In case your laptop is beginning to really feel slightly sluggish, otherwise you’re bored with ready for video games and apps to load, upgrading to the most effective SSD choices on the market is usually a game-changer. Strong-state drives (SSDs) are a lot quicker than conventional laborious drives, serving to your system boot up in seconds, load giant recordsdata immediately and make on a regular basis duties really feel snappier. Whether or not you’re upgrading a laptop computer, constructing a gaming PC or simply need further storage for work or artistic tasks, the proper SSD can significantly enhance efficiency.
However with so many specs to think about — PCIe Gen 4, Gen 5, SATA, NVMe — it’s straightforward to get misplaced within the jargon. That’s the place we are available! We’ve rounded up one of the best SSD choices that can assist you discover the proper stability of pace, capability and worth, so you may get the improve you want with out overpaying for options you gained’t use.
Desk of contents
Greatest SSDs in 2025
Essential
Capability: 500GB, 1TB, 2TB and 4TB | Connection: SATA | Learn pace: 560 MB/s | Write pace: 510 MB/s
You don’t must look far to seek out one of the best SATA SSD: it is the Essential MX500. With sequential learn speeds of 560MB/s and a $100 MSRP for the 1TB mannequin, this inside SSD gives a hard-to-beat mixture of wonderful efficiency and worth. It additionally comes with a five-year guarantee for added peace of thoughts. However, better of all, it regularly goes on sale for as little as $45. I’ve been utilizing a 1TB MX500 drive to retailer my music, photographs and video games for years, and it has but to present me any issues.
Execs
- Reasonably priced
- SATA compatibility
- 5-year guarantee
$100 at Amazon
Essential
Capability: 1TB, 2TB, 4TB | Connection: M.2 | Learn pace: 11,700MB/s | Write pace: 9,500MB/s
I don’t suggest shopping for a Gen5 NVMe, even in case you have the {hardware} wanted to run one. The learn speeds may look spectacular on paper, however the actuality is that few video games and apps can benefit from these capabilities proper now.
Nonetheless, if you happen to’re set on outfitting your laptop with the quickest attainable storage, I believe the Essential T700 gives a compelling mixture of worth and efficiency. The T700 is without doubt one of the quickest NVMe drives in the marketplace proper now, and after launching at $180, it’s attainable to seek out it on sale for about $143. Be aware that in case your motherboard didn’t include a heatsink to your NVMe drives, you have to to purchase the T700 mannequin that features one, which additional will increase the fee.
Execs
- Very quick
- Helps DirectStorage
- 5-year guarantee
$140 at Adorama
WD_BLACK
Capability: 1TB, 2TB, 4TB, 8TB | Connection: M.2 | Learn pace: 7,300MB/s | Write pace: 6,300MB/s
Supplied you personal the required {hardware}, Gen4 NVMe drives provide fairly good worth proper now. After testing a couple of completely different fashions, I ended up shopping for the Western Digital WD_Black SN850X for my very own system. It’s very quick, delivering learn speeds of as much as 7,300MB/s, and I used to be capable of pay lower than $100 for the 1TB mannequin throughout a sale.
If you happen to’re set on shopping for a Gen4 mannequin, however need to avoid wasting cash, Western Digital gives the extra inexpensive SN770. It’s not as quick because the SN850X, but when your system has one Gen4 NVMe slot, it’s nice for storing Home windows and your most essential apps.
Execs
- Quick
- DirectStorage assist
- 5-year guarantee
$94 at Amazon
Essential
Capability: 500GB, 1TB, 2TB, 4TB | Connection: M.2 | Learn pace: 3,500MB/s | Write speeds: 3,000MB/s
A earlier model of this information really useful the Essential P2 as an excellent funds Gen 3 NVMe decide, however as Gen4 and now Gen5 NVMe drives have entered the market, producers like Micron have discontinued a few of their entry-level Gen4 fashions. The excellent news is that their previous high-end Gen3 drives at the moment are extra inexpensive than ever. Take the Essential P3, for example. Micron initially priced the 1TB mannequin at $90, however in latest months, it’s been on sale for as little as $40. That’s nice worth for a drive that provides 3,500MB/s learn speeds.
Execs
- Reasonably priced and regularly on sale
- 5-year guarantee
Cons
- Could possibly be quicker
- Endurance stats usually are not one of the best
$60 at Adorama
SABRENT
Capability: 256GB, 512GB, 1TB | Connection: M.2 | Learn pace: 5,000MB/s | Write pace: 4,300MB/s
If you happen to’re assured sufficient to open your Steam Deck to put in a brand new, larger capability NVMe, the Sabrent Rocket 2230 is a good small-sized NVME. It would slot into the Steam Deck’s M.2 slot with out concern, and also you don’t want to fret about it overheating. With latest reductions on this mannequin, it’s dropped sufficient in worth the place you could possibly lower your expenses by shopping for the 512GB Steam Deck OLED mannequin and putting in extra storage later.
Cons
- Costly relative to full-sized NVMe drives
$100 at Amazon
Corsair
Capability: 500GB, 1TB, 2TB, 4TB, 8TB | Connection: M.2 | Learn pace: 7,100 MB/s | Write pace: 6,800MB/sec
Engadget has a separate information devoted to one of the best PlayStation 5 SSDs, however if you happen to got here to this web page in search of a advice on what NVMe to purchase to your PS5, look no additional than the Corsair MP600 Professional LPX. It meets all of Sony’s compatibility necessities and comes with a pre-installed heatsink, that means all it’s worthwhile to do is set up it into your PS5 and also you’re good to go.
Execs
- Excellent PS5 compatibility
- Pre-installed heatsink
- Simple to put in
Cons
- Cheaper so as to add your personal heatsink
$170 at Amazon
Essential
Capability: 1TB, 2TB, 4TB | Connection: USB-C | Learn pace: 1,050MB/s | Write pace: 975MB/s
For carrying recordsdata on the go, the Essential X9 Professional is a conveyable SSD with the correct mix of efficiency, options and value. There are technically quicker choices on the market, however its 10 Gbps speeds needs to be fast sufficient for the backups and file transfers most individuals do with an exterior drive, and it outpaced most different fashions inside its efficiency class in our benchmark checks. It’s tremendous tiny and sufficiently rugged on high of that, with an IP55-rated case constructed from aluminum and rubber. A five-year guarantee helps as properly. Simply word that the included USB-C cable is pretty quick, and there’s no adapter for USB-A ports within the field. — Jeff Dunn, Senior Reporter, Shopping for Recommendation
Execs
- IP55-certified water and mud safety
- 5-year guarantee
Cons
- No USB-A cable included
- Not the quickest
$89 at Amazon
SAMSUNG
Capability: 64GB, 128GB, 256GB, 512GB | Connection: USB 3.1 | Learn pace: As much as 400MB/s relying on the mannequin | Write pace: As much as 400MB/s
The Samsung Match Plus has about all of the options you could possibly need on a USB drive. It connects to your laptop over USB 3.1 and helps file switch speeds of as much as 300MB/s. The Match Plus can be compact and has a useful slot for attaching it to your keychain. The one draw back of Samsung’s USB drive is that it’s on the expensive facet.
Execs
- USB 3.1
- Modern design
- 5-year guarantee
Cons
- Is perhaps too small
- No indicator mild
$23 at Adorama
How we check SSDs
I’ve both examined or personally use day by day each storage drive really useful on this checklist. Out of our high picks, I purchased 4 with my very own cash after doing a couple of dozen hours of analysis. Individually, Engadget Senior Reporter Jeff Dunn has additionally examined a handful of our suggestions, together with the Essential X9 Professional listed above.
What to search for in a PC SSD
Probably the most inexpensive approach so as to add quick space for storing to a pc is with a 2.5-inch SATA drive. It’s additionally one of many best if you happen to don’t need to fear about compatibility since virtually each laptop made within the final 20 years will embody a motherboard with Serial ATA connections. For that purpose, one of the best SATA SSDs are a superb alternative if you wish to prolong the lifetime of an older PC construct. Set up is easy, too. When you’ve secured the inner SSD in a drive cage, all it’s worthwhile to do is to attach it to your motherboard and energy provide.
The one draw back of SATA drives is that, by way of responsiveness, they’re slower than their high-performance NVMe counterparts, with SATA III limiting information transfers to 600MB/s. However even the slowest SSD will likely be considerably quicker than one of the best mechanical drives. And with high-capacity, 1TB SATA SSDs costing about $100, they’re a very good bulk-storage possibility.
In case your PC is newer, there’s a very good likelihood it contains area for a number of M.2 SSDs. The shape issue represents your ticket to the quickest SSDs in the marketplace, however the difficult half is navigating all of the completely different requirements and specs concerned.
M.2 drives can function both a SATA or PCIe connection. SSDs with the latter are generally known as Non-Unstable Reminiscence or NVMe drives and are considerably quicker than their SATA counterparts, with Gen3 fashions providing sequential write speeds of as much as 3,000MB/s. These drives depend on NVMe NAND expertise for his or her superior efficiency and sturdiness. You may get twice the efficiency with a Gen4 SSD, however you’ll want a motherboard and processor that helps the usual.
If you happen to’re operating an AMD system, meaning at the very least a Ryzen 3000 or 5000 CPU and an X570 or B550 motherboard. With Intel, in the meantime, you’ll want at the very least an eleventh or twelfth Gen processor and a Z490, Z590 or Z690 motherboard. Remember the fact that Gen4 SSDs usually value greater than their Gen3 counterparts as properly.
Dearer nonetheless are the most recent Gen5 fashions, which supply sequential learn speeds of as much as 16,000MB/s. Nonetheless, even when your laptop helps the usual, you’re higher off shopping for a extra inexpensive Gen4 or Gen3 drive. For the time being, only a few video games and functions can benefit from Gen3 NVMe speeds, not to mention Gen4 and Gen5 speeds. What’s extra, Gen5 NVMe drives can run sizzling, which may result in efficiency and longevity points. Your cash is healthier spent on different elements, like upgrading your GPU, for now.
As for why you’d purchase an M.2 SATA drive over a equally specced 2.5-inch drive, it comes right down to ease of set up. You add M.2 storage to your laptop by putting in the SSD immediately onto the motherboard. That will sound intimidating, however in apply the method includes a single screw that you just first take away to attach the drive to your laptop after which retighten to safe the SSD in place. As an added bonus, there aren’t any wires concerned, making cable administration simpler.
Be aware that you would be able to set up a SATA M.2 SSD into an M.2 slot with a PCIe connection, however you may’t insert an NVMe M.2 SSD right into a M.2 slot with a SATA connection. Except you need to proceed utilizing an previous M.2 drive, there’s little purpose to benefit from that function. Talking of backward compatibility, it’s additionally attainable to make use of a Gen4 drive by way of a PCIe 3 connection, however you gained’t get any of the pace advantages of the quicker NVMe.
One final thing to think about is that M.2 drives come in numerous bodily sizes. From shortest to longest, the frequent choices are 2230, 2242, 2260, 2280 and 22110. (The primary two numbers signify width in millimeters and the latter denote the size.) For essentially the most half, you don’t have to fret about that since 2280 is the default for a lot of motherboards and producers. Some boards can accommodate a couple of dimension of NVMe SSD because of a number of standoffs. That stated, test your laptop’s documentation or firmware earlier than shopping for a drive to make sure you’re selecting up a appropriate dimension.
If you happen to’re shopping for a substitute SSD for the Steam Deck or Steam Deck OLED, issues are simpler. For Valve’s handheld, you have to a 2230 dimension NVMe. Easy. If you happen to don’t need to open your Steam Deck, it’s additionally attainable to increase its storage by putting in a microSD card. Engadget has a separate information devoted to SD card storage, so test that out for added shopping for recommendation.
I alluded to this earlier, however one of the best shopping for recommendation I can provide is don’t get too caught up about being on the bleeding fringe of storage tech. The sequential learn and write speeds you see producers checklist on their drives are theoretical and real-world efficiency benchmark checks differ lower than you assume.
In case your funds forces you to decide on between a 1TB Gen3 NVMe and a 512GB Gen4 mannequin, go for the higher-capacity one. From a sensible standpoint, the worst factor you are able to do is purchase a kind of SSD that’s too small for wants. Drives can sluggish dramatically as they strategy capability, and you’ll in all probability find yourself buying one with the next gigabyte capability sooner or later.
What to search for in transportable and USB flash drives
Transportable SSDs are a considerably completely different beast to their inside siblings. Whereas learn and write speeds are essential, they’re virtually secondary to how an exterior drive connects to your PC. You gained’t get essentially the most out of a mannequin just like the SanDisk Excessive Professional V2 and not using a USB 3.2 Gen 2 x 2 connection. Even amongst newer PCs, that’s one thing of a premium function. For that purpose, most individuals are finest off shopping for a conveyable drive with a USB 3.2 Gen 2 or Thunderbolt connection. The previous gives switch speeds of as much as 10Gbps. The perfect exterior laborious drives additionally can help you switch information out of your Home windows PC to a Mac, or different machine, if appropriate. You’ll want to think about this beforehand if you happen to plan to make use of your transportable drive throughout a number of gadgets.
Moreover, if you happen to plan to take your drive on journeys and commutes, it’s worthwhile to purchase a mannequin with IP-certified water and mud proofing. Some corporations like Samsung provide rugged variations of their hottest drives, together with the Samsung SSD T7 Protect, with a excessive endurance ranking. For added peace of thoughts, 256-bit AES {hardware} encryption will assist stop somebody from accessing your information if you happen to ever lose or misplace your exterior SSD.
A number of the identical options contribute to an excellent thumbstick drive. Our favourite picks for finest funds exterior SSD fashions function USB 3.0 connections and a few type of {hardware} encryption.
A word on console storage
Seagate
If PC gaming isn’t your factor and also you personal an Xbox Collection X|S or PS5, outfitting your fancy new console with the quickest attainable storage is way extra easy than doing the identical on PC. With a Collection X or Collection S, your choices are restricted to choices from Seagate and Western Digital. The previous gives 512GB, 1TB and 2TB fashions, with essentially the most inexpensive beginning at a not-so-trivial $90. Western Digital’s Growth Playing cards are inexpensive, with pricing beginning at $80 for the 512GB mannequin. The excellent news is that each choices are regularly on sale. Your finest guess is to set an alert for the mannequin you need through the use of a worth tracker like CamelCamelCamel.
With Sony’s PlayStation 5, upgrading the console’s inside storage is barely extra concerned. As a substitute of using a proprietary resolution, the PS5 makes use of NVMe storage. Fortunately, there aren’t as many potential configurations as you’d discover on a PC. Engadget maintains a complete information to one of the best SSDs for PS5; briefly, your finest guess is a high-capacity Gen4 drive with a built-in heatsink. Take a look at that information for a full checklist of gaming SSD suggestions, however for a fast go-to, think about the Corsair MP600 Professional LPX I like to recommend above. It meets all of the reminiscence specs for Sony’s newest console and also you gained’t run into any clearance points with the heatsink. Corsair gives 500GB, 1TB, 2TB, 4TB and 8TB variations of the drive. Anticipate to pay about $110 for the 1TB variant and about $200 for 2TB.
For these nonetheless enjoying on a earlier technology console, you may get barely quicker recreation load occasions from a PlayStation 4 by swapping the included laborious drive to a 2.5-inch SSD, however going out of your approach to take action in all probability isn’t value it at this level and also you’re higher off saving your cash for one of many new consoles and updating your working system as an alternative.
SSD FAQs
What dimension SSD is finest?
There isn’t a one dimension suits all rule for SSDs, however we usually suggest getting at the very least a 1TB SSD if you happen to’re seeking to improve PC or recreation console storage, or trying so as to add an exterior drive to your toolkit. A 1TB drive will likely be a lot for most individuals who want further space for storing for photographs, paperwork and applications. If you happen to’re a hardcore gamer, chances are you’ll need to spend money on much more storage contemplating many high-profile titles in the present day can take up a ton of area.
Is a 256GB SSD higher than a 1TB laborious drive?
The quick reply is that it will depend on what you want your drive for. On the whole, SSDs are quicker and extra environment friendly than HDDs, however HDDs are often cheaper. We suggest springing for an SSD for many use circumstances in the present day — upgrading a PC, saving essential photographs and paperwork, storing video games long run, and so forth. However if you happen to’re centered on getting essentially the most quantity of additional area attainable (and sticking to a funds), an HDD could possibly be a very good possibility for you.
Does larger SSD imply quicker?
Getting a much bigger SSD doesn’t at all times translate right into a quicker drive general. A much bigger SSD will present the next storage capability, which implies more room for storing digital recordsdata and applications. To know how briskly an SSD will likely be, you’ll need to take a look at its learn/write speeds: learn speeds measure how briskly a drive can entry data, whereas write speeds measure how briskly the drive can save data. Most SSDs checklist their approximate learn/write speeds of their specs, so you should definitely take a look at these numbers earlier than you make a purchase order.
