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Best M.2 SSD for Gaming 2024

SAMSUNG 980 PRO

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SAMSUNG 980 PRO SSD 1TB PCIe...
  • NEXT-LEVEL SSD PERFORMANCE: Unleash the power of Samsung 980 PRO PCIe 4.0 NVMe SSD for next-level...
  • MAXIMUM SPEED: 980 PRO is raising the bar for NVMe SSDs. 980 PRO is backward compatible with PCIe 3.0....
  • A WINNING COMBINATION: Designed for hardcore gamers and tech-savvy users, the 980 PRO offers...

For those looking for the best, look no further than the Samsung 980 PRO. Samsung pairs its internal Elpis 8nm PCIe 4.0 x4 NVMe SSD controller with the company’s fastest V-NAND to unleash incredible performance.

If you want the best and fastest NVMe SSD available today, you have only one choice. The Samsung 980 Pro comes with the fastest performance found on a PCIe 4.0 SSD with an impressive suite of additional features. Reaching PS5-like transfer speeds (7,000MB / s read and 5,000MB / s write) and coupled with technology such as GPUDirect Storage from Nvidia, this SDD could offer impressive reductions when loading games. The 980 PRO and its proprietary Elpis controller outperform the competing line of Phison SSDs by a considerable margin – reaching speeds of up to 7000MB / s (sequential read) and 5000MB / s (sequential write), as well as up to 1,000,000 IOPS in 4K random read / write areas.

Despite its name, the 980 PRO is more of a successor to the Samsung 970 EVO Plus than the Samsung 970 PRO. Previously, the entire PRO line was based on high-end multi-level cell (MLC) NAND memory chips. With the 980 PRO, Samsung is instead making the transition to an economical TLC (three-level cell) NAND. Outside of extremely storage-hungry workloads, this won’t make much of a difference, but it’s worth noting that the endurance rating is lower than the 970 PRO (and also lower than the Phison drives listed below).

The Samsung 980 Pro offers up to 7/5 GB of throughput and supports up to 1 million random read / write IOPS, making it the most responsive SSD. The drive comes with all the features you could want from a high-end NVMe SSD, making it the perfect drive for anyone who wants the best.

Crucial P5

Crucial P5 1TB 3D NAND NVMe...
  • Innovative 3D NAND and cutting-edge controller technology with read/write performance up to 3400/3000MB/s...
  • Capable of enhancing data security and management with rapid, full-drive encryption, helping protect your...
  • Optimize performance and durability with dynamic write acceleration, error correction, and adaptive...

The Crucial P5 is a new internal PCI Express (PCIe) NVMe M.2 solid-state drive from memory maker Micron Technology. Micron is a giant in the memory space, but it has regularly relied on others to produce its SSD controllers. The Crucial P5 is a four-lane PCI Express 3.0 drive. This is an M.2 Type-2280 (80mm long) design, using NVMe protocol on the PCIe 3.0 bus. It is based on a three-cell 96-layer NAND flash (TLC).

Crucial provides free SSD management software as a download to complement the P5. Crucial’s Storage Executive SSD management software performs as well as it gets. All in one place with a few features that make the P5 special. True hardware encryption and Momentum Cache. Momentum Cache is the something more we alluded to earlier. Samsung has similar software, but it can only be used with SATA SSDs. Crucial recommends enabling Momentum Cache for the system disk to improve performance and reduce wear and tear on the P5 by incorporating some system DRAM.

The P5 uses a Micron designed controller and a 96-layer Triple-Level Cell / 3-bit (TLC) NAND, various amounts of which are dynamically allocated as a secondary SLC cache. This increases the primary DRAM cache (1 GB per 1 TB of NAND). The SLC cache simply writes the cell as an on / off binary voltage, rather than the more refined, error-prone voltage required to represent a 2-bit (MLC), 3-bit (TLC), or 4-bit (QLC) value.

The P5 is an excellent mid-range SSD that can work with large drives in everyday performance, and even in all but the most demanding long transfers. It’s a shortlist for sure. Nice work, Crucial.

ADATA XPG SX8200 Pro

ADATA XPG SX8200 Pro 1TB 3D...
  • Ultra-Fast PCIe NVMe Gen3x4 Interface
  • Sequential read/write speed up to 3500/3000 MB/s, Performance may vary based on system hardware &...
  • Ideal for intense 3D animation, rendering, video and photo editing, and other intense applications

The Adata XPG SX8200 Pro is by far the best value for money PCIe 3.0 NVMe SSD you can find. With speeds of 3,500MB / s read and up to 3,000MB / s write, this SSD is very close to the Samsung 970 Evo Plus while costing over 20% less. When we look at the 2TB version, it costs over 40% less, which is a good deal for this level of performance. TLC memory means pretty good but not amazing endurance, and a five-year warranty period is always welcome.

The technology behind the XPG SX8200 won’t really blow your mind, but it still gets the job done. It uses the Silicon Motion SM2262 controller associated with the 2nd generation 64-layer 3D NAND TLC flash. This allows the drive to deliver fantastic performance, capacity and power efficiency while keeping the price low. This is the same technology as the Intel 760P, but with the increased SLC caching of the XPG SX8200, you’ll get better performance at a much lower price.

WD Black SN750

Western Digital 1TB SN750 NVMe...
  • An exclusive WD BLACK SSD dashboard with gaming mode improves game performance
  • Non-heatsink model available in capacities ranging from 250GB to 4TB
  • Ideal for enthusiasts building custom desktops or gaming rigs

The WD BLACK series is popular for a reason and one of the most beloved SSD lines every year. There are four options available in the current generation ranging from 250GB to 2TB. Speeds at the lower end are 3100MB / s read and 1600MB / s write, while the 1TB model offers the best. overall rates at 3470MB / s read and 3000MB / s write. Whichever one you choose, the WD BLACK SSD Dashboard utility is another perk that gives you a “game” mode as well as other useful tools.

More importantly, the WD Black SN750 delivers solid performance, with read transfer speeds that range from 3.1GB / s in the case of the 250GB model, to 3.4Gbps with the 1TB drive. and write speeds of 1.6 GB / s in the case of the smaller 250 GB drive, and the very impressive 3 GB / s with the 1 TB drive. In other words, WD Black SN750 still has a kick and can compete with the other big guys.

When you’re building a gaming PC, you want an SSD you know you can rely on, and that’s where the WD BLACK line comes in. Not only does it come with a heat sink in the box to help keep things cool, but offers jaw-dropping performance and intuitive software features. Game mode, for example, turns off low power mode and ensures that your SSD is performing at its absolute maximum when you need it most.

Sabrent Rocket Q

SABRENT Rocket Q 1TB NVMe PCIe...
  • M.2 PCIe Gen3 x 4 Interface.
  • PCIe 3.1 Compliant / NVMe 1.3 Compliant.
  • Power Management Support for APST / ASPM / L1.2.

Sabrent Rocket Q is an attractive little NVMe 1.3 SSD that comes with a price tag and a variety of capacities ranging from 500GB to the impressive 8TB, a size that was unimaginable for an NVMe drive just a few seasons ago. Q introduces a new category of its own: the mega-capacity PCI Express NVMe internal SSD. It is unique among mainstream M.2 drives to date by offering an 8TB model.

Sabrent Rocket Q comes in a package that includes Sabrent Acronis True Image for FREE; it offers a five-year warranty and supports SMART and TRIM functions. In addition, it is equipped with an advanced LDPC error correction engine which greatly improves the overall endurance of the drive and supports APST, ASPM and L1.2 formats. power management protocols. More importantly, its read speed hovers around the 3200 Mbps mark in most models, especially the larger capacity ones, while the write speed is mostly around 3000 Mbps, except low capacity models, especially 500 GB which only provides 2000 Mbps / 1000 Mbps read / write speed. All in all, if you’re looking for one of the best gaming NVMe SSDs, Sabrent Rocket Q would surely be an outstanding choice.

WD Blue SN550

Western Digital 1TB WD Blue...
  • Boost your system's performance with next-gen NVMe SSDs
  • Over 4 times faster than our SATA SSDs
  • Western Digital designed controller and firmware for optimized performance

The WD Blue SN550 is a relatively fast and very affordable M.2 NVMe SSD that defies other drives at up to twice its cost in performance and speed. The Reader is a leader in its price category, both as a solid workhorse able to handle the day-to-day tasks of creating content in programs like Adobe’s leading creative apps, while also standing out in the fields. game testing and raw sequential bitrate.

The WD Blue SN550 is one of the most consistent low-cost NVMe SSDs available. Even though it has a small SLC write cache, its slower performance will still be acceptable when hammering it with heavy writes. In our tests on the 1TB model, it responds even faster to applications and most consumer workloads than the WD Black SN750, including loading your favorite games.

Until about a year ago, getting an SSD on a budget meant settling for the slower speeds of a drive that used the SATA interface, even if you had a newer computer. But budget NVMe SSDs now offer much better performance than SATA models at no extra cost, and the Western Digital WD Blue SN550 is the best of them. It can be up to three or four times faster than the Crucial MX500 for the same price, and it comes with a five-year warranty and roughly the same endurance rating as the Seagate BarraCuda 510. But Western Digital does not offer hardware encryption support, and the BarraCuda 510 and Addlink S70 are even faster.