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How to choose an NVMe SSD that fits your PC
Updated
An NVMe SSD is a small stick, about the size of a stick of gum, that plugs straight into the motherboard. It's the fastest common kind of storage and usually the best upgrade for a PC with a free slot. Choosing one is easy once you know the five things that really matter.
1. Make sure you have the right slot
NVMe drives use an M.2 slot. Check your motherboard or laptop manual (search the model name plus “manual”) for:
- Size: almost all desktop and most laptop slots take 2280 drives (22 mm wide, 80 mm long). Some thin laptops and handhelds use 2230 or 2242 — buy the size the manual lists.
- Type: the slot must support NVMe / PCIe. Some older M.2 slots only take SATA M.2 drives. Drives labeled “M.2 SATA” are not NVMe.
- Free slots: desktop boards often have two or more. On some boards, using a particular M.2 slot disables one or two SATA ports — the manual will say so.
Not sure what your PC has? Our free scan lists your current drives, or see how to check your PC specs.
2. Pick a capacity
- 500 GB — fine for an office PC with files in the cloud.
- 1 TB — a comfortable size for Windows plus apps and a few games.
- 2 TB or more — for gamers and anyone editing photos or video; modern games are very large.
Leave room to grow: an SSD that's nearly full gets slower and Windows needs free space for updates.
3. PCIe generation: don't overpay for speed you can't use
NVMe drives are sold as PCIe 3.0, 4.0 or 5.0. Newer drives work in older slots, just at the older slot's speed. For everyday use and gaming, the difference between a good Gen 3 and Gen 4 drive is hard to notice; Gen 5 drives are mainly for heavy file work and run hotter. A good Gen 4 drive is the sensible default for most people.
4. Look at the parts inside: TLC vs QLC, DRAM
- TLC flash is the usual choice for a main drive. QLC is cheaper per gigabyte but slows down more during long copies and usually has lower endurance. QLC is fine for a game library you mostly read from.
- DRAM cache vs DRAM-less (HMB): drives with their own DRAM cache stay snappier under heavy use. Many DRAM-less drives use “Host Memory Buffer” and are perfectly good for normal use and laptops.
Product pages and reviews list these details; if the manufacturer won't say, assume QLC and DRAM-less.
5. Endurance and warranty
Endurance is given as TBW (terabytes written). Normal users rarely get close to the rated figure. More useful is the warranty length — five years is common on good drives and is a sign of confidence.
Heatsinks
- Desktops: many motherboards include an M.2 heatsink. Use either the board's heatsink or the drive's own, not both. Gen 5 drives usually need one.
- Laptops: buy a drive without a heatsink — there's no room. Single-sided drives fit thin laptops best.
- PlayStation 5: needs a heatsink and a Gen 4 drive; check Sony's list.
Things to avoid
- Unknown brands with unrealistic capacities or prices.
- Drives with no stated warranty.
- Buying a Gen 5 drive for an older PC that only has Gen 3 slots.
Installing it
- Shut down, switch off the power supply and unplug. Touch bare metal on the case to discharge static.
- Remove the slot's heatsink or cover if there is one. Insert the drive at an angle, press it down and secure it with the screw or latch.
- Start Windows. A new empty drive needs to be set up: right-click Start, choose Disk Management, accept GPT when asked, then right-click the unallocated space and choose New Simple Volume.
If you want this drive to become your Windows drive, don't format it — follow how to move Windows to an SSD instead. Once it's set up, you can move your games to it.
We don't list prices in our guides because they change daily. When we recommend a specific drive after a scan, we compare it across four stores and only show live prices from the stores' own data.