Solid states drives are taking the lead in their relevance with gaming PCs and are likely to become a norm in the upcoming generation of gaming consoles. These offer top-tier performance and have an array of benefits, leading to their extensive adoption. Some of these include:
- Quicker boot time:Adopting the use of a credible SSD for gaming directly translates into less waiting time for your operating system to start up. SSDs operate at impressive speeds for data transfers and save the user several minutes.
- Higher performance: SSDs are known to save the user's time during each play session which sums up to numerous hours in the long run.
- Improved gameplay with peak performance: Most of the games perform numerous read and write operations and, therefore, require better read speeds due to hundreds of megabytes worth of data transfers. Therefore, the best SSD will offer faster random read speeds, ensuring consistent performance.
These are just a few reasons why SSDs are taking the lead among gamers.
Let's dig a bit deeper into the topic and show you our top choices for SSDs.
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What's the difference between M.2 vs SSD vs NVMe ?
You see the terms above thrown around without knowing what any of those mean?
No problem, we'll break it down for you.
So basically you only have to know that there are SATA SSDs and NVMe SSDs. NVMes are a more modern type of SSD and have better speed
The “M.2” simply described the form factor of the drive and you can get both SATA or NVMe SSDS in the M.2 form factor.
Breakdown:
- SATA M.2 – The SATA technology is a bit older and thus comes with slower read/write speeds (between 500 – 600 MB/s)
- NVME M.2 – NVME stands for non-volatile memory express and is an ultra high speed protocol used in SSDs. It's much faster than SATA at read/write speed between (1000 – 7000 MB/s)
Here's a great video showcasing the differences:
The speed difference when it comes to gaming is negligible, however, as you can see in this article.
A reddit user gave this hilarious analogy that fits perfectly:
“Think of it like the difference between driving a Ferrari or a Corolla, but you're in bumper-to-bumper traffic.”
Having said that, we still recommend a NVMe SSD as they are quite affordable these days and their pros simply outweigh the cons.
How much SSD storage do I need for my gaming pc?
One of the most important specifications for an external SSD is its storage capacity. If you aim to play modern PC games, you will need significant storage space. Over the past few years, install sizes have drastically increased due to widespread high-resolution assets with a larger memory footprint. These include 4k textures, which directly impact the drive's sequential performance.
Games are different in their art asset, audio, and video compressions methods. Various game developers opt for uncompressed assets to minimize the CPU's responsibility for decompressing assets.
Although some games do not take as much capacity as Modern Warfare, AAA titles are likely to increase in install size because the intricacy and quality of the assets will continue growing. Let's consider the install windows required size, which is approximately 20GB of capacity. A smaller external SSD is likely to be full after installing just one game with AAA titles.
Therefore, if you're looking to install numerous new game releases simultaneously, you may require at least 500GB for your primary drive. Other than the basics, it is all up to the user's preference. Suppose you're planning to install only a couple of titles on your gaming PC. In that case, your set of preferences will be different from those who wish to manage numerous gameplay highlights and an extensive game library.
The 3 Best SSDs for gaming
Now that you're aware of the specifics required to ensure the optimal gaming experience, we have a few recommendations that will take you a step closer to finding the best ssds.
These are listed as follows:
#1 The Samsung 980 PRO SSD
The Samsung 980 pro is our top choice.
Samsung Electronics 980 PRO SSD with Heatsink 1TB PCIe Gen 4 NVMe...
- ADOBE MEMBERSHIP: Get a two-month membership of Adobe Creative Cloud Photography plan on us when you purchase and register an eligible 1TB or 2TB Samsung SSD*.Specific uses: Gaming.Operating Temperature : 0 - 70 ℃ Operating Temperature
- ADOBE MEMBERSHIP: Get a two-month membership of Adobe Creative Cloud Photography plan on us when you purchase and register an eligible 1TB or 2TB Samsung SSD*.Specific uses: Gaming.Operating Temperature : 0 - 70 ℃ Operating Temperature
- NEXT-LEVEL PERFORMANCE W/MAXIMUM HEAT CONTROL: The integrated heatsink disperses heat to maintain speed, power efficiency, and thermal control, preventing downtime from overheating on Playstation 5 and PCs.Computer Platform:PC
- MAXIMUM SPEED: Powered by an in-house controller designed to harmonize the flash memory components and the interface for top speed – with a PCIe 4.0 interface that's 2x faster than PCIe 3.0 SSDs and 12x faster than Samsung SATA SSDs
- A WINNING COMBINATION: Achieve fully immersive gameplay with sustained high-performance bandwidth and throughput for heavy-duty applications in gaming, graphics, data analytics, and more
- SMART THERMAL CONTROL: 980 PRO with Heatsink uses Samsung's own nickel-coated high-end controller to deliver effective thermal control of the NAND chip; With the added heatsink, play confidently on PS5 gaming consoles and PC computers without performance drops from overheating
This NVMe SSD ensures steady performance and sustained loads combined to make this tailor-made for hardcore gamers with ultimate performance bandwidth for heavy applications. It offers high read speeds of up to 7000 MB/s ensuring minimal waiting time.
Its compact and portable M.2 2280 form factor ensures power efficiency, making it an exceptional choice for high-performance computing systems.
Overheating is out of the window with this PCIe 4.0 SSD because of its trustworthy thermal control (heatsink).
Its Samsung magician software consists of various tools to aid in keeping the SSD updated, regulate drive speed and health, and eventually lead to improved performance.
Reliable in-house components are used for its storage in well-known NAND and DRAM technologies, which allow quality end-to-end integration.
Features
- Exceptional SSD performance delivering twice the data transfer speed of PCIe 3.0
- Optimal speed featuring read speeds of up to 7000 MB/s
- Tailor-made for tech-savvy users and hardcore gamers. More playing, less waiting.
- Effective M.2 SSD technology.
- Five year warranty
- Dependable thermal maintenance.
- Deeply intuitive optimization tools.
- Heatsink (thermal control)
What We Like About Samsung 980 Pro
- Well-specced with write speeds of 5GB/s.
- 4k random performance of up to one million IOPS.
- 1GB of DDR4 cache.
- One of the best nvme ssds in the market.
- Five year warranty and pro-like endurance
- AES 256-bit hardware encryption
- Edged out Intel SSD 670p in
What We Don't Like About Samsung 980 Pro
- WD black sn850 exceeds in its performance operating at 300MB/s.
- Lowered performance after 140GB of sustained writes.
- Current line-up tops at 2TB
- Slow write speeds post filling of SLC caches.
- No major upgrade of outright performance over 970 ssds
- Light workloads
Pros & Cons
pros
- Sony PS5- compatible
- Competitive price
- Good specs all-round
cons
- Average 4k random write performance
- Limited write endurance rating
What The Reviews / Users say about Samsung 980 Pro SSD for gaming
An overall 4.5-star rating shows that customers associate plenty of redeemable qualities to the Samsung 980 Pro due to its capacity storage, high performance, adequate read/write speeds, and competitive price.
#2 The Crucial P5 Plus
Crucial P5 Plus 1TB PCIe 4.0 3D NAND NVMe M.2 Gaming SSD,...
- PCIe 4.0 NVMe technology with up to 6600MB/s sequential reads, random read/write 630K/700K IOPS
- Engineered for hardcore gamers, professionals, creatives who demand high-performance computing, works well with PS5 and has Heatsink compatibility
- PCIe 4.0 NVMe technology with up to 6600MB/s sequential reads, random read/write 630K/700K IOPS
- Engineered for hardcore gamers, professionals, creatives who demand high-performance computing, works well with PS5 and has Heatsink compatibility
- Built on our own leading Micron Advanced 3D NAND and innovative controller technology
- Rated at MTTF greater than 2 million hours for extended longevity and reliability
- 5-year limited warranty or up to the max endurance rating of 600 TBW
The crucial P5 plus comes with NVMe SSD technology with exceptional sequential speeds of up to 6600MB/s and random read/write speeds of 630/700 IOPS.
This NVMe SSD has specifications that resonate with high-performance and tech-savvy professionals, gamers, and creatives that require exceptional computing. It has also PS5 and Heatsink compatibility.
One of the few PCIe 4.0 x4 to be ranked as a solid value for next-generation performance solid state drives at an affordable price.
It specifically focuses on optimizing reliability and workloads with sequential speeds of up to 6.6GBps.
Features
- Five year warranty
- Capacities of 500GB, 1TB and 2TB available.
- Varying hardware interface according to storage capacity. PCI express x4.0 is available for 1TB and 2TB.
- Saves data from theft in case of loss of hardware to unforeseen circumstances.
- AES 256-bit full-disk encryption is dependent on TCG OPAL 2.0 specification.
What We Like About Crucial P5 Plus
- Flexible usage: compatible with Gen3 system upgrade and Gen4 new build.
- Faster boot drive and minimal waiting time.
- Ideal nvme SSD for intensive video editing, content creation, and gaming uses.
- Nearly two times faster than the previous generation with reliable advanced NAND PCIe 4.0 technology.
- Exceptional thermal protection, dynamic write speeds, innovative controller technology, encryption, and error correction.
What We Don't Like About Crucial P5 Plus
- Inadequate efficiency under load.
- High power consumption.
- No heatsink is included in the price.
Pros & Cons
pros
- Exceptional performance and competitive pricing
- AES 256-bit encryption that is hardware-based
- Aesthetically pleasing designed nvme SSD
- Software package
- Five year warranty
cons
- There is no heatsink included in the initial purchase.
- Better TBW ratings are available.
- Faster SSDs are available at a relatively higher price.
What The Reviews / Users say about Crucial P5 Plus
Its 4.5-star rating reflects adequate customer satisfaction with the SSD for gaming. However, it is not considered the fastest SSD in the PCIe gen.
However, its balance of performance and price is a common cause of appreciation and is considered unmatched. Despite no heatsink available, its management software and added cloning are a cause of appreciation.
#3 The Kingston Fury Renegade
Kingston Fury Renegade 1TB PCIe Gen 4.0 NVMe M.2 Internal Gaming SSD...
- Incredible PCIe Gen 4x4 NVMe performance at speeds up to 7300MB/s read and 7000MB/s write
- Low profile graphene aluminum heat spreader
- Slim M.2 2280 form factor for enhanced gaming experience on your rig and laptop
- Incredible PCIe Gen 4x4 NVMe performance at speeds up to 7300MB/s read and 7000MB/s write
- Low profile graphene aluminum heat spreader
- Slim M.2 2280 form factor for enhanced gaming experience on your rig and laptop
- High capacity options up to 4TB to store your games and media
Kingston has been a leading digital publisher and has offered a range of benefits through its products.
Kingston Fury Renegade is available at varying prices for four storage capacities, including 500GB, 1TB, 2TB, and 4TB.
This NVMe SSD offers an exceptional pcie gen 4×4 NVMe SSD performance with high speeds of 7000Mb/s write performance and 7300Mb/s read.
Portable and compact slim M.2 2280 form factor for unmatched gaming experience on your laptop and rig.
An all-time high capacity option of 4TB to store media and games and allow large file transfers.
Features
- One of the fastest SSD in the market.
- Similar performance with lower price.
- Higher write endurance.
- Referred to as PS5 ready and is specific to gaming.
- Offers a 300 MBps increase, bandwith of 7.3 GBps , and approximately 1 million IOPS beyond its PCIe 4.0 interface.
- The Kingston Fury Renegade offers sequential speeds of 7.3/7.0 GBps read/write and 1M/1M random read/write IOPS.
What We Like About Kingston Fury Renegade
- Peak bandwidth and high burst performance with PCIe 4.0 support.
- Good thermal control.
- Good energy metrics.
- Strong five year warranty.
What We Don't Like About Kingston Fury Renegade
- It may be on the pricier end of the spectrum.
Pros & Cons
pros
- Exceptional PCIe 4.0 performance.
- Top-notch write endurance and write speeds.
- Low operating temperatures.
cons
- Heavy on the pocket.
- 4k performance is on the bridge to be competitive.
What The Reviews / Users say about Kingston Fury Renegade SSD
This 4.5-star product in the SSD market is commonly known as one of the best SSD for gaming due to its exceptional specifications.
It is known to be one of the fast drives with high sequential performance and transfer speeds. Moreover, it offers more write endurance and write speeds than its predecessor.
Conclusion
Investing in the best SSD can be taxing because of the amount of research required before finding one with solid performance, adequate transfer speeds, and viable storage capacity.
However, the current market condition calls for the above-mentioned NVMe SSDs as the top in the market. If you're a tech-savvy user and wish to enjoy the full gaming experience, these SSDs promise exceptional performance.
