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If this was a PC then a 1TB SSD would be about $200, but the 2018 Mac Mini has a non-upgradable soldered-on SSD on the motherboard so you have to pay Apple's build-to-order prices if you want one. (The RAM is technically upgradable but requires a security Torx bit to access just to be annoying.)

It's accurate maybe not according to the market in general, but it's how the pricing on the BTO works. I tried building a similarly specced Mac Mini just now and upgrading to the 1TB SSD is +$600, whereas 2TB would be +$1,400.

A 1TB SSD is maybe $200 retail?

For the cheap ones. The faster/better quality ones from Samsung and Intel, which are more comparable to what Apple is using, are $400-500

970 Evo 1TB (3500MB/sec): $228

970 Pro (effectively same speed, but 3bit MLC versus 2bit): $380

The 970 EVO performs noticeably better in almost all benchmark categories (latency, sequential read/write, 4K read/write) than Apple SSDs. The 970 EVO uses MLC.

The 970 EVO is $230.

Come again?