The Best SSDs for Video Editing

Since video editing software reads and writes to a drive frequently, it requires a PC with a fast drive. Whether you're a professional video editor or looking to improve your home setup, the right SSD can significantly improve your workflow's speed and efficiency.

If you're in the market for an SSD to enhance the performance of your video editing PC, you'll want to find one that offers both speed and reliability. In this article, we'll discuss the most critical aspects to look for in SSDs for video editing and provide the top choices available.

• Best 2 TB SSDs for Video Editing
• Best 4 TB SSDs for Video Editing

Best 2 TB SSDs for Video Editing

• 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.

  SAMSUNG 990 PRO 2 TB M.2 NVMe SSD Check Price on Amazon Amazon Affiliate Link

• The XLR8 CS3140 2 TB has a max read speed of 7,500 MB/s, and a max write speed of 6,850 MB/s.

• The XLR8 CS3140 2 TB has an expected lifespan of 1,400 TBW, which is 700 TBW per TB of capacity.

• The XLR8 CS3140 2 TB has a mean time between failures (MTBF) of 2,000,000 hours.

  PNY XLR8 CS3140 2 TB M.2 NVMe SSD Check Price on Amazon Amazon Affiliate Link

• The FURY Renegade 2 TB has a max read speed of 7,300 MB/s, and a max write speed of 7,000 MB/s.

• The FURY Renegade 2 TB has an expected lifespan of 2,000 TBW, which is 1,000 TBW per TB of capacity.

• The FURY Renegade 2 TB has a mean time between failures (MTBF) of 1,800,000 hours.

  Kingston FURY Renegade 2 TB NVMe M.2 SSD Check Price on Amazon Amazon Affiliate Link

• The FireCuda 530 2 TB has a max read speed of 7,300 MB/s, and a max write speed of 6,900 MB/s.

• The FireCuda 530 2 TB has an expected lifespan of 2,550 TBW, which is 1,275 TBW per TB of capacity.

• The FireCuda 530 2 TB has a mean time between failures (MTBF) of 1,800,000 hours.

  Seagate FireCuda 530 2 TB M.2 NVMe SSD Check Price on Amazon Amazon Affiliate Link

• The Legend 960 Max 2 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 2 TB has an expected lifespan of 1,560 TBW, which is 780 TBW per TB of capacity.

• The Legend 960 Max 2 TB has a mean time between failures (MTBF) of 2,000,000 hours.

  ADATA Legend 960 Max with Heatsink 2 TB NVMe M.2 SSD Check Price on Amazon Amazon Affiliate Link

• The Legend 960 2 TB has a max read speed of 7,400 MB/s, and a max write speed of 6,800 MB/s.

• The Legend 960 2 TB has an expected lifespan of 1,560 TBW, which is 780 TBW per TB of capacity.

• The Legend 960 2 TB has a mean time between failures (MTBF) of 2,000,000 hours.

  ADATA Legend 960 2 TB NVMe M.2 SSD Check Price on Amazon Amazon Affiliate Link

• The XS70 2 TB has a max read speed of 7,300 MB/s, and a max write speed of 6,800 MB/s.

• The XS70 2 TB has an expected lifespan of 1,400 TBW, which is 700 TBW per TB of capacity.

• The XS70 2 TB has a mean time between failures (MTBF) of 1,600,000 hours.

  Silicon Power 2 TB XS70 NVMe M.2 SSD Check Price on Amazon Amazon Affiliate Link

Best 4 TB SSDs for Video Editing

• 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.

  PNY XLR8 CS3140 4 TB M.2 NVMe SSD Check Price on Amazon Amazon Affiliate Link

• 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.

  Kingston FURY Renegade 4 TB NVMe M.2 SSD Check Price on Amazon Amazon Affiliate Link

• The FireCuda 530 4 TB has a max read speed of 7,300 MB/s, and a max write speed of 6,900 MB/s.

• The FireCuda 530 4 TB has an expected lifespan of 5,100 TBW, which is 1,275 TBW per TB of capacity.

• The FireCuda 530 4 TB has a mean time between failures (MTBF) of 1,800,000 hours.

  Seagate FireCuda 530 4 TB M.2 NVMe SSD Check Price on Amazon Amazon Affiliate Link

• 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.

  ADATA Legend 960 Max with Heatsink 4 TB NVMe M.2 SSD Check Price on Amazon Amazon Affiliate Link

• The XS70 4 TB has a max read speed of 7,200 MB/s, and a max write speed of 6,800 MB/s.

• The XS70 4 TB has an expected lifespan of 3,000 TBW, which is 750 TBW per TB of capacity.

• The XS70 4 TB has a mean time between failures (MTBF) of 1,600,000 hours.

  Silicon Power 4 TB XS70 NVMe M.2 SSD Check Price on Amazon Amazon Affiliate Link

• The MP600 PRO LPX 4 TB has a max read speed of 7,100 MB/s, and a max write speed of 6,800 MB/s.

• The MP600 PRO LPX 4 TB has an expected lifespan of 3,000 TBW, which is 750 TBW per TB of capacity.

• The MP600 PRO LPX 4 TB has a mean time between failures (MTBF) of 1,600,000 hours.

  Corsair MP600 PRO LPX 4 TB M.2 NVMe Check Price on Amazon Amazon Affiliate Link

• The MP600 PRO XT 4 TB has a max read speed of 7,100 MB/s, and a max write speed of 6,800 MB/s.

• The MP600 PRO XT 4 TB has an expected lifespan of 3,000 TBW, which is 750 TBW per TB of capacity.

• The MP600 PRO XT 4 TB has a mean time between failures (MTBF) of 1,600,000 hours.

  CORSAIR MP600 PRO XT NVMe M.2 4 TB SSD Check Price on Amazon Amazon Affiliate Link

Factors to Consider When Choosing an SSD

When looking for an SSD for video editing, there are some qualities to look for, such as the speed, lifespan, and form factor/interface of the drive.

• SSD Speed

• SSD Lifespan

• SSD Interface

SSD Speed

When choosing an SSD for video editing, you should get one with at least 1,000 MB/s speeds. Faster SSDs can perform better and be faster, so it's despite 1,000 MB/s speeds being good enough, 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 located far from 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 video editing, your videos could load up to 35x faster by upgrading to the latest SSD devices and PCI-Express versions.

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 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.

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 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.

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.

SAMSUNG 870 QVO SATA 2.5" 4 TB SSD

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.

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 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).

SAMSUNG 990 PRO 2 TB M.2 NVMe SSD

Learn more in my article, Storage Type Comparison: M.2, U.2, NVMe, SATA, SSDs, HDDs.

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.

M.2 PCIe NVMe 4.0/3.0 Adapter

Related SSD Articles

• The Highest Capacity SSDs
• The Most Reliable SSDs
• The Fastest NVMe M.2 SSDs
• The Best SSDs for Video Editing
• The Best SSDs for Gaming

Other Considerations When Building a PC

Want to brush up on other new technologies to consider when building a computer? Check out these articles:

• Cases:
  • How to Choose the Best PC Case
• CPUs:
  • The Best CPUs for Gaming
  • Which Intel and AMD CPUs Support PCIe 5.0?
  • Which Intel and AMD CPUs Support PCIe 4.0?
  • LGA 1700 CPU List
  • LGA 1200 CPU List
  • Look up an Intel or AMD CPU on TechReviewer for related recommendations:
• CPU Coolers:
  • What is the Best Type of CPU cooler for a Gaming PC?
  • How to Choose a CPU Cooler for Your PC
  • Best LGA 1700 CPU Cooler for Intel's 12th Gen Core Processors
  • Best AM4 CPU Cooler for AMD Processors
• Storage:
  • Can an SSD Improve PC Gaming Performance? and Does an SSD Increase FPS for PC Gaming?
  • Storage Type Comparison: M.2, U.2, NVMe, SATA, SSDs, HDDs
• Memory:
  • How to Choose the Best RAM for Your PC
  • How Much RAM Do You Need for Gaming? and Is 32 GB of RAM Worth It for Gaming?
  • DDR4 vs. DDR5? Which You Should Buy
  • Is DDR5 Worth It? The Benefits of DDR5 and What Is DDR5?
  • Which Intel and AMD CPUs Support DDR5?
• PCI-Express:
  • Is PCIe 5.0 Worth It?
• Motherboards:
  • Which Motherboards Support PCIe 5.0?
  • Which Motherboards Support PCIe 4.0?
  • Which Motherboard Should You Buy for Intel's 13th Gen CPUs?
  • Which Motherboard Should You Buy for Intel's 12th Gen CPUs?
• Graphics Cards:
  • Which Graphics Cards Support PCIe 4.0?
• Power Supplies:
  • How to Choose the Best Power Supply for a Gaming PC
  • How to Choose a PC Power Supply
• Keyboards:
  • Best Mechanical Keyboard for Gaming
• Monitors:
  • How to Choose a Gaming Monitor