Top Picks at a Glance
WD_BLACK 1TB SN850P NVMe M.2 SSD Officially Licensed Storage Expansion for PS5 Consoles, up to 7,300MB/s, with heatsink - WDBBYV0010BNC-WRSN
WD_BLACK SN850X 1TB NVMe SSD with Heatsink - M.2 2280, Up to 7,300 MB/s Read speeds, Up to 6,300 MB/s write speeds, Gaming Expansion, High Performance Internal Solid State Drive - WDS100T2XHE
SAMSUNG (MZ-V7E500BW) 970 EVO SSD 500GB - M.2 NVMe Interface Internal Solid State Drive with V-NAND Technology, Black/Red
SAMSUNG 970 EVO Plus SSD 250GB NVMe M.2 Internal Solid State Drive with V-NAND Technology, Storage and Memory Expansion for Gaming, Graphics w/ Heat Control, Max Speed, MZ-V7S250B/AM
Crucial MX500 1TB 3D NAND SATA 2.5 Inch Internal SSD, up to 560MB/s - CT1000MX500SSD1
Samsung 970 EVO Plus SSD 500GB - M.2 NVMe Interface Internal Solid State Drive with V-NAND Technology (MZ-V7S500B/AM)
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How Much Does Your SSD Actually Matter for Gaming?
The jump from a spinning hard drive to any SSD is transformative — boot times, game load screens, and open-world asset streaming all improve dramatically. The jump from a SATA SSD to a fast NVMe drive is more nuanced: PCIe 4.0 NVMe drives hit sequential reads of 7000+ MB/s versus 550 MB/s on SATA, but most games are bottlenecked by asset decompression and CPU processing rather than raw read speed. The practical difference is meaningful in open-world titles with constant streaming (Cyberpunk, Flight Simulator) and in PS5 storage expansion where the platform requires a specific minimum speed threshold.
Here are the best drives for every use case in 2026.
NVMe vs. SATA: When It Actually Matters
- PCIe 4.0 NVMe (5000–7400 MB/s): Best for PS5 expansion, DirectStorage-enabled PC titles, and large game libraries where install/uninstall times add up. The WD_BLACK SN850 series defines this tier.
- PCIe 3.0 NVMe (3000–3500 MB/s): The sweet spot for PC gaming — fast enough that no current game is meaningfully limited by drive speed, at mature pricing. Samsung 970 EVO series lives here.
- SATA SSD (500–550 MB/s): Still a solid upgrade from HDDs for secondary game storage drives. The Crucial MX500 is the benchmark here.
The Best Gaming SSDs Reviewed
WD_BLACK SN850P 1TB NVMe — PS5 Officially Licensed — $248.89
The SN850P is WD’s PlayStation 5-licensed M.2 drive, purpose-built to meet Sony’s speed requirements and validated for PS5 compatibility. Rated 4.8 stars at $248.89, it delivers PCIe 4.0 performance (up to 7300 MB/s sequential read) and ships with an integrated heatsink designed to fit the PS5’s M.2 bay without clearance issues. If you’re expanding PS5 storage, this is the safest, most compatible choice. Also works excellently in any PCIe 4.0-capable gaming PC.
WD_BLACK SN850X 1TB NVMe with Heatsink — $259.99
The SN850X is the PC-focused sibling to the SN850P, rated 4.8 stars at $259.99 and also offering up to 7300 MB/s sequential reads. The bundled heatsink manages temperatures during sustained workloads — relevant for DirectStorage game asset streaming pipelines and large file transfers. The WD_BLACK dashboard software provides drive health monitoring and optional game mode that repositions data for faster access patterns. The premium PCIe 4.0 pick for pure PC builds.
Samsung 970 EVO 500GB M.2 NVMe — $279
The Samsung 970 EVO sits at 4.9 stars — the highest-rated drive on this list — and its reputation is fully earned. PCIe 3.0 with Samsung’s V-NAND and Polaris controller delivers consistent real-world performance that often matches drives with higher sequential specs on paper. At $279 for 500GB it’s now premium-priced for the capacity, but Samsung’s Magician software, proven longevity across millions of drives, and the brand trust premium make it a confident choice for system drives where reliability matters most.
Samsung 970 EVO Plus 500GB NVMe — $229
The EVO Plus generation improved on the original 970 EVO with higher sustained write speeds thanks to Samsung’s latest V-NAND at the time. Rated 4.8 stars at $229. The 500GB capacity suits OS + primary game library configurations where a second larger SATA drive handles game overflow. Virtually indistinguishable from the EVO in day-to-day gaming load times — if one is on sale, take it.
Samsung 970 EVO Plus 250GB NVMe — $197.95
The entry-level 250GB Samsung NVMe option at $197.95 and 4.8 stars. 250GB is tight for a primary gaming drive in 2026 — a single AAA title can consume 80–150GB — but as a dedicated OS drive paired with a larger secondary SSD, it boots Windows in under 10 seconds and keeps system responsiveness snappy. Best for builders with an existing game storage drive who need a fast, reliable system volume.
Crucial MX500 1TB SATA 2.5″ SSD — $349.99
The lone SATA drive on this list earns its place as the secondary storage recommendation. At $349.99 and 4.8 stars, the MX500 1TB delivers 560 MB/s sequential reads — fast enough that game load times from a SATA SSD are excellent, even if technically slower than NVMe. Use this as a bulk game library drive in a desktop with an NVMe system drive: install Windows and your most-played titles on NVMe, overflow everything else here. The 2.5″ form factor also makes it a direct HDD replacement in older desktops and laptops.
Build Recommendations
- PS5 upgrade: WD_BLACK SN850P — licensed, heatsink included, no compatibility guesswork.
- High-end PC primary drive: WD_BLACK SN850X or Samsung 970 EVO (5-star trust).
- Budget PC primary drive: Samsung 970 EVO Plus 500GB.
- Secondary game storage: Crucial MX500 1TB SATA.
