The best weekend SSD deals: Stock up on Samsung and SanDisk hard drives

Best SSD deals at a glance: Best internal SSD deal Samsung 990 PRO 2TB NVMe Internal SSD $389.99 (save $250) Get Deal Best External SSD Deal SanDisk Extreme Portable 2TB External SSD $319.99 (save $104 at Best Buy) Get Deal Budget pick Verbatim Pocket 1TB External SSD $149.99 (save $150) Get Deal Biggest savings SanDisk 4TB Extreme Portable SSD V2 $499.99 (save $400 at B&H) Get Deal

Running out of storage space on your computer or gaming console is annoying, to say the least. And with the whole RAMageddon price surge going on, finding a decent SSD deal that won't break the bank — or turn out to be fake — feels almost impossible.

That's right: people are counterfeiting SSDs now. Online marketplaces are overrun with fake drives, and the worst part is how authentic they look. Scammers have gotten so good that some of these fakes can even pass a quick benchmark test. But the second you try to save large files to them, they'll fail, overwrite your old data, or corrupt your system.

SEE ALSO: Uh-oh, Qualcomm is hiking prices for its clients amidst RAMageddon, report says

Here's how to protect yourself and spot the fakes:

• Check the seller: Stick to drives that are shipped and sold by Amazon or sold through the manufacturer's official storefront (like the ones listed below). Avoid random third-party sellers with alphabet-soup names.

• Use verification software: If you buy a Samsung drive, use the Samsung Magician app to verify its authenticity as soon as you take it out of the box. Scammers can't spoof the manufacturer's own diagnostic tools.

• Use common sense: If you see a 4TB drive on sale for 30 bucks, it's a scam.

To save you the hassle of sorting through the sketchy listings, I combed through Amazon's current SSD sale and pulled out the legit deals worth your money.

Best overall deal

Opens in a new window Credit: SanDisk SanDisk Extreme Portable 2TB External SSD $319.99 at Best Buy
$423.99 Save $104   Get Deal

Why we like it

If you need to re-up on memory, the best deal we found is from the Best Buy anniversary sale, which is ending soon. Not only is this popular SanDisk portable SSD drive discounted by $104, but it's significantly cheaper than it is at Amazon. Our tech editor owns several of these hard drives. Plus, this external hard drive is sold directly by Best Buy, not through a marketplace or reseller, so you don't have to worry about getting ripped off.

SEE ALSO: Best Buy's celebrating its 60th birthday by selling $100 gift cards for $60 — how to claim yours

Internal SSD deals

If you're building a PC or upgrading your PS5, these NVMe and SATA drives are solid picks.

• Lexar 128GB NS100 Internal SSD (2.5-inch SATA) — $49.99 $59.99 (save $10)

• PNY CS900 500GB Internal SSD (2.5-inch SATA) — $89.80 $109.99 (save $20.19)

• Samsung 9100 PRO 1TB NVMe Internal SSD (PCIe 5.0 M.2) — $249.99 $339.99 (save $90)

• Lexar 2TB NM790 Internal NVMe SSD — $299.99 $449.99 (save $150)

• Lexar 2TB NM1090 PRO Internal NVMe SSD — $349.99 $599.99 (save $250)

• Samsung 990 PRO 2TB NVMe Internal SSD (PCIe 4.0 M.2) — $389.99 $639.99 (save $250)

External SSD deals

Whether you need to back up your laptop or carry a large media library on the go, these portable drives are reliable options.

• Verbatim Pocket 1TB External SSD — $149.99 $299.99 (save $150)

• Lexar 2TB SL500 External SSD — $329.99 $399.99 (save $70)

• Samsung T9 2TB Portable External SSD — $405.97 $574.99 (save $169.02)

• Samsung T7 Shield 2TB Portable External SSD — $474.99 $574.99 (save $100)

• SanDisk 4TB Extreme Portable SSD V2 — $499.99 $899.99 (save $400)

• SanDisk Professional 2TB PRO-G40 External SSD — $559.99 $619.99 (save $60)

• SanDisk 8TB Extreme Portable External SSD — $839.99 $1,624.99 (save $785)