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SSD prices have increased in the last few years, making it hard to buy one on a budget. That’s why we prepared a list of the best budget SSDs.
Buying a good SSD could prove to be an expensive affair, especially with drives costing well past $100 for even a measly 1TB of storage. In fact, the prices of some PCIe Gen 4 SSDs start at $200 and above. This makes it hard for an average budget gamer to find a drive with decent capacity on the market. That’s why we took the time to prepare a list of some of the best SSDs available at budget prices, and they are showcased below.
Note: Some aspects of this article are subjective and reflect the writer’s opinion. Also, the list is unranked.
List of the Best SSDs for Budget Gaming
Since 1TB is considered the minimum storage one should buy, even for budget gaming, we will only showcase SSDs with 1 TB. Here are some of the best budget SSDs:
1) SAMSUNG 990 EVO Plus 1TB SSD
The SAMSUNG 990 EVO Plus is a budget SSD from SAMSUNG designed to provide the best value for money storage device, which it does in many ways. The drive can reach peak PCIe Gen 4 speeds up to 7,150/6,300 MB/s, which is the highest on this list. The SSD is also configured with a decently sized SLC caching system to ensure it can hold those R/W speeds for as long as possible.
The only con is that there’s no dedicated RAM for sustained performance, which is reserved for the more expensive Samsung 990 Pro drives. However, for the price, the SAMSUNG 990 EVO Plus is acceptable.
| Specifications | Details |
| Speed (Read/Write) | 7,150/6,300 MB/s |
| Capacities | 1TB |
| NAND Type | TLC |
| Cache system | SLC cache |
| Endurance | 600 TBW |
| Warranty | 5 years |
2) Acer Predator GM7000 1TB SSD with DRAM Cache
The Acer Predator GM7000 1TB SSD is similar to the Samsung drive mentioned above. However, it is far superior in more ways than one. Its faster read speeds, SLC cache, and dedicated 1GB DRAM cache allow it to deliver a sustained peak performance, which is where the Samsung drive fails. The only con of this Acer drive is that its write speeds are marginally lower than Samsung’s, but the DRAM cache makes it better in the long run.
| Specifications | Details |
| Speed (Read/Write) | 7,400/5,800 MB/s |
| Capacities | 1TB |
| NAND Type | TLC |
| Cache system | 1GB DDR4 and SLC cache |
| Endurance | 600 TBW |
| Warranty | 5 years |
3) Silicon Power US75 1TB SSD
The Silicon Power US75 is another budget SSD designed to deliver a great price-to-performance ratio. It delivers the same read/write speeds as other, more expensive drives, but at a lower cost. In fact, it can reach speeds of up to 7,000/6,000 MB/s, which makes it not only compatible with PCs but also with PS5 and PS5 Pro. It uses TLC NAND flash chips, which is usually not the case with cheap drives like this one. Therefore, it has a high 600 TBW of endurance for a long life.
| Specifications | Details |
| Speed (Read/Write) | 7,000/6,000 MB/s |
| Capacities | 1TB |
| NAND Type | TLC |
| Cache system | SLC cache |
| Endurance | 600 TBW |
| Warranty | 5 years |
4) Kingston NV3 1TB SSD
At $61, the Kingston NV3 is one of the cheapest SSDs to reach speeds of up to 6,000/4,000 MB/s. For a drive to be PS5 compatible, it must reach 5,500 MB/s read speeds, which the Kingston NV3 can, making it compatible with PS5 and PS5 Pro. It is also a PCIe Gen 4 drive, so it is fully compatible with the DirectStorage technology of the Windows operating system. It allows games to load in a few seconds.
| Specifications | Details |
| Speed (Read/Write) | 6,000/4,000 MB/s |
| Capacities | 1TB |
| NAND Type | QLC |
| Cache system | SLC cache |
| Endurance | 320 TBW |
| Warranty | 3 years |
5) PNY CS2241 1TB SSD
The PNY CS2241 is the cheapest SSD on this list, but it is capable of running at speeds that will embarrass some of the best PCIe Gen 3 drives on the market. Being a Gen 4 NVMe drive, it also has other perks like lower system latency, faster loading times, and support for DirectStorage technology. All of them are incredibly important in gaming. The only con is that it uses QLC NAND chips, which have a lower endurance rating than TLC-based SSDs. That’s why they are cheaper than other drives on the market.
| Specifications | Details |
| Speed (Read/Write) | 5,100/3,200 MB/s |
| Capacities | 1TB |
| NAND Type | QLC |
| Cache system | SLC cache |
| Endurance | 320 TBW |
| Warranty | 5 years |
Final Thoughts
This concludes the list of all the best SSDs for budget gaming. If you prefer a trusty brand, the Samsung SSD seems to be the better choice. However, if you prefer performance over brand, the Acer Predator GM7000 is one of the best SSDs in this price range. For those on an extreme budget, the PNY CS2241 can be a great choice.
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