These are the best Samsung solid-state drives you can buy

Best Value SSD

Samsung 980

Staff Pick

The 2021 addition to Samsung’s SSD portfolio changes the dynamic around value. The Samsung 980 is an M.2 drive that costs less than the SATA variant, allowing it to stand out immediately. But, of course, you don’t miss out on any of the advantages of an M.2 SSD either: the 980 goes up to 3,500MB/s and 3,000MB/s for reads and writes, has a five-year warranty, and a 600TBW (terabytes written) endurance.

From $55 at Amazon From $65 at Newegg From $65 at B&H

Best SATA SSD

Samsung 870 EVO

The 870 EVO is the latest addition to Samsung’s best-selling solid-state drive (SSD) family, and rightfully so since you get so much for your money. There’s a 5-year warranty on each 870 EVO, and new owners will be able to enjoy up to 560MB/s read and 530MB/s write speeds. That’s not bad at all for a SATA interface.

From $65 at Amazon From $65 at Newegg From $65 at B&H

Best for gaming

Samsung 970 EVO Plus Series – 250GB

Most modern motherboards have an M.2 slot, which is required for this SSD, but if you manage to install this module, you’ll be enjoying read and write speeds of 3500MB/s and 3300MB/s, respectively. It’s insanely fast, and the included five-year warranty only adds to the list of factors that make you disbelieve the price. Like most SSDs available, the higher the capacity, the more you’ll be paying out, but it’s worth it.

From $65 at Amazon (250GB) From $65 at Newegg From $65 at B&H

Best Budget SSD

Samsung 870 QVO SATA III 2.5″

The QVO is an interesting offering from Samsung. You get the same 560MB/s, and 530MB/s read and writes you’d find in the 870 EVO, but this uses a different memory configuration, allowing Samsung to sell it on a budget. You’ll also see just three years on the warranty versus five to the 870 EVO, but the endurance rating is identical, making it a solid overall choice on a budget.

From $100 at Amazon (1TB) From $100 at Newegg (1TB) From $100 at B&H (1TB)

Fast has a new name

Samsung 980 PRO

The Samsung 980 Pro is one of the fastest SSDs you’ll find today. The SSD is based on the latest PCIe Gen4 standard and delivers read speeds of an insane 7,000MB/s, and writes at up to 5,000MB/s. Like all Samsung SSDs, it is backed by a five-year warranty, and while the 600TBW endurance isn’t as high as the 970 Pro, it is more than adequate for most users.

From $70 at Amazon From $70 at Newegg From $70 at B&H

Best Portable SSD

Samsung T7

The Samsung T7 is a portable SSD with a robust metal enclosure to protect it from potential shatter damage. Although it is a SATA SSD, the T7 has read and write speeds of 1,050MB/s and 1,000MB/s, and the portability allows you to take it with you anywhere you may go, making it particularly useful when you need to transfer some data fast.

From $70 at Amazon (500GB) From $70 at Newegg (500GB) From $70 at B&H (500GB)