SSD drives are extremely counterfeited because of how easy it is to make. If you search, finding fake HDDs was much more complicated due to the characteristics of these units. Nor did there exist in those times so many digital stores that allowed the listing of products without control.
You should rest assured if you buy from highly proven online computer stores or from Amazon. Things start to get complicated when you access digital stores of Asian origin, where there is a lot of counterfeiting. There you can find eye-catching fake offers and hardware at prices below normal market prices.
Fake SSDs based on memory cards are back
Normally, counterfeit units are based on memory cards, the typical ones used for cell phones, video and/or photo cameras and the like. The reason for using these is that they are very cheap if purchased in large volumes and allow fake units to be sold at prices below the market.
A user recently purchased a 512GB external SSD drive capacity. After receiving the unit and starting to use it, the unit was much slower than the seller indicated. The user has highlighted that it was even Slower that a external HDD. Faced with this problem, it has disassembled the unit and what he has discovered does not leave anyone indifferent.
The unit purchased simulates be an external storage drive based on a M.2 SSD. But inside, things change enormously. We can see a PCB that barely occupies the half of the surface of the unit. This one has two cards attached to it. micro SD memory instead of an M.2 SSD, as you would expect.
You have to know that the cards Micro SD of quality offer up to 100 MB/s read and ones 30-50 MB/s write. We imagine that these will be of low quality and the speeds will be really regrettable. These two memories are probably in RAID0 configuration, approaching 50-80 MB/s writing.
Without a doubt, the best thing about this storage unit is making use of a USB-C connector. The good thing is that we can use it to connect to any device and with any cable.
Of course, the standard of this connector is USB 2.0, so the performance will be really pitiful. Come on, they have cut out everything they could, but they have given it a veneer of reality.
Be wary of strange brands
Currently you have 1 TB SATA SSD for about 50-60 euros, a 1 TB M.2 SSD for about 55-80 euros and a 1 TB external SSD for about 70-90 euros. Actually, wanting to “save” with these prices is quite absurd and taking the risk without much sense.
Solid-state storage drive prices have plummeted in recent months. It makes no sense to buy solutions out there that cost half as much and then you find these surprises.
