The Best SSDs in 2023

Storage drives are now faster than ever. Ever since we escaped the bandwidth limitations of traditional SATA connections, we have seen sequential data transfer rates go exponentially higher. It became hardly impressive anymore to see a few thousand megabytes per second of sequential speeds.

But, how would these crazy specifications be actually practical for standard use? The latest PCIe 5.0 drives even promise more than five digits, clocking well over the ten-thousand megabytes per second range. Would the older PCIe 3.0 drives be totally obsolete soon?

Nope, not at all. If boot drives SATA SSD is still a thing in 2023, then we’re not even close to their obsolescence. But, to be fair, PCIe 4.0/5.0 SSDs do offer other practical advantages, depending on what you intend to do with them.

In this guide, we explain how to choose the best SSD for you, including external SSDs. We look at the basics and the more advanced features for peak performance. We finish off by recommending the best SATA SSDs, including the best prices. Note: This list is based on SSDs we feel are the better value using real-world tests.

Basic SSD Specifications

These are the specifications that would typically be listed in an SSD’s product information:

1. Form Factor and interface

SSDs plugged internally into the PC come in two main flavors: SATA and M.2. The traditional wired version is SATA. The M.2 connection is then divided into M-SATA, which still uses the SATA interface, and NVMe, which uses a PCIe connection. Nowadays, M-SATA is effectively obsolete, since its main advantages have since been supplanted by NVMe SSDs (direct install, no additional wiring, etc.).

2. Capacity

Self-explanatory specification. Pretty much what all consumers first look for in any storage drive. For boot drives (where the OS is installed) 240GB is the absolute minimum, but we do recommend bumping it up to 500GB to provide room for other programs, and maybe a few games.

3. Speeds

Advertised speeds generally refer to the sequential data transfer rate of the SSDs. That is, writing or reading files allocated together within the same/adjacent data blocks. Random read/write speeds, where data is accessed from different parts of the SSDs, are entirely different. SATA SSDs generally max out at 500 MB/s. PCIe 3.0 range from 1000-4000 MB/s. PCIe 4.0 expand to 4000-7000 MBs. The newest PCIe 5.0 SSDs exceed more than 10,000 MB/s.

4. TBW (Terabytes Written)

the standard longevity metric of SSDs. NAND technology’s inherent limitation is that there is only a finite number of writes that can be done for each of its data cells. TBW is the mean value of this restriction for each SDD model. Unless you are a complete data hog and consistently write gigabytes of data on your SSD every single day, you don’t really have to worry about this spec at all. Something else would usually malfunction first before you actually run out of writable data.

5. PCIe Generation

Only applicable for M.2 NVMe drives. Each successive generation has higher potential bandwidth than the last, though the actual speeds would still depend on the manufacturer. For example, both the Samsung 970 Pro and Kingston NV2 have advertised sequential write speeds of 3,500 MB/s, despite the former being PCIe 3.0, and the latter PCIe 4.0.

Oh and to note, PCIe 3.0 is the same as PCIe Gen3, 4.0 for Gen4, and 5.0 for Gen5. 

Advanced SSD Specifications

These specifications are mostly hidden (not advertised), and usually only accessible when you download the particular SSD model’s spec sheet. Though, you can actually also look at the PCB itself to check the individual components that represent these specs:

1. NAND type

This refers to how each 3D NAND data cell is structured. Generally, the lesser bits inside each cell, the better for data integrity, but it also gets more expensive. TLC (triple-level cell) is the most common, followed by QLC (quad-level cell). QLC drives are often frowned upon by enthusiasts due to the overall lower quality of such products. 

But, if purchased at a reasonable (promo discount) price, they still function very well as backup data drives, and are definitely still faster and much more reliable than traditional HDDs.

2. Controller

Mainly controls the data instructions for the drive when communicating with the system. Not really a concern for the average consumer anymore. But it might provide added insight into the overall quality of the drive for enthusiasts. For NVMe drives, you can easily see the memory controller name when you peel off the drive sticker (usually voids the product’s warranty, however).

3. Memory Management Type

In order for an SSD to efficiently map out its contents, it requires the use of a sort of RAM. A dedicated DRAM buffer, therefore, tracks the SSDs data as it writes, moves, or transfers, making adjustments to ensure that the flash memory is working optimally. DRAM-less SATA SSDs provide the same function by using part of the NAND capacity itself as the DRAM, while HMB (Host Memory Buffer) for PCIe NVMe drives borrows part of the system’s memory to create the virtual data map. 

For software installations or boot drives, SSDs with DRAM is often recommended. However, with mid-range PCIe 3.0 and PCIe 4.0 drives, HMB is generally sufficient enough, unless you are a power user that transfers 100GBs of data per session constantly.

4. SLC Cache

This is the dedicated “fast-write” amount that an NVMe SSD can provide in order to maintain its advertised write speeds. Once this amount is reached, it will revert to its original 3D NAND configuration transfer rate until the data transfer is complete (it recovers once the drive goes back to idle). Unfortunately, there is no way to check the SLC cache value by the average consumer unless the product is manually stress tested first.

So, What to Look for in an SSD Today?

Collecting what we now know about SSDs specs, your objectives should be:

• Get SSDs with a five-year warranty whenever you can. Only go for 3-year warranty SSDs if the specs or prices are good enough to overcome the warranty limitation. A solid overall performance can sometimes be worth a shorter warranty.
• For casual use, daily driving, and gaming, SATA SSDs with DRAM should still work well. The upper economical limit would be mid-range PCIe 4.0 drives.
• For power users like graphic designers, 3D game programmers, and video content creators, mid-range PCIe 4.0 drives (5,000+ MB/s sequential speeds) should be your starting point. You will experience faster game loading times, excellent performance, and much more.
• Boot drives should ALWAYS be an SSD with DRAM, or at least a good quality HMB PCIe NVMe SSD.
• If possible, push your budget towards a 1TB model, as this is typically the capacity level where you get the most byte-per-dollar. (Considerable losses below 1TB, negligible gains above 1TB). A higher SSD capacity will eliminate the need for an external SSD.
• For non-work-related standard archive drives, cheaper DRAM-less SSDs will do. 
• TLC/3D NAND drives are always your default choice. Only go for the cheaper QLC if the drive will not be used for heavy software installation purposes, or will not transfer huge amounts of data regularly.
• 200 TBW is the average target value for drive longevity, although even 100 TBW is still perfectly fine for generational use. (100 TBW =  54GB data written per day for 5 years)
• Double-check the NAND type of the particular capacity you are purchasing, not just the model itself. The cheap Crucial P2 SSD, for example, uses TLC only at 1TB and 2TB capacities, while it uses QLC for anything lower.
• If reading reviews, check the section for sustained (not sequential) speeds. This will let you know the SSD’s specific speed limitations. Using the same Crucial P2 as an example, it is an HMB-type TLC NVMe SSD that operates 2,000 MB/s optimally, but will lower down to 350+ MB/s once it tries to copy more than 80GB of data per session. For its QLC version, the speed will even gradually go down further to just 40 MB/s when pushed way beyond its limits.

IMPORTANT NOTE: When dealing with multiple storage sources, data drives will only be as fast as the interface that communicates with them. For example, even if you have a blazing fast PCIe 4.0 Sabrent Rocket SSD (7,000 MB/s sequential), it will not be able to exceed the speed limitations of your basic 40 MB/s USB 3.0 thumb drive.

DISCLAIMER: The following product recommendations will have a huge bias for their price-to-practical-performance value, as well as current availability in 2023. Of course, we will still reserve the best slots for those who will have specific use cases for such impressive speeds.

Best SATA SSDs in 2023 (For Value)

Here’s our list of the best SATA SSDs in 2023:

1. Crucial MX500
2. Western Digital WD Blue
3. HP S700 Pro
4. Samsung 870 Evo

Check out all of the details for each SSD below, including today’s best deals if you’re ready to purchase.

Crucial MX500

Crucial MX500 Specifications
NAND Type	TLC 3D NAND
Form Factor	SATA
Capacities	250GB, 500GB, 1TB, 2TB, 4TB
Seq. Read	560 MB/s
Seq. Write	510 MB/s
TBW	250GB: 100, 500GB: 180, 1TB: 360, 2TB: 700, 4TB: 1000
Warranty	Five-year warranty
Has DRAM	Yes
Best Price	Buy on Amazon

At the top of our list of the best SSDs is the Crucial MX500. The tried and tested price-to-performance contender after all these years. Actually, in raw value alone and technologically, the Crucial P2 has since then taken its place. But, if you need a SATA SSD in 2022, this is still the absolute best pick for any system. It pretty much has the same sustained and sequential write speeds so long as you’re transferring large files, and as long as the system is modern enough to handle the bandwidth.

Western Digital WD Blue

Western Digital WD Blue Specifications
NAND Type	TLC 3D NAND
Form Factor	SATA
Capacities	250GB, 500GB, 1TB, 2TB, 4TB
Seq. Read	560 MB/s
Seq. Write	530 MB/s
TBW	250GB: 100, 500GB: 200, 1TB: 400, 2TB: 500, 4TB: 600
Warranty	Five-year warranty
Has DRAM	Yes
Best Price	Buy on Amazon

Another classic SSD that stood the test of time. The SATA SSD version of the WD Blue product line has proved to be some of the most reliable SSDs ever produced on the market, rivaled only by the nigh statistical perfection of Samsung SSDs. They’re usually a tiny bit pricier than the MX500 though, so it should generally be a secondary pick. Performance-wise, they’re pretty much the same, delivering stellar sustained data transfer performance with no compromises, sometimes even when writing multiple small files together.

HP S700 Pro

HP S700 Pro Specifications
NAND Type	TLC 3D NAND
Form Factor	SATA
Capacities	128GB, 256GB, 512GB, 1TB
Seq. Read	560 MB/s
Seq. Write	520 MB/s, 460 MB/s (128GB only)
TBW	80, 256GB: 165, 512GB: 340, 1TB: 650
Warranty	Three-year warranty
Has DRAM	Yes (S700 non-Pro is DRAMless)
Best Price	Buy on Amazon

This one is an unlikely candidate, climbing up the ranks simply due to times having changed. Normally, we would have something else for this spot, like a Sandisk Ultra 3D, or Adata SU800. Incidentally, the S700 Pro has almost the same innards as the SU800, only slightly more optimized. This results in being able to operate in its full state without ever failing or throttling down. The S700 Pro also turned out to be far more available today, at reasonable prices, hence it was chosen as one of our top SATA picks for 2023.

Samsung 870 Evo

Samsung 870 Evo Specifications
NAND Type	MLC V-NAND 3bit
Form Factor	SATA
Capacities	250GB, 500GB, 1TB, 2TB, 4TB
Seq. Read	560 MB/s
Seq. Write	530 MB/s
TBW	150, 500GB: 300, 1TB: 600, 2TB: 1,200, 4TB: 2,400
Warranty	Five-year warranty
Has DRAM	Yes (S700 non-Pro is DRAMless)
Best Price	Buy on Amazon

This class of SSD formerly belonged to premium-level drives. But today, with new storage capacity technologies around and far more competition ahead, Samsung’s finally released its most aggressively priced storage product. The 870 Evo is undoubtedly the best of all in the context of price. While not exceedingly better than the previous entries raw performance-wise, it is backed up by more robust memory management systems and reliable warranty policies, so it is still a cut above the rest. A definite buy whenever sold at promo discounts.

Best PCIe 3.0 (Gen3) NVMe SSDs in 2023 (For Value)

Here’s our list of the best PCIe 3.0 (Gen3) NVMe SSDs in 2023:

1. Sabrent Rocket
2. Crucial P5
3. Western Digital WD Blue SN570
4. Samsung 980

Here’s some more information on the best SSD options (PCIe 3.0 Gen3 NVMe):

Sabrent Rocket Gen3

Sabrent Rocket Gen3 Specifications
NAND Type	TLC 3D NAND
Form Factor	M.2 2280
Capacities	1TB, 2TB, 4TB
Seq. Read	3,400 MB/s
Seq. Write	3,000 MB/s
TBW	1TB: 1,665, 2TB: 3,115, 4TB: 6,000 (approx.)
Warranty	Five-year warranty
Has DRAM	Yes
Best Price	Buy on Amazon

While Sabrent Rocket Gen4 is the better one nowadays, the demand for the product is quite high that it remains somewhat lucratively expensive even today. The older version, on the other hand, has since then balanced out its retail price, and can now be found at prices similar to entry-level PCIe 4.0 drives. Rocket SSDs have some of the craziest TBW available, with the cheapest one (1TB) sitting at a whopping 1,665 TBW.

The Sabrent Rocket Gen3 can write roughly 150GB of data before it runs out of SLC cache, degrading to about 1,000 MB/s for the remainder of the data transfer session.

Crucial P5

Crucial P5 Specifications
NAND Type	TLC 3D NAND
Form Factor	M.2 2280
Capacities	250GB, 500GB, 1TB. 2TB
Seq. Read	3,400 MB/s
Seq. Write	3,000 MB/s, 1,400 MB/s (250GB only)
TBW	250GB: 150, 500GB: 300, 1TB: 600. 2TB: 1,200
Warranty	Five-year warranty
Has DRAM	Yes
Best Price	Buy on Amazon

Basically the most premium model of Crucials PCIe Gen3 SSD lineup. Unlike the P2 and P3, the P5 has its dedicated DRAM, and upped the speeds to max out its connection bandwidth. P5’s price gap is also no longer as wide as the two lower-spec models, so they have become the default choice for Gen3. Aside from performance versatility, its pure black design also helps, directly competing with the likes of Gigabyte Aorus and Corsair MP series SSDs.

The Crucial P5 can write a good 200GB of data before it runs out of SLC cache, degrading to about 1,100 MB/s for the remainder of the data transfer session.

Western Digital WD Blue SN570

Western Digital WD Blue SN570 Specifications
NAND Type	TLC 3D NAND
Form Factor	M.2 2280
Capacities	250GB, 500GB, 1TB
Seq. Read	3,500 MB/s
Seq. Write	250GB: 1,200 MB/s, 500GB: 2,300 MB/s, 1TB: 3,000 MB/s
TBW	250GB: 250GB: 150, 500GB: 300, 1TB: 600
Warranty	Five-year warranty
Has DRAM	No (HMB)
Best Price	Buy on Amazon

This SN550 is generally considered one of the best NVMe SSDs that started the trend of HMB-based boot drives (as opposed to always strictly relying on those with DRAM). Its successor the SN570, continues that trend, although, in a move to save manufacturing costs, ended up compromising a bit on sustained performance. Still a very cheap SSD though compared to the WD Black SN750, and works well enough that it is still considered a top pick despite its flaws.

The WD Blue SN570 can write roughly 14GB of data before it runs out of SLC cache, degrading to about 600 MB/s for the remainder of the data transfer session. It recovers pretty much instantly right after it becomes idle.

Samsung 980

Samsung 980 Specifications
NAND Type	TLC V-NAND
Form Factor	M.2 2280
Capacities	250GB, 500GB, 1TB
Seq. Read	250GB: 2,900 MB/s, 500GB: 3,100 MB/s, 1TB: 3,500 MB/s
Seq. Write	1,300 MB/s, 500GB: 2,600 MB/s, 1TB: 3,000 MB/s
TBW	250GB: 150, 500GB: 300, 1TB: 600
Warranty	Five-year warranty
Has DRAM	No (HMB)
Best Price	Buy on Amazon

Like the 870 Evo, the Samsung 980 was once considered a premium product spec-wise. Nowadays, you can find them at promo discounts, thanks to the widespread availability of PCIe 4.0 drives. Performance-wise, it sits at the upper end of the PCIe 3.0 bandwidth line, offering speeds starting 3,000 MB/s. While DRAMless, it has great HMB limitations, and can quickly recover its SLC cache in minutes after a data transfer session ends. 

The Samsung 980 can write roughly 100GB of data before it runs out of SLC cache, degrading to about 300 MB/s for the remainder of the data transfer session. Cache recovery time is fairly quicker than most other PCIe 3.0 drivers.

PCIe Gen3 NVMe SSD Honorable Mentions (or alternatives)

• Mushkin Enhanced Pilot-E
• Silicon Power P34A80 (500GB variant)
• Teamgroup MP34 (low SLC cache, but has DRAM)
• XPG SX8200 Pro

Best PCIe 4.0 (Gen4) NVMe SSDs in 2023 (for Value)

Here’s our list of the best PCIe 4.0 (Gen4) NVMe SSDs:

1. Silicon Power XS70
2. Crucial P5 Plus
3. Teamgroup Cardea Zero Z440 Graphene
4. Kingston NV2

Here’s a little more detail on each of the best SSDs (PCIe 4.0 Gen4 NVMe)on the above list:

Silicon Power XS70

Silicon Power XS70 Specifications
NAND Type	TLC 3D NAND
Form Factor	M.2 2280
Capacities	1TB, 2TB, 4TB
Seq. Read	7,300 MB/s
Seq. Write	6,800 MB/s, 6,000 MB/s (1TB only)
TBW	1TB: 700, 2TB: 1,400, 4TB: 3,000
Warranty	Five-year warranty
Has DRAM	Yes
Best Price	Buy on Amazon

While premium storage drives duke it out in the market at prices already considered exorbitant to some, Silicon Power remains down-to-earth with a  price tag that is still considered good, while reaching out to the edge of PCIe 4.0’s speed limits. Heatsink design is also pretty cool (pun intended), unlike most that are usually just big hunks of thick fins. It is one of the premier drive recommendations for a secondary PS5 drive, which should also tell you how reliable this next-gen SSD can be.

The Silicon Power XS70 can write roughly 230GB of data before it runs out of SLC cache, degrading to about 4,000 MB/s afterward. It then degrades further to 1,500 MB/s after 400GB of data is written for the remainder of the data transfer session.

Crucial P5 Plus

Crucial P5 Plus Specifications
NAND Type	TLC 3D NAND
Form Factor	M.2 2280
Capacities	500GB, 1TB, 2TB
Seq. Read	6,600 MB/s
Seq. Write	5,000 MB/s, 4,000 MB/s (500GB only)
TBW	500GB: 300, 1TB: 600, 2TB: 1,200
Warranty	Five-year warranty
Has DRAM	Yes
Best Price	Buy on Amazon

This is our top pick as the most balanced SSD in terms of price, specs, performance, and technological design. Like most other price-focused PCIe 4.0 drive recommendations, is right at the middle of PCIe 4.0 max bandwidth, with a wide enough SLC cache that is more than enough for everyday work. Sadly though, it doesn’t have its own heatsink, but thankfully motherboards have been providing them lately even at lower-tier models (check out our list of the best B650 Motherboards)

The Crucial P5 Plus can write roughly 130GB of data before it runs out of SLC cache, degrading to about 1,000 MB/s for the remainder of the data transfer session.

Teamgroup Cardea Zero Z440 Graphene

Teamgroup Cardea Zero Z440 Graphene Specifications
NAND Type	TLC 3D NAND
Form Factor	M.2 2280
Capacities	1TB, 2TB
Seq. Read	5,000 MB/s
Seq. Write	4,000 MB/s
TBW	1TB: 1,800, 2TB: 3,600
Warranty	Five-year warranty
Has DRAM	Yes
Best Price	Buy on Amazon

If you want another alternative with a healthy balance of speed, reliability, and cost, the rather mouthful Cardea Zero Z440 Graphene is one of the better alternatives at the moment. Originally, it would have been beaten by the likes of Corsair MP600 and XPG Gammix S50. But right now, it is one of the lower-cost PCIe 4.0 drives that doesn’t compromise performance. Should any of the two aforementioned SSDs get promo discounts, they would be very good alternatives as well.

The Teamgroup Cardea Zero Z440 Graphene can write roughly 110GB of data before it runs out of SLC cache, degrading to about 800 MB/s for the remainder of the data transfer session.

Kingston NV2

Kingston NV2 Specifications
NAND Type	TLC 3D NAND
Form Factor	M.2 2280
Capacities	500GB, 1TB, 2TB
Seq. Read	6,600 MB/s
Seq. Write	5,000 MB/s, 4,000 MB/s (500GB only)
TBW	500GB: 300, 1TB: 600, 2TB: 1,200
Warranty	Three-year warranty
Has DRAM	No (HMB)
Best Price	Buy on Amazon

If you’re not really concerned about exceeding PCIe 3.0 speeds but still want the technological efficiency PCIe 4.0, the Kingston NV2 will be your cheapest, most reliable option. It is technically the successor of the A2000, another great super-budget SSD from Kingston. It doesn’t have a DRAM cache, but it still performs much, much better than the very inferior NV1 variant.

The Kingston NV2 can write roughly 90GB of data before it runs out of SLC cache, degrading to about 800 MB/s afterward. It then jumps back on forth between 600 and 80 MB/s after 800GB of data is written for the remainder of the data transfer session.

PCIe Gen4 NVMe SSD Honorable Mentions (or alternatives)

• Sabrent Rocket 4 Plus
• Kingston KC3000
• Western Digital WD Black SN770
• Silicon Power UD90

Best PCIe 5.0 (Gen5) NVMe SSDs in 2023

As of this article’s writing, there are no PCIe 5.0 drives available just yet. That being said, there are already motherboard chipsets supporting PCIe 5.0 x4 M.2 connections (AMD B650, Intel Z790, to name a few), so we know that it’s just a short matter of time before they become commercially available.

Based on the data already publicly available (via the PCIe 5.0 standards), sequential speeds for these new SSDs will now go upwards of 10,000 MB/s at minimum. For comparison, PCIe 3.0 and PCIe 4.0 maxes out at 4,000 MB/ and 8,000 MB/s respectively. Because of this jump in transfer rates, heatsinks might be mandatory for even the most basic models. A few might even require active cooling (fans).

That being said, using these SSDs for practical, everyday use might not really be worth it just yet. If just for loading games, the performance difference is still very minimal, regardless of using SATA or PCIe SSD. Even if DirectStorage support were to be implemented on new games in the next few months, it is highly likely that PCIe 4.0 drives with at least 5,000 MB/s sequential rates will still be more than enough for the feature.

So the only ones who would need such insane read/write speeds are, again, the ones constantly dealing with large files: graphic designers, 3D game programmers, and video content creators. Especially now, with the shift to adopt newer engines like Unreal Engine 5, and the push for ultra-high-quality 4K photography and recording. For them, the investment to drop almost $500 for the hottest and freshest PCIe 5.0 drives will be well worth their value.

Even if it includes early adopter tax.

Best SSDs: Frequently Asked Questions

What does an SSD do?

An SSD (Solid State Drives) is a type of storage device that uses NAND-based flash memory, which offers faster read/write speeds than traditional mechanical hard drives. This allows for quicker boot times, as well as improved performance when loading applications or large file transfers.

Additionally, SSDs are more reliable and consume less power than HDDs, making them ideal for use in laptops and other mobile devices. Furthermore, their lack of moving parts makes them less susceptible to physical damage and data loss due to shock or vibration. Finally, because the components used in an SSD are smaller than those used in an HDD, they can often be much lighter and thinner than equivalent HDDs. Altogether these factors make SSDs an attractive choice for those looking to maximize storage and performance. With the right setup, an SSD can help make computing faster, more efficient, and reliable.

What’s the difference between write speed and read speed?

The speed at which data can be written to and read from a storage device is measured in megabytes per second (MB/s). Write speeds refer to how quickly data can be saved or stored onto the drive, while read speeds refer to how quickly that same data can be retrieved. Generally speaking, write speeds are lower than read speeds as writing data takes more time and energy than retrieving it. The exact speed of a drive will depend on its type, model, and interface being used to transfer the data. Nevertheless, most drives are rated for both write speeds and read speeds so buyers can know how fast their device is before purchasing.

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