It’s not necessary to get a new PC to install the latest version of Windows, but you need to have enough storage space, and the best way to achieve that is by using a reliable hard drive. However, many users prefer using SSDs instead since they are smaller in size, less prone to damage, and most importantly, much faster. If you’re looking for a hardware upgrade, you’re in the right place, and today we’re going to show you the best SSD for Windows 11 that you can get.
How we chose the best SSD for Windows 11?
To deliver the most accurate information, our team of experts has conducted thorough research and compiled a list of the best drives. All entries have been tested on our test PC running Windows 11, to guarantee the best performance and reliability for your system. By taking all of these elements into consideration, you’ll ensure that your new SSD offers the best possible performance while working with large files or when starting applications and games. ➡ Drive capacity➡ Read/write speed➡ DRAM availability➡ Form factor/bandwidth
What to consider when choosing the best SSD?
Capacity
The most important factor when buying a new SSD is the capacity, and the larger drive will be able to hold more data easily. Higher capacity isn’t always better, and it all depends on your needs. If you’re a gamer, and you want the latest games to load quickly, you’ll need at least a 1TB drive to store them. If you’re a casual user that has only a few applications and uses his PC for light office work and browsing, then 256GB or 512GB should be more than enough.
Speed
Even though solid-state drives are several times faster than HDDs, not all models offer the same performance. For maximum performance, it’s advised to get a device with high read and write speeds. Most users probably won’t notice a difference, but according to the benchmarks, the results can vary drastically. Low-end models can have speeds that are 100+ MB/s slower than their high-end counterparts, so be sure to pick a model that will suit your needs.
DRAM availability
SSDs also have DRAM that holds the map of data on your drive, allowing you to access files more quickly. This is especially important if you’re multitasking. Almost all high-end models have it, while the more affordable SSDs skip this feature altogether. In addition to performance differences, models with DRAM have a longer lifespan. Since these models have their data map stored in the chip, the drive is doing less searching and writing, thus lasting longer. Do keep in mind that these models usually cost a bit more, but they are worth it.
Form factor/bandwidth
Most SSDs come in 2.5-inch format, and they connect to your PC using a SATA cable. These devices can achieve speeds around 500MB/s or higher. On the other side, there are M.2 and NVMe drives that use the PCIe standard. These models are slimmer and smaller, they connect directly to your motherboard, and can achieve speeds up to 7GB. In addition, these drives don’t require any cables, but they are more expensive than their SATA counterparts. Keeping all this information into consideration, let’s see what our testers had to say after testing these drives. ➡ The capacity of the drive is great, and with high transfer speed, it’s perfect for video editing and working with files that are a couple of GB in size. ➡ Although as not as fast, WD_BLACK SN750 SE offers great capacity, and transfer rate several times faster than a regular SATA SSD. ➡ Being an NVMe drive, this model is perfect for large files, or gaming, since it will load assets faster than other drives. ➡ If you’re looking for a SATA SSD, SAMSUNG 870 QVO SATA III SSD offers great performance and high capacity, but it might not be for everyone. ➡ Due to its large capacity, this model is perfect for file storage, allowing you to store, all types of multimedia and games, without worrying about the free space. ➡ For users that are looking for an all-around SSD that offers a solid transfer rate and high storage capacity, Crucial BX500 is a perfect choice. ➡ This drive offers great capacity, so it should be able to store all your applications, games, and other files with ease. ➡ Less demanding users might find Kingston A400 more suitable for their needs, even though it’s slower and it doesn’t have as much space. ➡ Due to these minor limitations, this model is perfect for first-time users that just need an SSD to boot their operating system and a couple of favorite apps or games. This is an NVMe drive, and it utilizes PCIe 4.0 standard, meaning that it’s two times faster than the previous generation. As for compatibility, you’ll be pleased to know that PCIe 3.0 is supported, so there are no issues in that regard. In terms of storage, there’s 2TB, so it’s more than enough space for all your games and software. The advantage of NVMe drives is their speed, and this model can achieve speeds up to 7000MB/s, which is 12 times more than SATA SSDs. To achieve the best performance, the Elpsis controller is being used, thus making it perfect for gamers and advanced users alike. The drive is easy to install, and it can be connected to your PC in a matter of minutes. Due to its small size, this device won’t take up any of your precious space. It’s worth mentioning that this model comes with no cables, so it will keep your computer case, nice, neat, and cable-free. If you’re working with large files frequently, such as when editing videos, you’ll surely notice a significant performance boost while using NVMe drives. Regarding the cooling, there’s a nickel coating that manages the heat levels. The SSD also has an advanced thermal control algorithm, so it handles heat effectively even during the most intensive tasks. Lastly, we need to mention the software that comes with this SSD. With Samsung Magician Software, you can monitor drive health, protect your data, optimize the performance, or download firmware updates. Overall, SAMSUNG 980 PRO 2TB offers incredible performance, and lightning-fast transfer speed, so it’s perfect for all advanced users. This model comes from Western Digital and it offers 1TB of storage, which should be more than enough for your operating system, your favorite apps, and games. The drive uses PCIe Gen4 technology, but it’s also compatible with PCIe Gen3. As for the transfer rate, it will provide you with speeds up to 3600MB/s. It’s 7 times faster than a SATA SSD, and it’s perfect for both gamers and users that work frequently with large files, such as video editing for example. With such speeds, your operating system, games, and apps will boot faster than ever before. The drive has 30% less power consumption than its predecessor, which makes WD_BLACK 1TB SN750 SE is perfect for laptops or any other device. This SSD comes with its Dashboard software allowing you to monitor drive health at all times. With it, you can also optimize the storage device for gaming, and get improved performance when playing the latest titles. Due to M.2 slot, the drive connects directly to your motherboard, and the whole installation process is quite straightforward. With its small size, this SSD is perfect for users that want to make their PC cable-free or for laptop owners that don’t have space for additional drives. WD_BLACK 1TB SN750 SE offers amazing performance, and with 1TB of storage, it’s a perfect choice for most users. While the speed could be better, the SSD is faster than all SATA drives, so if you need a compact drive with amazing performance, be sure to consider this model. If you’re looking for a regular SATA SSD, there’s no better model than SAMSUNG 870 QVO. The drive offers 4TB of storage, so you’ll never run out of space for your games, apps, and files. Regarding the performance, you’ll get a read/write speed of 560/530, which is excellent for a SATA drive, although a lot slower than an NVMe drive. With 1440 TBW, the life expectancy of this model is double of its predecessors. As a result, your SSD should be able to last for years with moderate use. SPONSORED Being a 2.5-inch drive, you can easily install it on any desktop PC or laptop, as long as there are free SATA ports available. Just like with all Samsung models, DRAM is also available, thus offering enhanced performance, and 4GB SDRAM should be more than enough for most users. Regarding the additional features, there’s TRIM and S.M.A.R.T support, as well as Auto Garbage Collection Algorithm. Encryption is also supported, so you can rest assured that your files are perfectly safe at all times. As for supported protocols, the SSD works with AES 256-bit and TCG/Opal V2.0. Lastly, we need to mention the Samsung Magician software that allows you to check the health and performance of your drive at any time. You can also use this tool for encryption or update your firmware. SAMSUNG 870 QVO is an amazing SATA SSD, and with its large storage space and solid speeds, it’s a perfect option for users that prefer more traditional form factor for their storage devices. Crucial BX500 is another SATA SSD, and it comes with 2TB of storage, which is perfect for both advanced and average users alike. The amount of space is more than enough for your operating system, and all your important files, including your game library. Unlike regular hard drives, this one is 3 times faster, and it uses 45 times less energy, so it’s perfect for laptops and other battery-powered devices. Regarding the performance, the SSD has 540MB/s read and 500MB/s write speed, which is great for a SATA drive. With such a transfer rate, your operating system will feel snappy and it will boot in just a couple of seconds. Of course, the same applies to other software on your PC. This is especially important for gamers since it will allow your games to load a lot faster compared to using a regular hard drive. The drive is incredibly simple to install, and with its 2.5-inch format and 7mm thickness, it should be able to fit in any desktop or laptop computer, without too much hassle. As for longevity, with the TBW of 720, the drive should be able to last for years, with normal use. Regarding the software, the SSD comes with Acronis True Image cloning software. With it, you can easily clone your system drive and move all its contents, including the operating system, to the new SSD, without having to reinstall your operating system. If you need a new solid-state drive that can handle your operating system and all types of software, Crucial BX500 is worth checking out. If you’re a basic user, and you need an SSD for everyday tasks, then this model might be right for you, since it offers 960GB of storage. The drive is perfect if you want to put your operating system and your most-used apps on it, but if you plan to use it for heavy gaming, then you might want to consider a larger model. With read/write speeds up to 500/450MB/s this SSD is 10 times faster than a standard hard drive. SATA 3.0 standard is used for connectivity, but the older 2.0 standard is also supported, so it should work on any older PCs as well, with a reduced transfer speed of course. The device has a small power consumption of 0.6W when reading and 1.5W during file writing, so it’s perfect for laptops. Regarding the operating temperature, the device works between 0C to 70C. As for longevity, there’s 300TBW, which is more than enough for such a relatively small drive. It’s also worth mentioning that there are 1 million hours MTBF. Overall, Kingston A400 is a small, but capable SSD, and it will be perfect for less demanding users, that just want to have their OS and a couple of favorite apps or games on it. The speed is lower compared to the previous entries, but that’s to be expected from a budget model. Even if this model has a bit lower write speed than some other entries, it still offers great performance and it will make your PC faster, so if you want an affordable SSD, this might be the right choice for you.
Bottom runners
If the SSDs mentioned above aren’t suitable for you, and you just want a basic drive to run your OS then you might want to consider these models. The following entries offer less storage space, and they are perfect if you want to use them to boot your OS and some basic application without breaking the bank. ➡ SanDisk SSD PLUS This is a SATA device, and it comes with 480GB of storage, and it offers read and write speeds of 535MB/s and 445MB/s respectively. The drive is shock-resistant up to 1500G, as well as vibration resistant, and it can sustain frequencies ranging from 10-2000 Hz. Overall, this is a great SSD, and it’s a perfect drive if you just want to install your operating system on it and improve the device’s boot time. ➡ Western Digital WD Blue Western Digital is well-known for its quality devices, and this model is no exception. In terms of performance, you can achieve up to 560MB/s and 530MB/s read and write speed. This SSD has 500GB capacity, which makes it perfect for less demanding users that just want to run a couple of applications from it. As for longevity, the drive has 600TBW and 1.75 MTTF, which is great for a device with such a small capacity. ➡ ADATA SU800 ADATA devices aren’t as popular as other ones, but they still offer solid performance, and this model has 560MB/s write and 520MB/s read speed. The capacity is on the smaller side, and with just 256GB of space, you’ll be able to install your operating system and several most-used apps. This is a humble SSD, but it offers great performance, and it’s a perfect option for users that want a new drive to boot Windows from. These are some of the best SSDs that you can find on the market at the moment. All of our entries offer great performance and should be able to handle all sorts of tasks. If you need a high-end device with a lightning-fast transfer rate, we suggest considering some of the M.2 form factor SSDs from our list. What is your solid-state drive of choice? Let us know in the comments section below.
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