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.
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. SK hynix Gold P31: Arguably the PCIe 3.0 NVMe drive of the best value
The Gold P31 is SK hynix’s first retail NVMe SSD and it proved that the out-going PCIe 3.0 standard still has a lot to offer. The new drive delivered a stellar performance in my testing and even edged out the PCIe 4.0-based drive below in certain tests.
That plus the higher endurance and much more affordable pricing mean this is an excellent NVMe deal, if not the best to date.
SK hynix Gold P31 PCIe NVMe Gen 3 M.2 SSD
$134.99
Pros
- Stellar performance
- High-endurance
- Five-year warranty
Cons
- Storage caps at 1TB
- No user-accessible features
- No hardware encryption
6. Samsung 980 PRO: First PCIe 4.0 NVMe SSD
Samsung 980 PRO NVMe SSD
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
5. Seagate IronWolf 510: A NAS NVMe that works well as a super-fast PC SSD
Seagate IronWolf 510 SSD
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
4. Silicon Power A80: A generic NVMe that rocks
Silicon-Power P34A80 NVMe SSD
Pros
- Fast performance for daily usage
- Affordable, high-endurance
- Generous five-year warranty
Cons
- Performance reduction in extended operations
- Generic feel, no user-accessible features
3. WD Blue SN550: A Fast and affordable NVMe SSD
WD Blue SN550 NVMe Internal SSD
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
2. WD Blue SN500 SSD: The easy low-capacity, modest NVMe upgrade
WD Blue SN500 NVMe Solid-State Drive
Pros
- Inexpensive
- Fast performance and high endurance
- Useful software and features
Cons
- No encryption, two-lane MVNe specs
- No higher capacities than 500GB
1. Samsung 970 EVO Plus: The ultimate PCIe 3.0 NVMe solid-state drive
Samsung 970 EVO Plus NVMe solid-state drive
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 SSD 870 QVO
Pros
- Affordable
- Excellent performance for daily task,
- 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
5. Samsung SSD 870 QVO: A sizable and excellent SATA upgrade for a budget computer
Samsung SSD 870 QVO
Pros
- Affordable
- Excellent performance for daily task,
- 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 NAS SATA SSD
Pros
- Affordable with 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
SK Hynix Gold S31 SSD
Pros
- Relatively affordable
- Fast performance
- Longevity
Cons
- Storage caps at 1TB
- No user-accessible features
2. Seagate IronWolf 110: A standard SATA SSD with extreme endurance
Seagate IronWolf 110 NAS SSD
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 solid-state drive
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.
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.