The best SSDs in 2025

In case your laptop is beginning to really feel slightly sluggish, otherwise you’re uninterested in ready for video games and apps to load, upgrading to among the finest SSD choices on the market generally is a game-changer. Stable-state drives (SSDs) are a lot sooner than conventional exhausting drives, serving to your system boot up in seconds, load massive recordsdata immediately and make on a regular basis duties really feel snappier. Whether or not you’re upgrading a laptop computer, constructing a gaming PC or simply need further storage for work or artistic initiatives, the fitting SSD can significantly enhance efficiency.However with so many specs to think about — PCIe Gen 4, Gen 5, SATA, NVMe — it’s simple to get misplaced within the jargon. That’s the place we are available! We’ve rounded up the very best SSD choices that can assist you discover the fitting steadiness of pace, capability and worth, so you may get the improve you want with out overpaying for options you received’t use.Desk of contentsBest SSDs in 2025CrucialCapacity: 500GB, 1TB, 2TB and 4TB | Connection: SATA | Learn pace: 560 MB/s | Write pace: 510 MB/s You don’t need to look far to seek out the very best SATA SSD: it is the Essential MX500. With sequential learn speeds of 560MB/s and a $100 MSRP for the 1TB mannequin, this inside SSD presents a hard-to-beat mixture of fantastic efficiency and worth. It additionally comes with a five-year guarantee for extra peace of thoughts. However, better of all, it ceaselessly goes on sale for as little as $45. I’ve been utilizing a 1TB MX500 drive to retailer my music, photographs and video games for years, and it has but to provide me any issues. ProsAffordableSATA compatibilityFive-year guarantee$100 at AmazonCrucialCapacity: 1TB, 2TB, 4TB | Connection: M.2 | Learn pace: 11,700MB/s | Write pace: 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 would possibly look spectacular on paper, however the actuality is that few video games and apps can make the most of these capabilities proper now. Nonetheless, when you’re set on outfitting your laptop with the quickest potential storage, I believe the Essential T700 presents a compelling mixture of worth and efficiency. The T700 is likely one of the quickest NVMe drives in the marketplace proper now, and after launching at $180, it’s potential to seek out it on sale for about $143. Word that in case your motherboard didn’t include a heatsink to your NVMe drives, you will have to purchase the T700 mannequin that features one, which additional will increase the price. ProsVery fastSupports DirectStorageFive-year guarantee$140 at AdoramaWD_BLACKCapacity: 1TB, 2TB, 4TB, 8TB | Connection: M.2 | Learn pace: 7,300MB/s | Write pace: 6,300MB/s Supplied you personal the mandatory {hardware}, Gen4 NVMe drives supply fairly good worth proper now. After testing a number of 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 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 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. ProsFastDirectStorage supportFive-year guarantee$94 at AmazonCrucialCapacity: 500GB, 1TB, 2TB, 4TB | Connection: M.2 | Learn pace: 3,500MB/s | Write speeds: 3,000MB/s A earlier model of this information advisable the Essential P2 as an important 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 latest 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. ProsAffordable and ceaselessly on saleFive-year warrantyConsCould be fasterEndurance stats should not the very best$60 at AdoramaSABRENTCapacity: 256GB, 512GB, 1TB | Connection: M.2 | Learn pace: 5,000MB/s | Write pace: 4,300MB/s When you’re assured sufficient to open your Steam Deck to put in a brand new, increased capability NVMe, the Sabrent Rocket 2230 is a superb small-sized NVME. It’s 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 latest reductions on this mannequin, it’s dropped sufficient in worth the place you would lower your expenses by shopping for the 512GB Steam Deck OLED mannequin and putting in extra storage later. ConsExpensive relative to full-sized NVMe drives$100 at AmazonCorsairCapacity: 500GB, 1TB, 2TB, 4TB, 8TB | Connection: M.2 | Learn pace: 7,100 MB/s | Write pace: 6,800MB/sec Engadget has a separate information devoted to the very best PlayStation 5 SSDs, however when you got here to this web page searching for a advice on what NVMe to purchase to 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 it’s essential to do is set up it into your PS5 and also you’re good to go. ProsPerfect PS5 compatibilityPre-installed heatsinkEasy to installConsCheaper so as to add your personal heatsink$170 at AmazonCrucialCapacity: 1TB, 2TB, 4TB | Connection: USB-C | Learn pace: 1,050MB/s | Write pace: 975MB/s For carrying recordsdata on the go, the Essential X9 Professional is a conveyable SSD with the correct mix of efficiency, options and price. 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 high of that, with an IP55-rated case produced from aluminum and rubber. A five-year guarantee helps as effectively. Simply observe 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 ProsIP55-certified water and dirt protectionFive-year warrantyConsNo USB-A cable includedNot the quickest$89 at AmazonSAMSUNGCapacity: 64GB, 128GB, 256GB, 512GB | Connection: USB 3.1 | Learn pace: As much as 400MB/s relying on the mannequin | Write pace: As much as 400MB/s The Samsung Match Plus has about all of the options you would need on a USB drive. It connects to your laptop over USB 3.1 and helps file switch speeds of as much as 300MB/s. The Match Plus can also 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 aspect. ProsUSB 3.1Sleek designFive-year warrantyConsMight be too smallNo indicator gentle$23 at AdoramaHow we take a look at SSDsI’ve both examined or personally use each day each storage drive advisable on this listing. Out of our high 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 SSDThe 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 when you don’t wish to fear about compatibility since virtually each laptop made within the final twenty years will embrace a motherboard with Serial ATA connections. For that motive, the very best SATA SSDs are a wonderful selection if you wish to lengthen the lifetime of an older PC construct. Set up is easy, too. When you’ve secured the inner SSD in a drive cage, all it’s essential to 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 knowledge transfers to 600MB/s. However even the slowest SSD will probably be considerably sooner than the very best mechanical drives. And with high-capacity, 1TB SATA SSDs costing about $100, they’re a great bulk-storage choice.In case your PC is newer, there’s a great probability it consists of house for a number of M.2 SSDs. The shape issue represents your ticket to the quickest SSDs in the marketplace, however the difficult half is navigating all of the totally different requirements and specs concerned.M.2 drives can function both a SATA or PCIe connection. SSDs with the latter are referred to 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 may 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, meaning a minimum of a Ryzen 3000 or 5000 CPU and an X570 or B550 motherboard. With Intel, in the meantime, you’ll want a minimum of 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.Costlier nonetheless are the most recent Gen5 fashions, which supply sequential learn speeds of as much as 16,000MB/s. Nonetheless, even when your laptop helps the usual, you’re higher off shopping for a extra inexpensive Gen4 or Gen3 drive. In the intervening time, only a few video games and functions can make the most 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 healthier spent on different parts, 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 laptop by putting in the SSD instantly onto the motherboard. That will sound intimidating, however in apply the method includes a single screw that you just first take away to attach the drive to your laptop after which retighten to safe the SSD in place. As an added bonus, there aren’t any wires concerned, making cable administration simpler.Word you can 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. Until you wish to proceed utilizing an outdated M.2 drive, there’s little motive to make the most of that function. Talking of backward compatibility, it’s additionally potential to make use of a Gen4 drive by a PCIe 3 connection, however you received’t get any of the pace advantages of the sooner NVMe.One final thing to think about is that M.2 drives come in several bodily sizes. From shortest to longest, the widespread 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 dimension of NVMe SSD because of a number of standoffs. That stated, verify your laptop’s documentation or firmware earlier than shopping for a drive to make sure you’re selecting 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 will have a 2230 dimension NVMe. Easy. When you don’t wish to open your Steam Deck, it’s additionally potential 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 very best shopping for recommendation I can supply 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 exams fluctuate 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 kind of SSD that’s too small for wants. Drives can gradual dramatically as they method capability, and you’ll most likely find yourself buying one with a better gigabyte capability sooner or later.What to search for in moveable and USB flash drivesPortable SSDs are a considerably totally different beast to their inside siblings. Whereas learn and write speeds are vital, they’re virtually secondary to how an exterior drive connects to your PC. You received’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 function. For that motive, most individuals are finest off shopping for a conveyable 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 exhausting drives additionally can help you switch knowledge out of your Home windows PC to a Mac, or different gadget, if appropriate. Be sure you contemplate this beforehand when you plan to make use of your moveable drive throughout a number of units.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 corporations like Samsung supply rugged variations of their hottest drives, together with the Samsung SSD T7 Defend, with a excessive endurance score. For added peace of thoughts, 256-bit AES {hardware} encryption will assist forestall somebody from accessing your knowledge when you ever lose or misplace your exterior SSD.A number of the similar options contribute to an important thumbstick drive. Our favourite picks for finest funds exterior SSD fashions function USB 3.0 connections and a few type of {hardware} encryption.A observe on console storage SeagateIf 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 potential storage is way extra simple 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 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 guess is to set an alert for the mannequin you need by utilizing a worth 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 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 complete information to the very best SSDs for PS5; briefly, your finest guess is a high-capacity Gen4 drive with a built-in heatsink. Take a look at that information for a full listing 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 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 may get barely sooner recreation load instances from a PlayStation 4 by swapping the included exhausting drive to a 2.5-inch SSD, however going out of your manner to take action most likely 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 FAQsWhat dimension SSD is finest?There isn’t a one dimension suits all rule for SSDs, however we usually suggest getting a minimum of a 1TB SSD when you’re seeking to improve PC or recreation console storage, or trying so as to add an exterior drive to your toolkit. A 1TB drive will probably be lots for most individuals who want further space for storing for photographs, paperwork and packages. When you’re a hardcore gamer, it’s possible you’ll wish to spend money on much more storage contemplating many high-profile titles immediately can take up a ton of house.Is a 256GB SSD higher than a 1TB exhausting drive?The quick reply is that it is determined by what you want your drive for. On the whole, SSDs are sooner and extra environment friendly than HDDs, however HDDs are normally cheaper. We suggest springing for an SSD for many use circumstances immediately — upgrading a PC, saving vital photographs and paperwork, storing video games long run, and many others. However when you’re targeted on getting essentially the most quantity of additional house potential (and sticking to a funds), an HDD could possibly be a great choice 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 extra space for storing digital recordsdata and packages. To grasp how briskly an SSD will probably 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 listing their approximate learn/write speeds of their specs, so make sure to try these numbers earlier than you make a purchase order.