Confused by NVMe, PCIe 4.0, and TBW ratings? This guide explains every key SSD spec so first-time buyers can choose the right drive with confidence.
What to Look For
Buying your first SSD can feel overwhelming. The market is flooded with acronyms, speed numbers, and form factors that mean very little until someone explains them. The good news: once you understand a handful of key concepts, choosing the right SSD becomes straightforward. This guide breaks down everything a first-time buyer needs to know before spending their money.
The single most important question to ask yourself is: what will I use this SSD for? A budget PC build for everyday tasks has completely different needs than a high-end gaming rig or a professional workstation handling large video files. Matching the drive to your actual use case will save you money and prevent disappointment.
You also need to check what your motherboard or laptop actually supports. Buying a blazing-fast NVMe M.2 drive is pointless if your system only has SATA ports. Always verify your system's specifications before purchasing.
Key Specs Explained
Interface and Form Factor
The two main interfaces you'll encounter are SATA and NVMe. SATA III is the older standard, capping out at around 560 MB/s sequential read — still a massive upgrade from a spinning hard drive, but far slower than modern NVMe options. NVMe drives connect via an M.2 slot on your motherboard and use PCIe lanes for dramatically higher bandwidth.
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Within NVMe, you'll see PCIe 3.0, 4.0, and the newest PCIe 5.0. Each generation roughly doubles the available bandwidth. PCIe 4.0 drives like the Samsung 990 PRO and WD_BLACK SN850X deliver sequential reads around 7,000–7,450 MB/s. PCIe 5.0 drives like the Crucial T700 push beyond 12,000 MB/s — though real-world benefits over Gen 4 are still limited for most users.
Sequential Read and Write Speeds
These headline numbers represent how fast a drive moves large, continuous files — think copying a 4K video or installing a massive game. Higher is better, but don't get too caught up in the difference between 7,300 MB/s and 7,450 MB/s. In everyday use, you won't notice it.
TBW (Terabytes Written)
This is the endurance rating — how much data you can write to the drive over its lifetime before it may fail. For most home users, even 440 TBW (like the Crucial P3 Plus) is more than enough. Power users, content creators, and professionals writing large files constantly should look for higher TBW ratings. The Samsung 870 EVO SATA drive impressively offers 2,400 TBW, making it an endurance champion despite its slower speeds.
NAND Type
SSDs use flash memory called NAND. TLC (Triple-Level Cell) NAND is the sweet spot for most buyers — good performance, solid endurance, reasonable cost. QLC (Quad-Level Cell) NAND, found in budget drives like the Crucial P3 Plus, is cheaper and denser but comes with lower endurance and performance drops during large sustained writes. For a primary OS drive, TLC is preferred.
Warranty
All five drives reviewed here carry a 5-year warranty, which is the industry standard for quality SSDs. Don't settle for anything less.
Price Ranges
Budget (Under $80 for 2TB): Drives like the Crucial P3 Plus fall into this category. You get PCIe 4.0 speeds and a 5-year warranty, but the QLC NAND means lower endurance and inconsistent sustained write performance. Perfect for secondary game storage or a budget build where cost is the priority.
Mid-Range ($80–$130 for 2TB): The WD_BLACK SN850X sits comfortably here, offering near-top-tier NVMe performance with excellent thermal management and gaming-specific features like Game Mode 2.0. This is arguably the best value bracket for most buyers. The Samsung 870 EVO SATA also lands here — ideal for older systems or NAS builds that don't support NVMe.
Premium ($130–$180 for 2TB): The Samsung 990 PRO represents the pinnacle of PCIe 4.0 performance. You're paying for the fastest Gen 4 speeds available, exceptional endurance, hardware encryption support, and Samsung's legendary reliability. Worth it for enthusiasts and professionals.
Cutting-Edge ($200+ for 2TB): PCIe 5.0 drives like the Crucial T700 command a significant premium. The speeds are extraordinary on paper, but you'll need a compatible platform (Intel 13th/14th Gen or AMD Ryzen 7000), and you must use the heatsink model — these drives run extremely hot. For most buyers today, the real-world gains over Gen 4 don't justify the cost.
Our Recommendations
Best Overall: Samsung 990 PRO 2TB
If you want the best PCIe 4.0 drive money can buy, the Samsung 990 PRO is it. With 7,450/6,900 MB/s read/write speeds, 1,200 TBW endurance, hardware encryption, and a 5-year warranty, it ticks every box for enthusiasts and demanding users alike. Yes, it carries a premium price, and PCIe 5.0 drives are beginning to emerge — but for the vast majority of users, Gen 4 is more than sufficient, and the 990 PRO is the best Gen 4 drive available.
Best for Gamers: WD_BLACK SN850X 2TB
The SN850X is purpose-built with gamers in mind. Its Game Mode 2.0 intelligently predicts and preloads game assets, reducing load times beyond what raw speed numbers suggest. Thermal management is excellent, speeds are nearly identical to the 990 PRO in real-world gaming scenarios, and it typically costs less. If your primary use is gaming, this is the drive to buy.
Best Budget Pick: Crucial P3 Plus 2TB
For buyers who need a lot of fast storage without breaking the bank, the Crucial P3 Plus delivers PCIe 4.0 speeds at a price that's hard to argue with. Use it as a secondary drive for your game library, and pair it with a higher-quality TLC drive for your OS. Just be aware of the QLC NAND limitations — avoid using it for heavy, sustained write workloads.
Best for Legacy Systems: Samsung 870 EVO 2TB
If your system doesn't support M.2 NVMe — whether it's an older desktop, a laptop with only a 2.5-inch bay, or a NAS device — the Samsung 870 EVO is the definitive SATA SSD. It maxes out the SATA III interface, offers an industry-leading 2,400 TBW endurance rating, and Samsung's reliability record speaks for itself. It's slower than any NVMe drive, but it's the best SATA SSD you can buy.
Best Future-Proof Option: Crucial T700 2TB PCIe 5.0
For early adopters on compatible platforms who want to be ahead of the curve, the Crucial T700 is genuinely impressive. Those 12,400 MB/s sequential read speeds are extraordinary. Just go in with realistic expectations: real-world benefits over Gen 4 are minimal today, the heatsink is non-negotiable, and you're paying a significant premium for speeds that most software can't yet fully exploit. Buy it if you want to future-proof your build — not if you expect a dramatic day-one performance boost.
