The most effective SSDs in 2025

A quick, dependable SSD could make an enormous distinction to how your pc feels everyday. From faster boot instances to near-instant file transfers, solid-state drives outpace conventional onerous drives in nearly each manner. They’re additionally extra sturdy, run silently and use much less energy, making them a wise improve for laptops, desktops and even gaming consoles.

The difficult half is selecting the best one. Between SATA drives, blazing-fast NVMe fashions and newer PCIe Gen 5 choices, there’s rather a lot to weigh up by way of velocity, capability and value. To make issues simpler, we’ve picked the perfect SSDs throughout a spread of wants and budgets so you may improve with confidence.

Desk of contents

Finest SSDs in 2025

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 reap the benefits of these capabilities proper now.

Nonetheless, if you happen to’re set on outfitting your pc with the quickest doable storage, I believe the Essential T700 presents a compelling mixture of value and efficiency. The T700 is among the quickest NVMe drives available on the market proper now, and after launching at $180, it’s doable to search out it on sale for about $143. Observe that in case your motherboard didn’t include a heatsink in your NVMe drives, you will want to purchase the T700 mannequin that features one, which additional will increase the associated fee.

Execs

• Very quick
• Helps DirectStorage
• 5-year guarantee

$140 at Adorama

WD_BLACK

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

Supplied you personal the required {hardware}, Gen4 NVMe drives provide fairly good worth proper now. After testing just a few 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.

When you’re set on shopping for a Gen4 mannequin, however wish to avoid wasting cash, Western Digital presents 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 vital apps.

Execs

• Quick
• DirectStorage help
• 5-year guarantee

$90 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 really useful the Essential P2 as a fantastic funds Gen 3 NVMe choose, 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 outdated high-end Gen3 drives are actually extra inexpensive than ever. Take the Essential P3, as an illustration. 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 gives 3,500MB/s learn speeds.

Execs

• Inexpensive and continuously on sale
• 5-year guarantee

Cons

• May very well be quicker
• Endurance stats usually are not the perfect

$60 at Adorama

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 would slot into the Steam Deck’s M.2 slot with out situation, 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 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 velocity: 7,100 MB/s | Write velocity: 6,800MB/sec

Engadget has a separate information devoted to the perfect PlayStation 5 SSDs, however if you happen to got here to this web page on the lookout for a suggestion on what NVMe to purchase in 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, which means all you must do is set up it into your PS5 and also you’re good to go.

Execs

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

Cons

• Cheaper so as to add your individual heatsink

$160 at Amazon

Essential

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

For carrying recordsdata on the go, the Essential X9 Professional is a transportable SSD with the correct mix of efficiency, options and value. There are technically quicker choices on the market, however its 10 Gbps speeds ought 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 produced from aluminum and rubber. A five-year guarantee helps as effectively. Simply notice 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

$85 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 Match Plus has about all of the options you could possibly 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 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

• Is likely to be too small
• No indicator gentle

$23 at Amazon

How we check SSDs

I’ve both examined or personally use every day each storage drive really useful on this listing. Out of our high picks, I purchased 4 with my very own cash after doing a few 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 manner 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 wish to fear about compatibility since nearly each pc made within the final 20 years will embody a motherboard with Serial ATA connections. For that purpose, 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 you must 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 can be considerably quicker 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 contains 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 totally 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 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 will get twice the efficiency with a Gen4 SSD, however you’ll want a motherboard and processor that helps the usual.

When you’re working an AMD system, which means at the least a Ryzen 3000 or 5000 CPU and an X570 or B550 motherboard. With Intel, in the meantime, you’ll want at the least an eleventh or twelfth Gen processor and a Z490, Z590 or Z690 motherboard. Understand that Gen4 SSDs sometimes value greater than their Gen3 counterparts as effectively.

Dearer nonetheless are the newest Gen5 fashions, which supply 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 inexpensive Gen4 or Gen3 drive. For the time being, only a few video games and purposes 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 best spent on different parts, 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 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 apply the method entails a single screw that you simply 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 you could 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 wish to proceed utilizing an outdated M.2 drive, there’s little purpose to reap the benefits of that characteristic. Talking of backward compatibility, it’s additionally doable to make use of a Gen4 drive by a PCIe 3 connection, however you gained’t get any of the velocity advantages of the quicker NVMe.

One last item to contemplate is that M.2 drives come in several 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 measurement of NVMe SSD due to a number of standoffs. That mentioned, verify your pc’s documentation or firmware earlier than shopping for a drive to make sure you’re selecting up a suitable measurement.

When you’re shopping for a substitute SSD for the Steam Deck or Steam Deck OLED, issues are simpler. For Valve’s handheld, you will want a 2230 measurement 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 information devoted to SD card storage, so verify 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 listing on their drives are theoretical and real-world efficiency benchmark checks range lower than you suppose.

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 sort of SSD that’s too small for wants. Drives can gradual dramatically as they method 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

Transportable SSDs are a considerably totally different beast to their inside siblings. Whereas learn and write speeds are vital, 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 and not using a USB 3.2 Gen 2 x 2 connection. Even amongst newer PCs, that’s one thing of a premium characteristic. For that purpose, most individuals are greatest off shopping for a transportable drive with a USB 3.2 Gen 2 or Thunderbolt connection. The previous presents switch speeds of as much as 10Gbps. The most effective exterior onerous drives additionally mean you can switch information out of your Home windows PC to a Mac, or different system, if suitable. Be sure you take into account this beforehand if you happen to plan to make use of your moveable 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 score. For extra 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 similar options contribute to a fantastic thumbstick drive. Our favourite picks for greatest funds 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 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 presents 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 continuously on sale. Your greatest wager is to set an alert for the mannequin you need by utilizing a value 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’ll discover on a PC. Engadget maintains a complete information to the perfect SSDs for PS5; in brief, your greatest wager is a high-capacity Gen4 drive with a built-in heatsink. Try 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 presents 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 quicker sport load instances from a PlayStation 4 by swapping the included onerous drive to a 2.5-inch SSD, however going out of your manner 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 a substitute.

SSD FAQs

What measurement SSD is greatest?

There isn’t a one measurement matches all rule for SSDs, however we typically suggest getting at the least a 1TB SSD if you happen to’re trying to improve PC or sport console storage, or wanting so as to add an exterior drive to your toolkit. A 1TB drive can be lots for most individuals who want additional space for storing for pictures, paperwork and applications. When you’re a hardcore gamer, you might wish to put money into 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 onerous drive?

The quick reply is that it depends upon what you want your drive for. Usually, SSDs are quicker and extra environment friendly than HDDs, however HDDs are normally cheaper. We suggest springing for an SSD for many use circumstances in the present day — upgrading a PC, saving vital pictures 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 doable (and sticking to a funds), an HDD might be possibility for you.

Does greater SSD imply quicker?

Getting an even bigger SSD doesn’t at all times translate right into a quicker drive total. A much bigger SSD will present a better storage capability, which implies extra space for storing digital recordsdata and applications. To know how briskly an SSD can be, you’ll wish to have a look at its learn/write speeds: learn speeds measure how briskly a drive can entry info, whereas write speeds measure how briskly the drive can save info. Most SSDs listing their approximate learn/write speeds of their specs, so you should definitely try these numbers earlier than you make a purchase order.