Best NVMe SSDs
PCIe 4.0 and 5.0 upgrades for PC and PS5
Our #1 pick is the Samsung 990 Pro (2TB). An NVMe SSD is the cheapest way to make a PC, laptop or PS5 feel new. We compared the best 2TB M.2 drives on Amazon, from a budget Gen4 drive to Samsung’s PCIe 5.0 flagship.
How we picked: we shortlist by Amazon Best Seller rank and number of ratings, then compare published specs. We don't test these products hands-on.
By Jamilur Rahman, Founder & Editor · Updated October 12, 2026
- Owner reviews checked
- Features side by side
- Quick & easy compare
- Smarter purchase
The short answer
For most PCs, the Samsung 990 Pro is the NVMe SSD to buy. It reads at up to 7,450 MB/s and writes at up to 6,900 MB/s, which is close to the limit of PCIe 4.0, and Samsung’s Magician app keeps the firmware current. It is one of the most-reviewed SSDs on Amazon, and owners report it stays fast and reliable after years of daily use. We looked at the 2TB size, the sweet spot for games and creative work.
If you are upgrading a PS5, get the WD Black SN850X with heatsink: it has a heatsink built in and fits the console’s expansion slot. If your PC has a PCIe 5.0 M.2 slot, the Samsung 9100 Pro doubles the 990 Pro’s rated speed, and when we checked it was priced close to the 990 Pro. The Samsung 990 EVO Plus is a cooler-running, slightly cheaper Gen4 drive, and the Crucial P310 is the budget pick that still hits 7,100 MB/s.
Who should *not* buy the 990 Pro? Owners of older PCs with PCIe 3.0 slots, which cap any drive at about 3,500 MB/s, so a budget Gen4 drive like the P310 gives you the same real speed for less. Gamers on a handheld or a laptop with a short M.2 slot need to check the drive length (2280 vs 2230) first. And SSD prices have been jumpy lately, so compare the 2TB and 4TB price per terabyte before you buy.
Compare them side by side
Everything that matters, in one table. Swipe to see all 5.
| Product | Best Overall Samsung 990 Pro (2TB) PCIe 4.0 NVMe SSD |  Best for PS5 WD Black SN850X with Heatsink (2TB) PCIe 4.0 NVMe SSD with heatsink |  Best PCIe 5.0 SSD Samsung 9100 Pro (2TB) PCIe 5.0 NVMe SSD |  Best for Laptops Samsung 990 EVO Plus (2TB) PCIe 4.0 NVMe SSD |  Best Budget Crucial P310 (2TB) PCIe 4.0 NVMe SSD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| BeastScore | 93 / 100 | 90 / 100 | 91 / 100 | 88 / 100 | 87 / 100 |
| Best for | Gaming PCs and creative work | PS5 storage upgrades | New PCs with a Gen5 M.2 slot | Laptops and cool, quiet builds | Budget builds, older PCs and handhelds |
| Typical price (checked October 12, 2026) | $370–$400 | $420–$450 | $380–$420 | $350–$380 | $240–$270 |
| Interface | PCIe 4.0 x4 | PCIe 4.0 x4 | PCIe 5.0 x4 | PCIe 4.0 x4 / 5.0 x2 | PCIe 4.0 x4 |
| Max read | 7,450 MB/s | 7,300 MB/s | 14,700 MB/s | 7,250 MB/s | 7,100 MB/s |
| Max write | 6,900 MB/s | 6,300 MB/s | 13,400 MB/s | 6,300 MB/s | 6,000 MB/s |
| Form factor | M.2 2280, no heatsink | M.2 2280 with heatsink | M.2 2280, no heatsink | M.2 2280 | M.2 2280 |
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BeastScore here is our overall rating out of 100, based on published specs and Amazon owner reviews. Prices change daily, so tap "View on Amazon" for today's price. We may earn a small commission, at no extra cost to you. Learn more
Why each one made the list
What each pick does best, where it falls short, and the typical Amazon price when we checked.
- 1. Best Overall
Samsung 990 Pro (2TB)
BeastScore 93 / 100Typically $370–$400 on Amazon (checked October 12, 2026)The 990 Pro is the Gen4 drive to beat. The listing rates it at 7,450 MB/s read and 6,900 MB/s write, near the ceiling of PCIe 4.0, and claims more than 55% better random performance than the 980 Pro it replaced. Random speed is what makes Windows, apps and game loads feel snappy, so this matters more than the headline numbers. Samsung also claims up to 50% better performance per watt, and the Magician app handles firmware and health checks. Owners report steady speeds under heavy loads. The bare version has no heatsink, so use your motherboard’s cover.
Pros- Top-tier Gen4 speed
- Strong random performance for snappy loads
- Samsung Magician for updates and health checks
Cons- No heatsink on this version
- Costs more than the 990 EVO Plus
- Gen5 drives are faster if your PC supports them
- 2. Best for PS5
WD Black SN850X with Heatsink (2TB)
BeastScore 90 / 100Typically $420–$450 on Amazon (checked October 12, 2026)The SN850X has been the default PS5 upgrade for years, and this is the version with the heatsink already attached. Sony recommends cooling for drives in the PS5’s expansion slot, so you can drop this in without buying a separate heatsink. The listing rates it at up to 7,300 MB/s reads and 6,300 MB/s writes, well above what the PS5 asks for. It also works in any desktop PC with room for the heatsink. Owners praise its game load times. One thing to know: the listing now says WD has replaced it with the SanDisk Optimus GX PRO 850X, so stock may thin out.
Pros- Heatsink included, ready for the PS5
- Fast Gen4 reads and writes
- Long track record with gamers
Cons- Being replaced by a SanDisk-branded model
- Heatsink may not fit some laptops
- Costs more than the bare 990 Pro
- 3. Best PCIe 5.0 SSD
Samsung 9100 Pro (2TB)
BeastScore 91 / 100Typically $380–$420 on Amazon (checked October 12, 2026)If your motherboard has a PCIe 5.0 M.2 slot, the 9100 Pro is the drive to fill it with. The listing rates it at 14,700 MB/s read and 13,400 MB/s write, about twice the 990 Pro, with random speeds up to 1,850K/2,600K IOPS. A 5nm controller is up to 49% more power efficient than the 990 Pro’s, which helps with heat. It shines when you move huge video files or big AI models. When we checked, it cost about the same as the 990 Pro. In a PCIe 4.0 slot it runs at Gen4 speeds, and Gen5 drives run warm, so use a heatsink.
Pros- Fastest drive here by a wide margin
- Priced close to the 990 Pro when checked
- More efficient controller than older Samsung drives
Cons- Needs a Gen5 slot to show its speed
- Runs warm; use a heatsink
- Overkill for gaming alone
- 4. Best for Laptops
Samsung 990 EVO Plus (2TB)
BeastScore 88 / 100Typically $350–$380 on Amazon (checked October 12, 2026)The 990 EVO Plus gets close to the 990 Pro’s speed with less heat and power draw, which makes it a great laptop upgrade. The listing rates it at 7,250 MB/s read and 6,300 MB/s write. A nickel-coated controller helps it run cooler and use less power, which Samsung says helps battery life. It supports both PCIe 4.0 x4 and PCIe 5.0 x2, so it fits newer thin laptops that wire their slots as Gen5 x2. Intelligent TurboWrite 2.0 keeps large file copies fast. Owners like it as a quiet desktop drive too. It lacks a DRAM cache, so the 990 Pro holds up better under sustained heavy writes.
Pros- Cooler and more efficient than the 990 Pro
- Fits Gen4 x4 and Gen5 x2 slots
- Near-flagship sequential speed
Cons- Slower under long, heavy writes than the 990 Pro
- Not much cheaper than the 990 Pro when checked
- No heatsink version for PS5
- 5. Best Budget
Crucial P310 (2TB)
BeastScore 87 / 100Typically $240–$270 on Amazon (checked October 12, 2026)The P310 is the cheapest way to get real Gen4 speed in a 2TB drive. The listing rates it at up to 7,100 MB/s read and 6,000 MB/s write, only a little behind the Samsung drives, and Crucial says it is up to 2x faster than its Gen3 drives. It names support for handhelds like the ROG Ally X and Lenovo Legion Go, and it is backward compatible with PCIe 3.0, so it is a smart buy for older PCs that can’t use full Gen4 speed anyway. It comes from Micron, which makes its own flash. The trade-off is weaker sustained performance under heavy, long writes than pricier drives.
Pros- Lowest price for 2TB of Gen4 here
- Near-flagship sequential speed
- Great match for older PCs and handhelds
Cons- Slower under long, heavy workloads
- No heatsink version for the PS5
- Behind the Samsung drives on random speed
All 5 compared, in one look
See every pick on one chart, or tap one to put it head to head with Samsung 990 Pro (2TB). Ratings out of 10 are our estimates from published specs and Amazon owner reviews, not hands-on tests. Bigger shape = better.
- Sequential speedSamsung 9100 Pro (2TB) · 10.0/10
- Everyday snappinessSamsung 9100 Pro (2TB) · 9.8/10
- Heat controlWD Black SN850X with Heatsink (2TB) · 9.6/10
- CompatibilityTie
- Brand track recordSamsung 990 Pro (2TB) · 9.6/10
- ValueCrucial P310 (2TB) · 9.6/10
Samsung 990 Pro (2TB)
Near-max PCIe 4.0 speed, strong random performance and a long track record. The NVMe SSD for most PCs.
- 7,450 MB/s reads
- PCIe 4.0
- 1TB to 4TB
Quick tips before you buy
Most desktops take M.2 2280 drives. Some handhelds and thin laptops only fit shorter 2230 or 2242 drives. Check your manual first.
Fast NVMe drives throttle when hot. Use your motherboard’s M.2 cover, or buy a heatsink version for the PS5.
A Gen5 drive in a Gen4 slot runs at Gen4 speed, and any drive in a Gen3 slot tops out near 3,500 MB/s. Don’t pay for speed your slot can’t use.
Moving Windows to a new drive? Use the brand’s free migration tool, or Crucial’s included Acronis software, to clone the old drive first.
Quick answers
What is the best NVMe SSD?+
The Samsung 990 Pro is the best NVMe SSD for most PCs. The Samsung 9100 Pro is best if your PC has a PCIe 5.0 slot, and the Crucial P310 is the best budget pick.
What is the best SSD for PS5?+
The WD Black SN850X with heatsink. It has a heatsink built in and is far faster than the PS5 requires. Any fast PCIe 4.0 M.2 2280 drive works if you add a heatsink.
Is PCIe 5.0 worth it?+
Only if your PC has a Gen5 M.2 slot and you move huge files often. For gaming, load times are close between Gen4 and Gen5. Buy Gen5 if it costs about the same, as the 9100 Pro did when we checked.
Samsung 990 Pro vs WD SN850X: which is better?+
They are very close. The 990 Pro is slightly faster on paper. The SN850X with heatsink is the easier PS5 upgrade. Buy whichever is cheaper in the version you need.
Will a PCIe 4.0 SSD work in a PCIe 3.0 slot?+
Yes. NVMe drives are backward compatible, but they run at PCIe 3.0 speed, about 3,500 MB/s. That’s why a budget Gen4 drive like the P310 makes sense for older PCs.
How much SSD storage do I need?+
2TB is the sweet spot for gamers, since big games take 100GB or more each. 1TB is fine for office PCs. Video editors and big game libraries should look at 4TB.
