The Best Budget NVMe SSDs

It includes Acronis cloning software, which makes moving an existing install easy. On rated read speed it sits mid-pack at 6,000MB/s: the SN5100 1TB offers 7,100MB/s, and the MP44S 1TB 2230 comes in at 5,000MB/s. Like the SN5100 1TB and MP600 Elite 1TB, it has a PCIe 4.0 x4 interface, while the FX953 1TB 2230 uses a PCIe 4.0 x4 (M.2 2230) interface.

It is an M.2 2280 drive, the standard length on desktop boards; check which of your board's slots it goes in, as some share lanes with SATA ports. It runs at full speed in any PCIe 4.0 M.2 slot and still works, slower, in a PCIe 3.0 slot. No other pick here cost less at our last price check, and the SN5100 1TB was closest. If you want a confirmed rated write speed, look to the MP600 Elite 1TB instead: it offers 6,500MB/s, while this one gives no figure.

Nothing else here matches its 7,100MB/s rated read speed; the MP600 Elite 1TB comes closest at 7,000MB/s. Like the NV3 1TB and MP600 Elite 1TB, it has a PCIe 4.0 x4 interface, while the FX953 1TB 2230 uses a PCIe 4.0 x4 (M.2 2230) interface. It also comes with the lowest price among the 1TB TLC-class drives here.

It is an M.2 2280 drive, the standard length on desktop boards; check which of your board's slots it goes in, as some share lanes with SATA ports. It runs at full speed in any PCIe 4.0 M.2 slot and still works, slower, in a PCIe 3.0 slot. When we checked, only the NV3 1TB cost less, and the FX953 1TB 2230 cost more. If you want a confirmed rated write speed, look to the MP600 Elite 1TB instead: it offers 6,500MB/s, while this one gives no figure.

It also offers a 5,000MB/s rated read speed and is rated for 1TB. Like the MP44S 1TB 2230, it has a PCIe 4.0 x4 (M.2 2230) interface, while the MP600 Elite 1TB uses a PCIe 4.0 x4 interface. It also offers listed use in the Steam Deck.

It is an M.2 2280 drive, the standard length on desktop boards; check which of your board's slots it goes in, as some share lanes with SATA ports. It runs at full speed in any PCIe 4.0 M.2 slot and still works, slower, in a PCIe 3.0 slot. It was priced above the SN5100 1TB and below the MP44S 1TB 2230 at the time of writing. There is no published rated write speed figure, whereas the MP600 Elite 1TB offers 6,500MB/s.

It also offers a 5,000MB/s rated read speed and offers a 3,500MB/s rated write speed. It matches the FX953 1TB 2230 on rated read speed (5,000MB/s). It shares a PCIe 4.0 x4 (M.2 2230) interface with the FX953 1TB 2230; the NV3 1TB goes with a PCIe 4.0 x4 interface.

It also comes with a graphene heat-dissipation label. It is an M.2 2280 drive, the standard length on desktop boards; check which of your board's slots it goes in, as some share lanes with SATA ports. It runs at full speed in any PCIe 4.0 M.2 slot and still works, slower, in a PCIe 3.0 slot.

On price it sat fourth of 5, between the cheaper FX953 1TB 2230 and the pricier MP600 Elite 1TB, at the time of writing. The trade-off is rated read speed; for more, the SN5100 1TB offers 7,100MB/s.

Its 7,000MB/s rated read speed ranks second of 5 here, behind the SN5100 1TB (7,100MB/s) and ahead of the MP44S 1TB 2230 (5,000MB/s). It shares a PCIe 4.0 x4 interface with the NV3 1TB and SN5100 1TB; the MP44S 1TB 2230 goes with a PCIe 4.0 x4 (M.2 2230) interface. You also get high-density 3D TLC NAND and a heatsink version listed for PS5.

It is an M.2 2280 drive, the standard length on desktop boards; check which of your board's slots it goes in, as some share lanes with SATA ports. It runs at full speed in any PCIe 4.0 M.2 slot and still works, slower, in a PCIe 3.0 slot. Remove the board's own M.2 cover or skip the drive's heatsink; you only need one. It was the highest-priced of the 5 picks at the time of writing, so the case for it rests on what it adds over the MP44S 1TB 2230 and the rest.