Best SSD for gaming in 2022

The search for the best SSD for gaming to replace your hard drive comes with a degree of confusion, given how quickly solid state drives have evolved over the past several years. The familiar 2.5-inch SATA drive is still a viable option in today’s gaming PC market, but you’ll want to opt for newer, faster NVMe storage solutions for the best possible performance.

Following the release of PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series consoles, more PC games developers recommend you install their games on the best SSD for gaming. In fact, as Microsoft’s DirectStorage API becomes more widely used in the latest PC games, we may see solid state drives become an outright requirement.

However, before you rush to add the best SSD for gaming on this list to your shopping basket, it’s important to understand what your system supports in terms of slots and technology. Make sure to check what your motherboard is capable of before splashing out on an expensive PCIe 4.0 drive that your rig may not be able to make the most out of.

Here are your options for the best SSD for gaming:

WD Black SN850

The best SSD for gaming is the WD Black SN850.

The WD Black SN850 is the fastest SSD you can buy, making full use of its PCIe 4.0 interface with lightning-fast read and write speeds of 7,000MB/s and 5,300MB/s, respectively. This level of performance not only improves loading times in games, but you should notice your gaming PC boots faster and more quickly handles general tasks.

If you’re worried about potential thermal throttling impacting the WD Black SN850, you can pick it up with an optional heatsink for peace of mind. Better still, the heatsink comes with a splash of RGB too so it can look cool while staying cool.

Pros

• The fastest PCIe 4.0 gaming SSD
• Optional RGB heatsink

Cons

• Can get hor without a heatsink

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Samsung 970 EVO Plus

The best PCIe 3.0 SSD is the Samsung 970 EVO Plus.

The Samsung 970 EVO Plus is the perfect fit for anyone looking to upgrade their ageing SATA hard drives or SSDs with something a bit nippier. The South Korean tech giant’s storage components have remained among the most desireable in the market for years now, and it’s not hard to see why with the 970 EVO Plus.

Using a PCIe 3.0 interface, the Samsung 970 EVO Plus delivers sequential read and write speeds that will transform any sluggish gaming PC into a nippy machine. The SSD can be further enhanced through the use of Samsung Magician software, making it easy to get the most out of your new drive.

Pros

• Fast PCIe 3.0 speeds
• Robust Samsung Magician software

Cons

• Samsung 970 EVO is sometimes faster

Read the PCGamesN Samsung 970 EVO Plus review for our full verdict and score.

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Samsung 870 EVO

The best SATA SSD is the Samsung 870 EVO.

NVMe SSDs will undoubtedly replace their SATA bretheren, but there’s still plenty of value to be had in drives that use the ageing interface like the Samsung 870 EVO. While its sequential read and write speeds may seem paltry in the face of PCIe storage, it’s still plenty fast for most games and is undeniably faster than any hard drive.

If you prioritise capacity over speed, then opting for the Samsung 870 EVO could be a smart play. You can pick it up in sizes that go all the way up to 4TB, meaning you won’t have to worry about rehoming your Steam library and it costs much less than any M.2 SSD with the same amount of space.

Pros

• Still plenty fast for PC games
• High capacity options

Cons

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Crucial P5 Plus

The best cheap PCIe 4.0 SSD is the Crucial P5 Plus.

PCIe 4.0 SSDs don’t have to cost a fortune, and Crucial’s P5 Plus proves you can pick up a drive with respectable performance without having to stretch your budget.

Not only does the Crucial P5 Plus boast read speeds up to 6,600MB/s but its two million hour mean time to failure (MTTF) rating means it’s reliable to boot. Of course, it also comes with a five-year warranty, just in case its impressive endurance rating isn’t enough to incite confidence.

Pros

• Super snappy read/write speeds
• Great endurance rating
• Five-year warranty

Cons

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WD Blue SN550

The best cheap PCIe 3.0 SSD is the WD Blue SN550

WD is here to show that you can, in fact, have it all, as the Blue SN550 NVMe SSD boasts up to 2TB of storage, a solid 600TBW endurance, and respectable read and write speeds for one the lowest prices you’ll find. Of course, it’s not the fastest drive out there, but it’s hands down the best you can get under $100 without sacrificing capacity, speed, or both. That makes it the perfect option for the best gaming PC on a budget.

Through clever engineering, it runs cooler than most at 59°C because the SanDisk 96L TLC NAND flash package has been moved further away from the controller, giving room for each component to flex their muscles without breaking a sweat.

Pros

• Full x4 PCIe 3 interface
• Stunning price/performance
• 600TBW endurance

Cons

• Faster SSDs are falling to a similar price

Read the PCGamesN WD Blue SN550 review for our full verdict and score.

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Crucial MX500

The best cheap SATA SSD is the Crucial MX500

The MX500 should be your go-to if you’re wanting the cheapest SSD possible, without compromising too much on quality. Because of its Micron parent company, Crucial is able to offer SSDs using its own high-quality memory for a great price.

The MX500 seriously undercuts its competition and while it’s not strictly the cheapest SSD on the market, it’s the most budget-friendly we can recommend as a worthwhile, quality purchase.

Pros

• Competitive price
• Top read/write performance for SATA
• Good endurance

Cons

• Lower capacities are slower

Read the PCGamesN Crucial MX500 review for our full verdict and score.

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XPG Spectrix S40G

The best RGB SSD is the XPG Spectrix S40G.

SSDs usually aren’t the flashiest of components, often taking a back seat to RGB-clad items like graphics cards, the best CPU coolers, and the best gaming RAM. If you don’t want want to hide your M.2 drive under a shroud, however, the XPG SPECTRIX S40G is the latest PC component to be RGB’d, with its strikingly bright and customisable heatsink.

Underneath the albeit pointless bling, you’re still getting superb speeds that mirror our top pick, AES-256-bit encryption to keep your data secure, and a five-year warranty, all at a competitive price.

Pros

• Best looking SSD with RGB
• Five-year warranty
• 640TBW endurance

Cons

• Saving RGB profiles can be finicky

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SK Hynix Gold P31

The best M.2 SSD for laptops is the SK Hynix Gold P31.

Even the best gaming laptop benefits from more storage, and SK Hynix’s Gold P31 SSD is perfect for increasing your on-the-go storage without compromising on spec. Featuring an in-house Cephius controller and Hyper-write technology, this drive is capable of read speeds up to 3,500MB/s, meaning it’ll run rings around SATA SSDs and other budget NVMe options.

In spite of its impressive speeds, the Gold P31 features a 172.2Mbps-per-watt power efficiency rating, something that helps maintain peak performance within a toasty laptop environment. Naturally, this also means it’ll be kinder to your portable powerhouse’s battery, which could help you spend less time gaming next to a power outlet.

Pros

• Compact form factor
• Five-year warranty
• Extraordinary 1,200TBW rating

Cons

• No 256-bit AES encryption

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SanDisk Extreme Portable SSD

The best external SSD for gaming is the SanDisk Extreme Portable SSD.

The other SSDs on this list will live inside the your rig, but if you’re wise, you’ll also keep backup external storage on standby. SanDisk’s Extreme Portable SSD boasts an IP55 water and dust resistance rating, making it a hardy home for your PC gaming collection and precious files.

It’s worth noting that the SanDisk Extreme Portable SSD uses USB 3.2 gen, which allows it to offer read and write speeds faster than SATA. However, don’t worry if you don’t have a built-in USB-C port in your machine as it comes with a USB-A adapter.

Pros

• Robust casing
• Faster than SATA
• Compact design

Cons