Components

SSDs and Storage

Internal storage choices start with the slot: M.2 NVMe, SATA or a 3.5-inch bay. These guides compare drives by interface, capacity and workload.

51 buying guides and 15 explainers.

What to check first

01
M.2 length (2280) and the PCIe generation of the slot
02
Whether a heatsink fits under the GPU or the board's own cover
03
Whether the M.2 slot disables SATA ports on your board

Start here

NVMe vs SATA SSD
NVMe offers much higher peak throughput, but everyday gains depend on workload; compatibility, capacity, thermals, and price still matter.
How to Choose a SATA SSD
A SATA SSD remains useful when NVMe slots are unavailable or capacity value matters more than peak sequential speed.
How to Choose an NVMe SSD
Choose capacity and real workload first, then controller, NAND, endurance, thermals, warranty, and interface generation.
How to Install an M.2 SSD
Installation is simple once you confirm slot type, supported length, lane sharing, standoff position, and firmware detection.
How to Choose an External SSD
Match interface speed, sustained performance, durability, capacity, encryption, and host compatibility to the transfer workload.
How to Choose Drives for a NAS
NAS drives should match bay count, workload, RAID plan, vibration environment, compatibility list, and backup strategy.
Do You Need an M.2 SSD Heatsink?
A heatsink is useful when sustained writes or poor airflow push a drive toward thermal throttling, but fit and controller location matter.
SSD Endurance and TBW Explained
TBW is a warranty endurance limit, not a countdown timer; workload, warranty period, controller behavior, and backups matter more than one number.
How Much SSD Storage Do You Need?
Size the drive for the operating system, active applications, games or projects, free-space headroom, and a backup plan.
How to Choose a Game Drive for PC
Game storage decisions depend on library size, load behavior, update space, DirectStorage support, and available slots.
How to Clone Windows to a New SSD
A reliable clone starts with backup, health checks, correct partition sizing, and a controlled first boot from the new drive.
How to Choose a Windows Boot Drive
A boot drive needs enough headroom, reliable firmware, suitable endurance, recovery planning, and predictable performance under mixed workloads.
How to Choose a Hard Drive for a Desktop PC
Choose by workload, capacity, recording technology, noise, warranty, and backup role rather than RPM alone.
PCIe 5.0 vs PCIe 4.0 SSD: When the Difference Matters
Check your motherboard's M.2 slots, your cooling and your workload to see whether a Gen5 drive earns its cost over Gen4.
SSD DRAM, SLC Cache and NAND Types: What the Spec Sheet Hides
Learn what DRAM, HMB, SLC caching and NAND type mean on a spec sheet, and when each one affects your drive's real behaviour.