# 128GB FD for $35 (U.S.) **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [March 18, 2015, 9:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/128gb-fd-for-35-u-s/715326 "2015-03-18T21:34:15Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![racepug](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/f1d935/32.png) [@racepug](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/racepug)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2015, 9:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/128gb-fd-for-35-u-s/715326/1 "2015-03-18T21:34:15Z")
Got an e-mail yesterday from an online vendor that I’ve done business with before. A St. Patrick’s Day special - a 128 GB flash drive for a mere **$35** (!!!). I couldn’t resist - I plunked that money down like nobody’s business. Do I really _need_ 128GB’s worth of flash memory? Probably not (most of the stuff I save to my current flash drive is things like photos, documents, and text files and that’s probably not going to change any time soon) but…128 GB of memory for $35(!!!) I just _had_ to have it! (I got my boss to “bite” on that offer as well. He’d recently been complaining about his - by current standards - low capacity [1 GB, I think] flash drive. I sent him the offer to buy “The Mother of All Flash Drives”…for cheap! and he took it. So I’m not the _only_ one!) ---
**Author:** ![What\_Exit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/what_exit/32/10652_2.png) [@What\_Exit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/What_Exit)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2015, 10:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/128gb-fd-for-35-u-s/715326/2 "2015-03-18T22:00:44Z")
All the exclamations marks I thought this was a spam post at first. 😃 Congrats on a good bargain. ---
**Author:** ![Cabin\_Fever\_1](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cabin_fever_1/32/2908_2.png) [@Cabin\_Fever\_1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cabin_Fever_1)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2015, 10:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/128gb-fd-for-35-u-s/715326/3 "2015-03-18T22:21:03Z")
Nice deal. What? No links to Kitty pics? Hmm… What else are you using that stick for? :eek: ---
**Author:** ![racepug](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/f1d935/32.png) [@racepug](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/racepug)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2015, 10:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/128gb-fd-for-35-u-s/715326/4 "2015-03-18T22:30:15Z")
Actually, I probably _won’t_ be using that FD for a while (I know, I know - “Then why did you purchase it?”) but I can assure you that when I do I _won’t_ be putting anything unsavory on it. Some documents (mostly mundane stuff like owner’s manuals for various items around the house) and spreadsheets (including the result of all the work I’ve done in updating all of the “All-Time Greats” rosters for all N.F.L. teams through 2014 with reference to an N.F.L simulation game from the '80s/'90s that I now have on my home computer) and a fair amount (though certainly not enough to fill up even an 8 GB FD, let alone a 128 GB one) of photos. But that deal simply seemed too good to pass up. I should add, by the way, that both the brand and the online store that I purchased the FD from are reputable (at least as far as I know) so if anyone’s thinking that I got “took” because a deal like that is simply too good to be true, well - I certainly hope you’re wrong! ---
**Author:** ![Wesley\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wesley_clark/32/20581_2.png) [@Wesley\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wesley_Clark)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2015, 11:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/128gb-fd-for-35-u-s/715326/5 "2015-03-18T23:02:35Z")
The PNY from Tiger Direct I presume? I thought about it but I bought a 64GB sandisk during black friday last year and figured I don’t need it. It was tempting though. FWIW that one is still on sale for $40. ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2015, 11:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/128gb-fd-for-35-u-s/715326/6 "2015-03-18T23:09:22Z")
I think if you don’t need a 128GB flash drive now, don’t buy it. Right now, that’s a good price, but after a while it will be the normal price, or even expensive. And not all flash drives are equal. Some are faster than others. ---
**Author:** ![Baron\_Greenback](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/baron_greenback/32/48_2.png) [@Baron\_Greenback](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Baron_Greenback)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2015, 11:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/128gb-fd-for-35-u-s/715326/7 "2015-03-18T23:14:53Z")
_[14 k of g in an f p d](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=398132)_ flashback flashback flashback. Brrr ---
**Author:** ![jz78817](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jz78817/32/1028_2.png) [@jz78817](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jz78817)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2015, 12:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/128gb-fd-for-35-u-s/715326/8 "2015-03-19T00:25:10Z")
better hope it’s not counterfeit. > **[USB Flash Drives for Sale - eBay](https://www.ebay.com/b/USB-Flash-Drives/51071/bn_739113)** > > Save Big on new & used USB Flash Drives from top brands like Sandisk, Kingston, Samsung & more. Shop our extensive selection of products and best online deals. Free Shipping for many items! ---
**Author:** ![Cabin\_Fever\_1](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cabin_fever_1/32/2908_2.png) [@Cabin\_Fever\_1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cabin_Fever_1)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2015, 4:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/128gb-fd-for-35-u-s/715326/9 "2015-03-19T04:45:32Z")
> [@Baron\_Greenback](#): > > _[14 k of g in an f p d](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=398132)_ flashback flashback flashback. > > Brrr That made me laugh. Thanks for the memories. (Pun intended) 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Voyager](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/voyager/32/133_2.png) [@Voyager](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Voyager)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2015, 4:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/128gb-fd-for-35-u-s/715326/10 "2015-03-19T04:49:19Z")
Sigh. When I was in college Ed Fredkin came to our class and boldly predicted that someday memory would go down to a penny a bit. ---
**Author:** ![Cabin\_Fever\_1](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cabin_fever_1/32/2908_2.png) [@Cabin\_Fever\_1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cabin_Fever_1)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2015, 4:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/128gb-fd-for-35-u-s/715326/11 "2015-03-19T04:53:20Z")
> [@racepug](#): > > Actually, I probably _won’t_ be using that FD for a while (I know, I know - “Then why did you purchase it?”) but I can assure you that when I do I _won’t_ be putting anything unsavory on it. Some documents (mostly mundane stuff like owner’s manuals for various items around the house) and spreadsheets (including the result of all the work I’ve done in updating all of the “All-Time Greats” rosters for all N.F.L. teams through 2014 with reference to an N.F.L simulation game from the '80s/'90s that I now have on my home computer) and a fair amount (though certainly not enough to fill up even an 8 GB FD, let alone a 128 GB one) of photos. But that deal simply seemed too good to pass up. I should add, by the way, that both the brand and the online store that I purchased the FD from are reputable (at least as far as I know) so if anyone’s thinking that I got “took” because a deal like that is simply too good to be true, well - I certainly hope you’re wrong! Just joking with you. My humor sometimes escapes into the ether. ---
**Author:** ![Cabin\_Fever\_1](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cabin_fever_1/32/2908_2.png) [@Cabin\_Fever\_1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cabin_Fever_1)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2015, 5:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/128gb-fd-for-35-u-s/715326/12 "2015-03-19T05:01:08Z")
> [@Voyager](#): > > Sigh. When I was in college Ed Fredkin came to our class and boldly predicted that someday memory would go down to a penny a bit. THE Ed Fredkin? Wow. Wish I could meet him sometime. Amazing how many choices we have for data storage these days. \*(Provided we have the proper chargers and a source of electricity). \*:rolleyes: ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2015, 5:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/128gb-fd-for-35-u-s/715326/13 "2015-03-19T05:07:30Z")
I’ve had a long day and I’m tired. So maybe I’m missing the punchline here. Thirty-five dollars for 128g flash drive is a decent price but it’s not phenomenal. ---
**Author:** ![Cabin\_Fever\_1](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cabin_fever_1/32/2908_2.png) [@Cabin\_Fever\_1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cabin_Fever_1)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2015, 5:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/128gb-fd-for-35-u-s/715326/14 "2015-03-19T05:19:41Z")
> [@Little\_Nemo](#): > > I’ve had a long day and I’m tired. So maybe I’m missing the punchline here. Thirty-five dollars for 128g flash drive is a decent price but it’s not phenomenal. But it is more than 4K which, which should be enough for anybody’s needs. 😉 \*NM, I need to go to bed and sleep also Little Nemo…long day here too. My brain has exhausted its two cents worth of memory and the Direct-Deposit for it won’t arrive until 6 AM local. \* ---
**Author:** ![racepug](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/f1d935/32.png) [@racepug](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/racepug)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2015, 3:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/128gb-fd-for-35-u-s/715326/15 "2015-03-19T15:59:51Z")
> [@Little\_Nemo](#): > > I’ve had a long day and I’m tired. So maybe I’m missing the punchline here. Thirty-five dollars for 128g flash drive is a decent price but it’s not phenomenal. Really? I told our two I.T. guys about the deal and both of _them_ seemed duly impressed. Bottom line is that I really didn’t need 128 GB of flash memory (seriously, I’m not sure I’ll EVER use all of that capacity up - unless I start making amateur porn, which I SERIOUSLY doubt I will) but the deal simply seemed too good for me to pass up. And I’m not one to get caught up in “deals” like that very often. Honest! ---
**Author:** ![RTFirefly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c77e96/32.png) [@RTFirefly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RTFirefly)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2015, 4:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/128gb-fd-for-35-u-s/715326/16 "2015-03-19T16:50:07Z")
I recently got a terabyte flash drive for something like $70, because I realized the 64G thumb drive I’d bought a few years back for about the same amount was filling up, mostly with photos of the Firebug. (Digital cameras + young children = tens of thousands of pix.) The terabyte drive isn’t a thumb drive, but it’s still smaller and lighter than a pack of playing cards, so it can fit in my pocket. (“Is that a terabyte in your pocket, or are you happy to see me?”) And I can use it to back up _everything_, since none of my computers have more than 256G of hard drive space. ---
**Author:** ![racepug](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/f1d935/32.png) [@racepug](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/racepug)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2015, 6:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/128gb-fd-for-35-u-s/715326/17 "2015-03-19T18:21:03Z")
> [@RTFirefly](#): > > I recently got a terabyte flash drive for something like $70, because I realized the 64G thumb drive I’d bought a few years back for about the same amount was filling up, mostly with photos of the Firebug. (Digital cameras + young children = tens of thousands of pix.) > > The terabyte drive isn’t a thumb drive, but it’s still smaller and lighter than a pack of playing cards, so it can fit in my pocket. (“Is that a terabyte in your pocket, or are you happy to see me?”) And I can use it to back up _everything_, since none of my computers have more than 256G of hard drive space. Reminds me of those old Tootsie Pop commercials, the ones with the owl: “How many licks does it take to get to the center of a Tootsie Pop?” But in _this_ case it would be: “How long will it take your kids to take enough photos to fill up even a TERABYTE drive?” ---
**Author:** ![Doctor\_Jackson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/doctor_jackson/32/32_2.png) [@Doctor\_Jackson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Doctor_Jackson)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2015, 7:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/128gb-fd-for-35-u-s/715326/18 "2015-03-19T19:51:05Z")
> [@racepug](#): > > (seriously, I’m not sure I’ll EVER use all of that capacity up… I can remember saying that exact thing when my office got our first 1 meg hard drive… ---
**Author:** ![chrisk](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/6de8d8/32.png) [@chrisk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chrisk)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2015, 8:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/128gb-fd-for-35-u-s/715326/19 "2015-03-19T20:20:26Z")
Sweet, enjoy it **racepug**. I probably wouldn’t take too long filling one of those up with stuff. 😉 At the moment, I’m trying to stay content with a total of 48GB in my SmartTV (in two drives, a sandisk cruzer blade 16GB and a Lexar 32GB). ---
**Author:** ![crazyjoe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f14d63/32.png) [@crazyjoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/crazyjoe)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2015, 7:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/128gb-fd-for-35-u-s/715326/20 "2015-03-20T19:33:06Z")
> [@RTFirefly](#): > > I recently got a terabyte flash drive for something like $70, because I realized the 64G thumb drive I’d bought a few years back for about the same amount was filling up, mostly with photos of the Firebug. (Digital cameras + young children = tens of thousands of pix.) > > The terabyte drive isn’t a thumb drive, but it’s still smaller and lighter than a pack of playing cards, so it can fit in my pocket. (“Is that a terabyte in your pocket, or are you happy to see me?”) And I can use it to back up _everything_, since none of my computers have more than 256G of hard drive space. Not to be a jerk here, but you did not get a 1TB “flash” drive for $70. You may have gotten an external hard drive (colloquially called “spinning rust”) for that price. It’s a 2.5" laptop hard drive wrapped in a case and with some circuitry to make it work with USB. A flash drive is solid-state storage, with no moving parts, and it is way too expensive to get 1TB of it for $70. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/128gb-fd-for-35-u-s/715326.md?page=2)