External SSD vs the one I'm going to "make" question.

External SSDs are quite expensive and probably because there aren't many to choose from. I intend to purchase a SATA III with USB 3.0 port exterior enclosure. Why are externals so expensive? Do they have some sort of garbage collection going on that isn't implemented with internal SSDs or something? Thank you!

 

I can only guess that there is just very little demand for external SSDs. At this point anyway, most people who use SSDs use them internally for the OS and applications (including games which can use larger drives), and/or in systems with only one drive (like a laptop or netbook). External drives tend to get used for backups and extra storage, where extreme speed usually isn't worth paying the premium prices.

That said, it shouldn't cost the manufacturer any more to produce one than the cost of the SSD + the enclosure that they already produce for mechanical hard drives. So, I don't know what's going on.

 

Admittedly I'm being obsessive. I built a PC with a case with USB 3 ports and a SSD. Enclosures (SATA III/USB 3) are $20/$25. 60/64gb SSDs on sale are down to around $1 a bite. Larger size ones are less/bite of course. When I see a decent 60 one for less (say $10 less or so) than $60 I'm going for it.

 

External enclosures are expensive because they include a case, power supply, connectors, and the USB interface - plus the bare drive (if included).

And why would there be a large demand? That's what flash and thumb drives are for. While SSD drives are much smaller than HDs, they are still a bit bulky to carry around in your pocket.

 

Looking at the 2 models on Newegg (the only externals they even carry), the problem might be that they're older models that go back a couple of years but haven't dropped much in price. Obviously the drive itself was more expensive then, and so was the USB 3.0 enclosure.