The most effective SSDs in 2025

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

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

Desk of contents

Greatest SSDs in 2025

Essential

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

I don’t advocate 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, should you’re set on outfitting your laptop with the quickest doable storage, I believe the Crucial T700 provides a compelling mixture of value and efficiency. The T700 is without doubt one of the quickest NVMe drives in the marketplace proper now, and after launching at $180, it’s doable to search out it on sale for about $143. Notice that in case your motherboard didn’t include a heatsink on your NVMe drives, you’ll need to purchase the T700 mannequin that features one, which additional will increase the price.

Professionals

• Very quick
• Helps DirectStorage
• 5-year guarantee

$140 at Adorama

WD_BLACK

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

Offered you personal the mandatory {hardware}, Gen4 NVMe drives provide fairly good worth proper now. After testing just a few 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 in a position to pay lower than $100 for the 1TB mannequin throughout a sale.

In case you’re set on shopping for a Gen4 mannequin, however need to avoid wasting cash, Western Digital provides 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 essential apps.

Professionals

• Quick
• DirectStorage assist
• 5-year guarantee

$90 at Amazon

Essential

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

A earlier model of this information really helpful the Essential P2 as an ideal 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 Crucial P3, as an 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 gives 3,500MB/s learn speeds.

Professionals

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

Cons

• Might be sooner
• Endurance stats should not one of the best

$60 at Adorama

SABRENT

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

In case you’re assured sufficient to open your Steam Deck to put in a brand new, increased capability NVMe, the Sabrent Rocket 2230 is a good small-sized NVME. It would slot into the Steam Deck’s M.2 slot with out problem, 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 get monetary savings 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 pace: 7,100 MB/s | Write pace: 6,800MB/sec

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

Professionals

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

Cons

• Cheaper so as to add your personal heatsink

$160 at Amazon

Essential

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

For carrying information on the go, the Crucial X9 Pro 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 checks. 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 properly. 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

Professionals

• 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 pace: As much as 400MB/s relying on the mannequin | Write pace: 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 laptop 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 dear aspect.

Professionals

• USB 3.1
• Smooth design
• 5-year guarantee

Cons

• May be too small
• No indicator gentle

$23 at Amazon

How we take a look at SSDs

I’ve both examined or personally use every day each storage drive really helpful on this checklist. 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 inexpensive 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 should you don’t need to fear about compatibility since virtually each laptop made within the final 20 years will embody a motherboard with Serial ATA connections. For that motive, one of the best SATA SSDs are a wonderful alternative if you wish to prolong the lifetime of an older PC construct. Set up is simple, too. When you’ve secured the interior 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, 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 will likely be considerably sooner than one of the best mechanical drives. And with high-capacity, 1TB SATA SSDs costing about $100, they’re bulk-storage choice.

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

M.2 drives can function both a SATA or PCIe connection. SSDs with the latter are generally 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 know-how 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.

In case you’re operating an AMD system, meaning 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 properly.

Dearer nonetheless are the newest Gen5 fashions, which supply sequential learn speeds of as much as 16,000MB/s. Nevertheless, even when your laptop 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 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 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 laptop by putting in the SSD instantly onto the motherboard. Which will sound intimidating, however in observe the method includes a single screw that you simply 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.

Notice that 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 need 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 doable to make use of a Gen4 drive by means of a PCIe 3 connection, however you received’t get any of the pace advantages of the sooner NVMe.

One last item to contemplate is that M.2 drives come in numerous bodily sizes. From shortest to longest, the widespread choices are 2230, 2242, 2260, 2280 and 22110. (The primary two numbers characterize 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 because of a number of standoffs. That mentioned, verify your laptop’s documentation or firmware earlier than shopping for a drive to make sure you’re choosing up a appropriate measurement.

In case you’re shopping for a alternative SSD for the Steam Deck or Steam Deck OLED, issues are easier. For Valve’s handheld, you’ll need a 2230 measurement NVMe. Easy. In case you don’t need to open your Steam Deck, it’s additionally doable to increase its storage by putting in a microSD card. Engadget has a separate guide dedicated to SD card storage, so verify that out for extra shopping for recommendation.

I alluded to this earlier, however one of the best 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 checklist on their drives are theoretical and real-world efficiency benchmark checks fluctuate lower than you assume.

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 in all probability find yourself buying one with a better gigabyte capability sooner or later.

What to search for in transportable and USB flash drives

Moveable SSDs are a considerably completely different beast to their inner siblings. Whereas learn and write speeds are essential, 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 with no 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 provides switch speeds of as much as 10Gbps. The most effective exterior arduous drives additionally help you switch information out of your Home windows PC to a Mac, or different machine, if appropriate. You should definitely take into account this beforehand should you plan to make use of your transportable drive throughout a number of gadgets.

Moreover, should you plan to take your drive on journeys and commutes, it’s worthwhile to purchase a mannequin with IP-certified water and mud proofing. Some firms like Samsung provide rugged variations of their hottest drives, together with the Samsung SSD T7 Protect, with a excessive endurance ranking. For extra peace of thoughts, 256-bit AES {hardware} encryption will assist stop somebody from accessing your information should you ever lose or misplace your exterior SSD.

A few of the identical options contribute to an ideal thumbstick drive. Our favourite picks for finest funds exterior SSD fashions function 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 Collection X|S or PS5, outfitting your fancy new console with the quickest doable storage is much extra simple than doing the identical on PC. With a Collection X or Collection S, your choices are restricted to choices from Seagate and Western Digital. The previous provides 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 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 inner 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 comprehensive guide to the best SSDs for PS5; briefly, your finest wager is a high-capacity Gen4 drive with a built-in heatsink. Take a look at that information for a full checklist 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 received’t run into any clearance points with the heatsink. Corsair provides 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 recreation load instances 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 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 an alternative.

SSD FAQs

What measurement SSD is finest?

There isn’t any one measurement suits all rule for SSDs, however we usually advocate getting at the least a 1TB SSD should 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 likely be a lot for most individuals who want further cupboard space for images, paperwork and applications. In case you’re a hardcore gamer, it’s possible you’ll need to put money into much more storage contemplating many high-profile titles at present can take up a ton of area.

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

The quick reply is that it will depend on what you want your drive for. Usually, SSDs are sooner and extra environment friendly than HDDs, however HDDs are often cheaper. We advocate springing for an SSD for many use circumstances at present — upgrading a PC, saving essential images and paperwork, storing video games long run, and so forth. However should you’re centered on getting essentially the most quantity of additional area doable (and sticking to a funds), an HDD could possibly be choice for you.

Does larger SSD imply sooner?

Getting an even bigger SSD doesn’t at all times translate right into a sooner drive general. An even bigger SSD will present a better storage capability, which implies more room for storing digital information and applications. To grasp how briskly an SSD will likely be, you’ll need 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 checklist their approximate learn/write speeds of their specs, so remember to try these numbers earlier than you make a purchase order.