One of the best SSDs in 2025

On the subject of boosting your system’s efficiency, upgrading to one of many quickest SSDs is a no brainer. Whether or not you’re constructing a gaming PC, rushing up an older laptop computer or just craving lightning-fast load occasions, an SSD is the best way to go. In contrast to conventional exhausting drives, SSDs depend on NAND flash storage, that means you get sooner knowledge switch speeds, improved reliability and a extra responsive expertise general.

Fashionable SSDs are fairly versatile, catering to everybody from avid gamers chasing one of the best efficiency to these trying to find one of the best price range choices that also ship stable pace. Pair a top quality SSD with a strong GPU, and also you’re set for seamless gaming and multitasking. Plus, with superior firmware enhancing effectivity and sturdiness, SSDs are actually higher than ever at dealing with high-intensity workloads. On this shopping for information, we’ll discover one of the best SSDs available on the market, whether or not you’re after uncooked pace, affordability or a mixture of the 2.

Finest SSDs in 2025

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 reap the benefits of these capabilities proper now.

Nonetheless, when you’re set on outfitting your pc with the quickest attainable storage, I believe the Crucial T700 provides a compelling mixture of worth and efficiency. The T700 is without doubt one of the quickest NVMe drives available on the market proper now, and after launching at $180, it’s attainable to seek out it on sale for about $143. Word that in case your motherboard didn’t include a heatsink on your NVMe drives, you will have to purchase the T700 mannequin that features one, which additional will increase the associated fee.

Execs

• Very quick
• Helps DirectStorage
• 5-year guarantee

$135 at Amazon

WD_BLACK

Capability: 1TB, 2TB, 4TB, 8TB | Connection: M.2 | Learn pace: 7,300MB/s | Write pace: 6,300MB/s

Offered you personal the mandatory {hardware}, Gen4 NVMe drives provide fairly good worth proper now. After testing a couple of totally 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 in a position to pay lower than $100 for the 1TB mannequin throughout a sale.

In the event you’re set on shopping for a Gen4 mannequin, however need to avoid wasting cash, Western Digital provides 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 help
• 5-year guarantee

$80 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 amazing price range 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 are actually extra inexpensive than ever. Take the Crucial 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 gives 3,500MB/s learn speeds.

Execs

• Reasonably priced and ceaselessly on sale
• 5-year guarantee

Cons

• Could possibly be sooner
• Endurance stats usually are not one of the best

$62 at Adorama

SABRENT

Capability: 256GB, 512GB, 1TB | Connection: M.2 | Learn pace: 5,000MB/s | Write pace: 4,300MB/s

In the event you’re assured sufficient to open your Steam Deck to put in a brand new, greater capability NVMe, the Sabrent Rocket 2230 is a superb 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 possibly can 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 the best PlayStation 5 SSDs, however when you got here to this web page in search of a advice on what NVMe to purchase on your PS5, look no additional than the Corsair MP600 Pro LPX. It meets all of Sony’s compatibility necessities and comes with a pre-installed heatsink, that means all it is advisable do is set up it into your PS5 and also you’re good to go.

Execs

• Good PS5 compatibility
• Pre-installed heatsink
• Straightforward to put in

Cons

• Cheaper so as to add your individual heatsink

$155 at Amazon

Essential

Capability: 1TB, 2TB, 4TB | Connection: USB-C | Learn pace: 1,050MB/s | Write pace: 975MB/s

For carrying information on the go, the Crucial X9 Pro is a transportable SSD with the correct mix of efficiency, options and price. There are technically sooner choices on the market, however its 10 Gbps speeds must 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 exams. It’s tremendous tiny and sufficiently rugged on high of that, with an IP55-rated case produced from aluminum and rubber. A five-year guarantee helps as effectively. Simply notice that the included USB-C cable is pretty brief, and there’s no adapter for USB-A ports within the field. — Jeff Dunn, Senior Reporter, Shopping for Recommendation

Execs

• IP55-certified water and dirt safety
• 5-year guarantee

Cons

• No USB-A cable included
• Not the quickest

$138 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 Fit Plus has about all of the options you possibly can need on a USB drive. It connects to your pc over USB 3.1 and helps file switch speeds of as much as 300MB/s. The Match Plus can also be compact and has a helpful slot for attaching it to your keychain. The one draw back of Samsung’s USB drive is that it’s on the dear aspect.

Execs

• USB 3.1
• Modern design
• 5-year guarantee

Cons

• May be too small
• No indicator gentle

$22 at Adorama

How we check SSDs

I’ve both examined or personally use each day each SSD really useful on this listing. 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

Essentially the most inexpensive means so as to add quick cupboard space to a pc is with a 2.5-inch SATA drive. It’s additionally one of many best when you don’t need to fear about compatibility since nearly each pc made within the final 20 years will embody a motherboard with Serial ATA connections. For that cause, one of the best SATA SSDs are a superb alternative if you wish to lengthen the lifetime of an older PC construct. Set up is simple, too. When you’ve secured the interior SSD in a drive cage, all it is advisable 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 knowledge transfers to 600MB/s. However even the slowest SSD shall be considerably sooner than one of the best mechanical drives. And with high-capacity, 1TB SATA SSDs costing about $100, they’re an excellent bulk-storage possibility.

In case your PC is newer, there’s an excellent probability it contains house for a number of M.2 SSDs. The shape issue represents your ticket to the quickest SSDs available on the market, however the tough half is navigating all of the totally different requirements and specs concerned.

M.2 drives can characteristic both a SATA or PCIe connection. SSDs with the latter are generally known as Non-Unstable Reminiscence or NVMe drives and are considerably sooner 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.

In the event you’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 price greater than their Gen3 counterparts as effectively.

Costlier nonetheless are the most recent Gen5 fashions, which supply sequential learn speeds of as much as 16,000MB/s. Nevertheless, even when your pc helps the usual, you’re higher off shopping for a extra inexpensive Gen4 or Gen3 drive. In the mean time, only a few video games and functions can reap the benefits of Gen3 NVMe speeds, not to mention Gen4 and Gen5 speeds. What’s extra, Gen5 NVMe drives can run sizzling, which might result in efficiency and longevity points. Your cash is healthier spent on different elements, like upgrading your GPU, for now.

As for why you’ll 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 pc by putting in the SSD immediately onto the motherboard. Which will sound intimidating, however in observe the method includes a single screw that you just first take away to attach the drive to your pc after which retighten to safe the SSD in place. As an added bonus, there aren’t any wires concerned, making cable administration simpler.

Word you could set up a SATA M.2 SSD into an M.2 slot with a PCIe connection, however you possibly can’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 cause to reap the benefits of that characteristic. Talking of backward compatibility, it’s additionally attainable to make use of a Gen4 drive by means of a PCIe 3 connection, however you gained’t get any of the pace advantages of the sooner NVMe.

One last item to contemplate is that M.2 drives come in several bodily sizes. From shortest to longest, the widespread choices are 2230, 2242, 2260, 2280 and 22110. (The primary two numbers symbolize 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 pc’s documentation earlier than shopping for a drive to make sure you’re choosing up a appropriate dimension.

In the event you’re shopping for a substitute SSD for the Steam Deck or Steam Deck OLED, issues are simpler. For Valve’s handheld, you will have a 2230 dimension NVMe. Easy. In the event you don’t need to open your Steam Deck, it’s additionally attainable to develop its storage by putting in a microSD card. Engadget has a separate guide dedicated to SD card storage, so test that out for extra 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 listing on their drives are theoretical and real-world efficiency benchmark exams fluctuate lower than you suppose.

In case your price range 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 sort of SSD that’s too small for wants. Drives can sluggish dramatically as they method capability, and you’ll in all probability find yourself buying one with a bigger storage capability sooner or later.

What to search for in transportable and USB flash drives

Transportable SSDs are a considerably totally different beast to their inner siblings. Whereas learn and write speeds are essential, they’re nearly 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 with no USB 3.2 Gen 2 x 2 connection. Even amongst newer PCs, that’s one thing of a premium characteristic. For that cause, most individuals are greatest off shopping for a transportable drive with a USB 3.2 Gen 2 or Thunderbolt connection. The previous provides switch speeds of as much as 10Gbps. One of the best exterior exhausting drives additionally will let you switch knowledge out of your Home windows PC to a Mac, or different system, if appropriate. You should definitely take into account this beforehand when you plan to make use of your transportable drive throughout a number of gadgets.

Moreover, when you plan to take your drive on journeys and commutes, it’s worthwhile to purchase a mannequin with IP-certified water and dirt proofing. Some firms like Samsung provide rugged variations of their hottest drives with a excessive endurance score. For extra peace of thoughts, 256-bit AES {hardware} encryption will assist forestall somebody from accessing your knowledge when you ever lose or misplace your exterior SSD.

A number of the similar options contribute to an amazing thumbstick drive. Our favourite picks for greatest price range exterior SSD fashions characteristic USB 3.0 connections and a few type of {hardware} encryption.

A notice on console storage

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 much 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 provides 512GB, 1TB and 2TB fashions, with essentially the most inexpensive beginning at a not-so-trivial $90. Western Digital’s Enlargement Playing cards are inexpensive, with pricing beginning at $80 for the 512GB mannequin. The excellent news is that each choices are ceaselessly on sale. Your greatest 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 inner storage is barely extra concerned. As an alternative of using a proprietary answer, the PS5 makes use of NVMe storage. Fortunately, there aren’t as many potential configurations as you’ll discover on a PC. Engadget maintains a comprehensive guide to the best SSDs for PS5; in brief, your greatest guess is a high-capacity Gen4 drive with a built-in heatsink. Take a look at that information for a full listing of gaming SSD suggestions, however for a fast go-to, take into account 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 provides 500GB, 1TB, 2TB, 4TB and 8TB variations of the drive. Count on to pay about $110 for the 1TB variant and about $200 for 2TB.

For these nonetheless enjoying on a earlier era console, you will get barely sooner sport load occasions from a PlayStation 4 by swapping the included exhausting drive to a 2.5-inch SSD, however going out of your means 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.

SSD FAQs

What dimension SSD is greatest?

There is no such thing as a one dimension matches all rule for SSDs, however we usually suggest getting at the very least a 1TB SSD when you’re seeking to improve PC or sport console storage, or wanting so as to add an exterior drive to your toolkit. A 1TB drive shall be a lot for most individuals who want additional cupboard space for images, paperwork and applications. In the event you’re a hardcore gamer, you might need to put money into much more storage contemplating many high-profile titles right this moment can take up a ton of house.

Is a 256GB SSD higher than a 1TB exhausting drive?

The brief reply is that it is dependent upon what you want your drive for. Generally, SSDs are sooner and extra environment friendly than HDDs, however HDDs are normally cheaper. We suggest springing for an SSD for many use circumstances right this moment — upgrading a PC, saving essential images and paperwork, storing video games long run, and so on. However when you’re targeted on getting essentially the most quantity of additional house attainable (and sticking to a price range), an HDD could possibly be an excellent possibility for you.

Does greater SSD imply sooner?

Getting an even bigger SSD doesn’t at all times translate right into a sooner drive general. A much bigger SSD will present the next storage capability, which implies extra space for storing digital information and applications. To grasp how briskly an SSD shall 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 listing their approximate learn/write speeds of their specs, so make sure you try these numbers earlier than you make a purchase order.