PCIe 4.0 remains the sweet spot for gaming storage in 2026. It is fast enough that no current game can truly saturate it, it runs cooler than PCIe 5.0, and it is supported by a huge range of motherboards — which means you get near-flagship load times without the price premium or thermal demands of a Gen5 drive. For the overwhelming majority of gamers and creators building or upgrading a PC this year, a high-quality Gen4 NVMe SSD is the right choice.
This guide compares six excellent PCIe 4.0 drives, spanning the capacities most gamers care about, from 1TB up to a massive 4TB for big libraries and creative work. The lineup is dominated by Samsung’s superb 990 PRO and the proven 980 PRO, alongside WD_BLACK’s class-leading SN850X. We have focused on capacity, rated speeds and value rather than synthetic benchmarks, since real-world gaming differences between top Gen4 drives are minimal. Below is an at-a-glance table, then a closer look at each option, buying advice, and answers to common questions.
Best Picks at a Glance
| Product | Best For | Standout Spec | Approx Price |
|---|---|---|---|
| Samsung 990 PRO 1TB | Best value Gen4 flagship | Up to 7,450 MB/s read | around $250 |
| Samsung 990 PRO 2TB | Best all-round gaming | PCIe 4.0, 2TB | around $430 |
| Samsung 980 PRO 2TB | Proven Gen4 performer | PCIe 4.0 Gen4 2TB | around $482 |
| WD_BLACK SN850X 4TB | Huge gaming library | Up to 7,300 MB/s read | around $600 |
| Samsung 990 PRO 4TB | Creator + gaming | Up to 7,450 MB/s read | around $841 |
| Samsung 990 PRO 4TB (alt) | Max capacity | PCIe 4.0, 4TB | around $912 |
1. Samsung 990 PRO 1TB
Samsung 990 PRO SSD 1TB PCIe 4.0 M.2 2280 Internal Solid State Hard Drive, Seq. Read Speeds Up to 7,450 MB/s for High End Computing, Gaming, and Heavy Duty Workstations, MZ-V9P1T0B/AM
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The 1TB Samsung 990 PRO is the most affordable way into Samsung’s flagship Gen4 line, and it is an outstanding boot and primary gaming drive. With rated reads up to 7,450 MB/s it delivers the same class-leading speed as its larger siblings, simply with less capacity. For a build where you will keep a focused library of installed games, or where you plan to add storage later, the 1TB version offers flagship performance at a sensible price.
It carries all the strengths of the 990 PRO family: excellent endurance, Samsung Magician software, and a reputation as one of the best gaming SSDs of its generation. At around $250 it is the budget-friendly entry to the range, and a great choice if you want top-tier speed without paying for capacity you may not need immediately.
Pros: Flagship 990 PRO speed at the lowest price in the range; excellent reliability and software; ideal boot/primary drive.
Cons: 1TB fills quickly with modern games; cost-per-gigabyte is higher than the larger models.
2. Samsung 990 PRO 2TB
Samsung 990 PRO SSD 2TB NVMe M.2 PCIe Gen4, M.2 2280 Internal Solid State Hard Drive, Seq. Read Speeds Up to 7,450 MB/s for High End Computing, Gaming, and Heavy Duty Workstations, MZ-V9P2T0B/AM
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The 2TB Samsung 990 PRO is, for many builders, the single best gaming SSD you can buy. It combines the family’s class-leading Gen4 speed with the 2TB capacity we consider ideal for a 2026 gaming PC — enough room for a substantial library of large AAA titles plus your operating system. It is the drive we would point most gamers toward by default.
Everything that makes the 990 PRO line excellent applies here: proven endurance, strong software support, and real-world performance indistinguishable from far pricier Gen5 drives in games. At around $430 it is a premium purchase, but it is a known quantity that suits any high-end build and removes storage worries for years. If you buy one drive for a gaming PC, this is the safe, excellent default.
Pros: Ideal 2TB gaming capacity; class-leading Gen4 speed; superb reliability; the default choice for most gaming builds.
Cons: Premium price for the capacity; no bundled heatsink in the standard model.
3. Samsung 980 PRO 2TB
Prime Samsung 980 PRO SSD 2TB PCIe NVMe Gen 4 Gaming M.2 Internal Solid State Drive Memory Card, Maximum Speed, Thermal Control MZ-V8P2T0B/AM
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The Samsung 980 PRO was the previous-generation flagship and remains a thoroughly capable Gen4 gaming drive. It offers the same 2TB capacity as the 990 PRO with slightly lower peak speeds, but in real-world gaming the difference is negligible — load times and responsiveness are excellent. It is a proven, mature product with a long track record of reliability.
If you find the 980 PRO at a good price, it is a sensible alternative to the newer 990 PRO, delivering the capacity and the gaming performance that matter most. It carries Samsung’s reputation and software support. At around $482 for 2TB its value depends on pricing relative to the 990 PRO, but as a known, reliable Gen4 drive it remains a solid choice for a gaming build.
Pros: Proven, mature 2TB Gen4 drive; excellent real-world gaming performance; trusted Samsung reliability and software.
Cons: Older generation with slightly lower peak speeds than the 990 PRO; check pricing against the newer model.
4. WD_BLACK SN850X 4TB
WD_BLACK SN850X 4TB NVMe SSD - 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 - WDS400T2X0E
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The 4TB WD_BLACK SN850X is built for gamers who refuse to uninstall anything. It pairs top-tier Gen4 speed — rated reads up to 7,300 MB/s — with a huge 4TB capacity, enough to hold an enormous library of modern titles on a single drive. WD_BLACK’s gaming-tuned Game Mode firmware makes it especially well suited to a dedicated gaming PC.
For a high-end build where storage management is a chore you want to avoid, this is one of the most appealing drives available: flagship performance plus the space to install dozens of large games at once. At around $600 it is a significant investment, but the cost-per-gigabyte is reasonable for a 4TB flagship, and it future-proofs your storage for years of growing game sizes.
Pros: Massive 4TB capacity; top-tier Gen4 reads up to 7,300 MB/s; gaming-tuned firmware; ends storage-management headaches.
Cons: High up-front price; standard model has no heatsink, so it relies on motherboard M.2 cooling.
5. Samsung 990 PRO 4TB
Samsung 990 PRO NVMe M.2 SSD, 4 TB, PCIe 4.0, 7,450 MB/s Read, 6,900 MB/s Write, Internal SSD, for Gaming and Video Editing, MZ-V9P4T0BW
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The 4TB Samsung 990 PRO brings the flagship line’s class-leading speed to a creator-grade capacity. With rated reads up to 7,450 MB/s and writes around 6,900 MB/s, it is fast enough for the most demanding workloads, and 4TB is enough to combine a large game library with substantial creative projects on one drive. For a gamer who also edits video or works with large files, it is an ideal single-drive solution.
It inherits the 990 PRO family’s endurance and software strengths, scaled up to maximum capacity. At around $841 it is an expensive drive, aimed at users who genuinely need both top performance and large space. If you want one premium drive that handles gaming and creation without compromise, this is a compelling, if pricey, choice.
Pros: Flagship speed at 4TB; strong write performance for creators; ideal single-drive solution for gaming plus content work.
Cons: Expensive; the capacity and price are overkill for gaming-only users.
6. Samsung 990 PRO 4TB (alternate listing)
Samsung 990 PRO SSD 4TB PCIe 4.0 M.2 2280 Internal Solid State Hard Drive, Seq. Read Speeds Up to 7,450 MB/s for High End Computing, Gaming, and Heavy Duty Workstations, MZ-V9P4T0B/AM
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This is an alternate listing of Samsung’s top-capacity 990 PRO, again offering the full 4TB of flagship Gen4 storage. As with the other 4TB 990 PRO, it delivers class-leading sequential speeds and the family’s proven reliability, in the maximum capacity Samsung offers in this line. It exists as a separate listing, so it is worth comparing its price against the standard 4TB model before buying.
Functionally it is the same outstanding drive: ideal for a gamer-creator who wants one large, fast, dependable SSD. At around $912 it sits at the top end of pricing for this listing, so check both 4TB 990 PRO entries and choose whichever is cheaper at the time. The drive itself is among the best high-capacity Gen4 options available.
Pros: Maximum 4TB 990 PRO capacity; class-leading Gen4 speed; proven reliability; great for gaming and creation.
Cons: Highest price in this guide; compare against the other 4TB 990 PRO listing for the best deal.
How to Choose
For most gamers and creators in 2026, a PCIe 4.0 SSD is the right choice over a Gen5 drive — it is fast enough that no current game can saturate it, it runs cooler, and it is supported by virtually every modern motherboard. The decision, then, comes down mainly to capacity and brand preference. The Samsung 990 PRO is our default recommendation across the range, with the WD_BLACK SN850X as an equally excellent rival, particularly at larger capacities.
Start with capacity, because it is the spec that affects your daily experience most. A 1TB drive like the 990 PRO 1TB suits a focused library or a boot drive; 2TB, as in the 990 PRO 2TB or 980 PRO 2TB, is the sweet spot for most gaming PCs; and 4TB, as in the SN850X 4TB or 990 PRO 4TB, is for gamers who want a huge library on one drive, or creators handling large files. Modern AAA installs routinely exceed 100GB, so it is easy to justify going larger than you think you need.
On performance, do not over-index on peak sequential numbers. The 990 PRO, 980 PRO and SN850X are all so fast that load times in games are effectively identical; the older 980 PRO is only marginally behind the newer drives in practice. Prioritise capacity, reliability and price instead. If you are torn between two 4TB 990 PRO listings, simply pick whichever is cheaper. Match the drive to your capacity needs and budget, and any option in this guide will serve a high-end gaming or creator build for years.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is PCIe 4.0 fast enough for gaming in 2026?
Yes. No current game can saturate PCIe 4.0 bandwidth, so a quality Gen4 drive delivers load times effectively identical to a Gen5 drive, while running cooler and costing less. It is the sweet spot for the vast majority of gaming builds.
What capacity SSD should I buy for gaming?
We recommend 2TB as the sweet spot, since modern AAA games can each exceed 100GB. Choose 1TB for a focused library or boot drive, and 4TB if you want a huge library on a single drive or you also do content creation.
Is the Samsung 990 PRO better than the 980 PRO?
The 990 PRO has higher rated speeds and is the newer flagship, but in real-world gaming the difference is negligible. The 980 PRO remains an excellent, proven drive — if it is cheaper at the same capacity, it is a smart buy.
Do I need a heatsink for a PCIe 4.0 SSD?
Usually not for everyday gaming, since Gen4 drives run cooler than Gen5 and most motherboards include an M.2 heatsink. For heavy sustained writes, such as large file transfers, a heatsink helps maintain performance.
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