Best NVMe SSD in 2023: Comparisons, Reviews and FAQs

If you choose the best NVMe SSD for gaming, loading screens will be completed 

so quickly that you'll wonder why you didn't get rid of your old hard drive sooner. A dependable NVMe SSD makes using your PC on a daily basis much simpler, from fast booting into Windows to quickly launching large open-world games like Saints Row. The greatest and most economical PC upgrade you can make is the best NVMe SSD, second only to a GPU. In addtion, best SSD for gaming, best graphics card under $200, best M2 SSD may be useful to improve gaming experience. 

1. BLACK 500GB SN850 NVMe

Specifications: 

• Digital Storage Capacity: 500 GB

• Hard Disk Interface: NVMe

• Connectivity Technology: SATA

• Brand: WD_BLACK

• Hard Disk Description: Solid State Hard Drive

• Compatible Devices: Desktop

The fastest PCIe 4.0 NVMe SSD you can purchase is the WD Black SN850 1TB drive. Nothing can compare to it when it comes to real-world testing, even though it may not win every test in every benchmark. Don't get me wrong, it performs admirably across the synthetic measures, but there are a few areas where the Sabrent Rocket 4 Plus or the Samsung 980 Pro have the advantage. Nonetheless, this does not change the fact that this is currently the best storage available in the grand scheme.

Performance ultimately distinguishes an SSD from the competition, and the WD SN850 excels in this area. Peak sequential read rates of 6,750 MB/s and 5,920 MB/s, respectively, indicate that this is very much a second-generation PCIe 4.0 drive, according to simulated benchmarks led by ATTO and AS SSD. Although less than the Sabrent Rocket 4 Plus, writes at either side of 5GB/s are still robust. This is also reversed by the 4K write performance of AS SSD, with the WD SN850 outperforming the Sabrent drive.

Pros: 

• Blistering PCIe 4.0 throughput

• Excellent real-world performance

• Solid warranty

Cons: 

• Runs hot at full speeds

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2. Seagate FireCuda 530 500GB

Specifications: 

• Digital Storage Capacity: 500 GB

• Hard Disk Interface: PCIE x 4

• Connectivity Technology: SATA

• Brand: Seagate

• Hard Disk Form Factor: 2.5 Inches

• Hard Disk Description: Solid State Drive

The arrival of Seagate's FireCuda 530 series of PCIe 4.0 NVMe SSDs has been eagerly anticipated. And we can proudly say that Seagate should now be included in the list of producers of top-tier SSDs. The Seagate FireCuda 530 is at least on par with any SSD now available.

The Seagate FireCuda 530 2TB is an M.2 drive with a 2280 (80mm length). It combines a Phison PS5018-E18 controller with brand-new Micron 176-Layer TLC NAND. Micron asserts that their 176L TLC NAND, which has a 30% reduced die size and a 35% reduction in reading and write latency compared to its 96L NAND predecessor, is the finest in the industry.

The 7300/6900 MB/s sequential read and write performance of the 2TB FireCuda 530 exceeds the capabilities of a PCIe 4.0 x4 interface. The smaller 1TB and 500GB drives are rated at 7300/6000 MB/s and 7000/3000 MB/s, respectively, while the larger 4TB disk offers the same rating for consumers looking at the other capacities.

Pros: 

• All great round performance

• Excellent endurance ratings

Cons: 

• Lacks AES 256-bit encryption

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3. Sabrent 1TB Rocket 4 Plus NVMe

Specifications:

• Digital Storage Capacity: 1 TB

• Hard Disk Interface: PCIE x 4

• Connectivity Technology: PCIe NVMe

• Brand: SABRENT

• Special Feature: PCIe 4.0 PLUS

Hard Disk Description: Solid State Drive

The new Phison E18 controller is used for the first time by the Sabrent Rocket 4 Plus drive. This is the replacement for the incredibly well-liked Phison E16 controller that can be found in virtually every first-generation PCIe 4.0 drive. No, you'll find that controller in many Sabrent drives as well as the Corsair MP600, Gigabyte Aorus, Addlink S90, and others.

With sequential throughput of up to 7,100MB/s reads and 6,600MB/s writes, the new Phison E18 controller dramatically raises the bar. These numbers aren't far off from the maximum speeds that PCIe 4.0 is capable of, which are 8GB/s for both. It's effectively the quickest drive ever released, and, at least on paper, it's swift.

Pros: 

• Strong synthetic throughput

• Speedy real-world performance

• Runs cool

Cons: 

• No the fastest around

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4. SAMSUNG 980 PRO SSD

Specifications: 

• Digital Storage Capacity: 1 TB

• Hard Disk Interface: NVMe

• Brand: SAMSUNG

• Hard Disk Form Factor: 2280 Inches

• Hard Disk Description: Solid State Hard Drive

Regarding flash storage, Samsung has a solid reputation, and their top NVMe SSD product is the 980 Pro. It is among our top suggestions for those searching for the quickest storage technology and 256-bit hardware encryption. The drive is PCIe Gen 4 compatible and promises sequential read and write speeds of up to 7,000MBps and 5,000MBps, respectively. It uses 3-bit MLC NAND from Samsung with more than 100 layers of cells and is said to utilize 15% less power than its forerunner. Additionally, using Samsung's Magician software, one can keep an eye on the SSD's speed, health, and temperature.

Pros: 

• Built-in AES 256-bit encryption

• Responsive performance

• Robust, sustained write speeds

Cons: 

• Slower SLC cache

• Average endurance

• No 4TB capacity model

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5. Seagate FireCuda 530 2TB

Specifications: 

• Digital Storage Capacity: 2 TB

• Hard Disk Interface: PCI-E x 4

• Connectivity Technology: SATA

• Brand: Seagate

• Hard Disk Form Factor: 2.5 Inches

• Hard Disk Description: Solid State Drive

Another highly regarded NVMe SSD with one of the highest durability ratings on the market is the Seagate Firecuda 530. The 500GB basic model has a 640 TBW endurance rating, the 1TB model has a 1275 TBW rating, the 2TB model has a 2550 TBW rating, and the 4TB storage option has a 5100 TBW endurance rating! Seagate provides an optional custom heatsink designed by EK Water Blocks (EKWB) to enable optimal cooling effectiveness, eliminating thermal throttling and enabling top performance for extended periods to handle high temperatures.

The Firecuda 530 is touted to have the best speeds of any PCIe Gen 4 NVMe SSD since it has a 176-layer 3D TLC NAND. It is claimed to provide write and sequential read rates of up to 6,900MBps and 7,300MBps, respectively. The PlayStation 5 is also completely compatible, making it one of the few NVMe SSDs with a maximum storage capacity of 4TB.

Pros: 

• Highest endurance rating

• Fast sequential speeds

• Great all-round performance

• Available with up 4TB capacity

Cons: 

• Not the most affordable

• Lacks hardware encryption

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1. What is NVMe?

NVMe, or Non-Volatile Memory Host Express is the logical interface specification or protocol used to access non-volatile storage media on a computer quicly. To put it another way, it refers to the method of moving data rather than the size or form of the drive. NVMe is a storage technology that offers great performance and is incredibly scalable. It was created for PCIe-linked NAND and persistent memory that is directly attached to the CPU. Standard NVMe SSDs built on PCIe Gen 3.0 can transfer data more than six times as quickly as SSDs built on SATA, while SSDs built on PCIe Gen 4.0, which is relatively newer, can do so more than twelve times quicker.

2. Are NVMe drives more expensive?

Given their quick speeds, NVMe drives can be more expensive than 2.5-inch SATA SSDs, however, due to their increased popularity, the price differential is gradually disappearing. For instance, the price range for a 1TB Samsung SATA SSD is between $100 and $110. A Gen 4.0 drive sells for an extra $30 to $40, which is absolutely worth the money, compared to a similar capacity Samsung PCIe Gen 3.0 NVMe SSD, which costs around the same.

NVMe SSDs are becoming more widely used, and their costs are going down. I've evaluated significantly more NVMe drives in the past year than SATA drives, mostly because SATA drives are beginning to look alike. The majority of models reach the same 550MB/s sequential IO limit as the SATA interface, while random IO can still be a little challenging on some models. Most new setups should carefully assess if the additional power and data cords of SATA are still necessary now that affordable NVMe prices match SATA drives. 

We hope that the information above will help you find the best NVMe SSD.