With the RAMpocalypse doing its very best to make PC gaming less affordable by the week, you need to keep an eye out for great deals to help your pennies go further. While this isn’t a return to the days of super-cheap SSDs, less than a year ago, you can’t say no to a massive 47% discount on a 1 TB Lexar SL500, just $140 at B&H. And if that’s not enough storage for you, then how about a 49% saving on the 2 TB version, for $215 at B&H?
That’s pretty much it for downsides, fortunately, as the Lexar SL500 is a really solid portable SSD, and thanks to its USB 3.2 Gen 2×2 (20 Gbps) interface, it’s an ideal way for expanding the storage of any gaming PC. This is especially true if your rig is a laptop or handheld device, as these often come with just one M.2 slot for an NVMe drive.
It’s important to note that you’ll only see those impressive read/write speeds if the SL500 is plugged into a USB port that’s rated to 20 Gbps or faster. Lots of PCs claim to have ‘USB 3.2’ sockets, but they’re often just 10 Gbps or even just 5 Gbps. It won’t harm the drive in anyway; it just won’t be able to shift data around at full speed.
With an IP54 rating for dust and water, and a supplied rubber case to help it survive drops of up to six feet, six inches, the Lexar SL500 is a tough little cookie, too. Plus, it’s MagSafe compatible, so you can slap it onto the rear of your iPhone 12 or newer (or even a laptop, if it has a metal body), and use it to store any 4K videos you’ve just taken.
Alas, after today, this deal will be no more, but where there’s one, you know there will be others, and as soon as we spot them, we’ll be sure to flag them up.
Best PC gaming kit 2026
