hard drive prices.

How can a USB external hard drive be cheaper than the same capacity SATA internal hard drive by the same manufacture?
Sure, the USB drive may not be as fast as the internal one, but then there is the case and the PSU to put into the cost.

Demand. Internal drive demands are mostly SSDs now.

Drives differ greatly in price for the same capacity from the same manufacturer. It's all a matter of specifications. For example, a WD Blue 4GB will cost you about £90, whilst a WD Black 4GB is about £195.

Are you sure that the two drives you are comparing use the same base unit?

Are you sure you mean 4GB? If so you are paying way over the odds

I realise that different specs of drives are different prices, the Toshiba N300 drives I got for the Nas are more expensive than the normal Toshiba p300, even for the same capacity, but the inside the USB enclosure is the same drive that is sold as an internal drive, same specs everything, but the USB one is cheaper.
If people want a internal drive for their computer, then best to get an external one and rip the drive out of it.

My bad. I remember when 4GB cost a lot more than that.

Good theory, but the drive in the USB case doesn’t necessarily have sata connectors.

In reply to a post by TinyMongomery:

Good theory, but the drive in the USB case doesn’t necessarily have sata connectors.

Well the seagate one I looked at does, I had a look on you Tube to see if there was a video of one being taken apart, just for the fun of it. the drive is a standard Seagate drive, just connected to a circuit board to convert the Sata to a USB.

This is not for me, looking at a USB drive for someone else and thought maybe it would be cheaper to get an internal one and a separate case, no chance.

In reply to a post by zyborg47:

In reply to a post by TinyMongomery:

Good theory, but the drive in the USB case doesn’t necessarily have sata connectors.

Well the seagate one I looked at does, I had a look on you Tube to see if there was a video of one being taken apart, just for the fun of it. the drive is a standard Seagate drive, just connected to a circuit board to convert the Sata to a USB.

This is not for me, looking at a USB drive for someone else and thought maybe it would be cheaper to get an internal one and a separate case, no chance.

Fiver for a SATA to USB converter. Cases are overrated 🤣

In reply to a post by Pheasant:

Fiver for a SATA to USB converter. Cases are overrated 🤣

I am thinking of getting something like that, but it will need a PSU with it, I have some old drives here, be nice to see what is on them, or i may just set up the old motherboard and boot to a linux distro and check them that way.