Best SSDs for Gaming in 2024

These are the best NVME SSDs currently available.

In the market for a new SSD? In this post, we’ve highlighted some of the best NVME solid state drive options currently available. We’ve listed the top options for DDR5 memory, the best RGB kits, the top low-profile options, and the best budget-oriented RAM.

If you’re new to purchasing an SSD, though, we highly recommend that you watch our beginner’s guide on choosing an SSD so that you’ll feel confident that you’re choosing the right drive for your needs and budget.

Update: With the release of Gen5 SSDs and the continuing drop in price for NVME SSDs overall, we’ve completely eliminated SATA SSDs from this list. SATA SSDs are still fine options, but as Gen3 NVME SSDs can be had for similar prices to SATA SSDs, there aren’t a whole lot of reasons to choose a SATA SSD over an NVME SSD anymore. The one exception would be for users who need to utilize multiple SSDs and have used all available M.2 ports on their motherboard.

Watch: What to Look for in An SSD

Watch our Beginner’s Guide to Choosing an SSD below, or on our YouTube channel.

Quick Look: SSD Comparison

The table below compares our picks for the best SSDs across a variety of categories, including the best Gen5 SSD, our runner-up pick, the largest NVME SSD, the best Gen4 SSD, the best value option, a budget-friendly choice, and the best external SSD.

		NAME	SPECS
GEN5		TEAMGROUP T-Force Z540	PCIe 5.0 Up to 2TB R: 12,400 MB/s W: 11,800 MB/s	Check Price Read Review »
RUNNER-UP		Crucial T700	PCIe 5.0 Up to 4TB R: 12,400 MB/s W: 11,800 MB/s	Check Price Read Review »
LARGEST		Sabrent Rocket 4 Plus	PCIe 4.0 Up to 8TB R: 7,100 MB/s W: 6,600 MB/s	Check Price Read Review »
GEN4		Samsung 990 Pro	PCIe 4.0 Up to 4TB R: 7,450 MB/s W: 6,900 MB/s	Check Price Read Review »
VALUE		PNY XLR8 CS3140	PCIe 4.0 Up to 4TB R: 7,500 MB/s W: 5,650 MB/s	Check Price Read Review »
BUDGET		TEAMGROUP MP33	PCIe 3.0 Up to 4TB R: 1,800 MB/s W: 1,500 MB/s	Check Price Read Review »
EXTERNAL		Western Digital P50	USB 3.2 Gen2 Up to 4TB R: 2,000 MB/s W: 2,000 MB/s	Check Price Read Review »

*For more information on the solid state drives above, click the “Read Review »” link and you will skip to our overview of that SSD.

1. TEAMGROUP T-Force Z540

The best Gen5 SSD

If you’re after extreme SSD performance, then TEAMGROUP’s T-Force Z540 should be at the top of your list of options to consider. The TEAMGROUP T-Force Z540 is a 5th generation NVME SSD that sports sequential read speeds of up to 12,400 MB/s and sequential write speeds of up to 11,800 MB/S.

This NVME drive is available in either 1TB or 2TB capacities. It comes with a 5-year warranty or up to 1400TB-written.

When it comes to performance, the T-Force Z540 performs on par with other top Gen 5 NVME SSD options (like the Crucial T700). Although, admittedly, there still aren’t a whole lot of Gen 5 SSDs out there. But, for now, of the Gen 5 options, the T-Force meets or exceed the competition in terms of pure performance.

The one true competitor to the T-Force Z540 is Crucial’s T700 drive (listed below.) And, while both drives perform fairly similarly, we gave the nod to TEAMFORCE’s offering due to the fact that it comes in at about ~$30 cheaper for both the 1TB and 2TB options.

So, for right now, with similar performance and a lower pricetag, the TEAMGROUP’s T-Force Z540 is our pick for the best Gen 5 SSD currently available.

2. Crucial T700

Our runner-up Gen5 pick

Another excellent PCIe 5.0 NVME SSD option is Crucial’s T700. Crucial was one of the first to launch their Gen 5 SSDs, and their T700 has widely considered to be the best option for the past ~6 months.

However, with the release of TEAMGROUP’s  T-Force Z540, Crucial has its first real competitor. Like the Z540, the T700 comes with sequential read speeds of up to 12,400 MB/s and sequential write speeds of up to 11,800 MB/s.

It’s available in 1TB, 2TB, and 4TB capacities. And, really, that’s the one area where the T700 stands out over the Z540; you cannot currently get a Z540 in a capacity of over 2TB. So, if you’re looking for a 4TB SSD, the T700 will be the drive for you.

But all other things considered, these two SSDs will perform on par with each other. So, the decision really comes down to price. As we mentioned above, the Z540 is priced ~$30 cheaper than the T700 across the 1TB and 2TB offerings. Unless the price of the T700 comes down, we’d recommend saving some money and opting for the Z540 instead.

3. Sabrent Rocket 4 Plus

The largest capacity NVME SSD

For those of you that need as much storage capacity as possible, the Sabrent Rocket 4 Plus offers Gen 4 NVME SSD drives with capacities as big as 8TB.

The Rocket 4 Plus is no slouch when it comes to performance, as well. It offers sequential read speeds up to 7,100 MB/s and sequential write speeds up to 6,600 MB/s.

As a comparison, the Rocket 4 Plus offers slightly slower speeds than our top Gen 4 SSD pick, the Samsung 990 Pro (which is listed below). And, since both drives cost about the same you might be wondering why you’d choose the Rocket 4 Plus over the 990 Pro.

Where the Rocket 4 Plus will really make sense for buyers is for those who need large single-drive capacity. With an 8TB version, Sabrent’s Rocket 4 Plus is one of only a few NVME SSD options that offer more than 4TB of storage.

So, if your goal is to get the biggest Gen 4 NVME SSD you can find, and price is no concern, then this 8TB NVME SSD from Sabrent is the option for you. If you’re looking for a smaller drive, Sabrent’s other Rocket 4 Plus options are solid alternatives as well, but Samsung’s 990 Pro will offer slightly better performance for a similar price.

4. Samsung 990 Pro

The best Gen4 SSD

For gaming purposes, you like won’t see a difference in performance between Gen 4 and Gen 5 drives. And, since Gen 5 prices are nearly double Gen 4 prices right now, it makes sense to skip Gen 5 for now.

Right now, our pick for the best Gen 4 NVME SSD—the Samsung 990 PRO—costs ~$140 (for the 2TB drive) and our pick for the best Gen 5 NVME SSD—the TEAMGROUP T-Force Z540—costs ~$260 (also for the 2TB version).

This Samsung 990 Pro offers sequential read speeds of up to 7,450 MB/s and sequential write speeds of up to 6,900 MB/s. For ~$120 more, the T-Force Z540 offers close to double the sequential read and write speeds. However, it’s important to note that  that will not result in double the performance in the majority of scenarios, especially in gaming.

If you’re doing a lot of video editing or graphics design work, though, a Gen 5 SSD might make more sense as you would actually see a real-world performance advantage.

Ultimately, if your main focus is gaming performance, you will be fine choosing a Gen 4 SSD. And, of the Gen 4 SSDs out there, none offer better read/write speeds than Samsung’s 990 Pro.

5. PNY XLR8 CS3140

A solid value Gen4 SSD option

If you’re looking to save some money without sacrificing too much performance, one Gen 4 SSD option worth considering is PNY’s XLR8 CS3140 drives. And, more specifically, their 1TB offering.

The XLR8 CS3140 offers similar read/write speeds (7,500/6,850 MB/s) as the Samsung Pro 990 on their 2TB and 4TB drives. However, the real value option is PNY’s 1TB XLR8 CS3140, which can be had for only ~$65.

That’s about ~$20 cheaper than Samsung’s 1TB version of the Pro 990.

The 1TB XLR8 CS3140 does come with slower write speeds (5,650 MB/s) than the 1TB Pro 990. That isn’t an insiginificant drop in write speeds. And, if you’re planning on using your system to edit videos (or any other kind of task where you’re writing a lot of data), you’d be better off choosing the Pro 990. But, for gaming use-cases the difference in write speeds likely won’t have a visible impact on your in-game performance.

And, so, if you want to save some money to allocate to other components in your build, or if you just want to pocket the extra cash, the 1TB version of the PNY XLR8 CS3140 would be worth considering.

6. TEAMGROUP MP33

Budget-friendly Gen3 SSD

For an even cheaper SSD option, you could opt for an older Gen 3 drive. In terms of sequential read/write speeds, Gen 3 SSDs lage quite a bit behind both Gen 4 and Gen 5 SSD options.

The TEAMGROUP MP33 Gen 3 SSD comes with sequential read speeds of up to 1,800 MB/s and sequential write speeds of up to 1,500 MB/s. That pales in comparison to the read/write speeds available on newer generation NVME drives.

Still, though, Gen 3 NVME SSDs aren’t horrible options and, for real-world in-game performance the difference won’t be as big as it is on paper. So, if you are working with an extremely tight budget, a cheap Gen 3 SSD isn’t a bad option.

The 1TB version of the MP33 comes in at just a little over $40. That puts it at the same price level as some of the cheapest 1TB SATA SSDs. And, while Gen 3 SSDs can’t match Gen 4 or Gen 5 in performance, they will provide a significant boost over SATA drives.

Ultimately, whether you’re building a gaming PC with a tight budget, or you’re looking for an upgrade for your existing desktop or laptop, this affordable Gen 3 SSD from TEAMGROUP would be worth checking out.

7. Western Digital P50

The best external SSD

If you’re looking for a more portable option, then Western Digital’s P50 is probably the right SSD choice for you.

The P50 is widely regarded as being the best external SSD drive currently available.

This external SSD from Western Digital is available in capacities of either 500GB, 1TB, 2TB, or 4TB. It also offers excellent performance, with sequential read speeds of 2,000 MB/s and sequential write speeds of 2,000 MB/s across all versions.

And, it comes with a rugged design that will offer more protection when you’re on the go.

But, ultimately, if you’re looking for a portable external SSD that will allow you to take all of your important files on the go, then you can’t do much better than the Western Digital P50.

Which SSD is Right for You?

No, a solid state drive isn’t going to drastically impact your framerate and it won’t improve your crappy laptop to the point to where you can actually start playing a game you weren’t able to play previously.

However, an SSD can significantly improve your system’s non-gaming performance, dramatically reduce your boot and load times, and just make your computer feel faster in general.

And, seeing as how prices have come down quite a bit, it has never been more affordable to add an SSD—especially an NVME SSD—to your new gaming computer. So, if you’re in the market for a new SSD, you can use the different options listed above as a guide to help you make your decision.