Best cheap SSD deals for gaming today

HP FX900 Pro | 512GB | NVMe | PCIe 4.0 | 7,400 MB/s read | 6,700 MB/s write | <a href="https://target.georiot.com/Proxy.ashx?tsid=8432&GR_URL=https%3A%2F%2Famazon.com%2FHP-FX900-512GB-NVMe-Gaming%2Fdp%2FB09PCCX33J%2F%3Ftag%3Dhawk-future-20%26ascsubtag%3Dhawk-custom-tracking-20" data-link-merchant="Amazon US"" target="_blank">$50.99 at Amazon
It's not flashy, but in all honesty do you really need anything more than a fast and reliable drive from a good brand at a great price? HP's FX900 Pro certainly fits all those parameters, and with these sort of speeds on offer this SSD is definitely no slouch. It's got all of the specs you might want at this level, including 1GB of DRAM for heavy workloads.

Price check: <a href="https://click.linksynergy.com/deeplink?id=kXQk6%2AivFEQ&mid=44583&u1=hawk-custom-tracking&murl=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.newegg.com%2Fhp-512gb-fx900-pro%2Fp%2F0D9-004A-00071" data-link-merchant="newegg.com"" data-link-merchant="Amazon US"" target="_blank">Newegg $50.99

Sabrent Rocket 2230 | 512GB | NVMe | PCIe 4.0 | 5,000 MB/s read | 3,700 MB/s writes | <a href="https://target.georiot.com/Proxy.ashx?tsid=8432&GR_URL=https%3A%2F%2Famazon.com%2FSABRENT-Rocket-2230-Performance-SB-2130-1TB%2Fdp%2FB0BQG6FM45%3Ftag%3Dhawk-future-20%26ascsubtag%3Dhawk-custom-tracking-20" data-link-merchant="Amazon US"" target="_blank">$64.99 at Amazon
This compact 2230 form factor 512GB drive is a great middle-ground for Steam Deck upgrades. Buy the cheapest Deck version you can find and add this drive to save bags of money over the most expensive one. That's with well-improved read/write speeds, too.

Price check: <a href="https://click.linksynergy.com/deeplink?id=kXQk6%2AivFEQ&mid=44583&u1=hawk-custom-tracking&murl=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.newegg.com%2Fsabrent-512gb%2Fp%2F0D9-001Y-000B4" data-link-merchant="newegg.com"" data-link-merchant="Amazon US"" target="_blank">Newegg $64.99 | <a href="https://goto.walmart.com/c/1943169/565706/9383?subId1=hawk-custom-tracking&sharedId=hawk&u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.walmart.com%2Fip%2FSABRENT-Rocket-2230-NVMe-4-0-512GB-High-Performance-PCIe-4-0-M-2-2230-SSD-SB-2130-512%2F2755642059" data-link-merchant="walmart.com"" data-link-merchant="newegg.com"" data-link-merchant="Amazon US"" target="_blank">Walmart $64.99

Solidigm P41 Plus | 1TB | M.2 2280 | PCIe 4.0 | 4,125 MB/s read | 2,950 MB/s write | <a href="https://target.georiot.com/Proxy.ashx?tsid=8432&GR_URL=https%3A%2F%2Famazon.com%2FSolidigmTM-Upgrades-Everyday-Computing-SSDPFKNU010TZX1%2Fdp%2FB0C66DDJSW%2F%3Ftag%3Dhawk-future-20%26ascsubtag%3Dhawk-custom-tracking-20" data-link-merchant="Amazon US"" target="_blank">$69.99 $61.99 at Amazon (save $8)
Solidigm is a brand name of SK Hynix, a company that directly makes memory chips for SSDs. Here you've got a drive that has fairly slow read/write speeds compared to others in our curated list, but they're still plenty fast enough.

Price check: <a href="https://click.linksynergy.com/deeplink?id=kXQk6%2AivFEQ&mid=44583&u1=hawk-custom-tracking&murl=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.newegg.com%2Fsolidigm-1tb-p41-plus%2Fp%2FN82E16820329021" data-link-merchant="newegg.com"" data-link-merchant="Amazon US"" target="_blank">Newegg $69.99

Lexar NM790| 1TB | NVMe | PCIe 4.0 | 7,400 MB/s read | 6,500 MB/s write | Heatsink included | <a href="https://target.georiot.com/Proxy.ashx?tsid=8432&GR_URL=https%3A%2F%2Famazon.com%2Fdp%2FB0CGKPPZY9%3Ftag%3Dhawk-future-20%26ascsubtag%3Dhawk-custom-tracking-20" data-link-merchant="Amazon US"" target="_blank">$83.05 $74.99 at Amazon (save $8.06)
For anyone missing motherboard NVMe cooling or wanting to bulk out their PS5 storage, this version of the fantastic NM790 with a heatsink is often in stock, whereas the normal version is frequently sold out. You're getting a seriously good SSD for the money, and you can see this for yourself with our <a href="https://www.pcgamer.com/lexar-nm790-4tb-ssd-review/" data-link-merchant="pcgamer.com"" data-link-merchant="Amazon US"" target="_blank">review of the 4TB version.

Crucial MX500 | 1TB | 2.5" | SATA 6Gbps | 560 MB/s read | 510 MB/s write | <a href="https://target.georiot.com/Proxy.ashx?tsid=8432&GR_URL=https%3A%2F%2Famazon.com%2FCrucial-MX500-NAND-SATA-Internal%2Fdp%2FB078211KBB%2F%3Ftag%3Dhawk-future-20%26ascsubtag%3Dhawk-custom-tracking-20" data-link-merchant="Amazon US"" target="_blank">$104.99 $79.99 at Amazon (save $25)
If you don't have enough M.2 NVMe slots on your motherboard for more storage, then don't worry as you can still install a speedy SSD via a SATA port. The Crucial MX500 is pretty much the best one out there, as nothing else offers the same blend of performance and value-for-money as the MX500. It's also available in 2TB and 4TB sizes, with the prices scaling on par with the storage capacity.

Price check: <a href="https://click.linksynergy.com/deeplink?id=kXQk6%2AivFEQ&mid=44583&u1=hawk-custom-tracking&murl=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.newegg.com%2Fcrucial-mx500-1tb%2Fp%2FN82E16820156174" data-link-merchant="newegg.com"" data-link-merchant="Amazon US"" target="_blank">Newegg $79.99

Team Group T-FORCE A440 | 1TB | M.2 2280 | PCIe 4.0 | 7,000 MB/s read | 5,500 MB/s write | <a href="https://click.linksynergy.com/deeplink?id=kXQk6%2AivFEQ&mid=44583&u1=hawk-custom-tracking&murl=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.newegg.com%2Fteam-group-1tb-t-force-cardea-a440%2Fp%2FN82E16820331726" data-link-merchant="newegg.com"" target="_blank">$99.99 $79.99 at Newegg (save $20)
If you're looking for great PCIe 4.0 performance but don't want to spend a lot of money, this Team Group drive is the perfect choice. It's more than quick enough for most users' needs and that big heatsink will keep things nice and cool, helping to prevent any thermal throttling.

Price check: <a href="https://target.georiot.com/Proxy.ashx?tsid=8432&GR_URL=https%3A%2F%2Famazon.com%2Fgp%2Faw%2Fd%2FB0921KF4JC%2F%3Ftag%3Dhawk-future-20%26ascsubtag%3Dhawk-custom-tracking-20" data-link-merchant="Amazon US"" data-link-merchant="newegg.com"" target="_blank">Amazon $79.99

Crucial T500| 1TB | NVMe | PCIe 4.0 | 7,300 MB/s read | 6,800 MB/s write | <a href="https://target.georiot.com/Proxy.ashx?tsid=8432&GR_URL=https%3A%2F%2Famazon.com%2FCrucial-Internal-Gaming-Desktop-Compatible%2Fdp%2FB0CK39YR9V%2F%3Ftag%3Dhawk-future-20%26ascsubtag%3Dhawk-custom-tracking-20" data-link-merchant="Amazon US"" target="_blank">$143.99 $80.99 at Amazon (save $63)
This Gen 4 drive from a very respected brand certainly has the speeds to make it an excellent contender, with TLC NAND, improved energy efficiency and a simple, clean single sided design. It might lack DRAM, but regardless this drive has the performance to keep up with the best Gen 4 drives at quite a significant discount.

Price check: <a href="https://shop-links.co/link?skuId=6566096&publisher_slug=future&exclusive=1&u1=hawk-custom-tracking&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.bestbuy.com%2Fsite%2Fcrucial-t500-1tb-internal-ssd-pcie-gen-4x4-nvme-m-2%2F6566096.p%3FskuId%3D6566096&article_name=hawk-article-name&article_url=hawk-article-url" data-link-merchant="bestbuy.com"" data-link-merchant="Amazon US"" target="_blank">Best Buy $80.99 | <a href="https://click.linksynergy.com/deeplink?id=kXQk6%2AivFEQ&mid=44583&u1=hawk-custom-tracking&murl=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.newegg.com%2Fcrucial-1tb-t500%2Fp%2FN82E16820156388" data-link-merchant="newegg.com"" data-link-merchant="bestbuy.com"" data-link-merchant="Amazon US"" target="_blank">Newegg $84.99

Crucial T500 | 1TB | NVMe | PCIe 4.0 | 7,300 MB/s read | 6,800 MB/s write | <a href="https://target.georiot.com/Proxy.ashx?tsid=8432&GR_URL=https%3A%2F%2Famazon.com%2FCrucial-Internal-Gaming-Desktop-Compatible%2Fdp%2FB0CK39YR9V%2F%3Ftag%3Dhawk-future-20%26ascsubtag%3Dhawk-custom-tracking-20" data-link-merchant="Amazon US"" target="_blank">$143.99 $80.99 at Amazon (save $63)
A stalwart of a drive this one, and often on discount. That being said, there's a lot of performance here, so don't think just because its on a deal it's not got the chutzpah to keep up. 7,300MB/s reads and 6,800MB/s writes puts it up there with some of the best Gen 4 drives available, and while this particular model doesn't come with the heatsink, it should keep reasonably cool without one.

Price check: <a href="https://click.linksynergy.com/deeplink?id=kXQk6%2AivFEQ&mid=44583&u1=hawk-custom-tracking&murl=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.newegg.com%2Fcrucial-1tb-t500%2Fp%2FN82E16820156388" data-link-merchant="newegg.com"" data-link-merchant="Amazon US"" target="_blank">Newegg $84.99

Nextorage Japan | 1TB | NVMe | PCIe 4.0 | 7,300 MB/s Read | 6,000 MB/s write | <a href="https://click.linksynergy.com/deeplink?id=kXQk6%2AivFEQ&mid=44583&u1=hawk-custom-tracking&murl=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.newegg.com%2Fnextorage-1tb-ne1n-series-m-2-2280-pcie-4-0-nvme-ssd%2Fp%2F0D9-0106-00008" data-link-merchant="newegg.com"" target="_blank">$149.99 $84.99 at Newegg (save $65)
Nextorage may be a relatively new name in the world of NMVe SSDs, but don't be fooled by appearances. This drive sports a Phison E18 controller, the very same used in a number of high-performance SSDs and the 1TB version represents excellent price/performance value here. <a href="https://www.pcgamer.com/nextorage-nem-pa-2tb-review-performance-benchmarks/" data-link-merchant="pcgamer.com"" data-link-merchant="newegg.com"" target="_blank">Check out our review for more.

WD Black SN850X | 1TB | NVMe | PCIe 4.0 | 7,300 MB/s read | 6,300 MB/s write | <a href="https://target.georiot.com/Proxy.ashx?tsid=8432&GR_URL=https%3A%2F%2Famazon.com%2FWD_BLACK-SN850X-Internal-Gaming-Solid%2Fdp%2FB0B7CKVCCV%3Fth%3D1%26tag%3Dhawk-future-20%26ascsubtag%3Dhawk-custom-tracking-20" data-link-merchant="Amazon US"" target="_blank">$114.99 $84.99 at Amazon (save $30)
This is our favorite SSD for gaming right now, but much like the SN770 on this list, it was cheaper a week ago. Stick around for a couple weeks and it'll likely drop in price again. But unlike the cheaper SN770, the SN850X encapsulates the best PCIe 4.0 offers in terms of performance (<a href="https://www.pcgamer.com/wd-black-sn850x-review-performance-benchmarks/#:~:text=2%20SSDs.,flaw%2C%20namely%20toasty%20operating%20temperatures." data-link-merchant="pcgamer.com"" data-link-merchant="Amazon US"" target="_blank">check out our review). That makes it a great fit for a boot drive with space to spare for your game library, and at this price, we're happy to pay the premium for its higher speed.

Price check: <a href="https://click.linksynergy.com/deeplink?id=kXQk6%2AivFEQ&mid=44583&u1=hawk-custom-tracking&murl=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.newegg.com%2Fwestern-digital-1tb-black-sn850x-nvme%2Fp%2FN82E16820250243" data-link-merchant="newegg.com"" data-link-merchant="pcgamer.com"" data-link-merchant="Amazon US"" target="_blank">Newegg $94.99 | <a href="https://shop-links.co/link?skuId=6512131&publisher_slug=future&exclusive=1&u1=hawk-custom-tracking&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.bestbuy.com%2Fsite%2Fwd-black-sn850x-1tb-internal-ssd-pcie-gen-4-x4-nvme%2F6512131.p%3FskuId%3D6512131&article_name=hawk-article-name&article_url=hawk-article-url" data-link-merchant="bestbuy.com"" data-link-merchant="newegg.com"" data-link-merchant="pcgamer.com"" data-link-merchant="Amazon US"" target="_blank">Best Buy $94.99 

Nextorage Japan | w/ heatsink | 1TB | NVMe | PCIe 4.0 | 7,300 MB/s Read | 6,000 MB/s write | <a href="https://click.linksynergy.com/deeplink?id=kXQk6%2AivFEQ&mid=44583&u1=hawk-custom-tracking&murl=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.newegg.com%2Fnextorage-1tb-nem-pa-series-m-2-2280-pcie-4-0-nvme-ssd-built-in-heatsink%2Fp%2F0D9-0106-00001" data-link-merchant="newegg.com"" target="_blank">$89.99 $84.99 at Newegg (save $5)
If you don't have any SSD cooling included on your motherboard, this SSD includes one for a little extra dosh. It's also handy for expanding the PlayStation 5's storage if you're gaming on console.

Price check: <a href="https://target.georiot.com/Proxy.ashx?tsid=8432&GR_URL=https%3A%2F%2Famazon.com%2FNextorage-Japan-Gen-4-Internal-7300MB%2Fdp%2FB09RMHC8L8%3Fth%3D1%26tag%3Dhawk-future-20%26ascsubtag%3Dhawk-custom-tracking-20" data-link-merchant="Amazon US"" data-link-merchant="newegg.com"" target="_blank">Amazon $89.99

Sabrent Rocket 2230 | 1TB | NVMe | PCIe 4.0 | 4,750 MB/s read | 4,300 MB/s write | <a href="https://target.georiot.com/Proxy.ashx?tsid=8432&GR_URL=https%3A%2F%2Famazon.com%2FSABRENT-Rocket-2230-Performance-SB-2130-1TB%2Fdp%2FB0BQG6JCRP%3Fth%3D1%26tag%3Dhawk-future-20%26ascsubtag%3Dhawk-custom-tracking-20" data-link-merchant="Amazon US"" target="_blank">$99.99 at Amazon
This is a very high-capacity version of our favorite 2230 form factor NVMe SSD for the Steam Deck. While you are paying a premium for handheld compatibility, pairing this with the cheap Steam Deck would save you cash over the top capacity Deck and net you double the storage space.

Price check: <a href="https://click.linksynergy.com/deeplink?id=kXQk6%2AivFEQ&mid=44583&u1=hawk-custom-tracking&murl=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.newegg.com%2Fsabrent-1tb%2Fp%2F0D9-001Y-000A5" data-link-merchant="newegg.com"" data-link-merchant="Amazon US"" target="_blank">Newegg $99.99

WD_Black SN770 | 2TB | NVMe | PCIe 4.0 | 5150 MB/s read | 4850 MB/s write | <a href="https://target.georiot.com/Proxy.ashx?tsid=8432&GR_URL=https%3A%2F%2Famazon.com%2Fdp%2FB09QV5KJHV%3Fth%3D1%26tag%3Dhawk-future-20%26ascsubtag%3Dhawk-custom-tracking-20" data-link-merchant="Amazon US"" target="_blank">$159.99 $139.99 at Amazon (save $20)
A solid SSD with mid-level performance that's often found for less money than speedier drives. It's still a rapid drive and offers 2TB of storage for your Steam library. It's not the cheapest we've seen it, but prices have generally increased versus the tail-end of 2023.

Price check: <a href="https://click.linksynergy.com/deeplink?id=kXQk6%2AivFEQ&mid=44583&u1=hawk-custom-tracking&murl=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.newegg.com%2Fwestern-digital-2tb-sn770%2Fp%2FN82E16820250218" data-link-merchant="newegg.com"" data-link-merchant="Amazon US"" target="_blank">Newegg $139.99

Silicon Power UD90 2230 | 2TB | PCIe 4.0 | 5,000 MB/s read | 3,200 MB/s write | Steam Deck + ROG Ally compatible | <a href="https://click.linksynergy.com/deeplink?id=kXQk6%2AivFEQ&mid=44583&u1=hawk-custom-tracking&murl=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.newegg.com%2Fp%2F0D9-0021-00172" data-link-merchant="newegg.com"" target="_blank">$158.99 $143.99 at Newegg (save $15)
This Silicon Power drive isn't the fastest compact SSD you can stick in your Steam Deck, but it is the cheapest 2TB drive you'll be able to find for your wee handheld gaming PC. And it will also be a little quicker than the stock drive the Deck ships with, too.

Silicon Power XS70 | 2TB | NVMe | PCIe 4.0 | 7300 MB/s read | 6800 MB/s write | <a href="https://target.georiot.com/Proxy.ashx?tsid=8432&GR_URL=https%3A%2F%2Famazon.com%2FSilicon-Power-2TB-XS70-SP02KGBP44XS7005%2Fdp%2FB09T2WNKNZ%2F%3Ftag%3Dhawk-future-20%26ascsubtag%3Dhawk-custom-tracking-20" data-link-merchant="Amazon US"" target="_blank">$179.99 $149.99 at Amazon (save $30)
Prices for the XS70 are some of the most variable I've seen for an SSD, so it's perhaps worth waiting to see if the price dips again before picking one up. It packs rather a large bang for your buck with its fast read and write times, at least. While the software side of things may be a little lacking, we were impressed with the overall performance and value proposition of this drive. <a href="https://www.pcgamer.com/silicon-power-xs70-2tb-nvme-ssd-review/" data-link-merchant="pcgamer.com"" data-link-merchant="Amazon US"" target="_blank">Read our review here.

Nextorage Japan | 2TB | NVMe | PCIe 4.0 | 7300 MB/s read | 6900 MB/s write | <a href="https://click.linksynergy.com/deeplink?id=kXQk6%2AivFEQ&mid=44583&u1=hawk-custom-tracking&murl=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.newegg.com%2Fnextorage-2tb-nem-pa-series-m-2-2280-pcie-4-0-nvme-ssd-built-in-heatsink%2Fp%2F0D9-0106-00003" data-link-merchant="newegg.com"" target="_blank">$249.99 $159.99 at Newegg (save $90)
You can expect top performance out of this drive, which is impressive for the price. It's actually frequently faster than some pricier drives, and we've generally been very impressed with Nextorage's drive <a href="https://www.pcgamer.com/nextorage-nem-pa-2tb-review-performance-benchmarks/" data-link-merchant="pcgamer.com"" data-link-merchant="newegg.com"" target="_blank">in our review. Unfortunately the price for this drive has gone up lately, but it's still one of the better value 2TB drives with a heatsink right now.

Team Group QX | 4TB | 2.5" | SATA 6Gbps | 560 MB/s read | 510 MB/s write | <a href="https://click.linksynergy.com/deeplink?id=kXQk6%2AivFEQ&mid=44583&u1=hawk-custom-tracking&murl=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.newegg.com%2Fteam-group-4tb-qx%2Fp%2FN82E16820985045" data-link-merchant="newegg.com"" target="_blank">$192.99 $190.99 at Newegg (save $2)
It's not much of a deal, but if you're looking for lots of storage but don't need a blazing NVMe drive, then this is the cheapest way of putting a 4TB SSD in your gaming PC. Just don't expect it to sustain full speed under heavy workloads and you'll be fine.

Price check: <a href="https://target.georiot.com/Proxy.ashx?tsid=8432&GR_URL=https%3A%2F%2Famazon.com%2FTEAMGROUP-Internal-1000TBW-Compatible-T253X7004T0C101%2Fdp%2FB0C3M4TR4B%2F%3Ftag%3Dhawk-future-20%26ascsubtag%3Dhawk-custom-tracking-20" data-link-merchant="Amazon US"" data-link-merchant="newegg.com"" target="_blank">Amazon $190.99

Silicon Power UD90 | 4TB | NVMe | PCIe 4.0 | 5,000MB/s read | 4,500MB/s write | <a href="https://target.georiot.com/Proxy.ashx?tsid=8432&GR_URL=https%3A%2F%2Famazon.com%2FSilicon-Power-UD90-NVMe-SP04KGBP44UD9005%2Fdp%2FB0BYN8NHXS%2F%3Ftag%3Dhawk-future-20%26ascsubtag%3Dhawk-custom-tracking-20" data-link-merchant="Amazon US"" target="_blank">$239.99 $219.99 at Amazon (save $20)
This Silicon Power might not be the fastest of drives, but it's difficult to argue with this much storage for this sort of money. With a sequential read write of 5,000MB/s and 4,500MB/s it's still not what you'd call slow and should be fine for gaming, and it comes from a reliable brand.

Lexar NM790 | 4TB | PCIe 4.0 | 7,400MB/s read | 6,500MB/s write | <a href="https://target.georiot.com/Proxy.ashx?tsid=8432&GR_URL=https%3A%2F%2Famazon.com%2FLexar-Internal-Compatible-Creators-LNM790X004T-RNNNU%2Fdp%2FB0C91RNCDV%2F%3Ftag%3Dhawk-future-20%26ascsubtag%3Dhawk-custom-tracking-20" data-link-merchant="Amazon US"" target="_blank">$272.56 at Amazon
4TB drives have sprung up in price again, although we'd expect them to drop down again sometime later in the year. If you absolutely must have one now though, this is about the best price to performance ratio you're going to find, and one of our best drive picks to boot. Read our <a href="https://www.pcgamer.com/lexar-nm790-4tb-ssd-review/" data-link-merchant="pcgamer.com"" data-link-merchant="Amazon US"" target="_blank">Lexar NM790 (4TB) review for more.

Silicon Power XS70 | 4TB | NVMe | PCIe 4.0 | 7,200MB/s read | 6,800MB/s write | <a href="https://target.georiot.com/Proxy.ashx?tsid=8432&GR_URL=https%3A%2F%2Famazon.com%2FSilicon-Power-4TB-XS70-SP04KGBP44XS7005%2Fdp%2FB09T2XVG16%2F%3Ftag%3Dhawk-future-20%26ascsubtag%3Dhawk-custom-tracking-20" data-link-merchant="Amazon US"" target="_blank">$299.99 $284.99 at Amazon (save $15)
High performance 4TB SSDs are starting to rocket in price but if you absolutely must have one, this is an excellent choice. Mountains of storage, blistering speed: This XS70 has them both, but you'll be paying a pretty penny for it. At least it comes with a decent heatsink to keep temperatures under control.

Samsung T7 Shield | 1TB | USB 3.2 Gen2 | 1,050 MB/s read | 1,000 MB/s write | <a href="https://target.georiot.com/Proxy.ashx?tsid=8432&GR_URL=https%3A%2F%2Famazon.com%2FSAMSUNG-Portable-Photographers-MU-PE1T0R-AM%2Fdp%2FB09VLJB2DC%2F%3Fth%3D1%26tag%3Dhawk-future-20%26ascsubtag%3Dhawk-custom-tracking-20" data-link-merchant="Amazon US"" target="_blank">$169.99 $99.99 at Amazon (save $70)
Samsung's external drives have a better recent history than its internal SSDs, so we've no hesitation in recommending the T7 for any professional looking for a large amount of storage that can be safely taken from place to place. They're designed to be rugged and fast, a potent combo. Oh, and they are available in three colors. Don't forget that you'll need to have a USB 3.2 Gen 2 port in your PC to get the best speed.

Price check: <a href="https://click.linksynergy.com/deeplink?id=kXQk6%2AivFEQ&mid=44583&u1=hawk-custom-tracking&murl=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.newegg.com%2Fsamsung-t7-shield-1tb%2Fp%2FN82E16820147833" data-link-merchant="newegg.com"" data-link-merchant="Amazon US"" target="_blank">Newegg $99.99

Crucial X9 | 2TB | USB 3.2 Gen2 | 1,050 MB/s read | 1,050 MB/s write | <a href="https://target.georiot.com/Proxy.ashx?tsid=8432&GR_URL=https%3A%2F%2Famazon.com%2FCrucial-Pro-2TB-Portable-CT2000X9PROSSD902%2Fdp%2FB0C9WHSZZN%2F%3Fth%3D1%26tag%3Dhawk-future-20%26ascsubtag%3Dhawk-custom-tracking-20" data-link-merchant="Amazon US"" target="_blank">$149.99 at Amazon
This external drive uses Micron flash memory chips, which owns the Crucial brand name. It's performance is just as good as the above Samsung, so you'll have no worries there. The X9 Pro stand out features are its size and weight, as it's very compact and lightweight. Perfect for having lots of storage on the go. Just make sure to hit the coupon button for the discount.

WD Blue SN580 | 1TB | NVMe | PCIe 4.0 | 4150 MB/s | 4150 MB/s | <a href="https://www.awin1.com/awclick.php?awinmid=15473&awinaffid=103504&clickref=hawk-custom-tracking&p=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.scan.co.uk%2Fproducts%2F1tb-wd-blue-sn580-m2-2280-pcie-40-x4-nvme-ssd-4150mb-s-read-4150mb-s-write-600k-750k-iops" data-link-merchant="scan.co.uk"" target="_blank">£69.98 £59.99 at Scan (save £9.99)
Not the quickest SSD around, but still a massive step up over an HDD. It's also going to be a solid drive for a Steam library to sit on as you ready up to finally 'tackle your backlog'.

Lexar NM790 | 1TB | NVMe | PCIe 4.0 | 7,400MB/s read | 6,500MB/s write | <a href="https://go.redirectingat.com/?id=92X590208&xcust=hawk-custom-tracking&xs=1&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.overclockers.co.uk%2Flexar-nm790-1tb-nvme-pcie-4.0-m.2-solid-state-drive-sto-lex-01452.html&sref" data-link-merchant="SkimLinks - overclockers.co.uk"" target="_blank">£69.99 at Overclockers
You'll find few 1TB SSDs going cheaper than this Lexar drive, and none as good value. We really liked what this drive had to offer in our review, delivering performance right at the top-end of what PCIe 4.0 is capable of, all for a low price.

Price check: <a href="https://target.georiot.com/Proxy.ashx?tsid=8432&GR_URL=https%3A%2F%2Famazon.co.uk%2Fdp%2FB0C4H5KXL6%3Ftag%3Dhawk-future-21%26ascsubtag%3Dhawk-custom-tracking-21" data-link-merchant="Amazon UK"" data-link-merchant="SkimLinks - overclockers.co.uk"" target="_blank">Amazon £74.99

Crucial MX500 | 1TB | 2.5" | SATA 6Gbps | 560MB/s read | 510MB/s write | <a href="https://target.georiot.com/Proxy.ashx?tsid=8432&GR_URL=https%3A%2F%2Famazon.co.uk%2FCrucial-MX500-CT1000MX500SSD1-NAND-Internal%2Fdp%2FB078211KBB%2F%3Ftag%3Dhawk-future-21%26ascsubtag%3Dhawk-custom-tracking-21" data-link-merchant="Amazon UK"" target="_blank">£93.99 at Amazon
If you don't have enough M.2 NVMe slots on your motherboard for more storage, then don't worry as you can still install an SSD via a SATA port. The Crucial MX500 is pretty much the best one out there, as nothing else offers the same blend of performance and value-for-money as the MX500. It's also available in 2TB and 4TB sizes, with the prices scaling on par with the storage capacity, though it is much slower than an NVMe drive.

Price check: <a href="https://www.awin1.com/awclick.php?awinmid=15473&awinaffid=103504&clickref=hawk-custom-tracking&p=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.scan.co.uk%2Fproducts%2F1tb-crucial-mx500-25-ssd-sata-iii-6gb-s-sm2258-3d-tlc-nand-read-560mb-s-write-510mb-s-95k-90k-iops-r" data-link-merchant="scan.co.uk"" data-link-merchant="Amazon UK"" target="_blank">Scan £93.98

Solidigm P41 Plus | 2TB | M.2 2280 | PCIe 4.0 | 4,125 MB/s read | 2,950 MB/s write | <a href="https://target.georiot.com/Proxy.ashx?tsid=8432&GR_URL=https%3A%2F%2Famazon.co.uk%2FSolidigm-Internal-Solid-State-Drive%2Fdp%2FB0BD3B68SL%2F%3Ftag%3Dhawk-future-21%26ascsubtag%3Dhawk-custom-tracking-21" data-link-merchant="Amazon UK"" target="_blank">£109.98 at Amazon
Solidigm is a brand name of SK Hynix, a company that directly makes memory chips for SSDs. Here you've got a drive that has fairly slow read/write speeds compared to others in our curated list, but they're still plenty fast enough.

Price check: <a href="https://www.awin1.com/awclick.php?awinmid=15473&awinaffid=103504&clickref=hawk-custom-tracking&p=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.scan.co.uk%2Fproducts%2F2tb-solidigm-p41-plus-m2-2280-pcie-40-x4-nvme-ssd-144-layer-3d-nand-4125mb-s-read-3325mb-s-write" data-link-merchant="scan.co.uk"" data-link-merchant="Amazon UK"" target="_blank">Scan £109.98

Lexar NM790 | 2TB | PCIe 4.0 | 7,400MB/s read | 6,500MB/s write | <a href="https://target.georiot.com/Proxy.ashx?tsid=8432&GR_URL=https%3A%2F%2Famazon.co.uk%2FLexar-Gen4x4-Internal-Professionals-LNM790X002T-RNNNG%2Fdp%2FB0C4H4YH8V%2F%3Ftag%3Dhawk-future-21%26ascsubtag%3Dhawk-custom-tracking-21" data-link-merchant="Amazon UK"" target="_blank">£129.99 at Amazon
Lexar has put together a superb SSD in the NM790, and the best bit is it's surprisingly cheap. Thanks to high layer NAND and a low-power controller, you can get tons of storage here on an energy-efficient and great performing drive for not much cash. Often much less cash than the competition, even. Read our <a href="https://www.pcgamer.com/lexar-nm790-4tb-ssd-review/" data-link-merchant="pcgamer.com"" data-link-merchant="Amazon UK"" target="_blank">Lexar NM790 (4TB) review for more.

Lexar NM790 | 4TB | NVMe | PCIE 4.0 | 7,400MB/s read | 6,500MB/s write | <a href="https://target.georiot.com/Proxy.ashx?tsid=8432&GR_URL=https%3A%2F%2Famazon.co.uk%2FLexar-Gen4x4-Internal-Professionals-LNM790X004T-RNNNG%2Fdp%2FB0C9LMJR17%3Ftag%3Dhawk-future-21%26ascsubtag%3Dhawk-custom-tracking-21" data-link-merchant="Amazon UK"" target="_blank">$235.49 at Amazon
It's a lot of money to spend on a storage drive but it's actually great value for money. Trying to find a high quality 4TB SSD near £200 in the UK  is a serious challenge but this Lexar gets very close to that limit. There are cheaper SSDs with the same capacity but they won't have anywhere near the same performance.

Price check: <a href="https://www.awin1.com/awclick.php?awinmid=15473&awinaffid=103504&clickref=hawk-custom-tracking&p=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.scan.co.uk%2Fproducts%2F4tb-lexar-nm790-ssd-m2-2280-pcie-40-x4-3d-nvme-ssd-tlc-7400mb-s-read-6500mb-s-write-pc-ps5" data-link-merchant="scan.co.uk"" data-link-merchant="Amazon UK"" target="_blank">Scan £235.49

Crucial X9 Pro | 1TB | USB 3.2 Gen2 | Up to 1,050 MB/s read and write | <a href="https://target.georiot.com/Proxy.ashx?tsid=8432&GR_URL=https%3A%2F%2Famazon.co.uk%2FCrucial-Pro-1TB-Portable-CT1000X9PROSSD902%2Fdp%2FB0C9WKGXHD%3Ftag%3Dhawk-future-21%26ascsubtag%3Dhawk-custom-tracking-21" data-link-merchant="Amazon UK"" target="_blank">£85.56 at Amazon
Crucial is a big name in SSDs, and the Micron-owned brand is offering a small saving on this 1TB external model. The drive comes in anodized aluminium shell with a rubberized base, and is just 65 x 50 mm big. There's an integrated lanyard hole too, if you want to wear it, which hides a drive activity light.

Samsung T7 Shield | 2TB | USB 3.2 Gen2 | 1,050 MB/s read | 1,000 MB/s write | <a href="https://target.georiot.com/Proxy.ashx?tsid=8432&GR_URL=https%3A%2F%2Famazon.co.uk%2Fdp%2FB09SB35ZTW%2F%3Ftag%3Dhawk-future-21%26ascsubtag%3Dhawk-custom-tracking-21" data-link-merchant="Amazon UK"" target="_blank">£159.98 at Amazon
Samsung's external drives have a better recent history than its internal SSDs, so we've no hesitation in recommending the T7 for any professional looking for a large amount of storage that can be safely taken from place to place. They're designed to be rugged and fast, a potent combo. Oh, and they are available in three colors.