Migrating your computer from a hard drive to a solid-state drive (SSD) or from a SATA SSD to an NVMe is by far the most gratifying upgrade. So, getting the right drive is naturally an important task. This post includes the best SSDs I’ve reviewed.
Dong’s note: This is a frequently updated post, and I last updated it on August 14, 2021.
Contents
Best SSDs of 2021: The lists
You’ll find here standard SATA and NVMe drives, divided into two lists in reviewed order with the latest on top.
NVMe and SATA are two different internal storage types — more about them in this post on SSD basics.
Best NVMe SSDs of 2021: A must for a top performing computer
Newer and much faster NVMe SSDs require a host that has an M.2 slot. Most computers released in the past five years have this slot built-in, but you can upgrade to one on almost all desktop computers via a PCIe adapter.
7. Micron Crucial P5 Plus: Arguably the best PCIe 4.0 NVMe deal to date
Micron Crucial P5 Plus' Rating
Pros
Excellent performance
Affordable
PCIe 4.0 support, backward compatible with PCIe Gen 3
Helpful Storage Executive software
5-year warranty
Cons
Comparatively modest endurance
Capacities cap at 2TB
6. Samsung 980: An interesting and valuable NVMe SSD
Samsung 980 NVMe SSD's Rating
Pros
Excellent performance
Affordable
Exciting features and helpful software
5-year warranty
Cons
No larger capacity than 1TB
Comparatively low endurance
5. SK hynix Gold P31: Arguably the PCIe 3.0 NVMe drive of the best value
SK Hynix Gold S31 SSD's Rating
Pros
Relatively affordable
Fast performance
Longevity
Cons
Storage caps at 1TB
No user-accessible features
4. Samsung 980 PRO: First PCIe 4.0 NVMe SSD
Samsung 980 PRO's Rating
Pros
PCIe 4.0 support, excellent performance
Reasonably priced
Backward compatible with PCIe Gen 3
Helpful Samsung Magician software with lots of useful settings and features
5-year warranty
Cons
Half the endurance rating of the 970 PRO
No larger capacities than 2TB
3. Seagate IronWolf 510: A NAS NVMe that works well as a super-fast PC SSD
Seagate IronWolf 510's Rating
Pros
Extremely high endurance
Excellent real-world performance
High capacity
2-year of data rescue services included
5-year warranty
Cons
The write speeds could use some improvement
Comparatively expensive
No SATA versions
2. WD Blue SN550: A Fast and affordable NVMe SSD
WD Blue SN550's Rating
Pros
Affordable
Fast performance for general usage
Useful dashboard software
High endurance
Cons
Capacity caps at 1TB
Relatively low performance in demanding tasks
No hardware encryption
1. Samsung 970 EVO Plus: The go-to PCIe 3.0 NVMe solid-state drive
Samsung 970 EVO Plus's Rating
Pros
Fast performance at affordable pricing
High endurance
Easy to use with lots of features
Cons
Can't handle sustained sequential writes at high speed
Best SATA SSD of 2021: An easy upgrade
The SATA standard is much slower than the NVMe above but still significantly faster than any traditional hard drive.
A SATA SSD will fit in the place of any regular hard drive and therefore, will make an easy and satisfying upgrade in any computer that still runs on a hard drive.
6. Samsung SSD 870 EVO: Arguable the best SATA drive to date
Samsung 870 EVO's Rating
Pros
Top-notch SATA performance
Useful software with an excellent feature set
Relatively affordable
5-year warranty
High endurance
Cons
No 8TB capacity
No M.2 version
5. Samsung SSD 870 QVO: A sizable and excellent SATA upgrade for a budget computer
Samsung SSD 870 QVO's Rating
Pros
Affordable
Excellent performance for daily tasks,
Useful software
Up to 8 TB of storage space
Cons
Sequential write speed is slow in extended tasks
Comparatively low endurance
Not available in M.2 design
4. WD Red SA500: A versatile SATA NAS SSD that’s also great for PCs
WD Red SA500's Rating
Pros
Affordable with a long warranty
Excellent performance
2.5-inch and M.2 form factors
High capacity
Cons
Relatively low endurance when compared to competing drive
No NVMe version, 2.5-inch to 3.5-inch mounting bracket not included
3. SK hynix Gold S31: The nice new kid on the block
2. Seagate IronWolf 110: A standard SATA SSD with extreme endurance
Seagate IronWolf 110's Rating
Pros
Extremely high endurance
Fast performance
Long warranty and easy to use
Cons
A bit expensive
Runs hot
No M.2 or NVMe version
1. Micron Crucial BX500: The low-cost replacement SSD for a budget computer
Crucial BX500's Rating
Pros
Inexpensive
Good performance and endurance
Useful software and features
Cons
No encryption, bare-bone specs
Short 3-year warranty
No higher capacities than 960GB
Best SSDs of 2021: SATA vs. NVMe performance
When reviewing solid-state drives, I generally only stack drives of the same type (SATA or MVMe) against one another. Since this list includes both types, however, you’ll find below performance charts of all drives. So, you’ll see here how SATA drives stack up against NVMe counterparts.
Sequential (copy) performance
This chart shows how fast solid-state drives perform when copying a large amount of data from one place to another. It applies general data transferring tasks, such as when you want to backup your data or, recovering data from a backup
Random access performance
Random access performance shows how a solid-state drive affects the host computer’s overall performance. It represents tasks like launching an application or editing a large data file.
Now that you have found out which drive you should get. Check out how you can migrate a hard drive to an SSD or do an MVMe upgrade on your Windows 10 machine.
When you need larger capacity drives, there is no competition for old mechanical hard drives. I would rather pay $200 for a 10TB mechanical drive than $1000+ for a SSD. Put 8 of them into a Synology DS1819+ and you really have a lot of $ put out in drives.
That’s true, Steve. These mostly are for the boot drive of a computer. You can use SSDs with a NAS though, you’ll be amazed how much faster your system is especially when you want to run VMs. More in this review of the DS1621+.
I know. I have an Alienware m17 r3 with 2x 2tb m.2 NVMe SSDs, and 1x 512GB m.2 NVMe SSD. On the 1819+. I have 8x 10tb HD (shucked WD EasyShares) and 2 Seagate Iron Wolf drives for caching
I’m impressed, Steve! On the shucked ones! It takes guts. 🙂
Not really. They are white label HGST drives. Most of the Seagate 10TB or larger are now IronWolf drives now. You have access to my email so if you want to email me, feel free.
Noted, Steve. Thanks. 🙂
Maybe this is insensitive (or plain ole back woods ignorance), but are spindle/platter drives still common in everyday computing? I purchase computers semi-regularly (I work in IT) and don’t think you can configure devices with anything but SSD for the primary (the Dell models we buy anyway).
I can’t even begin to fathom how long it must take for Windows 10 to do anything on a 7200RPM (or even 5400RPM, ouch!) drive.
There are still a lot of new (cheap) computers that use HDD on the inside, Lance. Not to mention existing old computers. But SSDs are taking over for sure. And you can also upgrade to a larger one.
consider ADATA XPG SX8100 512GB 3D NAND NVMe Gen3x4 PCIe M.2 2280 Solid State Drive R/W 3500/3000MB/s SSD (ASX8100NP-512GT-C)
I’ll check it out, Ron. Thanks for your suggestion.
Why no SanDisk SSD? Great budget SSD and good performance options. I have two 960GB Ultra IIs that are going strong 4-5 years now.
They haven’t made new ones for a long time, WP. The one you mentioned I reviewed in my past life at CNET, not on this site.
Please include WD SN850 NVMe Gen 4.0 drives as it narrowly beats Samsung 980 Pro while being little cheaper. It is also NVMe 1.4.
Noted, D. I’ll see to it. 🙂