Unleashing Next-Level Gaming: The Ultimate SSDs for Unparalleled Performance in 2023

PC and console games have become increasingly demanding, making it necessary for advances to be made in order to ensure that gamers can access their content faster. One major example of this is the integration of Solid State Drives (SSDs) in modern consoles. These SSDs are now embedded onto the motherboard and are considered a minimum standard for external storage.

SSDs have undergone significant improvements in recent years. They were originally seen as a novelty for PC gamers, mainly used in enterprise-grade applications. However, they have now become an essential technology for any new PC or console designed specifically for gaming. As the underlying technology continues to mature, SSDs have become more affordable and offer greater storage capacity compared to a few years ago. They are now available in various sizes and formats.

Our general recommendation is to use PCI-E 4.0 or high-speed PCI-E 3.0 SSDs with a minimum capacity of 1TB. This allows for flexibility and caters to the needs of our audience. We prioritize well-established SSD brands that offer multiple sizes of the same SSD.

SAMSUNG 990 PRO w/ Heatsink SSD

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SAMSUNG 870 EVO 1TB SATA III SSD

The Best SATA SSD For Gaming $51 at Newegg

WD BLACK 1TB SN850X NVMe 4.0 Internal Gaming SSD With Heatsink

The Best SSD For Playstation 5 $70 at Newegg

SABRENT Rocket 2230 NVMe 4.0 1TB SSD

The Best SSD For Steam Deck $110 at Amazon

SAMSUNG 970 EVO Plus SSD 1TB

The Best Budget SSD For Gaming $50 at Amazon

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Sabrent Rocket 4 Plus 8TB SSD

The Best High Capacity SSD For Gaming $1000 at Amazon

SAMSUNG 990 PRO w/ Heatsink SSD

The Samsung 990 Pro is the ultimate choice for high-speed storage with its cutting-edge PCI-E Gen 4 technology. With a sleek and stylish design, it seamlessly complements gaming PCs and is optimized for use with the PlayStation 5. Despite its outstanding performance, the Samsung 990 Pro is available at a remarkable discount, making it an excellent value for money. With a massive storage capacity of 2TB, it offers the maximum performance for modern gaming PCs. Priced at just $180, this deal is unbeatable.

Comes with a pre-attached heatsink which brings it up to spec for most PCs and notably, the PlayStation 5 Console

Trades at a significant markdown versus its MSRP currently

Excellent durability with an MTBF of 1.5 million hours

Has a comprehensive and generous 5-year warranty for its SSD products

Cons Expensive MSRP compared to some of its peers

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The SAMSUNG 990 PRO NVMe 4.0 SSD 2TB with a heatsink is well-known to those familiar with the Samsung Pro lineup. This outstanding performer not only builds upon the success of the 980 Pro but also pushes the boundaries of the PCI-E 4.0 specification for M2-socket-based NVMe SSDs, resulting in enhanced performance. Equipped with 2GB of low-powered DDR4 RAM integrated on the SSD itself, alongside Samsung's proprietary Pascal controller, this is the ultimate PCI-E SSD available on the market, offering unparalleled speed. Furthermore, Samsung's software stack, particularly the Samsung Magician software, surpasses competitors and combined with the Pro lineup's reputation for reliability, the 990 Pro SSD package offers more than just industry-leading speed. Additionally, for those looking for a more affordable option without a heatsink, the standard 990 Pro is available, saving approximately $20 compared to the heatsink version.

Update: The inclusion of

SAMSUNG 870 EVO 1TB SATA III SSD alongside the Samsung 990 Pro 2TB with heatsink signifies a notable shift on our list. This change stems from our firm belief that the Samsung 990 Pro 2TB delivers enhanced value for money compared to its 1TB predecessor. Moreover, it proudly boasts out-of-the-box compatibility with the PlayStation 5 console, making it an obvious choice for consumers. Additionally, this SSD acquisition becomes even more enticing as it benefits from significantly reduced prices in the global market for both flash memory and DRAM. This favorable circumstance empowers us to upgrade our capacity recommendations for this very same SSD, ensuring utmost customer satisfaction.

The Samsung 870 EVO 1TB SATA III SSD is a top choice for gamers, offering a perfect combination of value and reliability. With its consistent and high-performance capabilities, it maximizes SATA data transfer rates in both directions. Despite its impressive features, this SSD is surprisingly affordable, especially considering the drop in SSD prices over time. In fact, it is one of the fastest SATA-based SSDs available on the market, making it a great investment for gaming enthusiasts.

1TB SSD storage capacity

SATA III hardware interface

Compatible with PC's & Consoles with SATA ports

Brand: Samsung

Transfer rate: up to 560MBPS read, 530MBPS write

TBW: 600TBW (1TB)

MTBF: 1.5 Million Hours

Samsung 1 GB Low Power DDR4 SDRAM

Warranty: Up to 5 years

Samsung MKX Controller

Pros: Offers excellent durability compared to entry-level SATA SSDs

Features a dedicated DRAM Cache for more consistent performance.

Maxes out SATA read and write speeds easily

Costs slightly lower than NVME options with similar specs (but higher speeds)

Cons Limited to SATA data transfer speeds which seem relatively tame to even entry-level NVME SSDs

$51 at Newegg

The SAMSUNG 870 EVO 1TB SATA III SSD is a top-notch and durable choice for gamers. It goes beyond expectations in terms of reliability, performance, and value. Although it may not be the most affordable option in the SATA SSD market, it is reasonably priced compared to its competitors. Unlike cheaper alternatives, it includes a significant amount of DRAM embedded within the controller, ensuring consistent performance. This SSD is ideal for devices that lack an M2 slot or have limited availability, such as last-generation game consoles, older desktops, and laptops. It offers the fastest possible SSD speeds and boasts Samsung's renowned reliability.

The Samsung 870 EVO 1TB SATA III SSD may not be the most affordable option, but it offers unmatched reliability, exceptional warranty support, and includes a dedicated DRAM cache for consistent performance. Unlike its competitors, the Samsung 870 Evo does not see a price reduction, suggesting that it is already competitively priced and considered one of the most dependable SATA SSD choices available in today's consumer market.

WD BLACK 1TB SN850X NVMe 4.0 Internal Gaming SSD With Heatsink

The Best SSD For Playstation 5Heatsink enabled superiority

Result:

With a price drop of $110, the WD BLACK 1TB SN850X NVMe 4.0 Internal Gaming SSD With Heatsink is the perfect choice for your PlayStation 5. It offers impressive speed, a reliable heatsink, and a reasonable price, surpassing the minimum performance requirements set by Sony for the PS5 console.

Specifications:

- Storage capacity: 1TB

- Hardware Interface: PCI-E 4.0 (M2)

- Compatible Devices: Consoles, PC

- Brand: Western Digital

- Transfer rate: Read - 7300 MB/S, Write - 6350 MB/S

- TBW: 600 TB

- MTBF: 1,750,000 Hours

- DRAM: DDR4

- Warranty: 5 Year Limited

Key Benefits:

- Features a high-quality heatsink that meets Sony's specifications and requirements.

One of the fastest SSDs in the market right now with excellent pricing in tow

Has a well-rounded software suite that delivers solid performance

Cons The SN850X with heatsink comes within spitting distance of the Samsung 990 Pro in terms of price

See at Amazon $70 at Newegg

The WD BLACK 1TB SN850X NVMe 4.0 Internal Gaming SSD With Heatsink is heavily marketed as an ideal SSD for the PlayStation 5. It surpasses Sony's expectations by providing excellent heat dissipation through its impressive heatsink. Additionally, it goes above and beyond Sony's requirement of 5500 MB/S read speed for optimal gaming performance on the PlayStation 5.

Though it is an exceptional choice, it faces tough competition from the Samsung 990 Pro, which costs only about $10 more for the version without a heatsink. Some may argue that while the price is still impressive considering recent trends, WD's top-of-the-line offering, which we consider the best SSD for a Playstation 5, could still be more competitively priced.

The WD SN850X heatsink versions are currently limited to 1TB and 2TB capacity. However, there is a 4TB variant available, but it requires a third-party heatsink to maintain the same level of thermal performance. Luckily, Sabrent offers an excellent heatsink that can be easily used with the WD Black SSD.

Update: The price of the WD SN850X Heatsink SSD variant has been significantly reduced to compete with cheaper alternatives such as the 980 Pro HS version and a cheaper 990 Pro. At the time of writing, it has undergone a nearly 45% price reduction, making it a very affordable option. Additionally, it is readily available, making it the best PS5 SSD option based on these two factors alone.

SABRENT Rocket 2230 NVMe 4.0 1TB SSD

The Best SSD For Steam DeckGood Things Come in Small Packages

The Sabrent Rocket 2230 is a DRAM-less PCI-E 4.0 SSD with an impressive 5-year warranty (registration required). It offers high-speed Gen 4 performance and reliability, making it an essential storage option for your Steam Deck or ultraportable PC. With a capacity of 1TB and a hardware interface of PCI-E 4.0 (M.2), it is compatible with Steam Deck, consoles, and PCs. The transfer rate is 4750 MB/s for reading and 4300 MB/s for writing. It has a TBW of 600 TBW and an MTBF of 1,500,000 hours. It does not have DRAM but offers a warranty of up to 5 years. Additionally, it is much more affordable compared to its competition, providing a quality and fast upgrade for the Steam Deck.

Excellent durability versus some of the cheaper 2230 options

Outstanding DRAM-less performance with speeds 2x what is required by the Steam Deck

Extremely power efficient design

Cons Pricier than some faster PCI-E 4.0 SSDs that have DRAM and heatsinks

Limited to 1TB storage SKUs for now

$110 at Amazon $110 at Newegg

When the Steam Deck was released, there was confusion regarding the ideal storage for upgrading the internal storage of the unit in terms of speed and capacity. While the capacity question relates to the amount of data the Steam Deck can hold, the SABRENT Rocket 2230 NVMe 4.0 1TB SSD aims to address the speed question and more. With read speeds of nearly 5 GB/s, the Rocket 4.0 SSD in the compatible 2230 form factor is significantly faster than the Steam Deck's own SSD solutions.

It should be noted that the Steam Deck only supports PCI-E Gen 3 x 4, meaning that the Rocket's excess speed would be limited when used in 3.0 mode. However, considering that the Steam Deck itself may be the limiting factor, using the Rocket SSD would still provide maximum storage performance on the Steam Deck platform due to Sabrent's DRAM-less approach to the 2230 form factor M2 SSD.

Update: With a $50 price reduction across the entire lineup, the Sabrent Rocket 2230 now presents a much more affordable choice compared to our previous recommendation. Although it remains relatively pricey for a DRAM-less PCI-E 4.0 storage, it continues to stand out as one of the top options available, particularly for the Steam Deck. Sabrent's offering shines even brighter when compared to some slightly cheaper alternatives found in various PC marketplaces.

SAMSUNG 970 EVO Plus SSD 1TB

The SAMSUNG 970 EVO Plus 1TB SSD is an affordable and reliable PCI-E 3.0 SSD, offering stellar performance at a competitive price. It outperforms other PCI-E 4.0 drives, while still providing solid performance and excellent software. Save $10 with this high-speed, value-packed option for gaming.

The storage capacity is 1TB. It has a hardware interface of PCI-E 3.0 (M2) and is compatible with PCs. The brand is Samsung. The transfer rate for this SSD is 3,500 MB/s for reading and 3,300 MB/s for writing. It has a TBW of 600 TB and an MTBF of 1,500,000 hours. The DRAM is LPDDR4 and the warranty is for 5 years. The controller is Samsung Phoenix. This SSD offers excellent value for money as it costs half the price of current-generation PCI-E 4.0 SSDs. It is available in various capacities ranging from 250GB to 2TB, catering to different use cases.

Extremely reliable; Comes with similar endurance and TBW ratings that pro-tier SSDs do

Cons Somewhat dated versus PCI-E 4.0 SSDs that are nearly always somewhat faster

The SAMSUNG 970 EVO Plus 3.0 1TB SSD may be an older model, but it remains a strong contender in the market due to its affordable price, reliability, advanced software, and a generous 5-year warranty. This SSD offers exceptional performance and is a highly competitive option even in today's market.

Although there are faster PCI-E 4.0 SSDs in the same price range, none of them match the reliable performance, extensive coverage, and sustained performance of the highly competitive Samsung 970 Evo Plus SSD. Therefore, from our perspective, it remains an excellent choice for gamers seeking a budget-friendly SSD, even though it operates on the PCI-E 3.0 interface.

Update: Despite a lack of price changes, the Samsung 970 Evo Plus still provides exceptional value for users with either PCI-E 3.0 motherboards or those searching for a more affordable yet dependable storage option.

Sabrent Rocket 4 Plus 8TB SSD

The Best High Capacity SSD For GamingFor That Extended Steam Library

Save $100 when you purchase the Sabrent Rocket 4 Plus 8TB SSD. This SSD combines high-speed storage capabilities with one of the largest capacities available for a single NVME SSD. Sabrent's Rocket series is known for pushing boundaries, and the Rocket 4 Plus is no exception. With 8TB of fast SSD storage, you can enjoy a cost of under $0.12-0.13 per gigabyte. Plus, this compact module easily fits in the palm of your hand.

Here are the specifications:

- Storage capacity: 8TB

- Hardware Interface: PCI-E 4.0

- Compatible Devices: Desktops, Laptops, and Consoles with M2 SSD slots

- Brand: Sabrent

- Transfer rate: 7100 MBPS Read, 6600 Write

- TBW (Total Bytes Written): 5600 TBW

- MTBF (Mean Time Between Failures): 1.6 million hours

- DRAM: DDR$

- Warranty: 5 years with registration (2 years without)

- Controller: Phison PS5018-E18

Pros: Offers exceptional performance, nearly reaching the peak SSD performance for PCI-E 4.0 slots.

Boasts an impressive 8TB of SSD storage, which is among the highest in the industry today.

Offers competitive pricing compared to its previous competitors, especially considering the cutting-edge storage capacity.

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The product is conveniently packaged, setting it apart from its competitors.

However, although having a good warranty is beneficial, the requirement to register for an extended warranty is an additional step, despite Sabrent having reliable distribution channels.

Is considerably more expensive than buying multiple 2TB or 4TB SSDs on a motherboard with plenty of M2 slots

$1000 at Amazon $1020 at Newegg

The Sabrent Rocket 4 Plus 8TB SSD is a top-of-the-line choice for storage with its impressive 8TB capacity. Whether you need it for a compact Mini-ITX build, a growing PC gaming collection, or a video editing workstation that demands ample storage, this SSD caters to a wide range of needs.

With outstanding packaging, a generous 5-year warranty, and solid performance for a high-end PCI-E 4.0 SSD (despite minor latency issues expected with such a large capacity), the Sabrent Rocket 4 Plus 8TB SSD has you covered if you require a significant amount of storage in a single M2 slot due to space limitations. Additionally, the inclusion of the Acronis True Image software as a bonus makes it convenient to migrate data from another installation that lacks sufficient space.

The PS5 console is currently limited to using 4TB SSDs, so the Sabrent Rocket 4 Plus 8TB SSD is not compatible. However, you can opt for the 4TB version of the same SSD, which works perfectly with the PlayStation 5 and even includes an M2 heatsink.

Regarding the price of the Sabrent Rocket 4 Plus 8TB SSD, it has remained unchanged in recent months, despite seeing price cuts on smaller SSDs. We expect that prices for this high-end, high-capacity gaming SSD will soon adjust and we will update our guide accordingly. For now, the Sabrent Rocket 4 Plus 8TB SSD remains unmatched in terms of its capacity and speed, albeit at a higher cost.

FAQ:

Q: What SSD Should I get for the PlayStation 5?

Q: Can I run a PCI-E 4.0 M2 SSD on an older slot?

Optimal Requirements for a PS5: High Read Speed and Efficient Cooling

A PlayStation 5 (PS5) necessitates the utilization of a solid-state drive (SSD) boasting a minimum read speed of 5500 MB/S and a well-performing heatsink. In our comprehensive guide, we have identified several SSDs that meet these specifications. However, we firmly believe that our top recommendation, the WD SN850X, surpasses the competition due to its recent price reductions, its exceptional availability, and its inclusion of a high-quality heatsink.

A: Yes, M2 socket SSDs are backward-compatible and work with older generations of the same socket, but are limited to the socket's maximum speeds.

Q: What is the Maximum SSD Size I can use With The PlayStation 5?

A: The PlayStation 5 has a default external SSD storage capacity ranging from 250GB to 4TB. Software updates from the video game giant may modify this in the future, as games continuously require larger amounts of space.

FAQ

Q: What SSD Should I get for the PlayStation 5?

For optimum performance, a minimum read speed of 5500 MB/S and a reliable heatsink are essential when selecting an SSD for your PS5. Our comprehensive guide features a range of SSDs that meet these criteria, yet we firmly believe that our top choice, the WD option, stands out as the superior selection.

Q: Can I run a PCI-E 4.0 M2 SSD on an older slot?

Yes, M2 socket SSDs are backwards compatible and work with older generations of the same socket, but are limited to the socket's maximum speeds.