Are you looking for high-speed storage? Check out our list of the top NVME SSD M.2 based storage. In today’s discussion, we are going to help you to pick the right NVMe SSD M.2 based storage unit for your gaming rig. Compared to hard disk drives, SSDs or solid state drive deliver a much higher IOPS and transfer ratio. IOPS or input/output per second is merely a measure of how many reads and writes can take place within the time span of a second from a storage device. Now, one might be wondering that how a higher IOPS can enhance his gaming experience. We will tell you how.
Also Read: Top Hi-Speed Micro-SD Cards for shooting 4K Videos
A good graphics card gets you the best visual rendering quality, pair of an excellent RAM and processor enhances the processing capability of the rig, just like that, an SSD with a good IOPS and transfer rate improves the loading time. Many of you may have noticed that your gaming rig is working just too fine but loads the game much slower compared to performance. Well, you might probably have the game installed in an HHD.
So now that you know the reason behind experiencing slow loading times, you might probably wonder what the best products or SSDs are there to improve it. We recommend using NVMe based SSDs wherever possible since it requires an M.2 port. If your motherboard has one, you want to go with an NVMe based SSD. Following are some products we have shortlisted:
Here is our Top NVME SSD M.2 based storage:
WD Black Performance:
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It is used for a variety of applications including gaming, web developing and app coding, running web visual studio and SQL server right from the SSD and storing/watching 4K movies. All this can be done without facing an issue. Before purchasing, read the recommendations and make sure your system is fully compatible. If not, you would not be able to enjoy it at fullest and performance would be more or less dropped. Users remark that it is capable of staying cool enough (or say it like, not heat much) during peak moments. Here is a quick glance at specs:
| Price | Check Final Pricing and Availability on Marketplace |
| Capacity | 512GB |
| Form factor / Connector type | M.2 2280 form factor with M.2 Card |
| Storage Interface | PCI Express 3.0 x4(NVMe)- M.2 Card |
| Internal Data Rate | 2050 Mbps on reading 700 Mbps on write |
| MTBF | 1750000 sec |
| 4KB Random Read/Write | 170000 IOPS on reading 130000 IOPS on write |
| Dimension | 3.15 x 0.86 x 0.09 inches |
| Other Features | Optimized thermal and power management 1.75M hours mean time Five years limited warranty |
Plextor PX-512M8PeG:
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It is one of the very few NVMe based SSD that comes with the heat sink. It helps to maintain the temperature so that the SSD does not throttle during operation. Your boot time would be dramatically boosted if you install your windows OS on the SSD. Some users report that they installed windows ten within mere 20 minutes. It would boost up your game loading time by x3 or even more based on your other components. It comes in four variations including 128GB, 1TB, 256GB and 512GB. Following are some important specs to have a look at:
| Price | Check Final Pricing and Availability on Marketplace |
| Capacity | 512 GB |
| Form factor / Connector type | M.2 2280 with M.2 card connector
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| Storage Interface | PCI Express 3.0 x4(NVMe) |
| Internal Data Rate | 2500 Mbps on reading 1400 Mbps on write |
| MTBF | 2400000 sec |
| 4KB Random Read/Write | 280000 IOPS on reading 240000 IOPS on write |
| Dimension | 3.15 x 0.19 x 0.9 inches |
| Other Features | LDPC error correction Low-power DDR3 SDRAM cache TRIM support Toggle NAND technology True protect & True speed Upgradable firmware |
Patriot hellfire M2:
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For a PC gamer, load time and booting time are topmost expectations from his SSD. And this SSD delivers both of these quite well. If you are willing to use it as a boot drive and install windows OS on it, it would be done within minutes, yes, you heard it right! This drive is blazing fast regarding booting time too. With read/write up to 2550/1260 Mbps, it is a perfect deal for the variety of operations including gaming and heavy software usage. However, it comes in two variations only, including 480 GB and 240 GB. Here are some important specifications to look for.
| Price | Check Final Pricing and Availability on Marketplace |
| Capacity | 480 GB |
| Form factor / Connector type | M.2 2280 form factor with card connector |
| Storage Interface | PCI Express 3.0 x4(NVMe) |
| Internal Data Rate | 3000 Mbps on reading 2400 Mbps on write |
| MTBF | 2000000 sec |
| 4KB Random Read/Write | 170000 IOPS on reading 210000 IOPS on write |
| Dimension | 0.15 x 3.15 x 0.86 inches / slimmer than ever |
| Other Features | TRIM support Dynamic & Static wear leveling Advanced garbage collection Bad block management Blister package Phison 5007 controller SMART support 120/2K bit ECC |
Samsung 960 EVO:
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This SSD delivers enhanced and reliable functionality thanks to V-NAND technology that it comes with. The read/write speed can go as high as 3200/1500 MB/s. Enhanced bandwidth is offered thanks to the NVMe interface with lower latency compared to SATA SSD. It is also good for maintaining the system temperature by avoiding overheating, thanks to the dynamic thermal guard. Besides all this, it is available in three capacity variations including 250 GB, 500 GB and 1 TB with same specs as following:
| Price | Check Final Pricing and Availability on Marketplace |
| Capacity | 500 GB |
| Form factor / Connector type | M.2 2280 with M.2 Card connector |
| Storage Interface | PCI Express 3.0 x4(NVMe) |
| Internal Data Rate | 3200 Mbps on reading 1500 Mbps on write |
| MTBF | 1500000 sec |
| 4KB Random Read/Write | 330000 IOPS on reading 300000 IOPS on write |
| Dimension | 3.1 x 0.9 x 0.1 inches |
| Other Features | Auto garbage collection TRIM support Turbo write technology V-NAND technology E-Drive, Sleep mode |
Toshiba OCZ RD400:
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It has been proven to be good enough to be compared with leading products such as Samsung Pro 900 series SSD. It can be counted on for intensive use. Thermal control is a great feature. The drive starts thermal throttling at 70 degrees. 512GB on a sided model from this series is considered the best regarding cooling and performance as well. However, if you want to take the fullest advantage of its speed, make sure you have a compatible socket that is PCIe Gen 3 x4, otherwise, the speed and performance would throttle. Here is a quick glance at specs:
| Price | Check Final Pricing and Availability on Marketplace |
| Capacity | 512 GB |
| Form factor / Connector type | M.2 2280 form factor with card connector |
| Storage Interface | PCI Express 3.0 x4(NVMe) |
| Internal Data Rate | 2600 Mbps on reading 1600 Mbps on write |
| MTBF | 1500000 sec |
| 4KB Random Read/Write | 190000 IOPS on reading 120000 IOPS on write |
| Dimension | 3.15 x 0.87 x 0.09 inches |
| Other Features | TRIM support Self-monitoring, analysis and reporting technology OR S.M.A.R.T Command line online update tool |
Corsair Force MP500:
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Thanks to the boosted up bandwidth; you will access data, load files and launch games with impressive speed up to x4 faster compared to standard SATA 3.0. Data retention is improved with the additional error bit correction algorithm. Besides this, it also comes with the latest generation NAND technology support. With additional protection, it becomes a durable and reliable storage resource. It comes in four variations including 120GB, 240GB, and 480GB. Here is a quick overview:
| Price | Check Final Pricing and Availability on Marketplace |
| Capacity | 240 GB |
| Form factor / Connector type | M.2 2280 form factor with card connector |
| Storage Interface | PCI Express 3.0 x4(NVMe) |
| Internal Data Rate | 3000 Mbps on reading 2400 Mbps on write |
| MTBF | 1500000 sec |
| 4KB Random Read/Write | 250000 IOPS on reading 210000 IOPS on write |
| Dimension | 3.15 x 0.12 x 0.86 inches |
| Other Features | Static & dynamic wear leveling Corsair SSD toolbox application Toughened contact surface material Enhanced error correction |
Kingston Digital HyperX Predator:
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Users praise it for the speed they experience. It is reported that it loads up Windows 10 enterprise within 5 seconds and MS office products within a second. It is compatible with being used as a boot drive for Windows and Mac operating system. The installation is quite easy and does not require any additional patch/manual software installation if your system is fully compatible with the drive.
| Price | Check Final Pricing and Availability on Marketplace |
| Capacity | 480GB |
| Form factor / Connector type | M.2 2280 form factor with M.2 Card connector type |
| Storage Interface | PCI Express 2.0 x4 – M.3 Card |
| Internal Data Rate | 1400 Mbps on reading 1000 Mbps on write |
| MTBF | 1000000 sec |
| 4KB Random Read/Write | 117000 IOPS on reading 70000 IOPS on write |
| Dimension | 3.15 x 0.85 x 0.87 inches |
| Other Features | Compatible with a boot drive Compatible with hard drive replacements M.2 and PCIe form factor support Three years of warranty |
Samsung 960 Pro:
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It is designed to maintain the performance on heavy workloads. You will experience the performance beyond the limits of SATA performance. The expanded bandwidth delivers 3500 MB/s read speed and up to 2100 MB/s write speed. This read/write rate is quite decent for gaming, graphics and sound design, data analysis and similar demanding applications. It is available in three different capacity variations including 1TB, 2TBand 512 GB. Following are some noticeable specs:
| Price | Check Final Pricing and Availability on Marketplace |
| Capacity | 512 GB |
| Form factor / Connector type | M.2 2280 form factor with M.2 Card connector |
| Storage Interface | PCI Express 3.0 x 4(NVMe) |
| Internal Data Rate | 3500 Mbps on reading 2100 Mbps on write |
| MTBF | 1500000 sec |
| 4KB Random Read/Write | 330000 IOPS on reading 330000 IOPS on write |
| Dimension | 3.1 x 9 x 0.1 inches |
| Other Features | TRIM Support Sleep mode Auto garbage collection algorithm Turbo write technology V-NAND technology eDrive 256 bit AES with IEEE 1667 |
Conclusion
We hope you like our list of the Top NVME SSD M.2 based storage currently available in the market. For comments and suggestions, please use the comment section below.
Indrajit
Feedback taken. Tweaked that last line. Cheers!
Ken
Regarding your last statement: "You can get a Snapdragon 835 powered Android device at hal...
Indrajit
6 core 12 threads?