Methodology

How We Get Our Data

A price comparison site is only as good as its data. Here is exactly how ours works — where prices come from, how often they update, how we compute price per TB, and what we deliberately don't do.

Manufacturer models and Amazon listings

Our manufacturer catalog records exact part numbers, nominal capacities and specifications from manufacturer product pages and datasheets. Each model page links to its source and review date. Regional packaging codes, SATA and SAS variants, and heatsink versions can differ even within the same family.

Amazon listings are separate records. We link an ASIN when the full model identifier, capacity, storage type and brand match, or after an individual listing review. Official Amazon API searches also check returned model and part-number fields. A search result alone does not establish a match. Where no exact listing is verified, the page says so.

Our side-by-side comparisons use those specifications. Missing values remain marked as not recorded. Manufacturer speed, workload and endurance ratings are not our own benchmarks or reliability tests. New, used and renewed seller offers can have different warranty and return terms.

Where Prices Come From

Displayed US prices come from Amazon's official Creators API. We request the offer condition, USD price and availability for the exact ASIN, keeping new and used offers separate. The catalog and model comparisons link to Amazon US. Other regional listings may remain in the price-table directory, but we do not display prices for a marketplace without an active official price source. Open the exact Amazon listing to confirm the seller and current purchase terms.

How Often Prices Update

We schedule US price checks every six hours, rotating through the listings. A scheduled check can fail or return no priced offer, so each displayed price has its own observation timestamp. Prices older than 24 hours are hidden. The price on Amazon at purchase applies, including any shipping, tax, seller or condition changes. A verified product link can remain available even when there is no recent price to display.

How Price per TB Is Calculated

Price per TB is the listing price divided by the listing's total capacity in terabytes (decimal, as manufacturers label drives — 1TB = 1,000GB). A 14TB drive priced at an illustrative $280 costs $20/TB. The manufacturer catalog matches single-drive listings; bundles and ambiguous capacities do not qualify as exact-model offers. Historical price-table pack records use total pack capacity. US buying comparisons use USD prices and do not mix converted prices from other regions.

What We Don't Do

We don't accept payment for placement — table rankings are pure price-per-TB math, and no manufacturer or seller can buy a position. We don't editorialize specs we can't verify: guide content about recording technology (CMR/SMR), endurance ratings, and reliability cites manufacturer datasheets and large-scale public fleet data, and we tell you to verify exact model numbers before buying. Some outbound links are affiliate links, which may earn us a commission at no cost to you; this never affects how listings are ranked or which products appear.

Corrections

Spotted a wrong capacity, a mislabeled condition, or a guide error? We want to know. Reach us through the contact details on the About page and we'll verify and correct it.