The most effective SSDs in 2026

Upgrading to SSD could make your pc really feel model new once more. Apps open sooner, information transfer in a blink and even older machines begin to really feel much more responsive. It is without doubt one of the best methods to breathe life right into a laptop computer or desktop with out changing the entire system, and the efficiency enhance is one thing you discover immediately.

There are many SSDs to select from, although, and the naming alone may be complicated if you’re not already acquainted with the specs. Some drives are constructed for easy upgrades, whereas others provide speeds that profit creators or avid gamers. That will help you type via it, we examined a large mixture of choices and pulled collectively the perfect SSDs you should buy proper now.

Desk of contents

Finest SSDs in 2026

Essential

Capability: 1TB, 2TB, 4TB | Connection: M.2 | Learn velocity: 11,700MB/s | Write velocity: 9,500MB/s

I don’t suggest shopping for a Gen5 NVMe, even you probably 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, when you’re set on outfitting your pc with the quickest doable storage, I believe the Crucial T700 gives a compelling mixture of value 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 doable to seek out it on sale for about $143. Observe that in case your motherboard didn’t include a heatsink in your NVMe drives, you have to to purchase the T700 mannequin that features one, which additional will increase the price.

Professionals

• Very quick
• Helps DirectStorage
• 5-year guarantee

$145 at Amazon

WD_BLACK

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

Offered you personal the mandatory {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.

When you’re set on shopping for a Gen4 mannequin, however wish to avoid wasting cash, Western Digital gives the extra reasonably priced 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 necessary apps.

Professionals

• Quick
• DirectStorage help
• 5-year guarantee

$130 at Amazon

Essential

Capability: 500GB, 1TB, 2TB, 4TB | Connection: M.2 | Learn velocity: 3,500MB/s | Write speeds: 3,000MB/s

A earlier model of this information beneficial the Essential P2 as an excellent finances 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 reasonably priced than ever. Take the Crucial P3, for example. Micron initially priced the 1TB mannequin at $90, however in current 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.

Professionals

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

Cons

• Might be sooner
• Endurance stats usually are not the perfect

$99 at Amazon

SABRENT

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

When you’re assured sufficient to open your Steam Deck to put in a brand new, larger capability NVMe, the Sabrent Rocket 2230 is a superb small-sized NVME. It is going to slot into the Steam Deck’s M.2 slot with out subject, and also you don’t want to fret about it overheating. With current reductions on this mannequin, it’s dropped sufficient in value the place you would 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

$113 at Amazon

Corsair

Capability: 500GB, 1TB, 2TB, 4TB, 8TB | Connection: M.2 | Learn velocity: 7,100 MB/s | Write velocity: 6,800MB/sec

Engadget has a separate information devoted to the best PlayStation 5 SSDs, however when you got here to this web page searching for a suggestion on what NVMe to purchase in 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 that you must do is set up it into your PS5 and also you’re good to go.

Professionals

• Excellent PS5 compatibility
• Pre-installed heatsink
• Simple to put in

Cons

• Cheaper so as to add your personal heatsink

$224 at Amazon

Essential

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

For carrying information on the go, the Crucial X9 Pro is a transportable SSD with the correct mix of efficiency, options and value. There are technically sooner 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 exams. It’s tremendous tiny and sufficiently rugged on prime of that, with an IP55-rated case constructed from aluminum and rubber. A five-year guarantee helps as effectively. Simply be aware 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

Professionals

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

Cons

• No USB-A cable included
• Not the quickest

$110 at Amazon

SAMSUNG

Capability: 64GB, 128GB, 256GB, 512GB | Connection: USB 3.1 | Learn velocity: As much as 400MB/s relying on the mannequin | Write velocity: As much as 400MB/s

The Samsung Fit Plus has about all of the options you would 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 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.

Professionals

• USB 3.1
• Modern design
• 5-year guarantee

Cons

• Is perhaps too small
• No indicator gentle

$30 at Amazon

How we check SSDs

I’ve both examined or personally use day by day each storage drive beneficial on this record. Out of our prime 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 reasonably priced manner 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 wish to fear about compatibility since virtually each pc made within the final twenty years will embrace a motherboard with Serial ATA connections. For that motive, the perfect SATA SSDs are a wonderful alternative if you wish to prolong the lifetime of an older PC construct. Set up is easy, too. When you’ve secured the interior SSD in a drive cage, all that you must do is to attach it to your motherboard and energy provide.

The one draw back of SATA drives is that, when it comes to 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 sooner than the perfect mechanical drives. And with high-capacity, 1TB SATA SSDs costing about $100, they’re bulk-storage possibility.

In case your PC is newer, there’s likelihood it consists of area for a number of M.2 SSDs. The shape issue represents your ticket to the quickest SSDs available on the market, however the difficult half is navigating all of the completely different requirements and specs concerned.

M.2 drives can characteristic both a SATA or PCIe connection. SSDs with the latter are often known as Non-Risky 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 will get twice the efficiency with a Gen4 SSD, however you’ll want a motherboard and processor that helps the usual.

When you’re operating an AMD system, which means no less than a Ryzen 3000 or 5000 CPU and an X570 or B550 motherboard. With Intel, in the meantime, you’ll want no less than an eleventh or twelfth Gen processor and a Z490, Z590 or Z690 motherboard. Remember that Gen4 SSDs usually price greater than their Gen3 counterparts as effectively.

Costlier nonetheless are the newest Gen5 fashions, which provide sequential learn speeds of as much as 16,000MB/s. Nonetheless, even when your pc helps the usual, you’re higher off shopping for a extra reasonably priced Gen4 or Gen3 drive. In the meanwhile, 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 scorching, which might result in efficiency and longevity points. Your cash is best 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 all the way down to ease of set up. You add M.2 storage to your pc by putting in the SSD straight onto the motherboard. Which will sound intimidating, however in follow the method entails 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.

Observe that you could set up a SATA M.2 SSD into an M.2 slot with a PCIe connection, however you’ll be able to’t insert an NVMe M.2 SSD right into a M.2 slot with a SATA connection. Until you wish to proceed utilizing an previous M.2 drive, there’s little motive to benefit from that characteristic. Talking of backward compatibility, it’s additionally doable to make use of a Gen4 drive via a PCIe 3 connection, however you received’t get any of the velocity advantages of the sooner 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 characterize width in millimeters and the latter denote the size.) For probably 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 multiple dimension of NVMe SSD because of a number of standoffs. That stated, test your pc’s documentation or firmware earlier than shopping for a drive to make sure you’re choosing up a appropriate dimension.

When you’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. When you don’t wish to open your Steam Deck, it’s additionally doable to broaden 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 the perfect 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 record on their drives are theoretical and real-world efficiency benchmark exams range lower than you assume.

In case your finances 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 gradual dramatically as they strategy capability, and you’ll in all probability find yourself buying one with a better gigabyte capability sooner or later.

What to search for in moveable and USB flash drives

Moveable SSDs are a considerably completely different beast to their inside siblings. Whereas learn and write speeds are necessary, they’re virtually secondary to how an exterior drive connects to your PC. You received’t get probably the most out of a mannequin just like the SanDisk Excessive Professional V2 with out a USB 3.2 Gen 2 x 2 connection. Even amongst newer PCs, that’s one thing of a premium characteristic. For that motive, most individuals are finest off shopping for a transportable drive with a USB 3.2 Gen 2 or Thunderbolt connection. The previous gives switch speeds of as much as 10Gbps. The most effective exterior arduous drives additionally assist you to switch information out of your Home windows PC to a Mac, or different gadget, if appropriate. Make sure to contemplate this beforehand when you plan to make use of your moveable 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, together with the Samsung SSD T7 Defend, with a excessive endurance ranking. For extra peace of thoughts, 256-bit AES {hardware} encryption will assist stop somebody from accessing your information when you ever lose or misplace your exterior SSD.

A few of the identical options contribute to an excellent thumbstick drive. Our favourite picks for finest finances exterior SSD fashions characteristic USB 3.0 connections and a few type of {hardware} encryption.

A be aware on console storage

If PC gaming isn’t your factor and also you personal an Xbox Sequence X|S or PS5, outfitting your fancy new console with the quickest doable storage is way extra easy than doing the identical on PC. With a Sequence X or Sequence S, your choices are restricted to choices from Seagate and Western Digital. The previous gives 512GB, 1TB and 2TB fashions, with probably the most reasonably priced 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 ceaselessly on sale. Your finest wager is to set an alert for the mannequin you need through the use of a value tracker like CamelCamelCamel.

With Sony’s PlayStation 5, upgrading the console’s inside 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’d discover on a PC. Engadget maintains a comprehensive guide to the best SSDs for PS5; in brief, your finest wager is a high-capacity Gen4 drive with a built-in heatsink. Take a look at that information for a full record of gaming SSD suggestions, however for a fast go-to, contemplate 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 received’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 era console, you will get barely sooner sport load occasions from a PlayStation 4 by swapping the included arduous drive to a 2.5-inch SSD, however going out of your manner to take action in all probability isn’t price 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 is no such thing as a one dimension matches all rule for SSDs, however we typically suggest getting no less than a 1TB SSD when you’re trying to improve PC or sport 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 cupboard space for pictures, paperwork and packages. When you’re a hardcore gamer, it’s possible you’ll wish to put money into much more storage contemplating many high-profile titles at the moment can take up a ton of area.

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

The brief reply is that it is dependent upon what you want your drive for. Normally, SSDs are sooner and extra environment friendly than HDDs, however HDDs are normally cheaper. We suggest springing for an SSD for many use circumstances at the moment — upgrading a PC, saving necessary pictures and paperwork, storing video games long run, and many others. However when you’re targeted on getting probably the most quantity of additional area doable (and sticking to a finances), an HDD could possibly be possibility for you.

Does greater SSD imply sooner?

Getting a much bigger SSD doesn’t at all times translate right into a sooner drive total. A much bigger SSD will present a better storage capability, which suggests more room for storing digital information and packages. To grasp how briskly an SSD will likely be, you’ll wish to have 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 record their approximate learn/write speeds of their specs, so you should definitely try these numbers earlier than you make a purchase order.