Believe it or not, buying the best PC starts with picking a good SSD. It doesn’t matter what kind of components you pack into your computer — if the SSD isn’t good, everything else is bound to lag behind, too.
Even the best graphics card is slowed down by a poor SSD, not to mention an HDD. Fortunately, buying a better SSD is a cheap and easy process that’ll ensure you enjoy your PC for years to come.
As a PC builder with 20 years of experience, I’ve tested countless SSDs and know just what to look for.
The list of the best SSDs you’ll find below includes a couple of drives I’ve tested myself, some we’ve tested here at Digital Trends, and others I can swear by based on hours upon hours of research and reading reviews. Whether you need something cheap or something high-end, I’ve got you covered. Check them all out below, and if you’re not sure what all these different specs mean, don’t forget to check out our SSD buying guide first.
The SANDISK Extreme Portable SSD for PlayStation 5 Console and PC is a variation of the popular SANDISK Extreme Portable SSD that focuses on providing PS5 gamers with an effortless way of adding more storage to their console. The SSD is officially licensed for the PS5, and it also matches the looks of the console.
Whether you’ll be using it for the PS5 or PC, the SANDISK Extreme Portable SSD for PlayStation 5 Console and PC promises fast transfer speeds, enhanced read speeds of up to 1,000 MB/s1, and dependable protection with an IP65 rating and 3-meter drop protection.
For PlayStation PC games, you can store the titles in the SANDISK Extreme Portable SSD PlayStation 5 Console and PC and play directly off it while it’s connected to your PC.
1 – 1MB/s = 1 million bytes per second. IOPS = input/output operations per second. Based on internal testing; performance may vary depending upon host device, usage conditions, drive capacity, and other factors.
If you want the absolute best you can get out of an SSD, the Samsung 990 Pro with a built-in heatsink is the way to go. We’ve reviewed it extensively, and it’s one of the most impressive SSDs currently out there, even though faster SSDs already exist. Why? Because this one was built specifically for high performance, and although it’s not cheap, it can handle just about anything you throw at it.
The Samsung 990 Pro comes in three capacities: 1TB, 2TB, and 4TB. All of them can reach read/write speeds of up to 7,450MB/s and 6,900mb/s, respectively. That’s more than most of us could ever need, and it translates to non-existent loading screens and superb bandwidth.
Do you need this SSD? That depends. If you have a high-end PC, then this will be the perfect cherry on top. If you’re aiming for a budget build, it’s best to stay away as it’s not the cheapest option at this capacity.
While the previously mentioned Samsung 990 Pro is a PCIe 4.0 SSD, this Corsair MP700 Elite model supports PCIe 5.0 — which means a newer and faster generation. This is great news for a number of reasons.
First, you’re getting faster data transfers, reaching up to a blistering 10,000MB/s. Second, the price isn’t too far off from the Samsung SSD, although this isn’t a budget-friendly product in any sense of the word. You’re paying $179 for the 2TB version, or $199 if you want an added heatspreader for better cooling — which can make sense if you’re doing things like video editing or rendering, both of which make good use of your drive.
In our review of the Corsair MP700 Elite, we were thoroughly impressed by its benchmark performance. It’s incredibly fast, although it’s important to note that in most use cases, you won’t notice much of a difference between this drive and a slower SSD. The loading times are already super low — you’re just shaving off a few extra seconds.
Let’s say that you decided to throw all restraint out the window and you want to treat yourself to the fastest SSD out there. Well, outside of some edge cases that aren’t commercially available, this is it. The WD_Black SN8100 is the fastest consumer SSD currently out there.
As a PCIe 5.0 NVMe SSD, it offers a significant leap over Gen 4 SSDs, nearly doubling the read/write speeds of the Samsung 990 Pro. This SSD can achieve up to 14,900MB/s read and 14,000MB/s write speeds in the 2TB variant, which is mind-blowing. It’s praised by users and reviewers alike for being faster than anyone reasonably needs it to be (but hey, who doesn’t love some cutting-edge hardware?).
Considering that this is a high-end product and it’s not exactly cheap, it’s good to see strong endurance and a long warranty. TBW (which is an important factor in how long SSDs really last) scales with capacity, reaching up to 2,400TBW in the 4TB variant.
Let’s face it — most of us don’t need the fastest SSD in the world. Honestly, when you just use your PC, half the time you won’t notice that much of a difference between a 3,500MB/s NVMe SSD and one that hits 10,000MB/s. Of course, the latter is way faster, but we’re still talking about seconds here — so don’t let the FOMO get you.
The Crucial P3 is the SSD I’d recommend to most people. I’ve owned it myself, and it’s still doing its job in my backup PC after I upgraded to a faster drive recently. (Which is how I can say that I don’t see too much of a difference.)
This SSD maxes out at 3,500MB/s, which is the best PCIe 3.0 can offer, but it’s plenty fast enough for most gamers and professionals alike. You can find it in capacities ranging from 500GB to 4TB, and it’s relatively inexpensive.
If you want a newer SSD, and by that I mean one that supports the PCIe 4.0 specification, this is your most affordable pick. The Western Digital WD Blue SN5000 can be bought for as little as $39 if you settle for 500GB, and higher capacities are still cheap — all the while offering fantastic read/write speeds.
This SSD hits up to 5,000MB/s, which doesn’t max out PCIe 4.0 — for that, you need to check out the Samsung 990 Pro that I talked about above. However, it’s still newer and faster than the Crucial P3, and it comes highly praised by thousands of users.
You can pick from between 500GB, 1TB, 2TB, and 4TB, and honestly, all of these are great value. If you just want a solid SSD that doesn’t break the bank, the WD Blue SN5000 is a great option.
Rounding out our list is the SSD I currently own. I actually own two of these, and I love them. The Lexar NM790 was a value pick for me, but it surprised me in many ways with how solid, reliable, and fast it’s been given the price.
This SSD comes in capacities ranging from 1TB to 8TB — personally, I own two of the 2TB ones. Having used it for over a year now, I can easily say that it’s the best SSD I personally tested. With read/write speeds sitting at 7,400MB/s and 6,500MB/s, respectively, it’s almost the best that PCIe 4.0 can offer without the intimidating price tag of the Samsung 990 Pro.
You don’t even need to be a PC gamer to enjoy this one — it’s compatible with the PlayStation 5. Whether you’re a gamer or a content creator, you can’t go wrong with this powerful, yet reasonably priced NVMe SSD.
This is it — the best SSDs currently on the market. When choosing one, make sure to double- and triple-check compatibility. All modern motherboards support NVMe SSDs, but if your PC is on the older side, it’s important to verify whether it’ll be able to support M.2 NVMe SSDs — which are the best option right now.
From there, it gets easier. Look for PCIe compatibility — the higher the number, the faster the speeds, but PCIe is always backward compatible, so you don’t need to worry about it too much. Just slot your new SSD in and enjoy the blazing speeds!
Monica is a computing writer at Digital Trends, focusing on PC hardware. Since joining the team in 2021, Monica has written over 1,000 articles covering components, desktop PCs, laptops, and peripherals.
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