Top SSDs 2023

ADATA's XPG SX8200 Pro offers on-point—which is to say, fast—speeds for a PCI Express M.2 SSD at its price. It's a strong value pick in the NVMe drive space.

We weren’t expecting the 970 EVO Plus but we’re certainly not complaining about this addition to Samsung’s SSD range. This drive is one to go for if you want the best performance from an NVMe slot. There’s little to dislike apart from the fact it has a rival offering better value.

Across the board the new 970 Evo is not only better than the 960 Evo, but it also out-performs the 960 PRO in some important tests. More IOPS, quicker writing and the same TBW at the largest capacity. With the possible exception of the 970 Pro; this is the NVMe SSD to buy… if you can afford it. If you already have a 960 Evo, though, there’s not a great deal of point in upgrading.

The Samsung SSD 970 EVO offers an excellent blend of throughput and performance, making it the best high-end internal M.2 PCI Express SSD for most users.

The WD Blue 3D NAND might best represent the last hoorah of the SATA SSD before NVMetechnology kicks that interface into the long grass. It’s a big improvement over its predecessor and gives Corsair and Samsung’s mid-range products a run for their money. Excellent overall performance coupled with competitive pricing makes for a winning combination, or it does for that still want, or need SATA.

If you’ve got an NVMe PCI M.2 port on your system you’ll probably want Samsung’s 970 Evo Plus in that form factor, but for everyone else the SATA model is an excellent option. It’s not substantially quicker than the model it replaces, but the extended lifespan is certainly worth the modest investment. If every penny counts, the Crucial MX500 is cheaper.

The Samsung 960 Pro M.2 provides unbeatable sequential performance, but comes at a high cost. You’ll need the right motherboard or PCIe adaptor and a large sum of money to buy the drive. Nevertheless, if you’re looking for an internal drive with the best read/write speeds, the 960 Pro is our top recommendation.

SK Hynix is already showing what it is capable of doing. Armed with LAMD IP and NAND flash production, the company can be a major player in the SSD market. 2D planar NAND is on the way out, so Hynix will need to ramp up 3D production to take on Samsung with equal footing.

The 2TB SanDisk Pro-G40 is a top notch portable SSD with strong all-around performance and consistency. It’s also rugged with the advantages of the Thunderbolt interface, making it the best choice for creators.

The Lexar NM790 internal SSD provides good value, notching above-par benchmark results and coming in at capacities up to 4TB, making it worth considering for a cost-effective storage upgrade.