Any recommendations for a source for a small (256GB) M.2 NVMe or SATA drive that's still from at least a semi-reputable brand (e.g. Samsung, Adata, Patriot)?
It'll be an OS drive for a light use PC- nothing beyond web browsing.
Every deal that I see for SSDs on this forum are for 1TB or bigger.
Staticice and eBay are worth a look. Depending on the importance, I might even consider a second-hand one. For example (this) should be $20 delivered after eBay plus coupon.
There are also a few OEM SSDs for about $30. Example - Centrecom (NB: was previously a deal for $5).
I would probably get one of that sellers NVMe drives instead of that SATA one.
He seems to have them at the same price.
I buy them on ebay. The ones I got were name-brand gen4s that have been pulled from new systems to fit larger ones. So, technically, they're second hand, but they are second hand latest models that have only had the operating system written onto them. Make sure to check that they aren't old models.
Search for 250GB rather than 256GB to get more results. Plenty on Amazon. Crucial MX500 250GB for ~$50 is a solid choice.