The Best High-Speed SSDs

On rated read speed it ties with the T710 2TB at 14,900MB/s. Its 14,500MB/s rated write speed is the fastest here; the T710 2TB comes next at 13,800MB/s. Like the T710 2TB and MP700 Elite 2TB, it has a PCIe 5.0 x4 interface, while the 990 PRO 1TB uses a PCIe 4.0 x4 interface.

You also get the highest rated writes among the drives here and DirectStorage support. 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. Use a PCIe 5.0 M.2 slot, usually the one closest to the CPU, and a board heatsink or the drive's own; in a PCIe 4.0 slot it runs at 4.0 speed. It was priced above the 990 Pro 1TB heatsink and below the T710 2TB at the time of writing.

On rated read speed it ties with the MP700 PRO XT 2TB at 14,900MB/s. Its 13,800MB/s rated write speed ranks second of 4 here, behind the MP700 PRO XT 2TB (14,500MB/s) and ahead of the 990 PRO 1TB (6,900MB/s). Like the MP700 PRO XT 2TB and MP700 Elite 2TB, it has a PCIe 5.0 x4 interface, while the 990 PRO 1TB uses a PCIe 4.0 x4 interface.

It also offers Micron TLC NAND. 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. Use a PCIe 5.0 M.2 slot, usually the one closest to the CPU, and a board heatsink or the drive's own; in a PCIe 4.0 slot it runs at 4.0 speed. It was priced above the MP700 PRO XT 2TB and below the MP700 Elite 2TB at the time of writing.

On rated read speed it sits mid-pack at 10,000MB/s: the MP700 PRO XT 2TB offers 14,900MB/s, and the 990 Pro 1TB heatsink comes in at 7,450MB/s. Its 8,500MB/s rated write speed ranks third of 4 here, behind the MP700 PRO XT 2TB (14,500MB/s) and ahead of the 990 PRO 1TB (6,900MB/s). Like the MP700 PRO XT 2TB and T710 2TB, it has a PCIe 5.0 x4 interface, while the 990 PRO 1TB uses a PCIe 4.0 x4 interface.

You also get DirectStorage support, high-density 3D TLC NAND and a lower price than the MP700 PRO 2TB. 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. Only the T710 2TB came close to it on price at the time of writing; it cost the most of the 5 picks.

Its random read and write are 40% and 55% faster than the 980 PRO, and Samsung's nickel-coated controller manages heat in slim laptops too. On rated write speed it trails the group at 6,900MB/s, while the MP700 PRO XT 2TB offers 14,500MB/s. It shares a PCIe 4.0 x4 interface with the 990 Pro 1TB heatsink; the T710 2TB goes with a PCIe 5.0 x4 interface.

You also get Samsung Magician software for firmware updates. 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 the cheapest of the group when we checked; the 990 Pro 1TB heatsink was the next step up.

On the spec sheet, it offers a 7,450MB/s rated read speed and is rated for 1TB. Like the 990 PRO 1TB, it has a PCIe 4.0 x4 interface, while the MP700 Elite 2TB uses a PCIe 5.0 x4 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. Remove the board's own M.2 cover or skip the drive's heatsink; you only need one. Rated read speed is its weakest area, and the MP700 PRO XT 2TB covers it better at 14,900MB/s.