The Best SSDs for Every Budget: Review and Buying Guide 2023

You’ve come to the right place if you’re in the market for a new SSD. In this article, we will look at some of the best SSDs on the market and advise you on which is right for your budget. Whether you’re looking for a high-performance drive or something more affordable, we have you covered.

SSDs Will Tremendously Upgrade Your PC

SSDs are an excellent way to upgrade your computer’s performance. You can expect faster read and write speeds, improved boot times, and general system responsiveness by replacing a traditional hard disk drive with a solid-state drive.

But not every solid-state drive is created equal— some are beasts, standing above others in the market with their incredible speed and space, while others offer a more affordable option without comprising quality.

An SSD usually comes in a 2.5-inch form, which fits into the SATA port of your PC that a regular hard drive would use. You’re also now seeing more and more people using NVMe (Non-Volatile Memory Express) drives, which are tiny gumstick-shaped SSDs that fit into an M.2 connection found on newer motherboards. They’re insanely fast, or you could get an even faster PCIe 4.0 solid-state drive for compatible PCs. Some SSDs sit on a PCI adapter card and plug right into your motherboard—kinda like how you’d install a graphics card or sound card.

With so many options on the market, it’s hard to know which SSD is right for you. That’s why we’ve compiled this guide to help you pick the best SSD for your needs. Keep in mind that everything on this list includes internal solid-state drives, not external or portable solutions.

So without further ado, let’s get started!

Table of Contents:

Samsung 870 EVO – Best SATA SSD

Crucial BX500 – Best budget SATA SSD

Crucial P3 – Best PCIe 3.0 SSD

WD Black SN850X – Best PCIe 4.0 SSD

Crucial P3 Plus – Best budget PCIe 4.0 SSD

Adata Elite SE880 SSD – Best portable SSD

Kingston XS200 USB SSD – Best high-storage portable SSD

Corsair MP600 Pro XT – Best PCIe 4.0 with water-cooling SSD

Seagate Beskar Ingot NVMe SSD (FireCuda 530) – Best-Themed SSD

Samsung 870 EVO – Best SATA SSD

Out of all the 2.5-inch SATA drives on the market, Samsung’s 870 EVO is superior and will give you the storage space you need. The EVO series is one of the most affordable SSDs able to boast a hefty 4TB maximum capacity. But that’s not all, this SSD also has blistering speeds. On top of that, it comes with Samsung’s excellent Magician SSD management software and lengthy warranty coverage. Simply put, the EVO series is legendary for a reason among SSDs.

Pros

Outstanding performance

Small file operations

Longer writes won’t slow down

Cons

Slightly expensive if you’re on a budget

MSRP: $169.99

Crucial BX500 – Best budget SATA SSD

The Samsung 870 EVO provides an excellent mix of speed and affordability, but if you’re looking to spend as little money as possible for the most storage space possible, go with the Crucial BX500. You can purchase its 1TB model for $80, which is $30 cheaper than the comparable EVO model, while a 480GB version costs only $45. Crucial also offers 240GB and 2TB versions, all of which feature decent performance.

Pros

Very affordable per gigabyte

Great performance for everyday usage

Cons

Will slow down to a snail’s pace when the secondary cache runs out

MSRP: From $45

Crucial P3 – Best PCIe 3.0 SSD

Although new PCIe 4.0 SSDs boast impressive file-transfer speeds, even upgrading to an NVMe SSD from an older PCIe 3.0 system can make your computer noticeably faster and more responsive. Not only is the Crucial P3 a great daily performer, but it’s also available at an affordable price. The 500GB model is available for just $44 and the 1TB model is available for $84.

Although the P3 doesn’t have the best PCIe 4 performance and its TBW rating is pretty low, it does have great real-world write times. Unless you put a lot of stress on the drive, you likely won’t notice much of a difference anyway.

This is an excellent choice for anyone who wants a reliable SSD at a great price.

Pros

Decent read/write times

Fantastic PCIe3 performance for everyday usage

Affordable price per gigabyte

Cons

Non-cached QLC writes are very slow.

Low TBW rating

MSRP: From $44

WD Black SN850X – Best PCIe 4.0 SSD

The WD Black SN850X is one of the quickest drives and almost ranks at the top next to the FireCuda 530 as far as speed. The rationale that the WD Black SN850X obtains our number one spot for PCIe 4.0 is due to offering superb speeds like its competition but for a more reasonable price— meaning you get more for your dollar.

Not only is the SN850X fast, but it also provides excellent transfer rates and fantastic random write performance in real-world scenarios. This SSD truly is one of the best on the market and can compete with any other model available.

If you’re a data transferring fiend, the WD Black SN850X is the one for you.

Pros

Amazing performance for everyday use and extreme use

Fantastic price for the speed it offers

Large-capacity drives are available (up to 4TB)

Heatsink for 1TB or 2TB models is available

Cons

Expensive per gigabyte

Okay TBW ratings

MSRP: From $159

Crucial P3 Plus – Best budget PCIe 4.0 SSD

Although a bit more expensive than SATA or PCIe 3.0 NVMe drives, cutting-edge PCIe 4.0 SSDs are becoming increasingly affordable as the technology becomes more popular.

The Crucial P3 Plus is one of the best affordable options, with a price tag of only $100 for 1TB. Not to mention, it has great overall performance.

Although the P3 Plus might not be the quickest PCIe 4.0 out there, it has reasonable real-world speeds. As for PCIe 3.0, you’re looking at beyond-excellent performance.

Overall, the Crucial P3 Plus is an excellent choice for anyone looking to upgrade to PCIe 4.0 with a ton of storage space without breaking the bank.

Pros

Extremely affordable

Great PCIe 4 performances

Phenomenal PCIe 3 performances

Cons

Overall, the performance isn’t the best you can find on the market

Low TBW ratings

MSRP: From $60

Adata Elite SE880 SSD – Best portable SSD

We know we said we wouldn’t cover portable solutions, but this SSD is just too good to leave out.

Adata’s Elite SE880 is unrivaled in portability among SSDs. To give some perspective, it measures 2.55 inches long, 1.38 inches wide, and 0.48 inches thick – making it a similar size to a USB thumb drive! And weighing only 1.1 ounces, you can carry it around in your pocket without noticing its presence.

But the Elite SE880 isn’t only remarkable in terms of portability, it also has some noteworthy performance. The Elite SE880 is not only quick at everyday tasks, but it also shone in its 48GB transfer tests.

Although it was not the best in terms of speed for large file tests, the Elite SE880 is still a great choice for people who travel frequently with their SSD. It has respectable transfer rates and is small enough to fit in your pocket.

Pros

Incredibly fast over USB

Compact and portable

Cons

During long contiguous writes, this device slows down considerably

Low TBW rating

MSRP: From $80

Kingston XS200 USB SSD – Best high-storage portable SSD

The Kingston XS2000 is the perfect SSD for anyone looking for a well-rounded drive— it’s not the smallest, fastest, or largest storage device on the market, but it excels in all these categories. With a 4TB capacity, this ultra-portable drive can still hold more than most of its competitors, especially its portable drive competitors.

And both its read and write performance is excellent for the price. In comprehensive speed tests, the XS2000 displayed transfer speeds of 20 gigabytes per second. While this isn’t a groundbreaking speed, it’s far superior to other competitors whose portable drives rarely exceeded 10 gigabytes per second.

To sum it up, this product is small, cheap, and speedy enough to be a great choice – especially if you often need to travel with a lot of data.

Pros

Its small and compact size makes it easy to take with you on the go

Great 20Gbps performance for the money

Capacity up to 4TB available

Fast for its compact nature

Cons

Slower than most other SSDs

MSRP: From $75

Corsair MP600 Pro XT – Best PCIe 4.0 with water-cooling SSD

If you’re looking for an SSD that can rival or even outperform the fastest drives out there but at a fraction of the price, look no further than this one. It comes with a comprehensive five-year warranty and is guaranteed to last hundreds of terabytes before failure. Plus, if you want to get really fancy, there’s even a version designed for liquid-cooled PCs for only a little more money.

You’ll need a PC from the last two to three years that are equipped with PCIe 4.0 support in order to experience those unbelievable speeds.

Corsair’s MP600 Pro XT offers high-end performance, but it comes at a price. The 1TB version costs $200, while 2TB is $300 and 4TB is $800. Not the most budget-friendly option, but it’s worth the money if you want the best of the best.

Pros

Excellent performance

Optimized for PCIe 4

Liquid-cooling option

Removable heat sink

5-year warranty

Cons

Extremely expensive compared to other PCIe 3 drives

MSRP: From $200

Seagate Beskar Ingot NVMe SSD (FireCuda 530) – Best-Themed SSD

If you’re one of those rare people who haven’t seen The Mandalorian yet, then where have you been? In all seriousness though, Seagate has recently released a series of two Star Wars-themed SSDs for the fans out there—the Beskar Ingot SATA SSD and the Beskar Ingot NVMe SSD.

If you’re looking for the best possible option, look no further than the Beskar Ingot NVMe SSD. It’s guaranteed to meet your expectations with its outstanding performance and ludicrously fast speeds.

At first glance, the Seagate Beskar Ingot NVMe SSD looks like a design-centric drive. But when you look at its performance numbers, you’ll be astonished at how fast it is. The FireCuda 530 is a top contender for the title of fastest NVMe drive.

If you’re a diehard Star Wars fan with a windowed case, this is the ideal drive for showing off your newest Beskar bounty.

Pros

Incredible performance

Long warranty

High TBW rating

Star Wars-themed heatsink

Cons

More expensive for a themed SSD than the regular FireCuda 530

MSRP: From $168

Setting Up an NVMe SSD

An NVMe (nonvolatile memory express) is a type of Solid-State Drive (SSD) that is faster than the traditional SATA SSD. To use an NVMe drive, you need to have the correct components to set it up.

Make sure to consider what NVMe drives offer before making a purchase. Standard SATA SSDs improve boot times and loading speeds for PCs at a fraction of the cost. You will get the best use out of NVMe drives if you often transfer data, especially large files. If not, then an NVMe drive is likely not worth the extra expense.

If you’re interested in purchasing an NVMe SSD, ensure that your PC is compatible with it first. M.2-connection motherboards are still relatively new on the market, so unless your computer is from the past few years, it likely won’t be equipped to handle this technology.

Before M.2 drives became popular, NVMe SSDs that used PCIe adapters were all the rage. Nowadays, they’re not as common, so make sure you can actually use an NVMe SSD before buying one. Keep in mind that you’ll need four available PCIe lanes to get the most out of it.

In order to use a PCIe 4.0 SSD at full potential, you will need one of the newer Ryzen 3000- or 5000-series CPUs, or an Intel 11th- or 12th-gen CPU. Although PCIe 4.0 NVMe SSDs are compatible with PCIe 3.0 computers, they will run more slowly due to the lower speed limits of PCIe 3.0.

For optimal use of an NVMe drive, your operating system should be running on the drive. This requires a system that recognizes and can boot from the NVMe drive. Most PCs purchased within the past few years shouldn’t have any trouble doing this, but support for older motherboards may be more limited.

To check whether your motherboard supports booting from an NVMe SSD, do a Google search for your motherboard. It’s possible you may need to install a BIOS update for your board first. If it turns out that your hardware can’t boot from the NVMe SSD, don’t worry! Your machine will still be able to use it as a secondary drive.

How to Pick the Right SSD

And although capacity, price, and a lengthy warranty are important considerations, don’t think that you need to baby your SSD. Unlike older models which would wear out with regular consumer usage, modern drives can take a beating. For the most part, your SSD will last for far longer than you need it to but having those three to five-year warranties is nice.

So when picking out the best SSD for your needs, here are the main things you should consider:

1. Capacity: Depending on how much data you need to store, select a drive with the capacity that meets your needs.

2. Price: Keep in mind that you get what you pay for. Paying more upfront may save you from having to buy a new drive sooner than expected.

3. Warranty: Look for a drive with at least a three to five-year warranty, so you can be sure that your drive will last a while.

4. Speed: Be sure to select an SSD that best meets your needs, depending on what you’ll be using it for.

5. Reliability: Opt for a drive that has a high TBW (terabytes written) rating, so you can be sure that your drive won’t wear out quickly.

6. Heatsink: Some NVMe drives come with heatsinks for better cooling, which can help extend their lifespan.

Choosing the best SSD for you requires careful consideration, but with these tips in mind, you should be able to find one that meets your needs. Whether you’re looking for a budget-friendly SATA SSD or a lightning-fast NVMe drive, there’s an option to fit everyone’s needs and budget. So take your time and find the right drive for you!

Types of SSDs You Can Buy

When it comes to selecting the best SSD for you, there are a few key types to choose from.

SATA (Serial Advanced Technology Attachment) SSDs are the most common type of drives and are great for everyday use. They offer a good balance between performance and affordability, plus they are easy to install, making them a good choice for most users.

SATA refers to both the connection type and transfer protocol used to connect most 2.5-inch and 3.5-inch hard drives and SSDs to your PC. SATA III speeds can reach up to 600MBps, but not all modern drives are able to utilize their full potential.

PCIe (Peripheral Component Interconnect Express) SSDs are the fastest type of drives and use four PCIe lanes for data transmission. They are usually found in desktop computers and server systems but can also be used in laptops if they have a compatible PCIe slot. They offer incredible data transfer speeds, making them ideal for applications that require lots of bandwidth, like video editing or gaming.

You’ll need an AMD Ryzen 3000-series or Intel Core 11th-gen (or newer) processor, as well as a compatible PCIe 4.0 motherboard to use the new and improved PCIe 4.0 drives.

NVMe (Non-Volatile Memory Express) drives are similar to PCIe drives, except that they use the NVMe protocol for data transfer. NVMe drives are usually more expensive than SATA SSDs, but they offer faster speeds and better performance.

The blistering speed of Non-Volatile Memory Express technology SSDs is miles ahead of their SATA-based drives, making them great for storage-intensive tasks like gaming, video editing, and file transfers.

M.2 SSDs are similar to SATA SSDs, but they use a different connection type. M.2 drives use the PCIe interface for faster speeds than SATA III and are great for high-performance applications. Some M.2 drives are designed to be installed directly onto the motherboard, while others require a special adapter card.

No matter what type of SSD you choose, make sure to look for one with good reviews and a solid warranty. That way, you can be sure that your drive will last and perform as expected.

Choosing Between an SSD and Hard Drive

When it comes to storage, there are two main types of drives: hard drives and SSDs. Hard drives are traditionally larger, slower, and less expensive than their solid-state drive counterparts. However, they can still be a good option for those on a budget especially how cheap they are per gigabyte.

SSDs offer superior performance over hard drives in almost every way. They are smaller, faster, quieter, and more reliable. SSDs also use less power than hard drives, which can be beneficial for laptop users who want to maximize battery life.

In addition to the performance benefits of an SSD over a hard drive, they are also much more durable. SSDs have no moving parts, so they are not susceptible to damage from shocks or vibrations, making them ideal for use in rugged environments. They also generate less heat than hard drives, which can help extend their lifespan.

Ultimately, choosing between an SSD and a hard drive is a personal decision that should be based on your needs and budget. If you’re looking for the best performance and reliability, then an SSD is the way to go. But if you need more storage space and are on a tight budget, then a hard drive may be the better option.

If you want the benefits of both an SSD and a hard drive, you can buy a small SSD to use as your boot drive. Then set up a traditional hard drive with more storage space as secondary storage in your PC. This way, you get the speed of an SSD for programs that require quick access times, plus the extra storage capacity of a hard drive.

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