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I found this 16_TB_HDD being advertised on the well-knowniest shopping site which claims it is a 16 TB HDD, and I wondered: is this even real? Can such a small frame really house 16_TerraBytes? It doesn't even claim to be an SSD!!

So, my question is: Is this technically even possible ???, or even smaller versions, like 8TB or 2TB?

Follow-ups:

  • does it have a SATA connection so it could be an internal drive in a laptop?
  • if not, then what type of connector does it have?
  • what would be the largest HDD that could used as an internal drive in a laptop, so 7mm and 2,5 inch?

What makes me suspect it's a scam is the price of 70 euros...

If need be, just ask & I'll post the link (if that isn't against site rules) You can find it by doing an image search in Google or Tineye.com

P.S. Not asking for recommendations as to brands or products.

Giacomo1968
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GngrWtch
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    A M.2 SSD would be inside. However, it is a scam. – Daniel B Sep 13 '22 at 05:22
  • I guess it's likely it is a scam, but it would be nice if you had more in the way of proof. Would a 2TB version be a scam too? – GngrWtch Sep 13 '22 at 05:26
  • I don't know how it's a scam, but i think it kind of must be one. – GwenKillerby Sep 13 '22 at 05:32
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    16TB of anything for €70 is a scam. 8TB drives are about 750, 16s are rare as hen's teeth - see https://www.techradar.com/news/16tb-m2-nvme-ssds-wont-be-coming-any-time-soon-heres-why – Tetsujin Sep 13 '22 at 06:19
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    16TB for 70€... Are you joking?? – PierU Sep 13 '22 at 07:00
  • “I guess it's likely it is a scam, but it would be nice if you had more in the way of proof.” If you are really insistent on needing proof, but the drive and let us know how it goes. If you somehow scored a true 16TB drive for 70€ everyone would love to know that. But in general, this question should stay closed because you answer your own question when you say, “What makes me suspect it's a scam is the price of 70 euros…” That’s the answer! It sounds too good to be true so why would you even waste any energy on this. – Giacomo1968 Sep 30 '22 at 21:36
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    Yes; It’s a scam, the only proof I have, is that I know it’s a scam because it’s “too good to be true” – Ramhound Sep 30 '22 at 21:37
  • FWIW, here is an [M.2 8TB SSD](https://eshop.macsales.com/item/OWC/S4DAQ12ST80/) that sells for $1,479 (U.S.). Two of them in an enclosure would then cost around $2,958. Why would you believe a 16TB M.2 SSD cost 70€? How would that even be possible. – Giacomo1968 Sep 30 '22 at 21:40
  • Because it's sold on Amazon, and they have a duty to check that they do not sell scams? – GngrWtch Oct 25 '22 at 11:55

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Assuming that's a USB Type-C port in front, the device in your photo is far too narrow to fit a 2.5" HDD inside. Instead, it seems to be a portable SSD – in fact it's shaped exactly like it's supposed to hold an M.2 SSD module inside.

(I don't know if this particular one is sealed or if it can be opened up; there are devices exactly like yours but sold as "USB M.2 enclosure" that come empty and you're meant to install your own storage module, and their capacity would be whatever M.2 module you install.)

I did find several 8TB NVMe M.2 modules on sale, so it's not "beyond impossible" that 16TB modules could exist (after all, it used to be impossible for a microSD card to hold 1GB and now they hold 1TB) – and a sealed "portable SSD" doesn't have to use M.2, it could cram a lot of flash storage directly on the main board like USB sticks do.

But if such SSDs existed they would not be cheap, judging by current 8TB prices. So if the product you found only costs 3 digits, I'd strongly suspect it's either fake or bottom-tier quality.

u1686_grawity
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  • Please don’t answer “too good to be true” questions like this. – Giacomo1968 Sep 30 '22 at 21:41
  • You're still answering it in comments though? – u1686_grawity Sep 30 '22 at 21:57
  • “You're still answering it in comments though?” Yes. Comments are where bad questions should be answered so the original poster better understands downvotes and why their question is closed. A full answer doesn’t help. – Giacomo1968 Sep 30 '22 at 22:03
  • "Use comments to ask for more information or suggest improvements. Avoid answering questions in comments." If you're answering a question in comments, to the OP that's the same as answering it like normal – you're still answering a question that you're saying shouldn't be answered. – u1686_grawity Oct 01 '22 at 10:20