Are you looking to boost the performance of your gaming PC or console? One way to do so is by installing an SSD, but with so many options on the market, it can be tough to know which one is the best for your needs. So if you want to take your gaming to the next level, check out our best SSDs for gaming below!
This article will discuss the key features to consider when choosing an SSD for gaming and provide an overview of the top options available. I will also discuss the impact of an SSD on load times, FPS, and game installation/
Best 1 TB SSDs for Gaming
Samsung 990 PRO 1 TB:
Samsung 990 PRO 1 TB Read Speed: 7,450 MB/s Write Speed: 6,900 MB/s Lifespan (MTBF): 1,500,000 hours The 990 PRO 1 TB has a max read speed of 7,450 MB/s, and a max write speed of 6,900 MB/s.
The 990 PRO 1 TB has a mean time between failures (MTBF) of 1,500,000 hours.
ADATA Premium SSD for PS5 1 TB:
ADATA Premium SSD for PS5 1 TB Read Speed: 7,400 MB/s Write Speed: 5,500 MB/s Lifespan (TBW): 740 TB The Premium SSD for PS5 1 TB has a max read speed of 7,400 MB/s, and a max write speed of 5,500 MB/s.
The Premium SSD for PS5 1 TB has an expected lifespan of 740 TBW, which is 740 TBW per TB of capacity.
Western Digital WD_Black SN850X 1 TB:
Western Digital WD_Black SN850X 1 TB Read Speed: 7,300 MB/s Write Speed: 6,300 MB/s Lifespan (TBW): 600 TB The WD_Black SN850X 1 TB has a max read speed of 7,300 MB/s, and a max write speed of 6,300 MB/s.
The WD_Black SN850X 1 TB has an expected lifespan of 600 TBW, which is 600 TBW per TB of capacity.
Sabrent Rocket 4 Plus 1 TB:
Sabrent Rocket 4 Plus 1 TB Read Speed: 7,000 MB/s Write Speed: 5,800 MB/s Lifespan (TBW): 700 TB The Rocket 4 Plus 1 TB has a max read speed of 7,000 MB/s, and a max write speed of 5,800 MB/s.
The Rocket 4 Plus 1 TB has an expected lifespan of 700 TBW, which is 700 TBW per TB of capacity.
Western Digital WD_Black SN850 1 TB:
Western Digital WD_Black SN850 1 TB Read Speed: 7,000 MB/s Write Speed: 5,300 MB/s Lifespan (TBW): 600 TB The WD_Black SN850 1 TB has a max read speed of 7,000 MB/s, and a max write speed of 5,300 MB/s.
The WD_Black SN850 1 TB has an expected lifespan of 600 TBW, which is 600 TBW per TB of capacity.
Best 2 TB SSDs for Gaming
Samsung 990 PRO 2 TB:
Samsung 990 PRO 2 TB Read Speed: 7,450 MB/s Write Speed: 6,900 MB/s Lifespan (MTBF): 1,500,000 hours The 990 PRO 2 TB has a max read speed of 7,450 MB/s, and a max write speed of 6,900 MB/s.
The 990 PRO 2 TB has a mean time between failures (MTBF) of 1,500,000 hours.
ADATA Premium SSD for PS5 2 TB:
ADATA Premium SSD for PS5 2 TB Read Speed: 7,400 MB/s Write Speed: 6,700 MB/s Lifespan (TBW): 1,480 TB The Premium SSD for PS5 2 TB has a max read speed of 7,400 MB/s, and a max write speed of 6,700 MB/s.
The Premium SSD for PS5 2 TB has an expected lifespan of 1,480 TBW, which is 740 TBW per TB of capacity.
Western Digital WD_Black SN850X 2 TB:
Western Digital WD_Black SN850X 2 TB Read Speed: 7,300 MB/s Write Speed: 6,600 MB/s Lifespan (TBW): 1,200 TB The WD_Black SN850X 2 TB has a max read speed of 7,300 MB/s, and a max write speed of 6,600 MB/s.
The WD_Black SN850X 2 TB has an expected lifespan of 1,200 TBW, which is 600 TBW per TB of capacity.
Sabrent Rocket 4 Plus 2 TB:
Sabrent Rocket 4 Plus 2 TB Read Speed: 7,000 MB/s Write Speed: 6,850 MB/s Lifespan (TBW): 1,400 TB The Rocket 4 Plus 2 TB has a max read speed of 7,000 MB/s, and a max write speed of 6,850 MB/s.
The Rocket 4 Plus 2 TB has an expected lifespan of 1,400 TBW, which is 700 TBW per TB of capacity.
Samsung 980 Pro 2 TB:
Samsung 980 Pro 2 TB Read Speed: 7,000 MB/s Write Speed: 5,100 MB/s Lifespan (MTBF): 1,500,000 hours The 980 Pro 2 TB has a max read speed of 7,000 MB/s, and a max write speed of 5,100 MB/s.
The 980 Pro 2 TB has a mean time between failures (MTBF) of 1,500,000 hours.
Western Digital WD_Black SN850 2 TB:
Western Digital WD_Black SN850 2 TB Read Speed: 7,000 MB/s Write Speed: 5,100 MB/s Lifespan (TBW): 1,200 TB The WD_Black SN850 2 TB has a max read speed of 7,000 MB/s, and a max write speed of 5,100 MB/s.
The WD_Black SN850 2 TB has an expected lifespan of 1,200 TBW, which is 600 TBW per TB of capacity.
Best 4 TB SSDs for Gaming
Western Digital WD_Black SN850X 4 TB:
Western Digital WD_Black SN850X 4 TB Read Speed: 7,300 MB/s Write Speed: 6,600 MB/s Lifespan (TBW): 2,400 TB The WD_Black SN850X 4 TB has a max read speed of 7,300 MB/s, and a max write speed of 6,600 MB/s.
The WD_Black SN850X 4 TB has an expected lifespan of 2,400 TBW, which is 600 TBW per TB of capacity.
Sabrent Rocket 4 Plus 4 TB:
Sabrent Rocket 4 Plus 4 TB Read Speed: 7,000 MB/s Write Speed: 6,850 MB/s Lifespan (TBW): 3,000 TB The Rocket 4 Plus 4 TB has a max read speed of 7,000 MB/s, and a max write speed of 6,850 MB/s.
The Rocket 4 Plus 4 TB has an expected lifespan of 3,000 TBW, which is 750 TBW per TB of capacity.
PNY XLR8 CS3140 4 TB:
PNY XLR8 CS3140 4 TB Read Speed: 7,500 MB/s Write Speed: 6,850 MB/s Lifespan (TBW): 3,000 TB Lifespan (MTBF): 2,000,000 hours The XLR8 CS3140 4 TB has a max read speed of 7,500 MB/s, and a max write speed of 6,850 MB/s.
The XLR8 CS3140 4 TB has an expected lifespan of 3,000 TBW, which is 750 TBW per TB of capacity.
The XLR8 CS3140 4 TB has a mean time between failures (MTBF) of 2,000,000 hours.
ADATA Legend 960 Max 4 TB:
ADATA Legend 960 Max 4 TB Read Speed: 7,400 MB/s Write Speed: 6,800 MB/s Lifespan (TBW): 3,120 TB Lifespan (MTBF): 2,000,000 hours The Legend 960 Max 4 TB has a max read speed of 7,400 MB/s, and a max write speed of 6,800 MB/s.
The Legend 960 Max 4 TB has an expected lifespan of 3,120 TBW, which is 780 TBW per TB of capacity.
The Legend 960 Max 4 TB has a mean time between failures (MTBF) of 2,000,000 hours.
Kingston FURY Renegade 4 TB:
Kingston FURY Renegade 4 TB Read Speed: 7,300 MB/s Write Speed: 7,000 MB/s Lifespan (TBW): 4,000 TB Lifespan (MTBF): 1,800,000 hours The FURY Renegade 4 TB has a max read speed of 7,300 MB/s, and a max write speed of 7,000 MB/s.
The FURY Renegade 4 TB has an expected lifespan of 4,000 TBW, which is 1,000 TBW per TB of capacity.
The FURY Renegade 4 TB has a mean time between failures (MTBF) of 1,800,000 hours.
Factors to Consider When Choosing an SSD
When looking for an SSD for gaming, there are some qualities to look for, such as the speed, lifespan, and form factor/
SSD Speed
When choosing an SSD for gaming, you should get one with at least 500 MB/s speeds. That said, faster SSDs can perform better and be faster, so it's best to get an SSD with speeds of 2,000 MB/s or more.
Modern hard disk drives can reach up to 200 MB/s for large files. However, for smaller files that aren't located near each other on a hard drive, you can typically achieve read rates of only 1-3 MB/s. In comparison, the latest PCIe 4.0 NVMe M.2 drives can often reach speeds of up to 7 GB/s for large files and 2-3 GB/s for smaller scattered files.
For gaming, this means that your levels could load 35x faster by upgrading to the latest SSD devices and PCI-Express versions. This speed increase assumes that level data is collected into files that correlate with the level or map region. Unoptimized games with no asset organization could see a 1000x performance boost when loading data.
SSD Lifespan
This lifespan value is an estimate of how long the SSD will last. Various factors can impact the actual lifespan, but estimates indicate how long you can expect the SSD to last.
Lifespan can be measured in MTBF (mean time between failures) and TBW (terabytes written). MTBF is the general estimate of how many hours an SSD will last, while TBW is the amount of data you write to an SSD. If you don't write much to your drive, such as downloading games or copying files, your SSD will last longer.
SSD Interface
It's important to note that you may need to upgrade other PC components to achieve the fastest SSD speeds. NVMe SSDs currently provide the fastest available speeds.
SATA
The SATA interface can reach a max speed of 600 MB/s. The NVMe interface, on the other hand, is primarily limited by PCI-Express speeds.
SATA HDD
SATA hard disk drives can provide much higher capacities than SSDs, at a lower price. However, their read speeds are limited to about 200 MB/s due to their design.
SATA SSD
Consumer 2.5" SSDs always use the SATA interface, which means that if you want speeds faster than 600 MB/s, you'll need to upgrade to NVMe M.2 SSDs.
M.2
M.2 is a small form factor used by storage devices. M.2 devices are typically inserted into a port directly on a motherboard. PCIe expansion cards also exist with M.2 ports.
SATA M.2 SSD
Both SATA and NVMe M.2 cards exist but must be used with a compatible motherboard. When purchasing an M.2 device, ensure that your motherboard supports the form factor, as M.2 cards come in various lengths.
SATA M.2 cards run at SATA speeds, which means they are limited to 600 MB/s.
NVMe M.2 SSD
NVMe M.2 cards use the PCIe connection to provide a high throughput rate, with a max speed of 8 GB/s for PCIe 4.0.
Each version of PCI-Express roughly doubles the supported bandwidth. For example, a PCI-Express 4.0 NVMe M.2 card using x2 lanes may support up to twice the speed of a PCI-Express 3.0 card using the same number of lanes (same keying).
| x2 Bandwidth | x4 Bandwidth | |
|---|---|---|
| PCIe 1.0 | 500 MB/s | 750 MB/s |
| PCIe 2.0 | 1000 MB/s | 2 GB/s |
| PCIe 3.0 | 2 GB/s | 4 GB/s |
| PCIe 4.0 | 4 GB/s | 8 GB/s |
| PCIe 5.0 | 8 GB/s | 16 GB/s |
| PCIe 6.0 | 15 GB/s | 30 GB/s |
| PCIe 7.0 | 30 GB/s | 61 GB/s |
Learn more in my article, Storage Type Comparison: M.2, U.2, NVMe, SATA, SSDs, HDDs
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Add-in Card PCIe to NVMe M.2 SSD Adapter
If SATA speeds are too slow for you, but you don't have M.2 slots available on your motherboard, you might consider a PCIe to M.2 SSD add-in card adapter. Adapters will run at the speeds supported by your PCIe version.
How Can an SSD Improve PC Gaming Performance?
By using an SSD in place of a hard drive for storage, you are increasing the speed at which your computer can read and write data. Games don't write very much data to storage, so the most critical performance metric is the read speed.
Some games may not even read from your storage device very often. If you have an adequate amount of memory (RAM), optimized closed-world games may load much of the level into memory as the level first loads. Memory is much faster than even a solid-state drive, so it makes sense for a game to keep game data in memory when it can. Learn more about recommended memory capacities in my article, How Much RAM Do You Need for Gaming?.
Installation and Update Times
During gameplay, games seldom write to your storage device. However, game files are written to your storage device during installation and game patches.
During updates, installers can write many gigabytes of data. Game installers first write to your storage device when downloading a compressed copy of the game update. After that, game files are read and extracted, writing individual files to the device again.
You likely won't notice when the update is first written, as your Internet download speed may be around the same rate.
Hard disk drives will extract files slower due to the resulting files being non-contiguous (i.e., spread out across the disk). Because storage device writes are often slower than reading speeds, we've found that game installs/
We can estimate that a hard drive could extract an update at an average write speed of 50 MB/s and read speed of 200 MB/s. At this rate, a hard disk drive would take 1.5 minutes to extract 6 GB of files during the game update.
We've discovered that the latest PCIe 4.0 NVMe M.2 SSDs, on the other hand, can write at speeds of 2 GB/s and read at 7 GB/s while extracting 6 GB of files. This type of SSD would take about 4 seconds to extract a 6 GB game update, assuming your CPU can keep up.
Loading Times
Have you noticed the long loading screen when a game level starts or when switching locations? A large portion of this time is spent copying game assets from your storage device to memory.
We've found that open-world games may contain too much data to transfer all level details to a PC's memory simultaneously. Instead, these games load assets for objects in close proximity to the player's character. As we explore the world, games need to access additional data from the storage device, and if that storage device isn't quick enough, we've experienced stuttering or pausing until the assets are loaded. Depending on the game's design, we've also observed objects or textures appearing with a slight delay. However, we also know that delayed object loading can sometimes be attributed to the capabilities of the GPU in addition to the RAM.
FPS
FPS (frames per second) is a measurement determined by what your computer needs to do every time it renders a frame from the game scene. Because games only need to read from a storage device when loading additional level assets into memory, upgrading a storage device will not impact your average FPS.
However, we've observed that using a fast storage device like an NVMe SSD will significantly improve your experience. A fast storage device will reduce the time it takes to boot your computer, load games levels, and load assets when exploring a game world.
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