Best PCIe 4.0 SSDs 2023: Up your storage game

Most computers and storage drives still use the common SATA or PCIe 3.0 interfaces to sling your bits of data around, but if you’re lucky enough to own a relatively modern PC, you might be able to upgrade to a solid-state drive (SSD) built on the insanely fast PCIe 4.0 protocol.

We’ve tested several PCIe 4.0 SSDs and the best one to cross our labs thus far is the WD Black SN850X in a field of tough contenders, though it’s neck-and-neck with the rival Seagate FireCuda 530. Ultimately, due to its better overall performance, the WD Black SN850X takes our top spot.

Read on to learn more, including what to look for in PCIe 4.0 SSD.

Updated 06/20/2023: We’ve added the Sabrent Rocket Q4 as our new pick for best SSD for the Steam Deck. It’s a 30mm long SSD which provides 2TB of capacity and amazingly fast speeds. Read more about this great small form factor SSD in our summary below.

WD Black SN850X – Best PCIe 4.0 SSD

Pros

Excellent performance

Decently affordable given its speed

Available up to 4TB

Optional heatsink for 1/2TB models

Cons

Pricey per gigabyte

Somewhat parsimonious TBW ratings

Price When Reviewed:

$159 for 1TB I $289 for 2TB I $699 for 4TB

The WD Black SN850X is a screaming-fast drive and ranks right up next to the FireCuda 530 at the top in terms of speed. The reason we chose the WD Black SN850X at the best PCIe 4.0 is that it offers better value for the money—not only does it give you the same great speed as the FireCuda, but it does so at a lower price per GB.

Also, in terms of overall performance, the SN850X stands out with its excellent real-world transfer rates and outstanding random write performance. In the crowded field of great PCIe 4.0 SSDs, the WD Black SN850X holds it own at the top despite stiff competition.

Seagate FireCuda 530 – Best PCIe 4.0 SSD runner-up

Pros

Fastest NVMe PCIe 4 SSD we’ve tested to date

Very high TBW (longevity) rating

Five-year warranty with three-year data recovery for free

Cons

On the pricey side

$191.95 at Amazon$209.99 at Best Buy$429.5 at Walmart Electronics

The FireCuda 530 is a fast drive. We’re talking The Fast and the Furious hit the NOS kind of fast. It’s still the only drive to write our 450GB test file in less than 200 seconds. Not only that, but it is the fastest drive in both synthetic benchmarks as well as real-world transfers. It also comes with a very high TBW longevity rating, which means you can write more for longer at those breakneck speeds.

The only reason it doesn’t take our top spot is that it’s a bit pricey compared to the WD Black SN850X which comes close to the FireCuda’s speed. Still, if you’re main concern is speed and you have some money to burn, the extra cash will give it to you in droves.

Crucial P3 Plus – Best budget PCIe 4.0 SSD

Pros

Super affordable

Good PCIe 4 performance

Excellent PCIe 3 performance

Cons

Second-tier performance overall

Extremely low TBW ratings

Price When Reviewed:

500GB/$60 | 1TB/$100 | 2TB/$190 (tested) | 4TB/$400

Cutting-edge PCIe 4.0 SSDs don’t come cheap. Thankfully the technology is becoming more widespread, allowing for several models to be sold at compelling prices. The best of the affordable bunch? The Crucial P3 Plus.

At just $100 for a 1TB model, the price can’t be beat. It also delivers solid overall performance. The P3 Plus isn’t the fastest PCIe 4.0 drive, but it has decent real-world transfer rates and in the end, it’s still an NVMe. It might be slower than our top-pick PCIe 4.0 SSDs, but it will be a huge improvement if you’re upgrading from a SATA drive. If you are looking for a good amount of NVMe storage for cheap, then the Crucial P3 Plus is your best bet.

Adata Legend 850 – Best budget PCIe 4.0 SSD runner-up

Pros

Great real-world performance

Very affordable

Attractive designer-styled heat spreader available.

Cons

512GB capacity is a relatively slow writer

Price When Reviewed:

512GB/$59.99 I 1TB $79.99 I 2TB/$138

If you don’t need a 1TB capacity drive like the Crucial P3 Plus above, or you’re just looking to get your hands on a blazing-fast PCIe 4.0 for as little money as possible then the 512GB Adata Legend 850 is worth considering. For only $50 at the time of this writing, you can get the solid Legend 850. The drive scored very well in synthetic benchmark numbers for read scores, and in our real-world 48GB reading and writing test, it scored better than a lot of its peers. The 512GB capacity probably isn’t enough to be the main drive in a high-end gaming or content creation PC, but for the average budget gaming PC or laptop it would be a solid foundation or great upgrade.

Sabrent Rocket Q4 NVMe SSD – Best for Steam Deck

Pros

Half-sized 2230 (22mm wide, 30mm long) form factor fits a variety of devices

Amazingly fast at real-world tasks

Decently affordable

Unmitigated five-year warranty

Cons

Writes slow to a crawl when secondary cache is depleted

Price When Reviewed:

$219.99 for 2TB

In the past, you were out of luck if you wanted to upgrade your storage in a smaller-sized device such as a handheld gaming console where the longer 2280 NVMe SSDs wouldn’t fit. Luckily, Sabrent has set out to change all of that with its line of Rocket half-sized 2230 small form-factor SSDs, and its latest Rocket Q4 is our favorite. It comes with up to 2TB of capacity and shockingly excellent real-world performance. Its unique feature is that it’s only 30mm long, meaning you’re able to use it in small devices such as a Steam Deck.

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