10 Best Internal SSDs (M.2 NVMe & SATA) in 2024
Apr. 24, 20241. WD Black SN770
Western Digital is a brand well-known for making storage devices, and the brand’s Black SN770 is a superb M.2 NVMe SSD. While it may not be the most affordable option, it isn’t too expensive either. It’s a balanced pick. It isbased on the NVMe Gen 4 standard, a minimum for the DirectStorage feature which enables quick loading of the assets. WD SN770 also features dashboard software, and you can enable the gaming mode for further optimization.
This SSD has a DRAM-less design with a 3D TLC flash. The more expensive models feature DRAM, but the WD Black SN770 is known to be quite reliable so it will suit you well even as a boot drive for your operating system.
In terms of capacities, it is available starting from 500GB to 4TB and priced starting at around $70. I recommend picking up the 1TB variant at the very least, given that it offers great value for money compared to lower-capacity variants. The WD Black SN770 is a universal recommendation for both laptop and PC owners, especially considering its low-power design.
The Crucial T700 is the fastest option on this list, but you willneed a PCIe Gen 5M.2 slot for it to be compatible with your motherboard. This latest M.2 NVMe standard is available on several newer motherboards such as the Intel Z690 and Z790 series along with the AMD B650 and X670 series. So if you have a PC based on thelatest memory standard, you could consider this Gen 5 SSD.
This SSD featuresfast speedssince it’s based on the Gen 5 standard. On the higher capacity models (2TB+), the advertised read speed is 12,400 MB/s and the write speed is 11,800 MB/s. Compared to the last-generation Gen 4 SSD from Crucial, they tout that this model is 2 times faster. It also comes with a heatsink but you can save some money if you choose a variant without the heatsink and have one already.
This drive will suit any use whether it be your game storage drive, bootup drive, or as a fast SSD for speeding up content creation workflows. This high-end drive has DRAM as well.
Keep in mind that if you don’t have an NVMe Gen 5 slot, the drive will work at slower speeds. By the way, I recommended this Crucial T700 over other even faster Gen 5 SSD options because the latest-gen storage generation is already pretty expensive, and this is a great pick!
Samsung is a pioneer in memory and storage solutions, and its 990 Pro SSD is one of the best PCIe Gen 4 NVMe SSDs you can buy today. The speeds are super-fast reachingup to 7,450 MB/s read speedsand 6,900 MB/s write speeds. When it comes to PCIe NVMe Gen 4 SSDs, it doesn’t really get much faster than the Samsung 990 Pro. Another win for this SSD is its power efficiency, as the brand says that the 990 Pro has 50% better performance per watt compared to the previously-gen 980 Pro.
Being a higher-end drive, it does come with DRAM. The SSD is available with or without a heatsink, so you can choose between putting your own or opting for Samsung’s integrated solution. The SSD also supportsSamsung’s Magician dashboard, which lets you do firmware updates, optimize performance, and monitor the SSD’s health, among other things.
Corsair MP600 PRO XT is an excellent SSD right now featuring up to 8TB capacity. While it is more affordable to get two 4TB drives, a high-capacity SSD option like this is suitable for those who wish to upgrade their storage to the maximum possible capacity from a single M.2 slot. The MP600 PRO XT also features analuminum heatsink.
The performance here is pretty fast, with up to 7,000 MB/s read and 6,100 MB/s write speeds. This SSD has a stealthy black theme which will suit the look of various PC builds. There are 8TB capacity drives priced above $1,000 as well, but this one isn’t, hence, it is featured on this list.
An issue with Corsair’s MP600 Pro XT is that lower-capacity SSD variants aren’t often in stock. So, if you do get the higher capacity variant, storage won’t be a bother for you for a long time.
Crucial bags another spot on this list with the P3 Plus being my pick for being the most value-for-money offering. This drive is a PCIe Gen 4 SSD and is only a little bit more expensive compared to the brand’s PCIe Gen 3 (P3) variant. With that, it is faster than the Gen 3 drive offerings and also more power efficient.
One caveat here islower endurance, which is a notable disadvantage, but after all, this is a lower-priced offering. The first pick is a balanced option from WD, so look into that if you can spend more on your new SSD.
Crucial P3 Plus has read speeds of 5,000 MB/s and write speeds of 4,200 MB/s on the 2TB capacity variant. It is a DRAM-less drive but should be plenty reliable since it is sporting Micron’s controller.
You can also plug in this storage drive to a Gen 3 NVMe port since there is backward compatibility. Although, keep in mind you wouldn’t get to use the SSD at its full potential. Still, you’ll enjoysomeadvantages of the newer standard here.
Patriot’s Viper VPR400 is a good-looking SSD featuringRGB lightingon its integrated heatsink. This drive’s RGB can be controlled through your motherboard’s RGB sync feature, but you do need to avoid using the onboard M.2 heatsink if you want to see it all in action. There is also a Viper RGB 3.0 sync app for customizing the looks.
Viper VPR400 is a PCIe Gen 4 SSD and features a pretty good endurance rating too. One con of the SSD is that it doesn’t come in capacities higher than 1TB. But the performance is great, as it boasts up to 4,400 MB/s write speed and 4,600 MB/s read speed. It may not stand tall next to the fastest NVMe Gen 4 drives on the market, but it’s fast enough for sure.
This drive will pair especially well with gaming desktops with a lot of RGB. The heatsink here is an aluminum one, which the brand touts efficiently reduces the operating temperature. There is also thermal throttling inverter technology to keep the speeds stable over extended usage.
Looking for a super affordable NVMe SSD? Let’s say you need an SSD to simply boot and keep a few files around. The capacity may not matter to you as much, and all you need is a budget SSD that will work well. We would be looking at PCIe Gen 3 drives here, and the Patriot P300 is one of the most affordable options on the market.
Starting at under $20, you can use this drive as your first SSD and add more drives later to upgrade further. The read speeds are 1600 MB/s and the write speeds are 600 MB/s on the most affordable 128GB variant. You get an NVMe interface with about 3 times faster read speeds than SATA, but the write speed isn’t particularly fast here.
If you get a higher-capacity variant such as the 256GB or 512GB one here, the read speed is much faster at 1,100 MB/s. It is also a DRAM-less design, so overall, it is quite a basic option.
Being a SATA drive, you get read and write speeds of 560 MB/s and 510 MB/s respectively on the 1TB variant. This speed is comparatively lower than NVMe SSDs, even Gen 3 options. Still, this isfasterthan traditional HDDs. Western Digital also offers the Acronis True Image software, which can help you clone your existing OS partition to this new SSD for easy migration.
Latest-gen NVMe SSDs with DRAM-less designs are known to be durable, but that isn’t universally true for older-generation SSDs.
On the Crucial MX500, you also get a DRAM cache. This makes it an excellent drive to use as a boot device that won’t have issues down the road. You’ll spend more on the Crucial, but I know you won’t regret it. I’ve had some affordable SATA SSDs that have died on me suddenly, but the MX500 won’t die on you as mine has been working great for over three years.
By the way, this internal SSD uses atraditional SATA interfaceand not the M.2 slot. Many older laptops have internal 2.5-inch SATA hard drives which can potentially be replaced with this MX500 instead. This upgrade will be a game-changer for the laptop’s performance, boot-up times, and app launch speeds.
The TeamGroup T-Force Delta looks absolutelyphenomenalwith a massive area of the SSD being lit up with RGB. It is also quite featureful and the RGB can be synced with the rest of your gaming PC with an included 5V header.
If you have any SATA mounting locations in your PC case next to the motherboard itself, this is an excellent SSD to buy and showcase in full glory. While it is DRAM-less, it will work quite well as an additional game storage drive. If you are looking for a SATA boot drive, the Crucial MX500 should be your first preference.
Given that your M.2 slots are all filled up, and an SSD is already dedicated as an OS boot drive, then this is a suitable SSD to upgrade your system with. You won’t just level up the storage but the overall looks of your PC as well. Talking about performance, it boasts up to 530 MB/s & 500 MB/s read and write speeds, respectively.
Which of these SSDs do you prefer and why? Tell us in the comments below, and do let me know if you have any doubts!
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