Question Wow, those old 2.5" SSDs were HEAVY.

[Eug]

I just picked up a Crucial BX500 SSD and was struck by just how light it is. The shell is mostly plastic, albeit with metal threads. I got curious and decided to weigh some of my SSDs.

32 g - Crucial BX500 120 GB - The shell is plastic. Drive height is 7 mm.
47 g - Samsung 850 EVO 500 GB - The shell is aluminum. Drive height is 7 mm.
130 g - Kingston V+100 96 GB - The shell appears to be steel (?). Drive height is 9 mm. This thing is a tank!

 

[Eug]

I guess back then, most of the laptops were very heavy already, so a heavy SSD wasn't as much of a concern. But still, 0.3 lbs!

When I got the BX500 I was a little surprised by the use of plastic and how light it was and how flimsy it felt, but in retrospect I might actually prefer a light plastic one over a beast of a metal one, in a laptop at least. The light aluminum ones like my 850 Evo are probably the best solution though for those wanting something more substantial. The shell feels more robust than the plastic ones, and it probably dissipates heat better too.