower, with new manufacturing technologies from different companies which reduces their cost of production and increase in storage density.

Hard drive prices report for 2012 October as follows.

 

Hard Drive Type and Capacity	| Average Hard Drive Price (SGD)
3.5″ 500GB 7200RPM	73
3.5″ 1TB 7200RPM	95
3.5″ 2TB 7200RPM	125
3.5″ 3TB 7200RPM	188
2.5″ 500GB 5400RPM	61
2.5″ 500GB 7200RPM	81
2.5″ 750GB 5400RPM	95
2.5″ 750GB 7200RPM	108
2.5″ 1TB 5400RPM	95

The price is quite stable at the moment in the Singapore market, but prices will drop when higher capacity drives become more common in the market. If you’re making decisions on buying a new hard drive or external hard drive, now will be a good time.