Best cheap SSD deals for gaming today

HP FX900 Pro | 512 GB | NVMe | PCIe 4.0 | 7,400 MB/s read | 6,700 MB/s write | $54.99 at Amazon
It's not flashy, but in all honesty, do you really need anything more than a fast and reliable drive from a good brand at a great price? HP's FX900 Pro certainly fits all those parameters, and with these kinds of speeds on offer, this SSD is no slouch. It's got all of the specs you might want at this level, including 1 GB of DRAM for heavy workloads.

Price check: Newegg $54.99

XPG Gammix S55 M.2 2230 | 512 GB | NVMe | PCIe 4.0 | 5,000 MB/s read | 3,700 MB/s writes | $60.99 at Newegg
Buy the cheapest Steam Deck you can find and then slap one of these into it, for a nice boost in storage capacity and performance. It's as basic as they come but in this case, that's actually a good thing as you're not paying for anything you won't need.

Price check: Walmart $60.99

Solidigm P41 Plus | 1 TB | M.2 2280 | PCIe 4.0 | 4,125 MB/s read | 2,950 MB/s write | $69.99 $65.99 at Amazon (save $4)
Solidigm is a brand name of SK Hynix, a company that directly makes memory chips for SSDs. Here you've got a drive that has fairly slow read/write speeds compared to others in our curated list, but they're still plenty fast enough for most users and way better than a SATA SSD.

Price check: Newegg $89.95

Lexar NM800 Pro| 1 TB | NVMe | PCIe 4.0 | 7,500 MB/s read | 6,300 MB/s write | $149.99 $74.99 at B&H Photo (save $75)
Very similar to the excellent NM790, the NM800 uses different flash and controller chips but performs pretty much the same. It comes with 1 GB of DRAM, though, which helps sustain write performance in heavy tasks.

Price check: Newegg $114.75 | Amazon $74.99

Lexar NM790| 1 TB | NVMe | PCIe 4.0 | 7,400 MB/s read | 6,500 MB/s write | $79.99 at Amazon
For anyone looking for a cheap, spacious drive with serious performance, here you're getting a genuinely brilliant SSD for the money, and you can see this for yourself with our review of the 4 TB version.

Price check: Newegg $90.75

Nextorage NEM-PA | 1 TB | NVMe | PCIe 4.0 | 7,300 MB/s Read | 6,000 MB/s write | $149.99 $79.99 at Newegg (save $70)
Nextorage may be a relatively new name in the world of NMVe SSDs but don't be fooled by appearances. This drive sports a Phison E18 controller, the very same used in a number of high-performance SSDs and the 1 TB version represents excellent price/performance value here. Check out our review for more.

Price check: Amazon $99.99

Crucial MX500 | 1 TB | 2.5" | SATA 6 Gb/s | 560 MB/s read | 510 MB/s write | $96.95 $87.74 at Newegg (save $9.21)
If you don't have enough M.2 NVMe slots on your motherboard for more storage, then don't worry as you can still install a speedy SSD via a SATA port. The Crucial MX500 is pretty much the best one out there, as nothing else offers the same blend of performance and value for money as the MX500. It's also available in 2 TB and 4 TB sizes, with the prices scaling on par with the storage capacity.

Price check: Amazon $89.99

WD Black SN850X | 1 TB | NVMe | PCIe 4.0 | 7,300 MB/s read | 6,300 MB/s write | $114.99 $99.99 at Amazon (save $15)
This is our favorite SSD for gaming right now. Unlike the cheaper SN770, the SN850X encapsulates the best PCIe 4.0 offers in terms of performance (check out our review). That makes it a great fit for a boot drive with space to spare for your game library, and at this price, we're happy to pay the premium for its higher speed.

Price check: Newegg $104.35 | Best Buy $119.99 

Lexar Play 2230 | 1TB | NVMe | PCIe 4.0 | 5,200 MB/s read | 4,700 MB/s write | $108.85 at Amazon
For Steam Deck upgrades, the Lexar Play is our new favorite and you can see why in our full review. It's fast for a 2230 size format, with great sustained performance. It also runs cool, even under a heavy load. The only negative is the fact that 1 TB is the largest capacity available and its price is volatile.

Team Group T-FORCE Z540 | 1TB | M.2 2280 | PCIe 5.0 | 11,700 MB/s read | 9,500 MB/s write | $149.99 $142.99 at Amazon (save $7)
Gen5 SSDs are super fast but also super expensive, but if you really must have the best storage performance, then this T-Force Z540 is the most sensible one to go for. But as we said in our review of the 2 TB version, the extra cost over a Gen4 model isn't really worth it.

Price check: Newegg $142.99

Team Group MP44L | 2TB | NVMe | PCIe 4.0 | 4,800 MB/s read | 4,400 MB/s write | $122.99 $114.99 at Amazon (save $8)
There's no DRAM to boost sustained performance and the SLC cache isn't especially big, either. But the speed is good enough for most workloads and when 2 TB of storage costs this much, who cares that it's not flash or fancy? Not us, that's for sure.

Price check: Newegg $116.99

Lexar NM790 | 2 TB | NVMe | PCIe 4.0 | 7,400 MB/s read | 6,500 MB/s write | $153 $139.99 at Amazon (save $13.01)
This SSD is a great deal right now, compared to slimmer sales elsewhere, and Lexar has put together a superb SSD in the NM790. Thanks to high-layer NAND and a low-power controller, you can get tons of storage here on an energy-efficient and great-performing drive for not much cash. Often much less cash than the competition, even. Read our Lexar NM790 (4 TB) review for more.

Price check: Newegg $149.99

Silicon Power XS70 | 2 TB | NVMe | PCIe 4.0 | 7,300 MB/s read | 6,800 MB/s write | $179.99 $143.99 at Amazon (save $36)
Prices for the XS70 are some of the most variable I've seen for an SSD, so it's perhaps worth waiting to see if the price dips again before picking one up. It packs rather a large bang for your buck with its fast read and write times, at least. While the software side of things may be a little lacking, we were impressed with the overall performance and value proposition of this drive. Read our review here.

Lexar NM800 Pro| 2 TB | NVMe | PCIe 4.0 | 7,500 MB/s read | 6,500 MB/s write | $249.99 $144.99 at B&H Photo (save $75)
Very similar to the excellent NM790, the NM800 uses different flash and controller chips but performs pretty much the same. It comes with 2 GB of DRAM, though, which helps sustain write performance in heavy tasks.

Price check: Newegg $190.75 | Amazon $154.99

Team Group MP44S M.2 2230 | 2 TB | PCIe 4.0 | 5,000 MB/s read | 3,500 MB/s write | Steam Deck + ROG Ally compatible | $199.99 $147.99 at Amazon (save $52)
This Team Group drive isn't the fastest compact SSD you can stick in your Steam Deck, but it is the cheapest 2TB drive you'll be able to find for your wee handheld gaming PC. And it will also be a little quicker than the stock drive the Deck ships with, too.

Price check: Newegg $147.99

WD Black SN850X | 2 TB | NVMe | PCIe 4.0 | 7,300 MB/s read | 6,300 MB/s write | $174.99 $158.29 at Newegg (save $16.70)
Our favorite SSD for gaming right now encapsulates the best PCIe 4.0 offers in terms of performance (check out our review). That makes it a great fit for a boot drive with space to spare for your game library, and at this price, we're happy to pay the premium for its higher speed.

Price check: Amazon $159.99 | Best Buy $179.99

Team Group QX | 4 TB | 2.5" | SATA III 6 Gb/s | 560 MB/s read | 510 MB/s write | $197.99 $189.99 at Newegg (save $8)
It's not really much of a deal, but if you're looking for lots of storage but don't need a blazing NVMe drive, then this is the cheapest way of putting a 4 TB SSD in your gaming PC. Just don't expect it to sustain full speed under heavy workloads and you'll be fine.

Silicon Power UD90 | 4 TB | NVMe | PCIe 4.0 | 5,000 MB/s read | 4,500 MB/s write | $239.99 $214.99 at Amazon (save $25)
This Silicon Power might not be the fastest of drives, but it's difficult to argue with this much storage for this sort of money. With a sequential read/write of 5,000 MB/s and 4,500 MB/s, it's still not what you'd call slow and should be fine for gaming, and it comes from a reliable brand.

Team Group MP44 | 4 TB | NVMe | PCIe 4.0 | 7,400 MB/s read | 6,900 MB/s write | $289.99 $233.99 at Newegg (save $56)
This Team Group boasts some mighty specs for the money, though it's actually the same hardware as in the Lexar NM790. The sequential read/write speeds are extremely high but it can only sustain them over short bursts. At this price, it's well worth putting up with that limitation.

Silicon Power XS70 | 4 TB | NVMe | PCIe 4.0 | 7,200 MB/s read | 6,800 MB/s write | $309.99 $259.99 at Amazon (save $50)
High-performance 4TB SSDs are starting to rocket in price but if you absolutely must have one, this is an excellent choice. Mountains of storage, blistering speed: This XS70 has them both, but you'll be paying a pretty penny for it. At least it comes with a decent heatsink to keep temperatures under control.

Team Group PD20M | 1 TB | USB 3.2 Gen2x2 | 2,000 MB/s read | 2,000 MB/s write | $129.99 $88.99 at Newegg (save $41)
Not all external SSDs need to be big and bulky. This Team Group PD20M is just 40 g in weight and 8.2 mm thick, making it very portable. It's also MagSafe-compatible so you can attach it to the back of an iPhone and extend its storage, with an appropriate cable. As with all fast external SSDs, you'll need to have a USB 3.2 Gen2x2 (20 Gbps) port to get the full speed.

Price check: Amazon $88.99

Adata SE880 | 1 TB | USB 3.2 Gen2x2 | 2,000 MB/s read | 2,000 MB/s write | $89.99 at Amazon
If you want one of the smallest and lightest external SSDs around, then you can't go wrong with this Adata model. At 2.5 inches in length, it'll fit in any pocket, though that does make it a bit easy to lose. Don't forget that your PC will need to have a 20 Gbps USB 3.2 port to reach maximum performance.

Samsung T7 Shield | 1 TB | USB 3.2 Gen2 | 1,050 MB/s read | 1,000 MB/s write | $169.99 $90.49 at Amazon (save $79.50)
Samsung's external drives have a better recent history than its internal SSDs, so we've no hesitation in recommending the T7 for any professional looking for a large amount of storage that can be safely taken from place to place. They're designed to be rugged and fast, a potent combo. Oh, and they are available in three colors. Don't forget that you'll need to have a USB 3.2 Gen 2 port in your PC to get the best speed.

Price check: Newegg $99.99

Crucial X9 | 2 TB | USB 3.2 Gen2 | 1,050 MB/s read | 1,050 MB/s write | $179.99 $167.99 at Newegg (save $12)
This external drive uses Micron flash memory chips, which owns the Crucial brand name. Its performance is just as good as the above Samsung, so you'll have no worries there. The X9 Pro's stand-out features are its size and weight, as it's very compact and lightweight. Perfect for having lots of storage on the go. Just make sure to hit the coupon button for the discount.

Price check: Amazon $167.99

Crucial P3 Plus | 1 TB | NVMe | PCIe 4.0 | 5,000 MB/s read | 4,200 MB/s write | £59.99 at Amazon
The Crucial P3 Plus is a proper PCIe 4.0 SSD, with speeds well in advance of what any PCIe 3.0 drive can offer. And at this price, it's giving you a whole lot of fast SSD storage for not a lot of pennies.

Lexar NM790 | 1 TB | NVMe | PCIe 4.0 | 7,400 MB/s read | 6,500 MB/s write | £69.95 at Overclockers
You'll only find a few 1 TB SSDs going cheaper than this Lexar drive, and none as good value. We really liked what this drive had to offer in our review, delivering performance right at the top end of what PCIe 4.0 is capable of, all for a low price.

Price check: Amazon £72.99

Crucial MX500 | 1 TB | 2.5" | SATA 6 Gb/s | 560 MB/s read | 510 MB/s write | £93.99 £82.99 at Amazon (save £11)
If you don't have enough M.2 NVMe slots on your motherboard for more storage, then don't worry as you can still install an SSD via a SATA port. The Crucial MX500 is pretty much the best one out there, as nothing else offers the same blend of performance and value for money as the MX500. It's also available in 2 TB and 4 TB sizes, with the prices scaling on par with the storage capacity, though it is much slower than an NVMe drive.

Price check: Scan £83.99

Lexar NM790 | 2 TB | PCIe 4.0 | 7,400 MB/s read | 6,500 MB/s write | £127.50 at Amazon
Lexar has put together a superb SSD in the NM790, and the best bit is it's surprisingly cheap. Thanks to high-layer NAND and a low-power controller, you can get tons of storage here on an energy-efficient and great-performing drive for not much cash. Often much less cash than the competition, even. Read our Lexar NM790 (4 TB) review for more.

Price check: Overclockers £139.99

WD Black SN850X | 2 TB | NVMe | PCIe 4.0 | 7,300 MB/s read | 6,300 MB/s write | £164.99 £159.95 at Overclockers (save £5.04)
This is our favourite SSD for gaming right now. Unlike the cheaper SN770, the SN850X encapsulates the best PCIe 4.0 offers in terms of performance (check out our review). That makes it a great fit for a boot drive with space to spare for your game library, and at this price, we're happy to pay the premium for its higher speed.

Price check: Scan £159.98 | Amazon £159.99

Lexar NM790 | 4 TB | NVMe | PCIE 4.0 | 7,400 MB/s read | 6,500 MB/s write | £233.99 at Amazon
It's a lot of money to spend on a storage drive but it's actually great value for money. Trying to find a high-quality 4TB SSD anywhere near £200 in the UK is pretty impossible right now but this Lexar is well worth the extra money. There are cheaper SSDs with the same capacity but they won't have anywhere near the same performance or longevity.

Price check: Scan £233.99

Adata SE880 | 1 TB | USB 3.2 Gen2x2 | 2,000 MB/s read | 2,000 MB/s write | £82.46 at Amazon
If you want one of the smallest and lightest external SSDs around, then you can't go wrong with this Adata model. At 2.5 inches in length, it'll fit in any pocket, though that does make it a bit easy to lose. Don't forget that your PC will need to have a 20 Gbps USB 3.2 port to reach maximum performance.

Crucial X9 Pro | 1 TB | USB 3.2 Gen2 | Up to 1,050 MB/s read and write | £85.99 at Amazon
Crucial is a big name in SSDs, and the Micron-owned brand is offering a small saving on this 1TB external model. The drive comes in an anodized aluminium shell with a rubberized base and is just 65 x 50 mm big. There's an integrated lanyard hole too, if you want to wear it, which hides a drive activity light.

Samsung T7 Shield | 2 TB | USB 3.2 Gen2 | 1,050 MB/s read | 1,000 MB/s write | £159.98 at Amazon
Samsung's external drives have a better recent history than its internal SSDs, so we've no hesitation in recommending the T7 for any professional looking for a large amount of storage that can be safely taken from place to place. They're designed to be rugged and fast, a potent combo. Oh, and they are available in three colours.