You might not be able to buy happiness with money, but at least you’ll be able to buy time. At least, that’s the case when you spend a lot of time with your laptops or computers. You’ll be pleased to know that you can reduce the amount of time you spend waiting on loading screens or installation wizards. All you need is a better SSD. Or better, the best M.2 NVMe SSD,
And right now, there is no better consumer-grade SSD than the blazing fast M.2 NVMe. Apart from incredible read/write speeds, an M.2 NVMe also has the smallest form factor out of all the consumer-grade SSDs. That makes it viable as upgrades for laptops as they are for PCs.
The only downside is that motherboards aren’t as generous with the NVMe slots as they are with SATA, meaning you have a more limited number of M.2 drives installed. With that kind of slot scarcity both on PCs and laptops, you’ll want the best M.2 NVMe drive.
That’s what we’re here for. There are too many options out there; also, the M.2 NVMe tech is one that keeps rapidly advancing at a breakneck pace.
A word of warning
Before you dive in with the purchase, you might want to check your laptop or PC motherboard’s PCIe or NVMe slot version. There are different generations of these interfaces (usually 3.0, 4.0, and 5.0). These dictate data transfer speeds; higher numbers mean faster operations.
Now, there’s no harm in inserting the fastest fifth-gen (5.0) M.2 NVMe into an M.2 slot that only goes as high as having PCIe 4.0 or 3.0 support. The only problem is, that the inserted M.2 NVMe drive would operate at a significantly lower speed. It’s usually the one that’s allowed by the M.2 slot (check the PCIe generation number).
In order to check this, you will want to visit your PC motherboard’s or laptop’s website for information. With that out of the way, let’s get to your options.
Kingston Fury Renegade
PROS
- Comes with a heat spreader
- Highest speed for Gen. 4.0
- Good read/write speed balance
CONS
- Pricey
- Gen 4.0
- 7300MB/s Read/7000MB/s Write speed
- M.2 2280 form factor
- Built-in heat spreader
At the time of writing, the Gen 5.0 M.2 NVMe SSDs are still not available. They will be in the near future, and they’re bound to be expensive since they run at nearly double the speed of this one, the Kingston Fury Renegade SSD. Not to be confused with the Kingston Fury Renegade RAM.
Of course, that isn’t to say the Kingston Fury Renegade SSD is a slouch. It’s currently one of the fastest NVMe SSDs on the market. Kingston also has a solid reputation in the PC community; so you don’t need to worry too much about wearing it out quickly.
Price usually isn’t a concern here; but at its best (meaning 4TB), the Kingston Fury Renegade SSD costs a whopping 669 USD on Amazon. Smaller capacities are more affordable, of course, and they run are more or less the same speed.
Kingston Fury Renegade
Seagate FireCuda 530
PROS
- Good contender for the Kingston Fury Renegade
- Seagate's incredible lifespan promise
- Clean design
CONS
- Pricey
- Gen 4.0
- 7300MB/s Read/6900MB/s Write speed
- M.2 2280 form factor
- Option for heat spread or no heat spreader variant
One good contender for the Kingston Fury Renegade SSD would be the Seagate FireCuda 530. Like Kingston, Seagate is another reputable giant in the computer storage industry. Their reputation precedes them, and their name means a lot when it comes to consumer trust.
It’s also among the best M.2 NVMe SSDs out there. The beauty of the FireCuda 530 is that it gives you the option to include a rather large built-in heat spreader in one of its variants. We recommend defaulting to that one as it’s currently on sale on Amazon, and it’s ironically a lot cheaper than the original non-heat spreader variant, which isn’t on sale.
Currently, the 4TB version costs around 700 USD, making it more expensive than Kingston’s best offering. Seagate does promise incredible longevity and lifespan for this SSD; it boasts a rated lifespan of 5100TB of data written in a 5-year lifespan, assuming you continuously rewrite 70 percent of the drive’s capacity every day for five years. That kind of operation usually doesn’t happen or doesn’t happen at that degree; that means this SSD will last longer than five years.
Seagate FireCuda 530
SAMSUNG 980 PRO
PROS
- Heat spreader options
- Good availability
CONS
- Somewhat pricey
- Write speed could be better
- Gen 4.0
- 7000MB/s Read/5000MB/s Write speed
- M.2 2280 form factor
- Option for heat spread or no heat spreader variant
Samsung 980 PRO is another brand that competes well in the high-end SSD category. However, its options are more limited as it only goes up to 2TB. Its write speeds are also not as robust as the other high-end options, but Samsung does have a solid reputation for longevity and quality.
It also comes in a heat spreader and no heat spreader variant for those looking to lower the cost a bit or already have their own NVMe heat spreaders.
SAMSUNG 980 PRO
Crucial P5 Plus
PROS
- Awesome speed at manageable price
- More affordable
- Heat spreader option
CONS
- Read/write ratio could be better
- Gen 4.0
- 6600MB/s Read/5000MB/s Write speed
- M.2 2280 form factor
- Option for heat spread or no heat spreader variant
This is where you might want to start taking budget into consideration, and the Crucial brand with their Crucial P5 Plus has something to offer for most budget-conscious people. It’s only slightly slower than the high-end NVMe SSDs above, but the price makes it more appealing.
It’s slightly more affordable than Samsung’s 980 NVMe SSDs, even with the heat spreader variant. Overall, this SSD is a good blend of affordability and performance. You don’t lose much in terms of performance.
Crucial P5 Plus
Western Digital SN770
PROS
- Good read/write ratio
- Clean design
- Affordable
CONS
- No heat spreader
- Gen 4.0
- 5150MB/s Read/4900MB/s Write speed (only for 1TB and above)
- M.2 2280 form factor
- No heat spreader
Those looking for something more manageable in price will be pleased with the Western Digital SN770. It’s not as fast as the higher-end Gen 4.0 M.2 NVMe SSDs, but that doesn’t matter much if you’re after space, instead of speed.
In terms of read and write speeds, though, it’s still no slouch as it’s more than twice as fast as the usual Gen. 3.0 M.2 NVMe SSD. The lack of a heat spreader might be a problem for some, but you can find third-party heat spreaders at an affordable cost anyway. Some motherboards even include them.
Is Gen 5.0 worth it?
Now, for those who are eagerly anticipating the best of the best, then waiting out for Gen 5.0 M.2 NVMe SSDs is certainly worth it. Because some benchmarks are already out in the public and their speed is blazingly fast at nearly double the Gen 4.0 speed. Read and write tests clock in at around 13000MB/s.
That’s quite overkill for most gaming laptop and PC operations but is always welcome for professionals who rely on their SSD speeds to increase productivity.
What about Gen 3.0 NVMe SSDs?
If your motherboard or laptop only supports Gen 3.0 for NVMe drives, then we still recommend the more budget-oriented options above. The reasoning is that Gen 4.0 NVMe SSDs are backward-compatible anyway. They will run at speeds of only up to 3900MB/s but it’s still better than an equally expensive Gen 3.0 NVMe SSD.
Another argument that works in Gen 4.0’s favor is that their generation has better endurance and takes longer before they get worn out by the constant writing and rewriting. Besides, in the event that you decide to upgrade to a motherboard or laptop that supports Gen 4.0 or even Gen 5.0 (in the near future), your M.2 NVMe SSD is ready for higher speeds. After all, you want the best M.2 NVMe SSD, right?
Frequently Asked Questions
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When will Gen 5.0 SSDs come out?
The manufacturers are gearing up for a release sometime late in 2022. -
Do NVMe SSDs make a difference in gaming?
Generally, yes. But past certain read and write speeds, you'll start seeing diminishing returns.