The Most Reliable SSDs

Whether you're a professional video editor, gamer, or looking to improve your home setup, the right SSD can significantly improve the speed and efficiency of your computer.

This article will provide a list of the top options available and discuss the most critical factors to consider when searching for the most reliable SSDs.

• Most Reliable 1 TB SSDs
• Most Reliable 2 TB SSDs
• Most Reliable 4 TB SSDs

Most Reliable 1 TB SSDs

• The Rocket 1 TB has a max read speed of 3,400 MB/s, and a max write speed of 3,000 MB/s.

• The Rocket 1 TB has an expected lifespan of 1,620 TBW, which is 1,620 TBW per TB of capacity.

  SABRENT 1 TB Rocket NVMe M.2 SSD Check Price on Amazon Amazon Affiliate Link

• The XLR8 CS3040 1 TB has a max read speed of 5,600 MB/s, and a max write speed of 4,300 MB/s.

• The XLR8 CS3040 1 TB has an expected lifespan of 1,800 TBW, which is 1,800 TBW per TB of capacity.

• The XLR8 CS3040 1 TB has a mean time between failures (MTBF) of 2,000,000 hours.

  PNY XLR8 CS3040 1 TB M.2 NVMe SSD Check Price on Amazon Amazon Affiliate Link

• The WD Red SN700 1 TB has a max read speed of 3,430 MB/s, and a max write speed of 3,000 MB/s.

• The WD Red SN700 1 TB has an expected lifespan of 2,000 TBW, which is 2,000 TBW per TB of capacity.

• The WD Red SN700 1 TB has a mean time between failures (MTBF) of 1,750,000 hours.

  Western Digital 1 TB WD Red SN700 NVMe SSD Check Price on Amazon Amazon Affiliate Link

• The P34A80 1 TB has a max read speed of 3,400 MB/s, and a max write speed of 3,000 MB/s.

• The P34A80 1 TB has an expected lifespan of 1,665 TBW, which is 1,665 TBW per TB of capacity.

• The P34A80 1 TB has a mean time between failures (MTBF) of 2,000,000 hours.

  Silicon Power P34A80 1 TB NVMe M.2 SSD Check Price on Amazon Amazon Affiliate Link

• The AORUS Gen4 1 TB has a max read speed of 5,000 MB/s, and a max write speed of 4,400 MB/s.

• The AORUS Gen4 1 TB has an expected lifespan of 1,800 TBW, which is 1,800 TBW per TB of capacity.

• The AORUS Gen4 1 TB has a mean time between failures (MTBF) of 1,770,000 hours.

  Gigabyte 1 TB AORUS Gen4 M.2 NVMe SSD Check Price on Amazon Amazon Affiliate Link

• The Performance 1 TB has a max read speed of 5,000 MB/s, and a max write speed of 4,300 MB/s.

• The Performance 1 TB has an expected lifespan of 1,800 TBW, which is 1,800 TBW per TB of capacity.

• The Performance 1 TB has a mean time between failures (MTBF) of 1,700,000 hours.

  INLAND Performance 1 TB NVMe M.2 SSD Check Price on Amazon Amazon Affiliate Link

Most Reliable 2 TB SSDs

• The Rocket 2 TB has a max read speed of 3,400 MB/s, and a max write speed of 2,750 MB/s.

• The Rocket 2 TB has an expected lifespan of 3,470 TBW, which is 1,735 TBW per TB of capacity.

  SABRENT 2 TB Rocket NVMe M.2 SSD Check Price on Amazon Amazon Affiliate Link

• The XLR8 CS3040 2 TB has a max read speed of 5,600 MB/s, and a max write speed of 4,300 MB/s.

• The XLR8 CS3040 2 TB has an expected lifespan of 3,600 TBW, which is 1,800 TBW per TB of capacity.

• The XLR8 CS3040 2 TB has a mean time between failures (MTBF) of 2,000,000 hours.

  PNY XLR8 CS3040 2 TB M.2 NVMe SSD Check Price on Amazon Amazon Affiliate Link

• The P34A80 2 TB has a max read speed of 3,400 MB/s, and a max write speed of 3,000 MB/s.

• The P34A80 2 TB has an expected lifespan of 3,115 TBW, which is 1,557 TBW per TB of capacity.

• The P34A80 2 TB has a mean time between failures (MTBF) of 2,000,000 hours.

  Silicon Power P34A80 2 TB NVMe M.2 SSD Check Price on Amazon Amazon Affiliate Link

• The AORUS Gen4 2 TB has a max read speed of 5,000 MB/s, and a max write speed of 4,400 MB/s.

• The AORUS Gen4 2 TB has an expected lifespan of 3,600 TBW, which is 1,800 TBW per TB of capacity.

• The AORUS Gen4 2 TB has a mean time between failures (MTBF) of 1,770,000 hours.

  Gigabyte 2 TB AORUS Gen4 M.2 NVMe SSD Check Price on Amazon Amazon Affiliate Link

• The Performance 2 TB has a max read speed of 5,000 MB/s, and a max write speed of 4,300 MB/s.

• The Performance 2 TB has an expected lifespan of 3,600 TBW, which is 1,800 TBW per TB of capacity.

• The Performance 2 TB has a mean time between failures (MTBF) of 1,700,000 hours.

  INLAND Performance 2 TB NVMe M.2 SSD Check Price on Amazon Amazon Affiliate Link

• The IronWolf 525 2 TB has a max read speed of 5,000 MB/s, and a max write speed of 4,400 MB/s.

• The IronWolf 525 2 TB has an expected lifespan of 2,800 TBW, which is 1,400 TBW per TB of capacity.

• The IronWolf 525 2 TB has a mean time between failures (MTBF) of 1,800,000 hours.

  Seagate IronWolf 525 2 TB M.2 NVMe SSD Check Price on Amazon Amazon Affiliate Link

Most Reliable 4 TB SSDs

• The Force Series MP510 4 TB has a max read speed of 3,840 MB/s, and a max write speed of 3,000 MB/s.

• The Force Series MP510 4 TB has an expected lifespan of 6,820 TBW, which is 1,705 TBW per TB of capacity.

• The Force Series MP510 4 TB has a mean time between failures (MTBF) of 1,800,000 hours.

  Corsair Force Series MP510 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 WD Red SN700 4 TB has a max read speed of 3,400 MB/s, and a max write speed of 3,100 MB/s.

• The WD Red SN700 4 TB has an expected lifespan of 5,100 TBW, which is 1,275 TBW per TB of capacity.

• The WD Red SN700 4 TB has a mean time between failures (MTBF) of 1,750,000 hours.

  Western Digital 4 TB WD Red SN700 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 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 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

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