best ssd nvme m.2

best ssd nvme m.2

The most obvious and immediate upgrade to your PC is ditching your HDD for an NVMe SSD unless you are upgrading from a can that can’t run Crysis to a modern gaming monster. A mediocre SSD will speed up Windows boot-up and reduce load times in half or less. However, we don’t settle for mediocrity, nor should you! To help you find the best NVMe SSDs for gaming, we’ve put together a comprehensive guide.

Installation of games on an NVMe SSD is enough to have a significant impact on loading times, regardless of the model and generation. Despite the fact that the loading times of these SSDs vary depending on their speed, PCIe generation, and price, we’ve selected ten of the best SSDs available today. To make sure you’re getting the SSD that’s right for you, read the mini-FAQ that follows our list.

Seagate FireCuda 530

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Capacities: 500GB – 4TB | Interface: PCIe 4.0×4 | Sequential read & write (1TB version): 7,00MB/s, 5,300MB/s | TBW (1TB version): 1,275TB | Heatsink: Yes

Pros:
Excellent all-around specs & longevity
Warranty comes with data recovery services
Heatsink noticeably improves thermals
Cons:
The heatsink version is expensive

Review

The FireCuda 530 by Seagate is among the fastest PCIe 4.0 drives on the market. However, that isn’t the most significant factor in determining the drive’s top placement. Aside from excellent longevity and a generous warranty that ensures maximum file integrity, this NVMe drive is also impressive in terms of heatsink.

Seagate partnered with EKVB to design the heatsink, which ensured the 530’s longevity and cool running temperatures. If your motherboard has high-quality heatsinks, you don’t need it. In spite of that, you can get a thick, porous piece of aluminum if you spend a little more.

In terms of the drive’s terabytes written (TBW), the FireCuda 530 nearly doubles that of its competitors. PCIe 5.0 drives may have more capacity, but the FireCuda 530 is likely to outlive them.

Under the hood, a Phison 18 controller powers the drive, which features 176L TLC NAND flash that can read at 7,300MB/s sequentially. Due to its deep SLC cache, the drive can handle both artificial and mixed data scenarios without letting up. As a bonus, performance doesn’t suffer much from the speed drop that occurs once the cache reaches its limit.

In addition to the five-year warranty, Seagate includes three years of data recovery services. That’s a standout courtesy and invaluable for restoring data quickly.

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 Samsung 990 PRO

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Capacities: 1TB – 2TB | Interface: PCIe 4.0×4 | Sequential read & write (1TB version): 7,450MB/s, 6,900MB/s | TBW (1TB version): 600TB | Heatsink: Yes

Pros:
A PCIe 4.0 interface with world-class transfer speeds
An excellent companion program
Fits anywhere with an effective RGB heatsink
Cons:
A high price

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Review

With Samsung’s 990 PRO, PCIe 4.0 has reached one of its best conclusions two years after the 980 PRO was launched! It is faster and can keep up optimal speeds for longer. Despite the fact that it doesn’t come with a heatsink, it’s still one of the most power-efficient and thermally stable drives out there. Now you just need to wait for the price to drop before you buy one!

It’s not surprising that the heatsink is visually boring, as opposed to the thermal label, which is packed with data and uninteresting. If you’re worried your motherboard’s pads can’t handle it, spending a few extra bucks on the capable slab will put your mind at ease. You should also take note of its RGB, which is apparently a must for gaming SSDs today.

Samsung’s Magician suite is top-notch as well. With this suite, you can configure RGB, encrypt a drive, and erase the contents of a secured drive. Additionally, you can switch between the SN850X’s Gaming mode and Full Power mode. The difference is that the boost here provides tangible benefits.

It has been replaced by a slightly improved Pascal memory controller, replacing the Elpis memory controller of the 980 PRO. A more significant addition is the 7th-generation 176-layer TLC that was already available on drives like the FireCuda 530 that appeared after the 980 PRO. On the 1TB model, the TBD rating is still 600TB. Not great, but not terrible either.

You can crown the 990 PRO as the king of PCIe 4.0 speed for users who want the best in the business! This card outperforms the competition, whether you’re testing artificially with 3D Mark or loading games with a stopwatch. As well as being bursty, it is unremarkable at sustained speeds, but those are evident only after you’ve copied more than a quarter of a terabyte.

  Sabrent Rocket 4 Plus

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Capacities: 500GB – 4TB | Interface: PCIe 4.0×4 | Sequential read & write (1TB version): 7,300MB/s, 6,000MB/s | TBW (1TB version): 1,275TB | Heatsink: Yes

Pros:
Fast and efficient
Cache of exceptional quality
Stylish
Cons:
When stressed, temperatures rise and power consumption increases

Review

Due to its lightning-fast performance, the Rocket 4 Plus is a great choice for reading or copying large amounts of data. Its writing speed is a little slower than the FireCuda 530, but that doesn’t matter when loading levels. If you’re looking for a dependable, fast, and stylish SSD that goes beyond gaming, this is the SSD to get.

In our opinion, the Rocket 4 Plus is one of the best disks of this generation. It has a black PCB with copper-tinted thermal labels on its base model, and you can also get one that sports a heatsink with grooves that increase area. During long transfer sessions, the Rocket can get hot, so choosing the latter is a good idea if you plan on using it relentlessly.

While its TBW is lower than our winner’s, the Rocket 4 Plus can store a great deal of data before being exhausted. In spite of its Phison E18 controller and older 96L flash memory from Micron, the top speeds are not affected and the SLC cache is seemingly infinite. It has a steeper speed dropoff than the FireCuda, but you won’t notice it unless you transfer CoD Warzone repeatedly.

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 WD Black SN850X

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Capacities: 500GB – 4TB | Interface: PCIe 4.0×4 | Sequential read & write (1TB version): 7,300MB/s, 6,300MB/s | TBW (1TB version): 600TB | Heatsink: Yes

Pros:
Enhanced memory performance and overall performance
Various capacities available
The aesthetics of gaming are attractive
Cons:
There isn’t much to be done in Gaming Mode

Review

Our recommendation for the SN850X appears to be the most gaming-focused after Samsung’s new 990 PRO. The version with the heatsink has an LED that enhances your RGB setup. Gaming Mode, on the other hand, is supposed to optimize performance and shorten loading times. However, neither of those are the reasons it’s so high. The WD drive is excellent regardless of gimmicks.

There’s no doubt that the SN850X is the second-fastest M.2 SSD with a gaming pedigree. More so, than because of its beefy heatsink’s LED, than because of its actual performance. Despite being impressive, these don’t fall too far out of line. If you decide to go commando, you will lose out on better thermals, but you will gain the stealthiest SSD possible instead.

In addition to the 600TB endurance, the SN850X enables higher max speeds and improved sustained writing performance over the non-X version, with improved mixed file transfers. As well as WD’s continued efforts to upgrade its proprietary controller, much of this is due to the introduction of BiCS5 flash memory.

Adding Game Mode 2.0 to the newer disk is another software-side improvement. On paper, this will optimize game loading times. The mode doesn’t appear to impact power consumption or random read / write values when loading actual games. It sounds great on paper, but there are no visible differences when loading actual games.

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Kingston Fury Renegade M2 SSD 

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Capacities: 500GB – 4TB | Interface: PCIe 4.0×4 | Sequential read & write (1TB version): 7,300MB/s, 6,000MB/s | TBW (1TB version): 1,000TB | Heatsink: No

Pros:
A great deal on a top-tier drive when on sale
Power consumption and longevity are excellent
Sustained high-speed writing
Cons:
Heatsinks are not available

Review

Getting rid of the HyperX brand seems to have been a good move for Kingston, since everything they’ve released since has been great. Especially impressive are the Fury Renegade’s PCIe 4.0 SSDs – they play ball with the big boys while remaining accessible.

Despite the fact that it has a stylish black & white cover made from graphene and aluminum, this is our fastest NVMe SSD recommendation without a heatsink. The cover is slightly thicker but significantly more thermally efficient than most regular labels. As a result, you won’t have to worry about clearance inside laptops, consoles, or motherboards.

With the Phison E18 controller and Micron’s most advanced flash memory, Kingston pulled out all the stops to make the Renegade the best NVMe SSD for gaming. In addition to being able to withstand almost the same amount of use as the Rocket 4 Plus, the 1TB version offers peak read & write speeds that rival the best in the generation.

In artificial testing, like 3DMark’s disk benchmark, it outperforms most competitors, but there is some merit to this marketed as a gaming drive beyond hype. Interestingly, the Fury Renegade has a deep SLC cache to draw on but struggles to recover if you reach its limit. However, the difference in loading levels or assets in actual games isn’t as noticeable.

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SK Hynix Platinum P41

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Capacities: 500GB – 2TB | Interface: PCIe 4.0×4 | Sequential read & write (1TB version): 7,000MB/s, 5,000MB/s | TBW (1TB version): 750TB | Heatsink: No

Pros:
Overall, the 990 PRO is the fastest
Speeds that can be sustained over a long period of time
There is decent TBW in the 1TB version
Cons:
Heatsink not included, expensive

Review

SK Hynix’s Platinum P41 was available before the 990 PRO smashed expectations. This model has a legacy to uphold, and it does so by transferring files extremely fast despite other models running at a loss. Only the 2TB version is cheaper than Samsung’s, although it should have gone down in price by now.

Aside from a cool crystal graphic on the thermal label, the P41’s looks aren’t much to talk about. The fact that there is no alternative heatsink option exacerbates the issue. Most gamers won’t experience thermal throttling. If you do not use your motherboard’s heatsink, it may cause temperatures to exceed 80°C if you try to fill up more than half of the 2TB drive in one go.

With 750TB of TBW, the 1TB P41 hits a sweet spot, while the larger version reaches 1200TB. Not many users will use it for as long as the warranty is active. Because of new 176-layer NAND and an Aries controller with an expanded bus, SX Hynix is able to achieve peak transfer speeds and random read and write IOPs far exceeding a million.

While it takes the P41 a few seconds to ramp up, once it does, it is much faster than the 990 PRO. Speeds bounce back quickly after hitting a low point even if you didn’t give the drive time to recover.

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Corsair MP600 Pro LPX

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Capacities: 500GB – 4TB | Interface: PCIe 4.0×4 | Sequential read & write (1TB version): 7,100MB/s, 5,800MB/s | TBW (1TB version): 700TB | Heatsink: Yes

Pros:
Heatsink with a low profile but effective performance
Transfer speeds that are exceptional for sustained periods
On sale, this is a great value
Cons:
Peak speeds are lower when the model is not on sale than comparable models

Review

Originally launched in 2021, the MP600 was a cost-effective NVMe SSD that performed well, but was not among the best SSDs for gaming. The successor, however, introduces some important updates that make it a great SSD. The drive becomes a true bargain if you can also find it on sale.

Pro LPX’s heatsink is designed to work with the PlayStation 5. It fits snugly inside the SSD compartment of the PS5 while reducing the stifling interior temperature. Corsair markets the design as console-friendly, but the integrated heatsink will be of great benefit to PC users with no or poor motherboard heatsinks.

A new 176-layer Micron NAND drives 2GB of 3200MHz SK Hynix RAM, and Corsair has included a 700TBW endurance rating and AES-256 encryption.

Despite looking worse on paper, testing reveals a different truth. More expensive rivals have eclipsed MP600 Plus LPX’s peak transfer rates. When the initial burst of power wears out, the drive more than makes up for it. Even after the 200GB or 250GB mark, Corsair’s drive continues to transfer at more than twice the speed of the 990 PRO.

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TEAMGROUP T-Force Cardea Zero Z440

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Capacities: 1TB – 2TB | Interface: PCIe 4.0×4 | Sequential read & write (1TB version): 5,000MB/s, 4,400MB/s | TBW (1TB version): 1,800TB | Heatsink: No

Pros:
Value for money is excellent
A long-lasting product
Real-life competitive performance
Cons:
Available only in 1TB and 2TB capacities

Review

Now that the fastest SSDs & most expensive ones are out of the picture, it’s time to consider more affordable SSDs that are just as capable. One of the first drives that comes to mind is the Cardea Zero Z440. We reviewed the drive already and found it to be speedy and very robust. With the price dropping further, the 1TB version is now less than $100, giving you a taste of PCIe 4.0 excellence for less than $100.

There were bulky heatsinks that came with older TEAMGROUP SSDs. A thin graphene and copper label replaces those for the Z440. It’s decent at removing heat from your PCB, but slim enough for your motherboard’s more sophisticated heatsink to handle the rest.

As a PCIe 4.0 drive, the Z440 was released at a time when the technology had not yet matured. If you dig deeper, you’ll see that the sequential read & write performance is comparatively low, along with the Phison E16 controller and Micron’s older 96L flash memory. The M.2 SSD is the best M.2 SSD for gaming, however, since it can write 1,800 terabytes during its lifetime, which makes it the best choice for users who want to tackle their Steam backlogs.

It is expected that the Z440 cannot match the performance of higher-placed models during peak speed tests. When the drives are tasked with copying a mix of files or loading a variety of games, that lead quickly diminishes. When this is the case, the performance difference is much smaller than the price difference.

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Kingston NV2

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Capacities: 250GB – 2TB | Interface: PCIe 4.0×4 | Sequential read & write (1TB version): 3,500MB/s, 2,100MB/s | TBW (1TB version): 350TB | Heatsink: No

Pros:
Value for money is excellent
As far as real-world applications go, it’s not too bad
Compared to its predecessor, it is significantly faster and more stable
Cons:
Comparatively, good PCIe 3.0 drives don’t gain much from generation to generation

Review

In our previous discussions, we have mainly focused on speed, which might have given the impression that PCIe 4.0 SSDs aren’t cheap. The Kingston NV2 sets the record straight! Even so, if you just look at the numbers, it’s not the best NVMe SSD for gaming. Still, if you’re looking for performance over bragging rights, it will appeal to you.NV2’s PCB has been a favorite of Kingston ever since it was a WD HDD. It looks good with a white label, especially if other components in your build are white as well.

The NV1 was among the first PCIe 4.0 SSDs and made a lackluster impression even then. Kingston wanted its successor to offer a more reliable performance while maintaining the same appealing price. To accomplish this, the NV2 relies on Phison’s E21 controller and 96-layer flash memory. Kingston did not include dedicated DDR memory for the NV2, which we cannot blame Kingston for considering the price.

As a result of the NV2’s specs, it’s comparable to the best PCIe 3.0 SSDs of its generation. However, the good news is that you won’t experience the effects unless you move large files around constantly, and that’s a niche that most gamers don’t fall into. You get a high-end user experience at a fraction of the price by barely affecting Windows, games, and programs load times.

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Samsung 970 EVO Plus

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Capacities: 250GB – 2TB | Interface: PCIe 3.0×4 | Sequential read & write (1TB version): 3,500MB/s, 3,300MB/s | TBW (1TB version): 600TB | Heatsink: No

Pros:
Despite being old, this is a great gaming computer
Speedy bursts of data transfer are ensured by TurboWrite
Firmware optimization
Cons:
Inefficient use of energy

Review

Before dismissing PCIe 3.0 SSDs as your gaming PC’s primary drive, ask yourself the following question: When was the last time you had to copy over 100TB of data frequently and as fast as possible? In terms of performance, the 970 EVO Plus is just as good as its successors but at a much lower cost.

The 970 EVO Plus is not significantly different from the 990 PRO from an aesthetic standpoint. Samsung’s SSD identity was rooted in its dark color scheme and subdued appearance, which made it obvious that it had to stay. The only drawback is that there is no proprietary heatsink.

Other proprietary hardware and software sweeten the deal, such as Samsung’s own drivers. Downloading these drivers boosts performance, and you can also transfer and clone data and use hardware encryption to protect it.

900-series SSDs are also known for their TurboWrite caches. These smaller caches allow for burst transfers of around 25GB at peak speeds, which is sufficient to move most games from one SSD to another in no time at all. Even when the cache is full, transfer speeds remain higher than those of competitors with PCIe 3.0. As for game loading times, the 970 EVO Plus is up to par with its successor. While the difference may be a few seconds, it is never drastic.

How to Pick the Best NVMe SSD for Gaming?

We’ve used a lot of storage lingo throughout the article, so here are some explanations and general recommendations regarding NVMe drives to help you make sense of everything.

In layman’s terms, what is NVMe?

Memory that is non-volatile, such as NVMe, resembles what you see in Flash memory, but is stable unlike RAM that changes all the time. The Express part refers to PCI Express, a high-speed interface typically associated with graphics cards.

A solid-state drive (SSD) is a flash memory device that is capable of significantly greater speeds than a hard disk drive (HDD). SSDs originally used SATA interfaces, which were initially designed for traditional hard drives.

It is expected that PCIe 5.0, alongside the next generation of AMD & Intel processors and supporting motherboards, will be released around the end of 2022, when NVMe drives run on the PCIe 3.0 and 4.0 standards. With PCIe 3.0, read and write speeds were already impressive. Today, PCIe 5.0 sequential speeds reach a mind-boggling 15.8GB/s, while PCIe 3.0’s sequential speeds are more than double that.

m.2 SSD

It interfaces with either NVMe, PCIe, or SATA drives through connections from your CPU and motherboard. M.2 is the latest form factor for SSDs, so we’ll focus on NVMe. The M.2 drive shape resembles a gum stick, measures 22mm wide, and measures 80 or 110mm long, so it is easy to identify.

With every new motherboard generation, M.2 drives are becoming more popular. Five years ago, high-end motherboards would typically only have a single or two of these slots. Mid-range boards are frequently equipped with three, while more expensive boards come with five. The PCIe 3.0 standard can be installed in a PCIe 3.0 socket to work with a PCIe 4.0 NVMe SSD, but its maximum speed will be limited by the older standard. A single motherboard can and will usually support multiple PCIe generations. Keep in mind that a single motherboard can and usually does support multiple PCIe generations.

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How do controllers, flash memory, and TWD factor into one’s SSD choice?

As part of an NVMe SSD, memory and the controller are essential components. The controller is a type of processor that facilitates communication between the disk’s memory and the input/output interface. More sophisticated controllers are capable of streamlined operation and improve efficiency by directing read and write operations, monitoring memory cell status, etc.

Hence the 3D in the name, modern NVMe drives have memory cells stacked in layers. In general, more layers equal better performance and efficiency without the need for an increase in area. TBW is a welcome side effect of more layers, but not all manufacturers call it V or vertical NAND or BiCS.

As a drive is used, its memory cells wear out, and eventually stop accepting new data. Terabytes written, or TBW, is the amount of data it can write. TBW is the amount of data a drive can store before it becomes non-recoverable. For gamers, this value may be useful if they run servers or constantly transfer large amounts of data.

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What’s a good size for a gaming SSD?

The size of M.2 drives currently ranges from 120GB to 8TB, so manufacturers are constantly coming up with new ways to squeeze more storage into them. 255GB is good enough for a boot drive, but it also has limitations by today’s standards. Installing Windows on a 120GB drive doesn’t even leave enough room to run Cyberpunk 2077.

Typically, a 1TB SSD should be sufficient for a gaming OS, frequently used programs, and a decent game library. If you have a large media library or need more space, more capacious SSDs are necessary. If you need storage for data that isn’t frequently accessed, you might also want to consider investing in a high-capacity HDD because modern mobos still come with SATA plugs.

Additionally, you can save more money by using M.2 slots for increased storage needs. For instance, the WD Black SN850X 2TB version costs around $250 and $300 when it’s not on sale. It’s a no-brainer to go with the two smaller SSDs since the 4TB version costs $800.

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How does an SSD’s speed impact gaming performance?

When moving game files from one disk to another, faster sequential read & write makes the biggest difference. Manufacturers boast their disks’ maximum read & write speeds, but these don’t matter when you’re actually playing games.

Often, such files are large, which allows the disk to “let loose” and copy them over faster. However, how often does the average gamer do this? In today’s world, it’s typically the internet connection provided by your ISP that limits a game’s installation speed.

The fact is, every one of our picks performs within a margin of error when it comes to game loading times, even the slowest & cheapest PCIe 3.0 cards.

In the vast majority of games, there’s a 1-2 second difference, with HDDs experiencing a significant slowdown. As technologies such as Smart Access Storage are on the horizon, this might not be the case for long. Therefore, upgrading your drive now may pay off in the long run.