Best SSD for gaming – our top picks for speed, capacity, & budget
Table of Contents
SSDs are considered one of the major components of a modern gaming PC. Faster drives won’t increase your FPS, but they can dramatically reduce load times, speed up game installs, improve asset streaming, and make your entire system feel more responsive.
After putting a range of drives through their paces, we found the WD_BLACK SN8100 to be the best SSD for gaming overall. It delivers class-leading PCIe 5.0 performance, excellent benchmark results, and enough speed to handle anything modern games can throw at it. If you’re looking for a more affordable option, the Kingston Fury Renegade G5 remains an excellent alternative, while the Samsung 990 Pro continues to be our favourite Gen 4.
Products at a glance
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Best SSD for gaming
WD_BLACK SN8100
- Capacity: 1/2/4 TB
- Interface: PCIe 5.0 x4 NVMe
- Sequential Read Speed: 14,900MB/s
- Sequential Write Speed: 11,000/14,000/14,000 MB/s
- Random Read Speed: 1.6M/2.3M/2.3M IOPS
- Random Write Speed: 2.4M IOPS
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Runner up Gen5
Kingston FURY Renegade G5 2TB
- Capacity: 1/2/4TB
- Interface: PCIe 5.0 x4 NVMe
- Sequential Read Speed: 14,200/14,700/14,800MB/s
- Sequential Write Speed: 11,000/14,000/14,000MB/s
- Random Read Speed: 2,200,000IOPS
- Random Write Speed: 2,150,000/2,200,000/2,200,000IOPS
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Best Gen4 SSDSamsung 990 Pro
- Capacity: 1TB, 2TB, 4TB
- Interface: M.2 2280 PCIe Gen 4
- Sequential Read Speed: Up to 7,450 MB/s
- Sequential Write Speed: Up to 6,900 MB/s
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Best budget SSDCrucial P3 Plus
- Capacity: 500GB, 1TB, 2TB, 4TB
- Interface: M.2 2280 PCIe Gen 4
- Sequential Read Speed: 5000MB/s
- Sequential Write Speed: 4200MB/s
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Best external SSD for gamingWD_BLACK P40 Game Drive SSD
- Capacity: 1TB, 2TB
- Interface: USB 3.2 Gen 2 x2 (Type-C)
- Sequential Read Speed: 2000MB/s
- Sequential Write Speed: 2000MB/s
How PC Guide tests SSDs
At PC Guide, we test the factors that matter most to gamers: loading times, sustained performance, thermals, capacity, and overall value. Where possible, we benchmark SSDs in-house using tools such as CrystalDiskMark and 3DMark Storage Benchmark, while also monitoring temperatures and performance consistency under extended workloads. We compare drives across multiple generations, capacities, and price points to ensure our recommendations represent the best options for different budgets and use cases.
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The best SSDs for gaming
From flagship Gen 5 SSDs to budget-friendly options, these are the SSDs worth considering.
1. WD_BLACK SN8100
- Capacity: 1/2/4 TB
- Interface: PCIe 5.0 x4 NVMe
- Sequential Read Speed: 14,900MB/s
- Sequential Write Speed: 11,000/14,000/14,000 MB/s
- Random Read Speed: 1.6M/2.3M/2.3M IOPS
- Random Write Speed: 2.4M IOPS
- Endurance: 600/1,200/2,400 TBW
- Controller: Silicon Motion SM2508
- NAND: TLC 3D CBA
- MTBF: 1.75M hours
The WD_BLACK SN8100 takes our top spot thanks to its outstanding PCIe Gen 5 performance, excellent benchmark results, and strong thermal efficiency. In our testing, it consistently ranked among the fastest drives we’ve reviewed, making it an excellent choice for gamers who want the quickest load times and a storage solution that’s built for the future. The premium price may be hard to justify for some builds, but if you’re chasing the best SSD performance available today, the SN8100 is hard to beat.
Sandisk WD_Black SN8100 3DMark storage average bandwidth, Image by PC Guide
Sandisk WD_Black SN8100 3DMark storage access time, Image by PC Guide
Sandisk WD_Black SN8100 3DMark storage benchmark total score, Image by PC Guide
Sandisk WD_Black SN8100 CrystalDiskMark default, Image by PC Guide
Sandisk WD_Black SN8100 CrystalDiskMark Real World Performance, Image by PC Guide
WD_Black SN8100 SSD Temps and Activity, Image by PCGuide
2. Kingston FURY Renegade G5 2TB
- Capacity: 1/2/4TB
- Interface: PCIe 5.0 x4 NVMe
- Sequential Read Speed: 14,200/14,700/14,800MB/s
- Sequential Write Speed: 11,000/14,000/14,000MB/s
- Random Read Speed: 2,200,000IOPS
- Random Write Speed: 2,150,000/2,200,000/2,200,000IOPS
- Endurance: 1/2/4PB
- Controller: SM2508
- NAND: 3D TLC
- MTBF: 2,000,000 hours
The Kingston Fury Renegade G5 is equipped with an SM2508 controller and utilizes DDR4 DRAM for the cache. Alongside the 3D TLC NAND flash, it allows for the impressively fast speed it has to offer while also keeping up the performance in the long run. That’s thanks to the buffer that setup creates and doesn’t bottleneck the utility as much, and something budget NVMes without a cache may struggle with.
As we found in our Fury Renegade G5 review, it delivers on the speeds. The sequential speeds manage to reach the advertised ones and beat out the PCIe Gen 4 competition. Although the random speeds do falter much like the rest of the options, it keeps at a very solid pace anyway for great performance.
Even without its own heatsink, the G5 keeps temperatures and performance up in the long-run stress tests. That way, it’s a long-term solution, if you can afford it, considering there may be some better-priced options out there.
Kingston FURY Renegade G5 thermals, Image by PC Guide
Kingston FURY Renegade G5 CrystalDiskMark default, Image by PC Guide
Kingston FURY Renegade G5 CrystalDiskMark real world, Image by PC Guide
Kingston FURY Renegade G5 3DMark storage avg access time, Image by PC Guide
Kingston FURY Renegade G5 3DMark storage total score, Image by PC Guide
Kingston FURY Renegade G5 3DMark storage avg bandwidth, Image by PC Guide
3. Samsung 990 Pro
- Capacity: 1TB, 2TB, 4TB
- Interface: M.2 2280 PCIe Gen 4
- Sequential Read Speed: Up to 7,450 MB/s
- Sequential Write Speed: Up to 6,900 MB/s
This M.2 drive sports a PCIe Gen 4.0 interface, which should translate into high speeds. Specifically, the SSD offers read and write speeds of up to 7,450 MB/s and 6,900 MB/s, which should translate into faster app launches, quicker loading times, and overall faster performance.
Further, like some of the best NVMe SSDs, this is also quite power-efficient. Samsung claims it uses over 50% less power than its predecessor.
To maintain this performance, the drive is equipped with a nickel-coated controller that promises to deliver thermal control. It also comes with a heatsink version if you want it, but that might be best suited as a PS5 SSD, considering most motherboards these days offer their own implementations instead.
This drive is available in various capacities. With 1, 2, and 4TB versions available, depending on your use case and budget, that is a good range to choose from and ensure you don’t have to get more storage down the line.
4. Crucial P3 Plus
- Capacity: 500GB, 1TB, 2TB, 4TB
- Interface: M.2 2280 PCIe Gen 4
- Sequential Read Speed: 5000MB/s
- Sequential Write Speed: 4200MB/s
If you’re looking for a budget SSD with a low price but still plenty of performance, the Crucial P3 Plus is the option to choose from. Still an NVMe SSD on the PCIe Gen 4 standard, it is a great choice for performance. It suggests a sequential read and write speed of 5,000 and 4,200MB/s, respectively.
It is an improvement of 43% compared to the last-generation PCIe 3 SSDs, so it still has a lot to offer. Unfortunately, being a cheaper option, it lacks an onboard cache that is used as a buffer when loading data onto the drive. So, over time, you may find the drive slowing down when doing large tasks. However, for gaming and small changes, it shouldn’t have an impact.
Built with Micron’s advanced 3D NAND, it is a high-quality component that is reliable and provides great performance for flash memory. Crucial also provides solid security with management software, allowing optimizations and updates to provide a longer run time and peace of mind.
5. WD_BLACK P40 Game Drive SSD
- Capacity: 1TB, 2TB
- Interface: USB 3.2 Gen 2 x2 (Type-C)
- Sequential Read Speed: 2000MB/s
- Sequential Write Speed: 2000MB/s
If you are looking for an external gaming SSD, then we think that the Western Digital P40 SSD might check all the boxes for you.
Now, external drives tend to have slower speeds than internal SSDs, but portable drives compensate for the speeds with flexibility and multi-utility. Much like some of the best external SSDs, this WD drive has a speed of up to 2,000MB/s, which should be sufficient for gamers.
Further, this drive is compatible with PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 4 Pro, Xbox One, Xbox Series X, and Xbox Series S, which is good news for console users. Plus, this drive also works well with PCs, laptops, and even Macs, with the ability to have a Type-C connection plugged in.
This portable SSD is pocket-sized, lightweight, and rugged in design. It also sports RGB lights, which should appeal to people looking for gamer aesthetics. However, the lights work only with PCs and laptops.
How to pick the best SSD for your setup
PCIe Gen 5 vs Gen 4
Most gamers won’t notice a huge difference between a high-end Gen 4 and Gen 5 SSD during gameplay, but Gen 5 drives deliver significantly higher sequential speeds and offer more headroom for future technologies such as DirectStorage.
How much storage do you need?
Modern games regularly exceed 100GB, with some pushing beyond 150GB once updates and DLC are installed. For most gamers, 2TB is now the sweet spot, offering enough room for Windows and a healthy game library without constantly juggling installs.
Does SSD speed affect gaming performance?
A faster SSD won’t increase frame rates, but it can reduce loading times, improve texture streaming, and make large open-world games feel more responsive.
Do you need a heatsink?
Many modern motherboards include integrated M.2 heatsinks, making a bundled SSD heatsink unnecessary. However, high-performance PCIe Gen 5 drives can generate significant heat under sustained workloads and benefit from adequate cooling.
Is SATA or NVMe better for gaming?
An NVMe SSD is better for gaming; the standard can reach much faster speeds compared to a SATA drive. Considering that SATA is limited to 6GB/s on the cable compared to the higher ability of the NVMes. Even then, the likes of the 870 EVO have a speed of 560 and 530MB/s sequential read and write speeds. Compared to the 990 Pro NVMe, which can achieve up to 7,450 and 6,900MB/s instead.
That allows your games to load faster and generally perform better as well, especially when games start implementing DirectStorage more and more to provide seamless scenes.
Is a 2TB SSD enough for gaming?
Even though these days games are getting bigger and bigger, a 2TB SSD should be plenty for you. Even if it’s used as one drive with the OS installed, that will still leave well over 1.5TB for your games, files, and applications. You may, at some point, find yourself limited, but for the most part, you’ll be able to install plenty of games on the SSD.
Final word
The SN8100 is currently the best we’ve tested. The combination of performance, thermals, excellent endurance ratings, and enough capacity options to suit almost any gaming build makes it an easy winner.
That said, you don’t need a flagship PCIe Gen 5 drive to get a great gaming experience. The Kingston Fury Renegade G5 remains a superb alternative, while the Samsung 990 Pro continues to be one of the strongest Gen 4 SSDs available. For most gamers, choosing the right capacity and value proposition will have a bigger impact than chasing the highest benchmark numbers.
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