My desktop currently has a 250GB SSD, and newer games are quickly filling it up. I mainly use the PC for gaming and want to upgrade to at least 1TB of storage. I'm looking for something reasonably priced but still fast, preferably an NVMe drive if my system supports it. What models offer the best value in Europe, and is PCIe Gen 3, Gen 4, or SATA worth considering for gaming?
5 Answers
Be cautious with the cheapest unknown-brand drives. Some models can ship with either TLC or QLC flash, so performance and endurance may vary. Check the exact specifications for the particular drive before ordering rather than relying only on the model name.
The Crucial P310 is worth looking at. It’s fast for gaming and often priced competitively, making it a solid budget choice if your desktop has an NVMe slot.
Before buying, check how old the desktop is and whether the motherboard supports an M.2 NVMe drive. If it only supports SATA, a quality SATA SSD from Samsung or SK hynix would still be a good upgrade. If the system supports PCIe Gen 4, that’s a better target than buying an older Gen 3 NVMe drive at an inflated price.
A 1TB NVMe drive is probably the best balance of price and speed. PCIe Gen 3 models are still perfectly good for gaming, and the difference between Gen 3 and Gen 4 is usually difficult to notice once you’re actually playing games. A TLC-based drive is preferable for endurance if the price is close.
You could also keep the 250GB SSD for the operating system and a couple of games you’re actively playing, then move less-used games to a secondary drive. A reasonably priced 7200 RPM hard drive can provide lots of extra capacity, although a 1TB or larger SSD is more convenient if you can afford it.
I’ve used a 1TB TLC Gen 3 NVMe drive for years alongside a 2TB Gen 4 drive, and I can’t tell any difference in gaming performance. Just compare current prices, since older Gen 3 models can sometimes cost more than expected.