Parhaan SSD-tai SSD-aseman löytäminen järjestelmääsi ja tarpeitasi varten on avainasemassa, jos haluat paras pelitietokone tai kannettava tietokone, tai vaikka haluatkin vain nopean tuottavuuskoneen. Hidas tallennusasema johtaa usein suureen pullonkaulaan, joka pakottaa prosessorin (vaikka se olisikin yksi parhaista suorittimista ) hämmentääkseen kellosykliään odottaen tietojen murtumista. Kirjoittamisen ja lukemisen nopeuttamiseksi tarvitset nopean SSD-aseman. Selvittääksemme, mikä on paras SSD, testaamme kymmeniä asemia vuosittain ja korostamme parhaat asemat täällä.

Olemme Amazonin Prime-päivän huipulla ja päivitämme tämän viestin seuraavina päivinä alla olevilla tarjouksilla.

Olemme myös lisänneet muutaman parhaan SSD-levyn Chia-kolikot . Löydät sekä premium-että value-ehdotuksen artikkelin alareunasta sekä kuvauksen parhaista ominaisuuksista, joita kannattaa pitää silmällä ostaessasi kuluttaja-SSD: tä erityisesti Chia-tonttien luomista varten.

Parhaan SSD: n valitseminen sinulle

Asemina kuten Adatan Falcon M.2 ja Intel 665p alitti valtavirran asemat hitaammalla SATA-liitännällä (joka oli alun perin suunniteltu kiintolevyille), voimme olla todistamassa vanhan ystävämme, Serial ATA: n, loppua. Mutta yritykset tekevät edelleen uusia asioita SATA: n kanssa, kuten Tiimiryhmän kaveri 15,3 Tt-asema . Olemassa olevien SATA-asemien on jatkossakin oltava edullisempia, jotta ainakin kilpailevat hinnalla, koska ne eivät voi toivoa pysyvän mukana uudempien NVMe-asemien suorituskyvyssä.

Huippunopea PCIe 4.0 M. 2 SSD-asemaa on yleistynyt, ja siitä tulee todennäköisesti valtavirtaa nyt, kun Intel on vihdoin liittynyt PCIe 4.0-tukipuolueeseen Z590 ja 11. sukupolven Rocket Lake-prosessorit . Nämä asemat nopeuttavat peräkkäisiä nopeuksia dramaattisesti (PCIe-väylän kaistanleveyden kaksinkertaistamisen ansiosta), mikä tekee niistä parhaat SSD-asemat niille, jotka tarvitsevat nopeimman mahdollisen nopeuden. Esimerkiksi Samsung 980 PRO voi lukea ja kirjoittaa osoitteessa 7000 ja 5000 MBps, ja Phisonin toisen sukupolven ohjain perustuvat asemat lupaavat jopa 7400/7000 MBps peräkkäiset nopeudet.

Mutta jotta voit käyttää tätä nopeutta tänään, tarvitset joko X570-emolevy tai B550-kortti AMD-puolella tai uusi Z590-emolevy Inteliltä.

Kaikki sanotut, pidä mielessä, että käyttäjät ei ehkä näe kovinkaan paljon hyötyä näiden nopeammien asemien tosielämän eduista . Se riippuu tosiasiallisesti siitä, kuinka paljon käytät asemaa.

Nyt voi olla myös hyvä aika ostaa viivästynyt SSD-päivitys. Koska uusi Chia-niminen kryptovaluutta, johon liittyy viljelykäyttöön tarkoitettuja tontteja kiintolevyillä eikä GPU: iden louhintaa, aloitti hiljattain kaupankäynnin ja on jo osoittanut kohti aseman puute ja hinnankorotukset Aasiassa ja muualla. Jos Chia-kolikon arvo nousee edelleen, voimme olla pian varastossa pulaa tai ainakin merkittäviä hinnankorotuksia kysynnän noustessa.

Kun valitset SSD: tä, ota huomioon seuraavat seikat:

  • Valitse yhteensopiva käyttöliittymä (M.2 PCIe, SATA, lisäosakortti): Tarkista käyttöoppaastasi tai tietokannasta, kuten Crucial Memory Finder, minkä tyyppisiä SSD-levyjä tietokoneesi tukee.
  • 512 Gt-1 Tt: Älä vaivaudu hankkimaan alle 256 Gt: n SSD-asemaa. 512 Gt tarjoaa hyvän tasapainon hinnan ja kapasiteetin välillä, jos sinulla on tiukka budjetti. Mutta 1 Tt: n asemat ovat huomattavasti halvempia ja 2 Tt: n asemat ovat nyt edullisempia kuin koskaan.
  • SATA on hitainta: SATA ei ole yhtä nopea kuin M.2 PCIe tai PCIe-apuohjelmakortti, mutta suurin osa pöytätietokoneet ja monet kannettavat tietokoneet voivat viedä 2,5 tuuman SATA-asemia, ja monet tyypillisiä valtavirran tehtäviä suorittavat käyttäjät eivät huomaa eroa hyvän viimeaikaisen SATA-aseman ja nopeamman PCIe-mallin välillä joka tapauksessa.

Saat lisätietoja tutustumalla SSD-ostajan opas . Tai jos etsit ulkoista SSD-asemaa, voit tarkistaa Parhaat ulkoiset kiintolevyt ja SSD-sivu tai opi säästämään rahaa oman ulkoisen SSD: n rakentaminen . Alla on suosituksemme asemista, joissa on kaikki kolme pääliitäntää.

Parhaat SSD-levyt, joita voit ostaa tänään

Samsung 980 Pro

Paras yleinen/Paras M.2 SSD: Samsung 980 Pro (Kuvahyvitys: Tom’s Hardware)

1. Samsung 980 Pro

Paras yleinen/Paras M.2 SSD

Kapasiteetti: 250 Gt, 500 Gt, 1 Tt, 2 Tt | Muotokerroin: M.2 2280 Yksipuolinen | Siirtoliitäntä/protokolla: PCIe 4.0 x4/NVMe 1.3c | Peräkkäinen luku/kirjoitus: 7000 MBps/5000 MBps | Takuu/kestävyys: 5 vuotta/enintään 1200 TBW

Samsung 980 PRO-katsaus

WD Black SN850

Paras M.2 SSD-vaihtoehto: WD Black SN850 (Kuvan luotto: Tomin laitteisto)

2. WD Black SN850

Paras M.2 SSD-vaihtoehto

Kapasiteetti: 250 Gt, 500 Gt, 1 Tt, 2 Tt | Muotokerroin: M.2 2280 Yksipuolinen | Siirtoliitäntä/protokolla: PCIe 4.0 x4/NVMe 1.4 | Peräkkäinen luku/kirjoitus: 7000 MB/5300 MBps | Takuu/kestävyys: 5 vuotta/enintään 1200 TBW

Suuri tyhjäkäynnin virrankulutus työpöydän testipenkillä

AES 256-bittistä salausta ei tueta

Aina niin paljon nopeamman satunnaisen suorituskyvyn, johdonmukaisemman kirjoitusprofiilin ja korkeamman tehokkuuden ansiosta Samsungin 980 PRO ansaitsi tittelin seuraavan sukupolven PCIe 4.0 x4 NVMe: n parhaaksi valinnaksi, mutta WD: n Black SN850 tekee huippuluokan tason kakkonen. Hintasta riippuen et voi mennä pieleen kumpaankin huippuluokan peli-tai työasemakokoonpanoon.

WD: n musta SN850 yhdistettynä yrityksen uuteen 16 nm: n WD Black G2 PCIe 4.0 x4 NVMe 1.4 SSD-ohjaimeen merkittävä parannus yrityksen SSD-arkkitehtuuriin. WDs Black SN850 pystyy ylläpitämään jopa 7/5,3 Gt/s nopeutta ja tuottamaan erittäin reagoivan satunnaisen suorituskyvyn, jonka ansiosta SSD voi mennä varpaista kärkeen parhaimmillaan. Vaikka se maksaa suuren tyhjäkäynnin virrankulutuksen työpöydän testipenkillämme. Toisin kuin Samsung 980 Pro, WD Black SN850: stä puuttuu AES 256-bittinen salaus.

Lue: WD Black SN850-katsaus

M.2 PCIe NVMe-asemat

Nämä pienet, suorakaiteen muotoiset asemat näyttävät RAM-muistitikulta, vain pienemmiltä. Ne ovat yleensä 80 mm pitkiä ja 22 mm leveitä, kuvataan kokona 2280, mutta jotkut saattavat olla lyhyempiä tai pidempiä, joten varmista, että saat sellaisen, joka sopii korttipaikkaasi. Voit saada M.2-asemia, jotka tukevat SATA: ta, mutta useimmat modernit työpöydät ja M.2-paikoilla kannettavat kannettavat tietokoneet tukevat nopeampaa PCIe NVMe-standardia.

Sabrent Rocket 4 Plus

Paras arvo PCIe 4.0 M.2 SSD: Sabrent Rocket 4 Plus (Kuvan luotto: Tomin laitteisto)

3. Sabrent Rocket 4 Plus

Paras vastine PCIe 4.0 M.2 SSD

Kapasiteetit: 1 Tt, 2 Tt, 4 Tt | Muotokerroin: M.2 2280 Kaksipuolinen | Siirtoliitäntä/protokolla: PCIe 4.0 x4/NVMe 1.4 | Peräkkäinen luku/kirjoitus: 7200 MBps/6900 MBps | Takuu/kestävyys: 5 vuotta (rekisteröinnin yhteydessä)/enintään 2800 TBW

Nopea peräkkäinen suorituskyky

Kilpailukykyinen hinnoittelu

Suuri ja yhtenäinen dynaaminen välimuisti

Houkutteleva muotoilu

Yhden vuoden takuu ilman rekisteröintiä

Ei aivan yhtä reagoiva tai tehokas kuin Samsung/WD

Ei AES 256-bittinen salaus

Hidas kirjoitusnopeus kirjoitusvälimuistin täyttämisen jälkeen

Powered by Phison PS5018-E18 PCIe 4.0 x4 NVMe SSD-ohjain ja Micronin 96L TLC-salama, Sabrent Rocket 4 Plus tarjoaa vakavia laitteistoja, jotka mahdollistivat sen, että se hajottaa nopeustietueiden kirjoittamisen testauksessamme. Paitsi että se on nopea, sillä on musta piirilevy ja yhteensopiva musta piirilevy ja kuparisävyinen levitin, se on myös erittäin houkutteleva M.2. Hintoilla, jotka alittavat sekä WD: n että Samsungin, se on suuri arvo niille, jotka haluavat säästää rahaa, mutta silti saavat reagoivan PCIe 4.0-suorituskyvyn. Lisäksi se on tilava 4 Tt: n kapasiteetti, toisin kuin WD ja Samsung. Muista kuitenkin, että alhaisimmalla hinnalla sillä ei ole 256-bittistä AES-salausta ja sillä on yhden vuoden takuu ilman rekisteröitymistä 90 päivän kuluessa.

Lue: Sabrent Rocket 4 Plus Review

Adata XPG Gammix S50 Lite

Paras arvo PCIe 4.0 M.2 SSD-vaihtoehto: Adata XPG Gammix S50 Lite (Kuvan luotto: Tomin laitteisto)

4. Adata XPG Gammix S50 Lite

Paras vastine PCIe 4.0 M.2 SSD-vaihtoehdolle

Kapasiteetit: 1 Tt, 2 Tt | Muotokerroin: M.2 2280 Kaksipuolinen | Siirtoliitäntä/protokolla: PCIe 4.0 x4/NVMe 1.4 | Peräkkäinen luku/kirjoitus: 3900 MBps/3200 MBps | Takuu/kestävyys: 5 vuotta/enintään 1480 TBW

Kilpailukykyinen suorituskyky

Houkutteleva muotoilu

Edulliset hinnat

Suuri dynaaminen kirjoita välimuisti

AES 256-bittinen täyden levyn salaus

Viiden vuoden takuu

Hidas kirjoitusvälimuisti välimuistin ulkopuolella

Adatan XPG SX8200 Pro oli luokkansa edullisin SSD jonkin aikaa, mutta Adatan XPG Gammix S50 Lite on oikeutetusti ottanut paikkansa yhtenä markkinoiden parhaimmista SSD-levyistä. Se ei ole aivan yhtä nopea kuin jotkut sen PCIe Gen4-kilpailijat, mutta se kuitenkin pilkkaa monia parhaita saatavilla olevia PCIe Gen3 SSD-levyjä ja sisältää myös ominaisuuksia. Lisäksi se pysyy viileänä tyylikkäällä harjatulla alumiinisella jäähdytyselementillä ja tarjoaa paremmat kestävyysarvot kuin Samsungin 980 PRO.

Lue: Adata XPG Gammix S50 Lite-katsaus

SK hynix Gold P31

Paras M.2 SSD kannettaville tietokoneille: SK hynix Gold P31 ( Kuvahyvitys: Tomin laitteisto)

5. SK hynix Gold P31

Best M.2 SSD for Laptops

Capacities: 500GB, 1TB | Form Factor: M.2 2280 Single-sided | Transfer Interface/Protocol: PCIe 3.0 x4/NVMe 1.3 | Sequential Reads/Writes: 3,500 MBps/3,200 MBps | Warranty/Endurance: 5 Years/Up to 750 TBW

Top-tier performance

Unprecedented efficiency

AES 256-bit encryption

Capacity tops out at 1TB

SK hynix’s Gold P31 touts market leadership as the first retail SSD product to launch with 128L NAND flash. With SK hynix’s newest NAND reaching incredible bit density, the Gold P31 hits the market at very low pricing. Listed at just $75 and $135 for the 500GB and 1TB models, respectively, the Gold P31 is a fantastic value that will make you think twice about spending that extra $25-$50 on the Samsung 970 EVO Plus.

SK hynix’s Gold P31 is very well suited for those looking to increase their laptop storage not only to gain capacity but to gain battery life, too. While Adata’s SX8200 Pro performs well against the Gold P31 in benchmarking, the SK hynix is much more power-efficient, which will lead to longer off-the-charger sessions. But, while the Adata is the better buy for desktops and the SK hynix is best for laptops, the Gold P31’s much stronger write performance and ultra-high efficiency make it the better well-rounded choice for many users.

Laptop users who don’t need more than a terabyte of storage and prioritize battery life should definitely put the new SK hynix Gold P31 at the top of their drive list.

Read: SK hynix Gold P31 Review

Samsung 970 EVO Plus (512GB)

Best Performance PCIe 3.0 M.2 SSD: Samsung 970 EVO Plus (Image credit: Tom’s Hardware)

6. Samsung 970 EVO Plus

Best Performance PCIe 3.0 M.2 SSD

Capacities: 250GB, 500GB, 1TB, 2TB | Form Factor: M.2 2280 Single-sided | Transfer Interface/Protocol: PCIe 3.0 x4/NVMe 1.3 | Sequential Reads/Writes: 3,500 MBps/3,200 MBps | Warranty/Endurance: 5 Years/Up to 1,200 TBW

Solid overall performance

Black PCB

Excellent software package

Could use further efficiency optimization

We’re quite impressed with the Samsung 970 EVO Plus. Like the WD Black SN750, Samsung’s drive carries over the same controller as its predecessor. But instead of refreshing it with the same flash, Samsung decided to switch things up a bit with its new 9x-layer flash. Just as the flash is stacked to new heights, performance hits new highs, too. The resulting drive is exactly what its name says: a big Plus.

As the first widely-available retail SSD to hit the market with Samsung’s latest 9x-layer flash, the Samsung 970 EVO Plus delivers the same performance as the 970 EVO, plus more. The drive consistently proved that it has some of the strongest write performance on the market and can handle tough workloads. It even beat out Samsung’s own 970 PRO in a few tests, which is quite the feat considering the PRO slots in as Samsung’s workhorse for workstation-class applications.

Read: Samsung 970 EVO Plus Review

Best Value M.2 SSD Alternative: Team Group T-Force Cardea Zero Z340 (Image credit: Tom’s Hardware)

7. Team Group T-Force Cardea Zero Z340

Best Value M.2 SSD Alternative

Capacities: 256GB, 512GB, 1TB | Form Factor: M.2 2280 single-sided | Transfer Interface/Protocol: PCIe 3.0 x4/NVMe 1.3 | Sequential Reads/Writes: 3,400 MBps/3,000 MBps | Warranty/Endurance: 5 Years/Up to 1,665 TBW

Competitive pricing, performance & efficiency

Single-sided form factor

5-year warranty & class-leading endurance ratings

 Head spreader is very malleable

Team Group’s T-Force Cardea Zero Z340 SSD isn’t much more expensive than most entry-level M.2 SSDs. Still, with the latest mainstream hardware under the hood, it’s a good choice for gamers looking to stretch their budget a bit for something more consistent and reliable.

The drive offers a good bang-for-your-buck upgrade or a good option for those planning their next PC. It’s a responsive SSD that not only offers up multi-gigabyte performance; it’s rated for killer write endurance over its five-year warranty period. Plus, it comes with a slick graphene and copper label to handle heavy workloads without overheating, even without airflow in our test system. If you want to use a heatsink with your M.2, the label won’t prevent it like the heatsinks on some SSDs, like Patriot’s Viper series.

In our testing, we found that the combination of the Phison E12S controller and Micron 96L flash performed fairly well. Notably, the drive delivers faster performance than the older hardware powering the Seagate FireCuda 510 and is more efficient, too. But it isn’t the best of the best.

Read: Team Group T-Force Cardea Zero Z340 Review

Patriot Vip er VPR100

Best RGB M.2 SSD: Patriot Viper VPR100 (Image credit: Tom’s Hardware)

8. Patriot Viper VPR100

Best RGB M.2 SSD

Capacities: 256GB, 512GB, 1TB, 2TB | Form Factor: M.2 2280 Double-sided w/heatsink | Transfer Interface/Protocol: PCIe 3.0 x4/NVMe 1.3 | Sequential Reads/Writes: 3,300 MBps/2,900 MBps | Warranty/Endurance: 5 Years/1600 TBW

Solid performance and class-leading endurance

Attractive RGB lighting and heatsink

Available in capacities up to 2TB

Small write cache

Some lighting settings may affect performance

No SSD toolbox or cloning software

When we first took a look at the Viper VPR100, we were a bit concerned about its performance. Not only was it rated lower than most Phison E12-based SSDs, but the company states it will perform slower under various RGB settings. But, when we ran it through its paces with various lighting settings, the drive displayed no such issue with our ASRock X570 Taichi testbed. In fact, it even outperformed the MyDigitalSSD BPX Pro at times with the default lighting enabled, beating its rated specs.

The integrated heatshield not only adds quite a bit to the aesthetics of the Viper VPR100, but it also keeps the SSD cool under any workload. The LED’s didn’t add any significant heat output, either. So, no matter what your style is, you won’t have to sweat over your choice. If you’re building an all-RGB rig or just a new gaming system that you want to also add a bit of color to, the Viper VPR100 will definitely light things up.

Read: Patriot Viper VPR100 Review

Best High-Capacity M.2 SSD: Sabrent Rocket Q (8TB) (Image credit: Tom’s Hardware)

9. Sabrent Rocket Q

Best High-Capacity M.2 SSD

Capacities: 500GB, 1TB, 2TB, 4TB, 8TB | Form Factor: M.2 2280 Double-sided | Transfer Interface/Protocol: PCIe 3.0 x4/NVMe 1.3 | Sequential Reads/Writes: 3,300 MBps/2,900 MBps | Warranty/Endurance: 5 Years (with registration)/Up to 1800 TBW

Highest-capacity M.2 SSD available

Competitive performance and efficiency

Software support

Up to five-year warranty

Expensive

Slow write speed after write cache fills

Low endurance-per-GB compared to TLC

May throttle without cooling

Sabrent’s 8TB Rocket Q slots in as the industry’s highest-capacity M.2 NVMe SSD. The pint-sized monster is obviously best suited for the data hoarder on the go, but at $1,500, it’ll set you back about as much as a decent gaming laptop. The drive doesn’t just push capacity to the highest we’ve seen with a slim M.2 SSD; it also impresses with great performance and efficiency, thanks to the new Phison E12S controller and 96-Layer QLC flash.

QLC flash does have its downfalls, like lower endurance and slower write performance after the SLC write cache gets filled up during large file transfers, but the Phison E12S controller helps push the Rocket Q to the fastest performance we’ve seen from a QLC drive.

Read: Sabrent Rocket Q Review

Samsung 980 M.2 NVMe

Best DRAMless M.2 SSD: WD Blue SN550 (Image credit: Tom’s Hardware)

10. Samsung 980

Best DRAMless M.2 SSD

Capacities: 250GB, 500GB, 1TB | Form Factor: M.2 2280 Single-sided | Transfer Interface/Protocol: PCIe 3.0 x4/NVMe 1.4 | Sequential Reads/Writes: Up to 3,500 MBps/3,000 MBps | Warranty/Endurance: 5 Years/Up to 600 TBW

Competitive performance

Attractive design

AES 256-bit hardware encryption

Software suite

980 Pro-like endurance and 5-year warranty

Capacities up to only 1TB

Slow write speeds after the SLC cache fills

Samsung’s 980 is an inexpensive M.2 SSD that lacks DRAM, but it packs the company’s fastest flash yet. While shackled down by a PCIe 3.0 x4 interface, Samsung’s 980 may not be as fast as the Gen4 speed spewing monster that is the 980 Pro, but it is still a very responsive DRAM-less M.2 NVMe SSD thanks to its optimized design. Without DRAM, the SSD performs efficiently, keeps pace with many of the best PCIe Gen3 SSDs, and still boasts respectable endurance ratings. Sustained write performance may not be as strong as the WD Blue SN550’s, but with a cache that is over 13x larger, Samsung’s 980 shouldn’t slow down to slower than rated speeds often and should offer a more responsive user experience for the majority of its life.

Read: Samsung 980 Review 

(Image credit: Tom’s Hardware)

11. WD Blue SN550

Best Value DRAMless M.2 SSD

Capacities: 250GB, 500GB, 1TB | Form Factor: M.2 2280 Single-sided | Transfer Interface/Protocol: PCIe 3.1 x4/NVMe 1.3 | Sequential Reads/Writes: 2,400 MBps/1,750 MBps | Warranty/Endurance: 5 Years/Up to 600 TBW

Competitive Performance

Affordable and efficient

5-year warranty

1TB maximum capacity

Small SLC cache

Power optimization on desktops could be better

With a single-sided form factor, the Blue drive is also compact and slim for any M.2 2280 application. And, with a low average and well-regulated maximum power consumption, the WD Blue SN550 will pair nicely with an external NVMe adaptor, too, if you’re looking for something on the go. The SN550 delivers a responsive experience and is a quality SSD backed by thousands of validation tests. With a five-year warranty and plenty of endurance, the Blue SN550 is well worth considering – even if low cost isn’t your main priority.

WD’s Blue SN550 is one of the most consistent-performing low-cost NVMe SSDs available. Even though it has a small SLC write cache, its slowest performance will still remain acceptable when you hammer it with heavy writes. In our testing of the 1TB model, it even responds faster to applications and most consumer workloads than the WD Black SN750, including loading up your favorite games.

Read: WD Blue SN550 Review 

SATA Drives

You can get a SATA drive in the M.2 form factor, but most SATA drives are 2.5-inch models, which allows them to drop into the same bays that hold laptop hard drives. SATA drives are the cheapest and still the most popular.

Samsung 870 EVO

Best Consumer SATA SSD: Samsung 870 EVO (Image credit: Tom’s Hardware)

12. Samsung 870 EVO

Best Consumer SATA SSD

Capacities: 250GB, 500GB, 1TB, 2TB, 4TB | Form Factor: 2.5-inch 7mm | Transfer Interface/Protocol: SATA 6Gbps/AHCI | Sequential Reads/Writes: Up to 560 MBps/530 MBps | Warranty/Endurance: 5 Years/Up to 2,400 TBW

Reliable and responsive architecture

Appealing aesthetics

AES 256-bit encryption

Capacities up to 4TB

5-year warranty

Software suite

Premium price

Samsung continues to show us that it has the best SATA SSDs on the market. Following in the footsteps of its predecessor with top-ranking performance, great power efficiency, and all the features you could want out of SATA SSD, the 870 EVO dominates. While not as endurant as the PRO models, the 870 EVO comes with enough endurance for most users. Whether you’re a gamer or a prosumer, with high capacities of up to 4TB available, there’s a capacity for almost any need. You don’t need to look farther for a better SATA SSD – this is your best pick.

Read: Samsung 870 EVO Review

Crucial MX500

Best Consumer SATA SSD Alternative: Crucial MX500

13. Crucial MX500

Best Consumer SATA SSD Alternative

Capacities: 250GB, 500GB, 1TB, 2TB | Form Factor: 2.5” 7mm | Transfer Interface/Protocol: SATA 3/AHCI | Sequential Reads/Writes: Up to 560 MBps/510 MBps | Warranty/Endurance: 5 Years/Up to 700 TBW

Mainstream performance

Competitive pricing

SSD Toolbox and cloning software included

Host power failure protection• Hardware AES-256 Encryption

TCG Opal 2.0 SED Support

Smaller capacities slightly slower than larger

The design could use a makeover

If you don’t want to dish out big bucks on something in the NVMe flavor but still want strong SATA performance, the MX500 is a great choice. As an alternative to the Samsung 860 EVO, it offers similar performance and has a strong history of reliability. Usually priced to sell, the MX500 is a top value at any capacity you need.

Read: Crucial MX500 Review

Samsung 860 PRO

Best Prosumer SATA SSD: Samsung 860 PRO
14. Samsung 860 PRO

Best Prosumer SATA SSD

Capacities: 256GB, 512GB, 1TB, 2TB, 4TB | Form Factor: 2.5” 7mm | Transfer Interface/Protocol: SATA 3/AHCI | Sequential Reads/Writes: 560 MBps/530 MBps | Warranty/Endurance: 5 Years/Up to 4,800 TBW

Highest SATA performance for sustained workloads

High endurance

Consistent performance

SSD Toolbox and cloning software included TCG Opal, eDrive encryption support

Extremely high cost

Restrained by the SATA interface, but still need the absolute highest endurance and performance you can get? As the pinnacle of SATA performance inside and out, Samsung’s 860 PRO is the SSD to buy.

Like the Samsung 970 PRO, the 860 PRO uses Samsung’s 64L MLC V-NAND, which helps propel it to the top of the charts in our rounds of benchmarking and makes for some incredible endurance figures. You can get capacities up to 4TB, and endurance figures can be as high as 4,800 TBW. But with prices that are triple that of your typical mainstream SATA SSD, the 860 PRO is mainly for businesses with deep pockets.

Read: Samsung 860 Pro Review

Add-in Card SSDs

These drives are add-on cards, just like graphics cards or sound cards, so they only work with desktops with a spare PCIe 3.0 x4, x8, or x16 slot. However, because they are larger than other form factors, they have room for more chips and better cooling, making them the fastest drives around.

Intel Optane SSD 905P

Best Performance/Best Add-in Card: Intel Optane SSD 905P 

15. Intel Optane SSD 905P

Best Performance/Best Add-in Card

Capacities: 380GB, 480GB, 960TB, 1.5TB | Form Factor: Half-Height, Half Length/U.2 15mm/M.2 22110 | Transfer Interface/Protocol: PCIe 3.0 x4/NVMe 1.3 | Sequential Reads/Writes: 2,600 MBps/2,200 MBps | Warranty/Endurance: 5 Years/Up to 27.37 TBW

Leading random read performance

Exceptional mixed workload performance

Endurance up to 27.37 PBW

AES 256-bit encryption support

LEDs to light up your PC

SSD Toolbox included

Won’t work in laptops

No GUI LED control

Extremely high cost per GB

Lower sequential performance than NAND based SSDs

High power consumption

When looking for the best SSD, and we mean the absolute best and money is no object, look no further than Intel’s Optane SSD 905P. Because this SSD features Intel’s latest 3D XPoint memory, it breaks free from many of NAND’s drawbacks and offers the best responsiveness out of any storage device we have tested to date. And, those needing a plethora of endurance will find the 905P to be a device sent from the gods. With its endurance rating of over 17 petabytes at the 960GB capacity or over 27PBW at the 1.5TB capacity, you’ll be sure to upgrade it years before it ever wears out. Need the best? Don’t look at the rest; get the Intel Optane SSD 905P. Unfortunately, Intel has decided to end its Optane lineup for desktop PCs, so we won’t see new models in the future and stock will slowly dwindle on the existing models. That means you’ll need to buy one today if you plan on going the Optane route.

Read: Intel Optane SSD 905P Review

Best RGB Add-in-Card SSD: WD Black AN1500 (Image credit: Tom’s Hardware)

16. WD Black AN1500

Best RGB Add-in-Card SSD

Capacities: 1TB, 2TB, 4TB | Form Factor: Half-Height, Half Length | Transfer Interface/Protocol: PCIe 3.0 x8/NVMe 1.3 | Sequential Reads/Writes: 6,400 MBps/4,100 MBps | Warranty/Endurance: 5 Years/N/A

Aesthetic appeal

Competitive performance

5-year warranty

Software suite

Not quite as fast as native Gen4 SSDs

Takes up 8 PCIe lanes for full performance

Power hog

Runs hot, but not too hot

Expensive

WD’s Black AN1500 is a unique NVMe SSD that combines two of the company’s SN730 NVMe SSDs and pairs them into a RAID 0 with an enterprise-grade RAID controller. The drive delivers the speed of the PCIe Gen4 interface to systems that only support PCIe Gen3.

The drive delivers up to 6.4/4.1 GBps in sequential read/write performance, providing PCIe Gen4-like performance over its PCIe 3.0 X8 interface-but for systems that don’t support PCIe Gen4. However, while the drive offers up incredible performance, it consumes a lot of power and is rather pricey. Fortunately, endurance ratings don’t restrict its warranty coverage, and there is, of course, that well-implemented RGB lighting.

Read: WD Black AN1500 Review 

Intel Optane SSD 900P

Best Low-Capacity Add-in-Card SSD: Intel Optane SSD 900P 

17. Intel Optane SSD 900P

Best Low-Capacity Add-in-Card SSD

Capacities: 280GB, 480GB | Form Factor: Half-Height, Half Length/U.2 15mm | Transfer Interface/Protocol: PCIe 3.0 x4/NVMe 1.3 | Sequential Reads/Writes: 2,500 MBps/2,000 MBps | Warranty/Endurance: 5 Years/Up to 8.76 PBW

Leading random read performance

Exceptional mixed workload performance

Endurance up to 8.76 PBW

AES 256bit encryption support

SSD Toolbox included

Extremely high cost per GB

Lower sequential performance than NAND based SSDs

Limited capacities options

High power consumption

There aren’t many options for AICs in the consumer market as the M.2 form factor has become so popular. At a capacity of 480GB and a nearly absurd price of about $1/GB, the Intel Optane SSD 900P is your top-performing option. Powered by a custom Intel NVMe controller and their 3D XPoint memory, the 900P is one of the fastest performing SSDs on the market. Unlike the 905P, it comes in an AIC form factor at the 480GB capacity, not just U.2. But while its random performance is better than anything else we’ve seen before, its sequential performance is rather underwhelming when compared to some of the fastest NAND-based SSDs. Its power consumption is also much higher than any competitor. Unfortunately, Intel has decided to end its Optane lineup for desktop PCs, so we won’t see new models in the future and stock will slowly dwindle on the existing models. That means you’ll need to buy one today if you plan on going the Optane route.

Read: Intel Optane SSD 900P Review

Best SSDs for Chia Farming

We’re working on in-depth SSD testing to create a longer dedicated list of the Best SSDs for plotting Chia coins, but these are the two top picks in both the premium and value categories. You can also reference our How to Farm Chia Coin guide for more details.

Chia plotting, which is the process of creating the actual farmable plot, takes a lot of resources before low-resource farming can happen. Each K32 plot needs roughly 239GiB of high-speed storage capacity for the process before you end up with a tidied-up 101GiB plot. With the workloads eating through up to 1.8TiB of SSD endurance per plot over six to twelve hours (speed varies widely), plotting requires high endurance, high capacity, and incredible speed to pull off multiple concurrent plots at once for optimal efficiency.

The software automatically moves the finished plot from the SSD to an HDD for bulk storage. You don’t have to worry much about HDD endurance for these tasks; they are normally rated for up to 150-300TB of writes per year. However, their slow access times aren’t suitable for plotting.

SSDs, with their much faster access times, make great candidates for speeding up your plotting process. However, don’t get fooled into thinking that just any old SSD will speed up your plotting. That’s far from reality; Chia plotting is a consumer SSD killer.

What is the best SSD for Chia? Figuring that out can be complicated. Because most consumer SSDs have rather limited endurance ratings than enterprise parts, it’s hard to recommend drives designed specifically for the consumer market. Ideally, you want high endurance enterprise-grade NVMe or SAS SSDs for the task. Many of these types of used SSDs are for sale on eBay for much cheaper than new, but we know that many of us don’t have the means to purchase or configure such a setup, or only plan to do a few plots that don’t require such high-performance accommodations. Not to mention, second-hand enterprise SSDs are becoming scarce now that more people are getting into Chia mining.

But if you are left looking at consumer SSDs, you’re going to want to get something with a good balance of specs and value. Look at these SSDs as disposable wear items for this specific task, like a pair of tires on a race car. Ideally, you want fast performance for plotting and plenty of write endurance since both are huge pieces of the puzzle due to the massive write burden per plot. You will also want a high-capacity model to enable concurrent plotting too.

You can only plot roughly three to possibly four plots per 1TB of storage capacity, and if you have a setup with, say, a Ryzen 9 5900X or better paired with a lot of RAM, even 1TB drives can become a big bottleneck. As such, plan to purchase a minimum of 239 GiB of capacity for every two CPU cores that you plan to mine with.

Best Value Consumer Chia Mining SSD: WD Black SN750 (Image credit: Tom’s Hardware)

18. WD Black SN750

Best Value Consumer Chia Mining SSD

Capacities: 500GB, 1TB, 2TB, 4TB | Form Factor: M.2 2280 Single-sided | Transfer Interface/Protocol: PCIe 3.0 x4/NVMe 1.3 | Sequential Reads/Writes: 3,470 MBps/3,100 MBps | Warranty/Endurance: 5 Years/2,400

Efficient, consistent, predictable performance

High sustained write performance

Attractive design

5-year warranty

Software suite

High idle power consumption 

Chia plotting is taxing on storage, eating away at up to 1.8TiB of writes per plot and requiring roughly 239GiB of free space per plot you make. The higher the capacity and higher the write performance, the better and you’re not going to want a QLC SSD at all. For this task, we recommend the WD_Black SN750 as our best value pick. Capable of awesome sustained write performance and available in capacities of up to 4TB, this PCIe 3.0 x4 NVMe SSD that is perfect for the task. While it isn’t the fastest to respond in some applications, it is still a solid pick for those looking for a high-capacity SSD to constantly write all your Chia plots to. Not only is it fast at writing, but it is also a solid value at a lower cost than Samsung’s 970 EVO Plus, which slots in as our premium recommendation.

Read: WD Black SN750 SSD Review

Best Value Consumer Chia Mining SSD Alternative: Samsung 970 EVO Pl us SSD (Image credit: Samsung)

19. Samsung 970 EVO Plus

Best Value Consumer Chia Mining SSD Alternative

Capacities: 250GB, 500GB, 1TB, 2TB | Form Factor: M.2 2280 Single-sided | Transfer Interface/Protocol: PCIe 3.0 x4/NVMe 1.3 | Sequential Reads/Writes: 3,500 MBps/3,200 MBps | Warranty/Endurance: 5 Years/Up to 1,200 TBW

Solid overall performance

Black PCB

Excellent software package

5-year warranty

Software suite

Could use further efficiency optimization 

Depending on the capacity, the time of purchase, region, or if it’s just on sale, the Samsung 970 EVO Plus is a great alternative consideration for your Chia Plotting needs. Packing Samsung’s 92L TLC and a high-performance 8-channel penta-core NVMe controller, the 970 EVO Plus is a fast-running, PCIe 3.0 x4 SSD capable of high sustained write speeds, even higher than the WD Black_SN750. While the new Samsung 980 may be more tempting at its lower cost, we recommend you dish out a few more dollars for the older 970 EVO Plus for its much higher sustained write performance.

Read: Samsung 970 EVO Plus SSD Review

Finding Discounts on the Best SSDs

Whether you’re shopping for one of the best SSDs or one that didn’t quite make our list, you may find savings by checking out the latest Crucial promo codes, Newegg promo codes, Amazon promo codes, Corsair coupon codes, Samsung promo codes or Micro Center coupons.

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