The Best SSDs for Gaming and Beyond in 2024

These days, if you just need an SSD and you don’t have a lot of cash, there are just so many options out there. However, many cheap SSDs are a complete waste of money, and will leave you needing to fork over more money for a new one in just a couple of years. The Crucial MX500, on the other hand, has been my go-to drive for budget builds for years, even if it doesn’t have the endurance of a more expensive SSD.

In general, getting a budget SSD is going to be an exercise in compromise between three qualities: capacity, speed, and endurance. More often than not, cheaper SSDs, including the Crucial MX500 are going to compromise on endurance, rather than capacity or speed. This is largely because you’re not going to be using this drive for industrial workloads, so the need for thousands of terabytes of endurance is just nonexistant.

Instead, the Crucial MX500 is perfect for anyone that just needs a cheap SSD to throw into their laptop or gaming PC and install Windows and a few games. Most people will never reach the 180TBW endurance rating, at least not for years. And in the meantime, you have a solid little SATA SSD that’ll speed up your load times in your favorite games.

The PNY XLR8 CS3140 is an absolute workhorse of an SSD, and while it may have been a little on the expensive side a couple of years ago, it’s extremely affordable these days. But don’t let the age fool you. This SSD has been sitting in my testing PC for nearly 3 years now, surviving through dozens of instances of me reinstalling Windows 11 without showing any signs of slowing down. The warranty claims that my 1TB drive should only last for 700TBW, or terabytes written, and this is the first drive that I actually might meet that number before I finally replace it. It’s just that reliable.

I have always believed that some kind of external SSD or hard drive is necessary for anyone these days. I use my Samsung T9 for everything from moving data between different PCs to backing up my devices before I do something risky with them. The Samsung T9 is great for all of those things, and does so in a package that fits in any of my bags – no matter how small.

For the longest time, there wasn’t much of a reason to grab an M.2 2230 drive. They’re smaller than the standard 2280 M.2 drives, but you do lose a bit of performance, meaning even laptops don’t typically run 2230 drives. However, now that the Steam Deck and other handheld gaming PCs are blowing up in popularity, the need for fast 2230 drives has never been greater. Luckily, the Crucial P310 is an awesome drive for anyone that wants to give their Steam Deck an upgrade.

This is a PCIe 4.0 drive that can theoretically reach up to 6,000MB/s read speeds. However, in my testing, the P310 actually exceeded Crucial’s claims, reaching up to 6,442MB/s. That’s fast enough for the PS5, and is way faster than the Steam Deck SSD, which only supports PCIe 3.0 speeds. That does mean if you put it in your Steam Deck, you will lose out on some performance, but because PCIe 4.0 drives are backwards compatible, it’s still one of the best drives for the handheld gaming PC.

There are handheld gaming PCs out there that can take advantage of the Crucial P310’s extra speed, however. Both the Asus ROG Ally and the MSI Claw use a M.2 2230 PCIe 4.0 drive, which makes the P310 an awesome upgrade for those systems as well. You can also chuck this into any gaming tower with an M.2 slot, but most people will be better off with a full-sized 2280 drive.

How to Pick the Best SSD

Picking the best SSD can make a world of difference when it comes to speeding up your computer and enhancing overall performance. The first thing to think about is how much storage space you’ll need. Are you a digital hoarder with tons of files, photos, and videos? Or are you more of a minimalist? SSDs come in various sizes, from 120GB to a whopping 8TB or more. Choose a capacity that suits your needs without overpaying for space you won’t use.

One of the main advantages of SSDs is their blazing-fast speed compared to traditional HDDs. Look for SSDs with high read and write speeds for snappy performance, quick boot times, and speedy file transfers. If you have a PC or laptop that can handle the latest generation of SSDs (PCIe 5.0), then you’ll notice a huge leap in read/write speeds compared to PCIe 4.0 and PCIe 3.0. Remember, however, if you purchase an M.2 PCIe 5.0 SSD and only have a PCIe 4.0-capable PC, it won’t work.

On that note, you’ll also need to consider the form factor of the SSD and make sure it’s compatible with your computer or laptop. Common form factors include 2.5-inch SATA and M.2 NVMe. Check your device’s specifications or consult the manufacturer’s guidelines to ensure a proper fit.

If you plan on giving your SSD a run for its money, take a look at the SSD’s endurance rating, often measured in TBW. This can give you an idea of how long the drive is expected to last under typical usage conditions. A higher TBW generally indicates a longer lifespan.

If you’re a gamer or professional, you could take into account any additional features that might be important to you, such as built-in encryption, data migration software, or RGB lighting (if you’re into that sort of thing!). These extras can add to the overall appeal and functionality of the SSD.

SSD vs HDD

What’s the best type of PC storage for you? Here we explore SSDs vs HDDs.

An HDD or hard drive is packing an actual hard disc and an actuator arm that moves across the disc when reading or writing and often comes in a 3.5-inch or 2.5-inch drive size with a SATA data connector and power connector. On the other hand, SSDs or solid-state drives contain electrons moving around with no moving parts. These drives also come in a variety of shapes and sizes, with some resembling HDDs and others which come in much smaller form factors, slotting directly into motherboards. That means you won’t need to worry about running more SATA and power cables.

If you’re looking for speed, an SSD runs laps around HDDs. Even the slowest SATA SSDs beat out the fastest HDDs, and you can find PCIe SSDs with read speeds that clock in above 7,000MB/s. So, SSDs are the clear winner for storing your most used applications and especially shine in games. However, though HDDs are slow, they offer a ton of storage for a low price, making them ideal candidates to house large files or documents you don’t access frequently and applications that don’t require speed.

SSDs are the winner when it comes to durability, as you don’t have the moving parts of an HDD that can get easily damaged when dropped or bumped. But in terms of longevity—if you aren’t dropping it—a hard drive saves data more safely. The flash memory cells in an SSD are stored using an electrical charge that can leak, making a hard drive’s written disk a better choice for long-term storage.

FAQs

Is SSD a hard drive or RAM?

While speed is a factor when choosing an SSD, it shouldn’t be mistaken for RAM. SSDs are used to store data; read/write speeds denote how fast the SSD performs in various tasks.

Which SSD is fastest?

The Crucial T705 is currently the fastest PCIe 5.0 NVMe M.2 SSD on the market, offering sequential read/write speeds of up to 14,500/12,700MB/s.

Is a built-in SSD better than an external SSD?

Internal SSDs generally are better than external SSDs as they tend to offer faster read/write speeds. That said, you can still find external SSDs that perform well, especially if it uses a USB 3.0 interface.

Jackie Thomas is the Hardware and Buying Guides Editor at IGN and the PC components queen. You can follow her @Jackiecobra