I'm building my first gaming PC with a Ryzen 7 7800X3D and an RTX 5070 Ti, and I want around 2TB of storage. I'm not familiar with the different M.2 NVMe SSD options, so I'd appreciate recommendations for reliable drives that offer good gaming performance without being unnecessarily expensive. Should I prioritize PCIe Gen 4, a DRAM cache, or TLC flash?
3 Answers
If the price difference is reasonable, look for a TLC-based SSD instead of QLC. TLC usually offers better sustained performance and endurance. A DRAM-equipped boot drive can also be a nice benefit, although current prices may make a good DRAM-less model the better value for a secondary game library.
Two-terabyte SSDs can be surprisingly expensive right now, so compare several reputable PCIe 4.0 models before buying. You don’t need a flagship drive for gaming; choosing a solid budget model and putting the savings toward other components may make more sense. Some graphics cards also offer similar performance at a lower price, which could free up part of the budget.
For a gaming-focused build, a reputable PCIe 4.0 NVMe drive is generally all you need. Game loading times usually won’t differ much between high-end and reasonably priced Gen 4 models, so I’d focus on reviews, warranty, and price rather than chasing the absolute fastest specifications.

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