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Best SSDs 2023
1. Kingston A2000
Specifications
-Capacity 250 GB, 500 GB, 1 TB
-Form factor M.2
-Interface PCI-E 3
-Protocol NVMe
Best overall. The Kingston A2000 proves impressively that performance doesn't have to cost much. Kingston is one of the fastest models on the market. At the same time, it remains cool during operation and thus does not additionally burden the ventilation of the PC. So far, we know nothing negative about the SSD to report, users also express themselves more than satisfied.
Pros
+ Stays cool during operation
+ Fair price
+ Transfer rates top in this price range
Cons
- Nothing
2. Western Digital WD_Black SN850
Specifications
-Capacity 500 GB, 1 TB, 2 TB
-Form factor M.2
-Interface PCIe Gen4 x4
-Protocol NVMe
Best PCIe 4.0 SSD. The SN850 from the enthusiast series WD_Black wants to get in the ring with Samsung's 980 Pro. The M. 2 NVMe hard drive equipped with TLC memory is very similar to its competitor and can boast similar or even better practical performance in most disciplines. The pace is so high that you can only reach its full potential with a PCIe 4.0-enabled motherboard.
Pros
+ 5 years warranty
+ Top speed
+ Good price for what is offered
Cons
- No SLC cache
3. Corsair Force Series MP600
Specifications
-Capacity 500 GB, 1 TB, 2 TB
-Form factor M.2
-Interface PCIe Gen 4.0 x4
-Protocol NVMe
Best gaming SSD. The MP600 from Corsair's power series Force is one of the first M. 2 SSDs to rely on the PCI Express 4.0 standard, which is currently used mainly on motherboards with AMD chipsets. The much higher bandwidth of the new PCIe standard and the rather large cache allow almost insane transfer rates of over 4,000 MByte/s. However, most users will hardly be able to exploit the potential of the hard drive.
Pros
+ Very high read and write speed
+ 5 years warranty
Cons
- Oversized heat sink
4. Samsung 980 PRO NVMe M.2 SSD
Specifications
-Capacity 250 GB, 500 GB, 1 TB, 2 TB
-Form factor M.2
-Interface PCIe Gen 4.0 x4
-Protocol NVMe
Best NVMe SSD. The 980 Pro is an NVMe SSD developed for the PCIe 4.0 standard. In benchmark tests, it shows truly outstanding achievements, especially in sequential reading and writing. We note that the 980 Pro is at the top of the consistency benchmark of PC Mark 10, which for some (professional) users is more important than pure peak performance.
Pros
+ Low temperatures and no throttling
+ 5 years warranty
+ Great reading and writing rates
Cons
- Potentially less durable memory than 970 Pro
5. Samsung SSD 970 Pro
Specifications
-Capacity 512 GB, 1 TB
-Form factor M.2
-Interface PCIe Gen 3 x4
-Protocol NVMe
Best PCIe 3.0 SSD. The premium M. 2 SSD is aimed at enthusiasts and professional users who are looking for a durable and high-performance storage solution and are willing to pay more for it. The read and write rates scratch the physical limits of the PCIe interface. The manufacturer's warranty of five years speaks of great confidence in the durability of the product.
Pros
+ Fast
+ Long-lasting storage technology
+ 5 years warranty
Cons
- Somewhat expensive
6. ADATA XPG Gammix S50 Lite
Specifications
-Capacity 1 TB, 2 TB
-Form factor M.2
-Interface PCIe Gen 4.0 x4
-Protocol NVMe
Best 1 TB SSD. Windows runs particularly fast, the performance of the SSD must be high for small files. Here the ADATA XPG Gammix S50 Lite is very good. It also shows very good values when continuously writing the entire memory. The SSD is available with 1 or 2 TB of storage – enough for most users.
Pros
+ Fast transfer rates (read and write)
+ High capacity (1 or 2 TB)
+ PCI Express 4.0
Cons
- Slightly high gigabyte price
7. Seagate IronWolf 510
Specifications
-Capacity 240 GB, 480 GB, 960 GB, 1.92 TB
-Form factor M.2
-Interface PCIe Gen 3 x4
-Protocol NVMe
Best SSD for NAS systems. The SeaGate IronWolf 510 is an M. 2 SSD designed primarily for use in NAS systems. It is ideal for those who need a very high speed when accessing data from the network. The read speed is correspondingly high for the intended purpose, while the write speed is rather weak. Therefore, the SSD is less recommended for normal PCs.
Pros
+ Optimized for use with network storage
+ Very good reading speed
+ High capacities
Cons
- Weak writing speed
8. ADATA XPG Spectrix S40G
Specifications
-Capacity 256 GB, 512 GB, 1 TB, 2 TB, 4 TB
-Form factor M.2
-Interface PCIe Gen3 x4
-Protocol NVMe
Best RGB SSD. The XPG Spectrix S40G follows the trend towards extravagant RGB LED lighting and is equipped with luminaires over a large area. These can be adjusted as desired with the associated software. The data transmission is good, the cooling efficient and thanks to the large SLC cache, the speed remains constant even with more extensive data transfers.
Pros
+ Configurable RGB lighting
+ High transmission rates
+ 5 Years Warranty
+ Up to 4 TB capacity
Cons
- Heat generation under full load
9. Western Digital WD Black AN1500
Specifications
-Capacity 1 TB, 2 TB, 4 TB
-Form factor PCIe
-Interface PCIe Gen 3 x8
-Protocol NVMe
Best PCIe SSD. Western Digital launches a slightly different NVMe SSD with the AN1500. Instead of the usual M. 2 slot, it must be plugged into a PCIe expansion slot on the motherboard. On the board, which is elegantly surrounded by an aluminum housing with striking RGB lighting, there are two M. 2 SSDs that work together in a RAID array. Thanks to the high bandwidth of the PCIe expansion slots, the combined boards can achieve speeds that are otherwise only experienced by M. 2 PCIe SSDs on PCIe 4.0 boards.
Pros
+ Original design
+ Consistently high write rates, even with longer processes
+ Very fast in sequential reading
Cons
- Takes up a lot of space and PCIe expansion slot with good connectivity
- Expensive
10. Samsung X5 Portable SSD
Specifications
-Capacity 500 GB, 1 TB, 2 TB
-Form factor Thunderbolt
-Interface Thunderbolt 3
-Protocol NVMe
Best external SSD. Speed fanatics get their money's worth with Samsung's Portable SSD X5. It uses the Thunderbolt port, which offers higher transfer rates than the common USB variants. If you own a suitable device with Thunderbolt, there is currently no faster external storage solution.
Pros
+ Compact and lightweight
+ Fast transfer rates
Cons
- Only usable with Thunderbolt ports
- Speed dips under continuous load
11. Samsung SSD 870 EVO
Specifications
-Capacity 256 GB, 512 GB, 1 TB, 2T B, 4 TB
-Form factor SATA
-Interface SATA 3
Best SATA 3 SSD. It is a classic SSD for the SATA 3 slot, which makes it limited in performance compared to M. 2 SSDs. However, the 870 Evo makes good use of the interface and offers more than satisfactory performance in practice. With its short latency times and good values for reading and writing, the hard drive is suitable for all conceivable applications.
Pros
+ Good reading and writing speed
+ Low latencies
+ 5 Years Warranty
+ High storage capacity
Cons
- Read and write weaknesses in small files