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- Best Portable Ssd For Gaming
Many modern machines still have hard drives whirring away inside them, but if you’re aiming to build the best gaming PC, you’ll want to opt for a solid state drive. Paring an ultra-fast SSD, the best graphics card and the latest gaming CPU could make for an incredible rig, one that should minimise load screens and make booting into Windows 11 a super snappy experience.
Best value SSD for gaming on PC and console: Crucial MX500 Type: 2.5-inch or M.2 SATA SSD Capacities: 250GB, 500GB, 1TB, 2TB Sequential speeds: up to 560MB/s reads, up to 510MB/s writes. Top 6 Best External SSD for Gaming #1 Samsung (MU-PA500B/AM)T5 Portable External SSD #2 SanDisk 2TB Extreme Portable External SSD #3 WD 500GB My Passport Go External SSD #4 Seagate Game Drive.
While SSD’s used to be an optional luxury, upcoming games like PlayStation’s God of War PC port explicitly recommend a solid state drive, and even consoles now use the storage tech as a standard. Thankfully, even PCIe 4.0 drives by Samsung, Crucial, and Western Digital are more affordable than ever to pair with the best motherboards. Better still, higher capacity 1TB options now come with a pleasing price tag, so you won’t have to dual wield a mechanical drive for storage while using an SSD below 500GB as a boot drive.
Of course, you don’t have to build a new PC to benefit from a solid state, as there are plenty of SATA SSDs that could give your rickety rig a new lease of life. Many gaming laptops also feature additional M.2 slots, so you could fortify your portable powerhouse and bring your entire Steam library with you on your travels. With all of the above in mind, we’ve tested the best SSDs on the market, and our selection should cater to a variety of gaming needs.
Here are the best SSDs for gaming:
- WD Black SN850 1TB
- Samsung 970 EVO Plus
- Samsung 860 Pro
- Crucial P5 Plus
- WD Blue SN550
- Crucial MX500
- Kingston KC3000
- Adata XPG Spectrix S40 RGB
- SK Hynix Gold P31
- Samsung X5 Portable SSD
wd black sn850 1tb
The best gaming SSD is the WD Black SN850 1TB.
This PCIe 4.0-based NVMe drive offers some of the best speeds you can find on a consumer SSD right now, boasting sequential read and write speeds of 7,000MB/s and 5300MB/s respectively.
This helps drastically reduce boot times when switching your PC on, and with more developers asking for an SSD in system requirements for games, it’s the perfect drive for storage-heavy titles such as Microsoft Flight Simulator. If your motherboard doesn’t have one, it’s also available with its own RGB heatsink to reduce any chance of thermal throttling.
What we like
Near half the price of the competition
Optional heatsink
Super quick
Near half the price of the competition
Optional heatsink
Super quick
WD Black SN850 1TB specs | |
Controller | WD in-house |
Memory | 3D TLC |
Socket | M.2 (NVMe) |
Capacity | 500GB, 1TB, 2TB |
Seq. read/write | 7,000MB/s / 5,300MB/s |
Samsung 970 EVO Plus
The best PCIe 3.0 SSD is the Samsung 970 EVO Plus.
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The Samsung 970 EVO Plus marked the last PCIe 3.0 SSD before we all moved onto the higher-spec PCIe 4.0 drives introduced with AMD’s third Gen Ryzen. The 970 EVO Plus is almost half the price of the original thanks to a drastic drop in memory pricing – a value the SSD has managed to maintain throughout its lifespan.
So you have an SSD that’s generally faster, especially in the write performance enabled by that enhanced Phoenix controller, and one that is at least the same price as the drive that it is replacing. That’s how you do iterative hardware updates, people.
What we like
Same price as 970 EVO
Higher performance
Improved endurance
Same price as 970 EVO
Higher performance
Improved endurance
Samsung 970 EVO Plus 500GB specs | |
Controller | Samsung Phoenix |
Memory | Samsung 3-bit MLC |
Socket | M.2 (NVMe) |
Capacity | 250GB, 500GB, 1TB, 2TB |
Seq. read/write | 3,500MBps/3,300MBps |
Read the PCGamesN Samsung 970 EVO Plus review for our full verdict and score.
SAMSUNG 860 Pro
The best SATA SSD is the Samsung 860 Pro.
NVMe drives are undeniably the future, but SATA is still going strong, as many gaming machines still use the interface. Thankfully, there are still plenty of SATA SSDs on the market for gamers who aren’t quite ready to upgrade to the best gaming motherboard, and Samsung’s 860 Pro is the best of the bunch.
Featuring read/write speeds of 560MBps and 530MBps respectively, the 860 Pro heavy-hitting hard drive replacement. Samsung’s SATA offering also boasts capacities up to 4TB, meaning you won’t have to worry about rehoming your Steam library. Better still, the drive uses AES 256-bit hardware-based encryption, which should help keep all your important bits and bobs secure.
Top read/write performance for SATA
Compatible with older systems
High capacity options
Compatible with older systems
High capacity options
Samsung 860 Pro specs | |
Controller | Samsung V-NAND |
Memory | Samsung MLC NAND |
Socket | SATA |
Capacity | 256GB, 500GB, 1TB, 2TB, 4TB |
Seq. read/write | 560MBps/530MBps |
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 breaking the bank.
Not only does the P5 Plus boast read speeds up to 6,600Mbps, but its two million hour mean time to failure (MTTF) rating means it’s reliable to boot. Of course, the P5 Plus also comes with a five-year warranty, just in case its impressive endurance rating isn’t enough to incite confidence.
What we like
Super snappy read/write speeds
Great endurance rating
Five-year warranty
Super snappy read/write speeds
Great endurance rating
Five-year warranty
Crucial P5 Plus specs | |
Controller | Crucial in-house |
Memory | Micron Advanced 3D NAND |
Socket | NVMe |
Capacity | 500GB, 1TB, 2TB, |
Seq. read/write | 6,600MBps/5,000MBps |
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 1TB of storage, a solid 600TBW endurance, and respectable read and write speeds for the lowest price we’ve seen. 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 cheap gaming PC build.
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 in-house built controller, giving room for each component to flex their muscles without breaking a sweat. At just ten cents per gigabyte, you’d be hard-pressed to find another NVMe SSD that can keep up at this price.
What we like
Full x4 PCIe 3 interface
Stunning price/performance
600TBW endurance
Full x4 PCIe 3 interface
Stunning price/performance
600TBW endurance
WD Blue SN550 1TB specs | |
Controller | WD in-house |
Memory | SanDisk 96L TLC |
Socket | M.2 (NVMe) |
Capacity | 250GB, 500GB, 1TB, 2TB |
Seq. read/write | 2,400MBps/1,950MBps |
Read the PCGamesN WD Blue SN550review for our full verdict and score.
Crucial MX500
The best cheap SATA SSD is the Crucial MX500
The MX500 is a fair amount cheaper than our pick for the best budget SSD, and should be your go-to if you’re wanting the cheapest SSD possible, without compromising 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 the competing 860 EVO, and is able to offer almost identical SSD performance – that’s not surprising given the speed limit imposed by the old SATA interface. It’s not strictly the cheapest SSD, but it’s the cheapest one that we can recommend as a worthwhile, quality purchase.
What we like
Competitive price
Top read/write performance for SATA
Good endurance
Competitive price
Top read/write performance for SATA
Good endurance
Crucial MX500 500GB specs | |
Controller | SiliconMotion SM2258 |
Memory | Micron 64-layer 3D TLC |
Socket | SATA (AHCI) |
Capacity | 250GB, 500GB, 1TB, 2TB |
Seq. read/write | 560MBps/510MBps |
Read the PCGamesN Crucial MX500 review for our full verdict and score.
ADATA XPG Spectrix S40 RGB 1TB
The best RGB SSD is the Adata XPG Spectrix S40 RGB 1TB.
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 Adata XPG Spectrix S40 RGB 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.
What we like
Best looking SSD with RGB
Five-year warranty
640TBW endurance
Best looking SSD with RGB
Five-year warranty
640TBW endurance
ADATA XPG SPECTRIX S40 RGB 1TB specs | |
Controller | Realtek RTS5762 |
Memory | Micron 64-layer 30 TLC |
Socket | M.2 (NVMe) |
Capacity | 250GB, 512GB, 1TB, 2TB, 4TB |
Seq. read/write | 3,500MBps/3,000MBps |
SK Hynix Gold P31 NVMe
The best M.2 SSD for laptops is the SK Hynix Gold P31
Even the best gaming laptops benefit 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 3,500 MBps, meaning it’ll run rings around SATA SSDs and 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.
What we like
Compact form factor
Five-year warranty
Extraordinary 1,200TBW rating
Compact form factor
Five-year warranty
Extraordinary 1,200TBW rating
SK HYNIX GOLD P31 specs | |
Controller | SK hynix Cepheus |
Memory | SK hynix 4D NAND |
Socket | M.2 (NVMe) |
Capacity | 512GB, 1TB, 2TB |
Seq. read/write | 3,500MBps/3,200MBps |
Samsung X5 Portable SSD
The best external SSD is the Samsung X5 Portable SSD
The best SSDs on this list will live alongside the rest of your rig in harmony, but if you’re wise, you’ll also keep backup storage on standby. Samsung’s X5 Portable is an external drive that boasts NVMe performance, and its shock-resistant housing makes it a hardy home for your PC gaming collection.
It’s worth noting that the Samsung X5 uses Thunderbolt 3, meaning you’ll need a machine equipped with the interface. However, this makes it a great high-spec pairing for gaming laptops and PCs that can take advantage of the standard, something that could make all the difference if any incident occurs that results in lost data.
What we like
Robust casing
Over five times faster than SATA
Compact design
Robust casing
Over five times faster than SATA
Compact design
Samsung X5 Portable SSD specs | |
Controller | Samsung V-NAND |
Memory | Samsung MLC NAND |
Socket | Thunderbolt 3 (NVMe) |
Capacity | 512GB, 1TB, 2TB |
Seq. read/write | 2,800MBps/2,300MBps |
WHAT ARE THE BENEFITS OF USING AN SSD?
Solid state drives are inherently faster than traditional mechanical drives, mostly due to the fact they feature no moving parts. So, by replacing your old hard drive with even the cheapest SSD, you can expect fast boot times, speedy file transfer rates, and even enhanced gaming performance. That said, installing a shiny new storage drive won’t magically make your gaming PC faster, especially if you’re still rocking old components.
SATA VS NVME SSDS
SATA drives have been around for a while longer, and while they offer lower read and write speeds than you’ll find on an NVMe-based drive, the price per GB is much lower. This makes them the perfect choice if you want a high-capacity solid-state drive for storing your Steam library, or if you’re going for a budget PC build. Plus, the speeds are still significantly better than a conventional hard drive
NVMe drives are getting more and more affordable, however, with even the fastest 500GB NVMe SSDs available for less than $150.
WHICH CAPACITY SHOULD I GO FOR?
Not all of the best PC games benefit from being installed on a solid-state drive, so you don’t necessarily need a drive as big as your hard drive. If you just want an SSD to install Windows onto, then a 512GB capacity is sufficient. 1TB is enough for installing a few games that benefit, too, although you can go even higher.
- We've reviewed this guide and updated prices throughout, and we still stand by our picks.
July 7, 2021
If you regularly need to move large files between computers or want a travel backup for your laptop, you should get a speedy portable SSD. They’re more expensive than portable hard drives, but because they have no moving parts, they’re inherently faster and more durable. After researching 17 new portable SSDs and testing the seven most promising candidates, we found that the updated 1 TB Western Digital My Passport SSD offers the best mix of affordability, speed, and lengthy warranty for most people.
Our pick
Western Digital My Passport SSD (1TB)
The Western Digital My Passport SSD has a good mix of reliability, speed, and size, along with a five-year warranty—the longest of any drive we found.
Buying Options
*At the time of publishing, the price was $140.
Our pick among portable SSDs, the Western Digital My Passport SSD (1 TB) is priced right in the middle of our latest pack of solid-state drive candidates, and it’s compact enough to tuck in almost any pocket on a laptop bag or briefcase or even to stash in a shallow drawer. Its USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-C port supports transfer speeds up to 10 Gbps and will max out the speed on most laptops’ USB ports, short of the fastest Thunderbolt 3 or 4 ports. It’s quick right out of the box, and the price includes software you can download to enable AES 256-bit hardware encryption—a good way to keep your data safe in case you lose the drive. It also has a lengthy five-year warranty, two years longer coverage than on most rivals.
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Runner-up
SanDisk Extreme Portable SSD V2 (1 TB)
The second version of the SanDisk Extreme Portable SSD has the same speed, features, and short cable of our pick, the WD My Passport SSD. The SanDisk is more rugged, but it’s also a bit more expensive.
Buying Options
*At the time of publishing, the price was $150.
Best Portable Ssd For Gaming Pc
If the Western Digital My Passport SSD is sold out or unavailable, or if prices shift to make the My Passport SSD significantly more expensive, we recommend the SanDisk Extreme Portable SSD V2 (1 TB). Like the My Passport SSD, the Extreme Portable SSD supports some of the fastest USB transfer speeds (USB 3.1 Gen 2), and the two drives finished in a virtual dead heat in our tests. The SanDisk also comes with 256-bit AES hardware encryption, if you choose to use it. Compared with the My Passport SSD, the Extreme Portable SSD looks a bit more durable; it also has an IP55 dust- and water-resistance rating, and it should easily survive a drop onto a wet sidewalk or roadside. That extra brawn comes at a slightly higher price than what you pay for the My Passport SSD, but the SanDisk also has a lengthy, five-year warranty.
Our pick
Western Digital My Passport SSD (1TB)
The Western Digital My Passport SSD has a good mix of reliability, speed, and size, along with a five-year warranty—the longest of any drive we found.
Buying Options
*At the time of publishing, the price was $140.
Runner-up
SanDisk Extreme Portable SSD V2 (1 TB)
The second version of the SanDisk Extreme Portable SSD has the same speed, features, and short cable of our pick, the WD My Passport SSD. The SanDisk is more rugged, but it’s also a bit more expensive.
Buying Options
Best Portable Ssd For Gaming Windows 10
![Best Portable Ssd For Gaming Best Portable Ssd For Gaming](https://www.cnet.com/a/img/UUrGsdIPYpLxqafdJHdKKRfDLyA=/1200x675/2020/03/16/089e3677-3e4b-4d34-b768-57bd2f282a2a/wd-black-xbox.jpg)
*At the time of publishing, the price was $150.
Wirecutter has been researching and recommending solid-state drives since 2013. As Wirecutter’s (and formerly PCMag’s) storage expert, I’ve evaluated a multitude of storage devices—from portable and desktop hard drives to SSDs to NAS devices to USB flash drives to microSD cards—to find the best options.
Best Portable Ssd For Gaming Computers
Portable SSDs are great for travelers and for people who frequently transfer large amounts of data between computers. Since SSDs have no moving parts, they can handle the bumps when you toss your travel bag on a couch, say, after a tiring trip or commute. If you need a drive just to back up your data at home and you aren’t worried about having the fastest transfer speeds, a portable hard drive is much less expensive, though it’s also slower, larger, less durable, and potentially less secure.
Portable SSDs are three to six times faster at transferring files than portable hard drives or desktop external drives. They’re also more secure and much more compact and durable, and they run cooler on less power. They are more expensive, however. Prices have come way down in the past year or so, but a 1 TB portable SSD still costs about $150, a price that would get you a 5 TB portable hard drive or an 8 TB desktop hard drive.
Cached
If you spend most of your time working at the same desk or you need more than 4 TB of storage, get an external desktop hard drive. A desktop hard drive is faster than a portable hard drive and much less expensive compared with a portable SSD for a similar amount of storage, but it’s bulky, so you shouldn’t plan to travel with it.
A 1 TB portable SSD costs about $150, a price that would get you a 5 TB portable hard drive or an 8 TB desktop hard drive.
Although you can build your own portable SSD by purchasing an internal SSD and an enclosure to put it in, we don’t recommend that unless you already have a spare SSD that you want to repurpose. Building one wouldn’t save you any money compared with the WD My Passport SSD, and the resulting drive would require more time and energy to set up.
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