In that case, finding you the best SD card reader might become a stressful experience. However, a guide such as this one should make things much easier and allow you to easily find the ideal card reader.

Top Picks

Preview	Product
	Kingston MobileLite Plus USB 3.2 microSDHC/SDXC UHS-II Card Reader (MLPM)	Check at Amazon
	Anker USB-C and USB 3.0 SD Card Reader, PowerExpand+ 2-in-1 Memory Card Reader with Dual Connectors,...	Check at Amazon
	USB C Card Reader, Syntech 3- in-1 Thunderbolt 3 Memory Card Reader Hub for CF, SD/SDHC, TF/Micro SD...	Check at Amazon
	Transcend USB 3.1 Gen1 SDHC / SDXC / microSDHC / SDXC Card Reader, TS-RDF5W (White)	Check at Amazon
	SanDisk ImageMate PRO USB-C Reader/Writer - SDDR-A631-GNGNN	Check at Amazon
	SD UHS-II Dual-Slot Memory Card Reader by ProGrade Digital | USB 3.2 Gen 2 for Professional...	Check at Amazon
	SD Card Reader, uni USB 3.0 SD Card Adapter High-Speed Micro SD Memory Card Reader Support SD/Micro...	Check at Amazon
	UGREEN USB C SD Card Reader, 2-in-1 Micro SD Memory Card Reader for TF SD Micro SD SDXC SDHC MMC...	Check at Amazon
	SanDisk MobileMate USB 3.0 microSD Card Reader- SDDR-B531-GN6NN	Check at Amazon

Last update on 2023-09-27 // The links above are affiliate // Images from Amazon

How to Choose the Best SD Card Reader

Card readers, in general, are not too complicated devices. Therefore, their most important characteristics don’t include many categories:

Read/Write speeds

Your super-fast SD card will be of little help if your card reader doesn’t support its full speed. Therefore, before the purchase, determine what the reader’s characteristics are and try to get the maximum out of your investment.

Price

There is nothing more to be said about the price, except that you should choose the card reader in accordance with your budget. Be aware that price isn’t always a guarantee of quality and that there are many affordable devices, which provide performance worthy the best SD card readers. For that reason, don’t rush and be patient in your search.

Compatibility

Speedy performance and an affordable price will be worth very little if your device isn’t compatible with the card type that you have. For that reason, think through about what your present, as well as future demands are, and choose the card reader that will perfectly fit into these requirements.

Best SD Card Readers

Kingston MobileLite Plus (MLPM)

A Budget-Friendly High-Performing SD Card Reader

Kingston MobileLite Plus (MLPM) is a portable, attractive-looking, and, before anything else, cheap UHS-II SD card reader that can be compared with the best SD card readers available on the market due to its excellent performance.

This card reader supports USB3.2 Gen 1 standard and is backward-compatible with UHS-I devices. Moreover, it is capable of working with every major operating system such as Windows, Linux, Mac, and ChromeOS.

Kingston MobileLite Plus (MLPM) comes with a two-year warranty and overall delivers a pretty good value for its price. It is compact, portable, and high-performing. In other words, it has everything you may need from an SD card reader, including the ridiculously low price.

Anker USB-C and USB 3.0 SD Card Reader

A Solid and Highly Versatile SD Card Reader

If you are seeking an affordable, yet capable SD card reader that brings exceptional versatility and great compatibility, Anker USB-C and USB 3.0 SD Card Reader is the device for you. With this reader, you get separate SD and microSD card slots, and exceptional compatibility that allows this reader to be used with SDXC, SDHC, SD, MMC, RS-MMC, Micro SDXC, Micro SD, and many other card types.

Moreover, this card reader offers both USB-A and USB-C connections, and supports data transfer speeds of up to 104MBps, which isn’t amazing; however, it should be enough for the most.

Anker USB-C and USB 3.0 SD Card Reader comes with an 18-month warranty and is built out of aluminum and polycarbonate that makes the great combination with its slim-line design, and as a result, makes this reader a perfect fit for the high-end laptops of today.

Therefore, if you are after one of the best affordable card readers available, Anker USB-C and USB 3.0 SD Card Reader is a great choice and a device worth having that certainly won’t disappoint you.

Syntech 3-in-1 Memory Card Reader

A Fast and Reliable SD Card Reader

If you are seeking a good-quality SD card reader that will give you a lot of versatility and great practicality at a fair price, Syntech 3- in-1 Thunderbolt 3 Memory Card Reader is the thing for you.

This device comes with three card slots (SD slot, Micro SD slot, and CF slot), and thanks to that, it is capable of working with all sorts of cards, including SDXC, SDHC, TF, CF I, Ultra II CF, and many other card types. Syntech 3- in-1 Thunderbolt 3 Memory Card Reader can accept cards that are up to 2TB in capacity and operate together with every major operating system, such as Windows, Mac, Linux, Android, Chrome, and so on.

Keep in mind that this is a compact and highly portable device, with a sleek look, and more importantly, solid USB3.0 data transfer speeds.

To conclude, for the price and the overall value that it delivers, this is certainly a great product and one of the best SD card readers you may find on the market.

Transcend TS-RDF5W

A Well-Performing Device at More than a Fair Price

When you are searching for both good performance and a fair price, in most cases, Transcend products are the best option. They will not blow you away by their efficiency or astonish you with design, but it will certainly deliver reliable and above-average performance, at a great price. Transcend TS-RDF5W card reader is no exception to this rule and it offers compliance with USB3.1 Gen1 and UHS-I standards and compatibility with various card types (SD, SDHC, SDXC and microSD/SDHC/SDXC ones).

This card reader is supplied with both SD card and MicroSD card slots, has a LED transfer activity indicator and is equipped with RecoverRx software that can prove to be crucial if any data corruption occurs.

Transcend TS-RDF5W is compatible with Windows, Mac and Linux and delivers modest performance, with sequential read/write speeds of around 100MBps, which isn’t much but is still more than enough for a decent SD card reader that this device certainly is.

SanDisk ImageMate PRO USB-C Reader/Writer

A Bulky, but High-Performing SD Card Reader

SanDisk ImageMate PRO USB-C Reader/Writer is a practical and easy-to-use card reader that brings exceptional compatibility that allows its use with multiple card formats, including SDHC, SDXC, microSD, and CompactFlash cards. This is a UHS-II, UHS-I, and UDMA 7 compatible device, which supports 312MBps data transfer speeds, with SD and MicroSD cards, as well as 160MBps data transfer speeds, with CompactFlash cards.

Moreover, it offers USB 3.2 connectivity and is also backward compatible with the previous iterations of the USB standard. It weighs 177 grams, which makes it highly portable, while its full compatibility with both Mac and Windows machines makes it a solid card reader option for a large base of users.

In short, SanDisk ImageMate PRO USB-C Reader/Writer is a highly functional and versatile device that brings fast performance at a reasonable price, which ultimately makes a win-win situation.

ProGrade Digital SD UHS-II Dual-Slot Memory Card Reader

Great Performance in a Compact Package

ProGrade Digital SD UHS-II Dual-Slot Memory Card Reader is a compact and highly portable dual SD card reader that offers great data transfer speeds and functionality to the user. Although it features the USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-C connectivity that supports 1.25GBps data transfer speeds, the readers themselves support only 312 MBps data transfer speeds. These speeds are pretty good for an SD card reader; however, they could certainly be better considering the price.

Moreover, this card reader comes with a two-year warranty and a LED indicator for data transfer activity. Furthermore, it features a metal mounting plate that attaches the card reader to any metal part with the help of magnetic characteristics, offering easy mounting and allowing the creation of the compact workstations.

This card reader is compatible with both Mac and Windows system, it features a lightweight design and weighs 204 grams, and more importantly, offers pretty good performance, as it should be the case with one of the best card readers out there.

uni SD Card Reader

The Best Affordable SD Card Reader You Can Find

If you need a basic and affordable SD card reader that will do a proper job and offer solid compatibility and usability along the way, uni SD Card Reader is the perfect choice for you.

With this device, you are getting compatibility with Windows, Linux, Mac, Chrome, basically every major operating system, as well as solid performance and the ability to use it together with a variety of card types, such as SDHC, SDXC, MicroSD, MicroSDHC cards, and many others.

Unfortunately, uni SD Card Reader doesn’t support UHS-II speeds, but only UHS-I ones, which may be a drawback for many; however, the fact is that even the UHS-I speeds are more than enough for most people, especially mainstream users.

uni SD Card Reader offers a durable build and comes with an attractive-looking aluminum body; it is capable of handling SD cards that are up to 2TB in size and overall provides a pretty good value for the money.

To make a long story short, if the best SD card reader in the low-price market is what you are after, uni SD Card Reader is the device for you.

UGREEN USB C Micro SD Card Reader

A Super Cheap, yet Solid SD Card Reader

UGREEN USB C Micro SD Card Reader is a compact and highly portable SD card reader that offers exceptional compatibility and can work with a whole set of card types that include UHS-I SD, UHS-II SD SDHC, SDXC, MICRO SD, MICRO SDHC, as well as MICRO SDXC cards.

This card reader is fitted with a USB Type-C connectivity that supports 5Gbps data transfer speeds, while the data transfer speed of the dual card reader slots is significantly lower than that. Moreover, this card reader is compatible with Windows, Mac, Chrome, and Linux OS and offers a plug-and-play functionality that makes its use super easy.

When talking about its build, UGREEN USB C Micro SD Card Reader is a pretty durable device, with a sleek look and made of aluminum, and fitted with nylon-braided cable, and reinforced connectors that guarantee a reliable performance.

All in all, UGREEN USB C Micro SD Card Reader is a cheap, yet functional card reader option, and certainly one of the best card readers available, suitable for a large base of users, and ultimately a pretty good deal.

SanDisk MobileMate SDDR-B531-GN6NN

A Great Data Transfer Tool for the Not-Too-Demanding Users

SanDisk MobileMate SDDR-B531-GN6NN is one of those card readers that offer decent performance at an affordable price. Its read/write speed of around 170MBps doesn’t position it in the group of the best card readers; however, it guarantees for good user experience and relatively fast data transfers.

Unfortunately, this card reader supports only MicroSD cards, which kinda limits its usability, but on the other hand, is compliant with UHS-I and USB 3.1 Gen 1 standards that certainly help its overall performance.

SanDisk MobileMate SDDR-B531-GN6NN offers a compact and highly durable construction, followed by a two-year warranty, and all in all, it presents a modest, but still efficient tool for your MicroSD card management.

Conclusion

Whether you want to back up your phone photos, transfer materials from your camera, or give your classmate some pdf files, an SD card is a good way to go – if you have the right reader. Pick your companion by using our guide and we are certain you can find your right fit among the lines above.

SD card has earned that position thanks to its compact size, large capacities and, before anything else, affordability. As expected, finding the best SD card can be a bit of an issue if you are not familiar with the subject. Nevertheless, even the complete newbies can get a great device, as long as they follow a couple of advice.

Top Picks

Preview	Product
	Sony TOUGH-G series SDXC UHS-II Card 64GB, V90, CL10, U3, Max R300MB/S, W299MB/S (SF-G64T/T1), Black	Check at Amazon
	SanDisk 128GB Extreme PRO SDXC UHS-I Card - C10, U3, V30, 4K UHD, SD Card - SDSDXXY-128G-GN4IN	Check at Amazon
	Lexar Professional 2000x 128GB SDXC UHS-II Card (LSD128CBNA2000R)	Check at Amazon
	Prograde Digital SD UHS-II 64GB Card V60 –Up to 130MB/s Write Speed and 250 MB/s Read Speed | for...	Check at Amazon
	PNY 128GB Elite-X Class 10 U3 V30 SDXC Flash Memory Card - 100MB/s, Class 10, U3, V30, 4K UHD, Full...	Check at Amazon
	Lexar Professional 1667x 128GB SDXC UHS-II/U3 Card (LSD128CBNA1667) For Camera	Check at Amazon

Last update on 2023-10-12 // The links above are affiliate // Images from Amazon

How to Choose the Best SD Card

Although SD cards are highly important for keeping your data integrity, they are nowhere near complicated devices like hard drives, for instance, and offer a rather simple design. Their main characteristics may be summed into following:

Capacity

Capacity is one of the most important aspects of an SD card. The card itself can be blazing fast, but if it doesn’t have enough space, many of your works won’t be able to fit in it and that way it is ruined or half-finished. For that reason, carefully calculate what your real needs are and choose the card in accordance to your requirements.

Speed

Although it might not play a huge role for many, insufficient speed of an SD card can be a real issue, if you are into a 4K recording, for instance. On that account, be sure that the card’s performance can withstand your requirements and always go for at least a little bit higher speeds than you really need. That way, your choice will become future-proof.

Price

Large price is always an issue. For that reason, carefully asses each of your needs and market offerings and balance them out. Price isn’t always evidence of quality; therefore, do a little bit of research before the final decision.

Best SD Cards

Sony TOUGH-G series SDXC UHS-II Card

Great Choice for Professional Use

If you’re looking for a professional/high-speed recording SD card, the Sony Tough-G series would definitely fit the bill. This is arguably one of the best SD cards in the industry in terms of structural rigidity, i.e. it’s built as a coffin nail.

To begin with, the Sony TOUGH-G series SDXC is 18 times stronger compared to a regular SD card, which means it’s almost impossible to break it, even if you want. Sony gives it a 10N rating, as well as IPX6 dust-proof and IPX8 waterproof ratings. And before you ask, yes, this SD toughie would survive nuclear apocalypse.

Seriously speaking, in terms of build quality, this is as good as it gets: it’s unbreakable, it will survive a dip in 5 meters of water for 3 days, and, on top of that, it’s blazing fast. And since we’re talking performance and toughness, let’s concentrate on speed for a moment: being a UHS-II card, the Tough-G series (also known as G-Shock) boasts 300 MB/s burst rates and 299 MB/s read and write speeds, and a minimum transfer rate for large folders of 90 MB/s, which is respectable, to say the least.

Even if this Sony SD card doesn’t come cheap, quality never is. Cheap we mean. So, yeah, if you’re looking for something out of this world in terms of durability, this is it. Cut and dried.

SanDisk Extreme Pro SDXC UHS-I Card

A Great Value for the Money SD Card

SanDisk Extreme Pro SDXC UHS-I Card is a device that offers an ideal combination of performance, available capacities (from 16GB till 512GB) and price. Although it doesn’t represent the fastest option on the market, since it complies with UHS-I and not the UHS-II standard, its 95MBps speed is still good enough for 4K filming, but in general, is more suitable for sequential shootings in both JPEG and RAW formats. In other words, if you are a more demanding user, you should probably go for some faster models.

Overall, SanDisk Extreme Pro SDXC UHS-I Card is a decent SD card choice, with a lifetime warranty and a great overall value, but with a performance that just isn’t up to the standards of the best SD cards. Nevertheless, its reliability, great capacity and affordability make it a great buying choice.

Lexar Professional 2000x SDHC UHS-II

A High-Performing SD Card, Suitable for even the Most Demanding Users

Super-fast speeds (reading speed is 300MBps and writing speed is 260MBps), lifetime warranty and a good capacity (32GB, 64GB and 128GB) are the main features of Lexar Professional 2000x SDHC UHS-II SD card, and they make it perfectly suitable for both professional photographers and movie makers.

Coming with a lifetime warranty and an included SD card reader, this amazing device offers everything that a user might need, and much more. If you need the best SD card for DSLR, 4K video or high-resolution pictures, you can’t do better than Lexar Professional 2000x SDHC UHS-II card.

Yes, it is expensive, but quality costs and with this “dude”, you may at least be sure that it delivers what you are paying for.

ProGrade SD UHS-II Card V60

The Ideal SD Card for Low Budgets

To begin with, we must mention that ProGrade is the new kid on the block, as in this is a relatively new company; however, the people who are behind ProGrade have decades of experience in the niche. With this in mind, the ProGrade Card V60 makes for a value-oriented SD card, which means it will provide you with the optimal bang for the buck asked.

There’s nothing fantastic about this SD card in terms of specs, but the price tag is delightfully low, i.e. this is a budget option for nonprofessionals requiring vast amounts of storage for peanuts money. However, even if you’ll get almost 2 GB/$1, write speed stands pretty at 130MB/s, which is not bad, and read speed is quoted at 250 MB/s.

All in all, if you want value for money and decent performance, the ProGrade SD UHS-II Card V60 would make for the sensible option, and it’s backed up by a solid 3-year warranty. Write speed is good enough for 4K recording and high bit rate MPEG 4, and if you’re an amateur photographer, vlogger or a wannabe filmmaker or videographer, you’ll definitely enjoy ProGrade .

PNY Elite-X Class 10 U3 V30 SDXC Flash Memory Card

Good Value Entry Level SD Card

Don’t let the Elite thing deceive you: usually speaking, elite gear comes at premium prices, but the PNY Elite-X is very, very affordable. To give you an idea about what affordable means in PNY’s world, you’ll get ton of storage for peanuts money, and that’s something to write home about.

However, cheap doesn’t necessarily mean low quality and cutting corners, as the PNY 128GB Elite-X comes with up to 100MB/s read-speed, which doesn’t say much, but it’s relatively decent for an entry-level SD card.

And by decent, we mean you can use it for burst mode HD photography and 4K Ultra HD Videography, where this PNY SD card would do an OK job if you’re a photography and /or videography enthusiast.

To be more specific about performance, this SD card scored 92.48MBps sequential read and 58.95 MBps write speed in Diskmark x64 benchmark, which is not bad for a budget SD card. However, if you’re looking for high-performance and/or you’re going to use the card in expensive gear, this is not the droid you were looking for.

Lexar Professional 1667x

An Affordable, yet Fast SD Card

Lexar Professional 1667x is a reasonably priced, high-performing SD card that supports 250MBps sequential read speeds and 120MBps sequential write speeds. Moreover, this card comes with C10, U3, and V60 certification and is available in capacities from 64GB, up to 256GB. Its operating temperature is between -0° and 70° C, while the card itself can be successfully used for 3D, 4K, and FHD video, as well as together with the DSLR cameras, camcorders, 3D cameras, and so on.

Lexar Professional 1667x SD card is a perfect option for photo professionals and video enthusiasts, due to its speedy and reliable performance, and presents one of the best SD cards available. It brings an amazing value for the money and has exactly what the majority of users need, for more than a reasonable price.

Conclusion

We hope that this guide has clarified any confusion you may have had about what the best SD card should include. If it has also helped you pick your ideal partner in crime, we are more than happy!

Even though they have been long gone from the spotlight, they can still produce some decent performance that will satisfy most gamers. Therefore, buying the best hard drive for gaming purposes is still a welcome move.

Our Top Picks

Preview	Product
	Western Digital 4TB WD Black Performance Internal Hard Drive HDD - 7200 RPM, SATA 6 Gb/s, 256 MB...	Check at Amazon
	Seagate BarraCuda Pro 6TB Internal Hard Drive Performance HDD – 3.5 Inch SATA 6 Gb/s 7200 RPM...	Check at Amazon
	Seagate FireCuda 2TB Solid State Hybrid Drive Performance SSHD – 3.5 Inch SATA 6Gb/s Flash...	Check at Amazon
	Western Digital 1TB WD Blue PC Internal Hard Drive HDD - 7200 RPM, SATA 6 Gb/s, 64 MB Cache, 3.5" -...	Check at Amazon
	Toshiba X300 4TB Performance & Gaming 3.5-Inch Internal Hard Drive - CMR SATA 6.0 GB/s 7200 RPM 128...	Check at Amazon
	Seagate Portable 5TB External Hard Drive HDD – USB 3.0 for PC, Mac, PS4, & Xbox - 1-Year Rescue...	Check at Amazon
	WD 4TB Elements Portable HDD, External Hard Drive, USB 3.0 for PC & Mac, Plug and Play Ready -...	Check at Amazon
	Seagate (STEA4000402) Game Drive for Xbox 4TB External Hard Drive Portable HDD – Designed for Xbox...	Check at Amazon

Last update on 2023-10-01 // The links above are affiliate // Images from Amazon

How to Choose the Best Hard Drive for Gaming

When choosing the perfect hard drive, you should keep a couple of things in mind. Think about what you need it for, what your budget is, how often you are going to use it, etc. Having those answers will help you a lot because it will give you the proper perspective of what you are really looking for and which of the following characteristics of a hard drive you should pay your close attention to.

Capacity

When talking about the important aspects of a hard drive, capacity is probably at the top of the list. No matter how large your storage space is, eventually it will be full. That’s a simple fact of a life.

Therefore, always buy the hard drive that offers more capacity than you think you need. If you think you need 500GB of storage, buy one with 1TB. If you need 2TB, buy one that has at least 3TB, etc. Always go for bigger numbers, you can’t go wrong with that.

Speed

Speed is the second most important characteristic of a hard drive. No one wants to spend half of his/her day waiting for a data to transfer. For that reason, choose the drives that have the fastest possible maximum sequential read/write speeds. They are more expensive, but every cent will pay off.

Transfer speed above 150MB/s is more than good for an internal hard drive, while for external drives, the acceptable speed is around 100MB/s.

Cache

In the past, this used to be a much bigger issue, but today, the difference between 32MB and, for instance, 64MB cache drive is represented in some 10% faster loads of 64MB cache drives. These differences are hardly noticeable by an ordinary user.

In other words, unless you are buying outdated second-hand drives with 8MB, or less cache, there is not that much to be worried about. If you can, purchase the drives with more cache, but on the other hand, you won’t notice for significant difference even if you take the ones with fewer MB.

Connectivity

Internal hard drives usually offer SATA connectivity. In the recent times, SATA3 is a standard, but you might also bump on slower SATA2 drives, that are left on the stock. If you can, always go for a faster SATA3 option.

When talking about external hard drives, they mostly offer USB connectivity. Although USB2.0 is still acceptable, it is better to go for the drives that have a USB3.0 standard, which ultimately leads to faster data transfer.

8 Best Hard Drives for Gaming

WD Black HDD

An Excellent PC Hard Drive Made for Serious Gamers

If you are into serious hard drives that will deliver a high-quality performance, 3.5” WD Black should be high on your list. Reliable, with a promising 5-year warranty and enhanced performance, all thanks to StableTrac and Dynamic Cache Technology, this hard drive will fulfill every task that gamers put in front of it.

The rotational speed of 7200 rpm, 64MB (500GB-2TB) or 256MB (4TB-6TB) of cache and the usual SATA3 connectivity, is nothing impressive when compared to the competition, but its average reading/writing speed of 180MB/s, that can rise to the staggering 281.9MB/s when reading large files, is more than a convincing argument that shows how good this drive is. Equipped with a dual-core processor and FIT tested, just like the data center HDD’s, this hard drive will never leave you in the most important moments.

WD Black is simply the best hard drive for gaming you can find. Its combination of great performance, reliability and good value for the money are a winning formula that will leave no one disappointed.

Seagate BarraCuda Compute Pro

Solid Choice for Gaming

The Seagate BarraCuda Compute Pro is part of the company’s Guardian series and it’s designed to bring affordable performance to everyday users, i.e. faster data transfer speeds at bargain prices. Specs-wise, the BarraCuda Pro 6TB HDD plays in the “uber-normie” category and it features 7200rpm and 256MB of cache via optimized read/write caching technology; in layman’s terms, this is a pretty quick HDD from an “ancient technology” standpoint.

We know, there are SSD drives out there which offer 6 TB of storage capacity and blazing fast access speeds compared to old school HDDs, but if you take a look at the price tag, you’ll understand why the BarraCuda Compute Pro is the definition of no-compromise capacity, performance and reliability for enterprise environments and, why not, even for hard-core home users: this HDD offers 250MB/s maximum sustained transfer rate and a 300TB/year workload rate limit reliability, which means you can use it for long-term storage whether we’re talking cloud, movies, games, music or whatever.

Here’s a hint for our readers: remember to download and install the Seagate Disc Wizard software from the company’s official website if you want the installation process to go smoothly and hassle-free.

Seagate FireCuda Gaming SSHD

A Quality Upgrade of a Traditional Hard Drive

If you want to enjoy the benefits of SSD technology, but are limited with budget resources, Seagate FireCuda may be the best fit for you. This drive presents a combination of 8GB NAND MLC flash and a traditional hard drive, which places this hybrid above regular hard drives, but slightly below SSDs according to performance. All this makes a Seagate FireCuda a great option for a primary drive or a very fast secondary drive.

When talking about sheer performance, mostly due to the flash drive component, this drive makes maximum sequential read speed of 216.9MB/s and write speed of 211.4MB/. The hard drive itself has SATA3 connectivity, the rotational speed of 7200 rpm and 64MB of cache that are basically today’s standards for a hard drive. Its capacity of 1TB or 2TB should be enough for most users, while its 5-year warranty guarantees for its longevity.

You should know that this is not an SSD for gaming, but a hybrid drive, with 8GB of flash that are enough for playing a game, or opening one or two apps. This drive just isn’t made for a simultaneous work on multiple applications and in that case, its performance may deteriorate even below regular hard drive performance. If you are fine with that, Seagate FireCuda may be a great companion and the best hard drive for gaming you can find for yourself.

WD Blue HDD

An Affordable Hard Drive that Will Keep Everyone Satisfied

WD Blue is a decent-performance hard drive which can be successfully used both as a secondary drive, and as a budget solution for a system drive. SATA3 connectivity, the rotational speed of 7200 rpm and 64MB of cache are its specifications, and they won’t impress anyone. That can also be said for its transfer data speed of around 150 MB/s that certainly isn’t among the best in the class, but on the other hand, high performance is not what makes this drive so attractive.

Its key advantage is a combination of different aspects that include its price, good reliability, variety of capacities and modest, but still good enough, performance – the features according to which it can be compared only to the Toshiba DT01ACA hard drives.

WD Blue is the drive that does the job without breaking the bank and that is its key advantage over the competition that makes it so attractive for numerous users and variety of purposes.

Toshiba X300 HDD

A Hard Drive Designed for Gamers

If you are into hard drives that deliver extreme performance and offer plenty of capacity at the same time, Toshiba X300 should be your choice. Its variety of capacities (4TB-10TB) will certainly allow for more than a handful of installed games, while its very recognizable maximum sequential read/write speeds of over 200MB/s (that can almost be compared with the Seagate FireCuda, which is a hybrid drive) will guarantee for the fluidity of games.

Toshiba X300 offers quiet performance even under full load, while its internal shock sensor and dual-stage actuator are ensuring the data integrity. Its SATA3 connectivity and the rotational speed of 7200 rpm are up to today’s standards, while its 128MB or 256MB (10TB) of cache help this drive stand out from the bunch, and help its high-quality performance.

You can’t expect much more than this from the best hard drive for gaming. Therefore, if you are a hardcore gamer, you won’t go wrong with this one.

Seagate Portable External Hard Drive

Gaming on the Go

If you’re looking for an affordable back-up solution on the go, this external hard drive from Seagate has your name on it. For something like $100, give or take, you’ll get 5 GB of storage, and this HDD works just as well on Windows and Mac in a “plug and play” fashion, i.e. all you have to do is to connect it to your computer via the 3.0 USB cable (18 inch USB cable included in the retail package) and the automatic recognition software will kick in.

As usual, when it comes to dirt cheap storage solutions, there are caveats, and the most annoying one, in this case, is the 5400 RPM writing speed, which means this Seagate drive is pretty slow for today’s standards; however, if you’re only looking for cheap storage solutions to complement your, let’s say PS4 gaming console, this portable external hard drive from Seagate would make for a nice addition to your gaming rig. The setup is super simple, as your PlayStation/Xbox One will recognize the drive instantly, and moving files around between the drive and the console is easy as pie.

Also, playing games off the drive presents no significant problems, like slowdowns or glitches, so, if you’re looking to expand your gaming console’s storage capacity, look no further than this cheap Seagate external HDD.

WD Elements Portable External Hard Drive

A Hard Drive that Offers Sheer Storage Space for Small Bucks

Similar to Seagate Expansion, WD Elements also offers plenty of space, but for even a lower price. The price difference lies in the fact that the WD Elements is a much slower drive since its sequential read/write speeds of around 95MB/s, are some 30% slower than those of its Seagate rival.

WD Elements is highly affordable and offers capacities from 1TB to 4TB of space, has USB3.0 connectivity, but similar to the Expansion, it lacks special features such as encryption or backup software. Therefore, if you want cheap storage space, devoid of extra features, this drive is a great option for you.

You won’t get super-fast speeds but will get a Windows- and Mac-compatible device, with a ton of space for your games and other data, and all that for a ridiculous price.

Seagate Game Drive for Xbox One

An External Hard Drive Destined for Xbox Gaming

If you are into Xbox gaming, this drive is made for you. Seagate Game Drive for Xbox One is the only external hard drive made solely for Xbox. That includes Xbox One, Xbox One S and Xbox 360 consoles.

This drive comes in 2TB or 4TB capacity that will certainly be enough for you to keep all your favorite titles in one place, has USB3.0 connectivity and offers a plug-and-play function for easy use. Its sequential read/write speeds are very fast (140MB/s), which is impressive for an external hard drive.

Highly compact, with a 2-year warranty and an overall great performance, Seagate Game Drive for Xbox One is without a doubt the best hard drive for Xbox one can find.

Conclusion

Hard drives have been with us for a long time and they are going to be with us for at least a couple more years to come, but that doesn’t change the fact that their days are numbered. Luckily, they can still deliver great performance for an acceptable. Therefore, enjoy them while you can.

Best USB Flash Drives:

Preview	Product
	PNY 256GB Turbo Attache 3 USB 3.0 Flash Drive,GREY	Check at Amazon
	Kingston DataTraveler Kyson 128GB High Performance USB 3.2 Metal Flash Drive | Speeds up to 200MB/s...	Check at Amazon
	SAMSUNG FIT Plus 3.1 USB Flash Drive, 128GB, 400MB/s, Plug In and Stay, Storage Expansion for...	Check at Amazon
	SanDisk 32GB Ultra Fit USB 3.1 Flash Drive - SDCZ430-032G-G46	Check at Amazon
	SAMSUNG BAR Plus 3.1 USB Flash Drive, 128GB, 400MB/s, Rugged Metal Casing, Storage Expansion for...	Check at Amazon
	SanDisk 128GB iXpand Flash Drive Go for iPhone and iPad - SDIX60N-128G-GN6NE, Silver	Check at Amazon
	Kingston DataTraveler Max 256GB USB-C Flash Drive with USB 3.2 Gen 2 Performance	Check at Amazon
	SanDisk 128GB iXpand Flash Drive Luxe for iPhone and USB Type-C Devices - SDIX70N-128G-GN6NE, Black	Check at Amazon
	Patriot Supersonic Rage Pro 256GB USB 3.2 Gen 1 High-Performance Flash Drive	Check at Amazon
	SanDisk 128GB Extreme PRO USB 3.2 Solid State Flash Drive - Up to 420MB/s, Durable Aluminum Metal...	Check at Amazon

Last update on 2023-10-01 // The links above are affiliate // Images from Amazon

How to Choose the Best Flash Drive

Performance

One of the most crucial factors you always pay and should pay attention at when choosing a flash drive is its performance. Write and read speeds will affect the time you will spend waiting when transferring your files. There is a great difference between 20 seconds and 10 minutes.

Remember that flash drives that support USB 3.0/3.1 show better performance than those with USB 2.0. They are usually 10-30 times faster.

Security level

If you care about privacy and security of your files then choose a drive with security software. A good example can be SanDisk flash drives that are often provided with SanDisk Secure Access software. It includes data encryption and password protection.

There are also flash drives that use fingerprint encryption. This technology is a combination of secure data storage space and biometric technology.

File recovery

Have you got a bad experience of accidental deletion of files from your flash drive? In such case, an option of file recovery is something your flash drive must have for sure. But note that very often it’s an additional option that you have to download yourself.

Memory storage capacity

Very often one and the same flash drive with the same range of options can have different memory storage capacities varying from 16 GB up to 512 GB. But the choice of capacity depends only on your needs.

Build quality and size

If you don’t want to risk the data on your flash drive it’s necessary to take care not only of its security level but also build quality. Water drops, X-rays and even dust can damage a flash drive and this can lead to the loss of your files.

In order to prevent such terrible consequences a lot of flash drives are waterproof, shockproof, dustproof, etc. Besides, a lot of them are made of very strong types of metal. Thus, it’s always better to have metal casing instead of a plastic box.

OK, all flash drives are small – that’s true. Still, they all differ in size and form, and even the tiniest difference can play a role. The choice of size, as well as memory, depends on your preferences, special needs and requirements.

10 Best Flash Drives

PNY Turbo

The Best 256 GB flash drive

If you need something really special, something that will have enough memory for all seasons of your favorite TV show then PNY TURBO 256 GB is namely for you. This flash drive is the best 256 GB streaming device.

Such compact drive in your pocket can hold up to 47,349 songs. Besides, its 3.0 USB technology will transfer files much faster than its previous 2.0 version. Still, you can easily rely on it when using 2.0 USB ports. Its design deserves your attention as well. It is stylish with a sliding collar and has an integrated loop – special for key chains. And even if something goes wrong you can always count on its free technical support.

Kingston DataTraveler Kyson DTKN

A Stylish-Looking Fast-Performing Flash Drive

DataTraveler Kyson DTKN/128GB is a compact and lightweight (4g) flash drive, with a sleek-looking metal casing and excellent compatibility that allows its use on a variety of devices run by Windows, Chrome, Linux, or Mac.

This is a highly durable device that comes with a five-year warranty and is available in capacities of up to 256 GB. More importantly, it is compliant with USB 3.2 Gen 1 standard and it provides super-fast speeds that can go up to 200 MBps in the case of reading and 60 MBps in the case of writing, which ultimately makes this device an exceptional choice and one of the best flash drives available on the market.

In other words, if you are after exceptional flash drive performance, DataTraveler Kyson DTKN is the thing for you.

Samsung MUF-128AB/AM FIT Plus

Great Flash Drive With Environmental Protection

This flash drive has a compact design which prevents it from accidental damages in case of different bumps. There is also a key ring not to lose it. Except for such small size AM FIT Plus comes with read speeds up to 300MB/s. Its USB 3.1 standard makes transferring data always a quick process. Thus, this Samsung flash drive can send several gigabits of 4K media file in less than 20 seconds. By the by, it is also backward compatible and supports USB 3.0 as well as USB 2.0.

AM FIT Plus has a solid build quality. It is can stay up to 72 hours in seawater and survive very low and high temperatures – from 25°C to 85°C when operating and from -40°C to 85°C when non-operating. What is more, this flash drive is shock-proof as well as magnet-proof and X-ray-proof.

SanDisk Ultra Fit USB 3.1

One of the Best Affordable Flash Drives

Another great compact plug-and-play flash drive is SanDisk Ultra Fit USB 3.1. It has a decent read speed which allows transferring a full-length movie in less than half a minute. Though it is a USB 3.1 flash drive it is also backward compatible with USB 3.0 or 2.0 ports.

SanDisk Ultra Fit USB 3.1 is not only a fast but also safe flash drive. It has an option of creating a private folder on your drive with SanDisk SecureAccess software. Its 128-bit AES encryption will help you to keep your files password-protected. One more thing which makes SanDisk Ultra Fit USB 3.1 one of the best models is its RescuePRO Deluxe data recovery software which will save accidentally deleted files on your flash drive. Note that you need to download this software.

Samsung BAR Plus

Great Fast Flash Drive From Samsung

Don’t like tiny flash cards as they can get easily lost? Then consider Samsung BAR Plus. It’s got a sleek classic design which looks elegant in gray and silver colors. Its metal body also makes it durable and its integrated key ring won’t let you lose it.

This flash drive can withstand 72 hours in the seawater and work in freezing cold up to -25°C. What is more, it is not afraid of hot temperatures as well – Samsung BAR Plus can operate in up to 85°C. It is also shock-proof, magnet-proof and X-ray-proof.

Thanks to the latest USB 3.1 standard Samsung BAR Plus delivers fast performance with read speed up to 300 MB/s. Besides, it comes with innovative V-NAND Technology which provides advanced read as well as write speeds.

SanDisk iXpand Flash Drive Go

A Storage Device Built for Aging Apple Devices

If you are looking for an easy way to storage files and data from your iPhone X or older, SanDisk iXpand Flash Drive Go is the device to go for. This is a nice-looking device, with a swivel design and more importantly, solid performance that offers 75.25 MBps sequential read and 53.40 MBps sequential write speeds.

With this drive, you are getting both USB3.0 and Lighting compatibility, as well as password protection that keeps your every file safe and sound. In addition, this flash drive also supports automatic backup that requires the iXpand Drive app, and it is available in 64GB, 128GB, and 256GB size.

All in all, SanDisk iXpand Flash Drive Go brings a pretty solid value for the price and definitely presents one of the best flash drives available, of course, if you need a backup for an aging iPhone or some other older Apple device.

Kingston DataTraveler Max

A Blazing-Fast Flash Drive

Kingston DataTraveler Max is a small and practical Flash Drive that brings super-fast read/write speeds and offers a ton of storage for your precious data. This drive is available in 256GB, 512GB, and 1TB and fitted with USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-C, as all the latest drives.

More importantly, its read speed is around 1000MBps, while the write speed moves around the 900MBps mark, which is rather impressive. In addition, this drive also comes with an LED indicator and has a reasonable price offering great value for the customer.

On top of that, it is small and portable, and brings exactly what the best flash drive should, offering great performance and small size in a more-than-affordable package.

SanDisk 128GB iXpand Flash Drive Luxe

A Highly Versatile and Practical Flash Drive

If you need a portable and decent-performing Flash Drive that offers excellent versatility and compatibility, the SanDisk iXpand Flash Drive Luxe is the device for you. To be exact, this drive delivers a solid sequential read/write speed of around 90MBps and is compatible with iOS, Windows, Android, and Mac.

Moreover, this drive is available in 64GB, 128GB, and 256GB, and features both Lightning and USB Type-C connectivity, offering great value to the customer. Also, it offers password protection and comes with a two-year warranty that isn’t much; nonetheless, it adds to the value of the device.

Therefore, if you require one of the best Flash Drives available, that offers the much-needed versatility and compatibility, SanDisk iXpand Flash Drive Luxe is certainly the device for you.

Patriot Supersonic Rage Pro

One of the Best

Patriot Supersonic Rage Pro is a reasonably priced, fast-performing Flash drive, with great portability and weight of only 11 grams. In other words, it presents a great deal for anyone looking for solid-performing and practical backup drive.

When talking about exact numbers, you should know that Patriot Supersonic Rage Pro delivers read/write sequential speeds of around 450MBps and up to 8000 IOPS for 4K random write performance. Moreover, this drive is compatible with Windows, Mac, and Linux, and available in 128GB, 256GB, and 512GB size.

Patriot Supersonic Rage Pro has a five-year warranty and features UASP support, LED indicators, as well as aluminum housing. Its interface is USB 3.2 Gen. 1, while the device itself offers plug-and-play functionality.

In short, there is everything you may expect from the best Flash drive. Therefore, if you need one, Patriot Supersonic Rage Pro is the device to look for.

SanDisk Extreme PRO

Solid State Drive in a Flash Drive Suit

SanDisk Extreme PRO is a discrete looking, super-fast device that offers SSD performance in the flash drive edition. In other words, if you are seeking blazing data transfer speeds, this drive will give it to you.

Its sequential read speed of 420 MBps and sequential write speed of 380 MBps will give you great productivity, while you will also get great protection, all in one, due to its file encryption and password protection coming from the SanDisk SecureAccess software.

Have in mind that SanDisk Extreme PRO also comes with a lifetime warranty and that, due to its retractable design and aluminum metal casing, it offers great durability. On top of that, this drive is also lightweight (17g), compact, and easy to use.

Therefore, if you are after a full package that brings both excellent performance and great sturdiness to the customer, SanDisk Extreme PRO is the tool for you.

Summary

Of course, flash drives can’t offer as much as external hard drives can, for example. Still, their compact size is the main reason why everyone purchases them. And whatever flash drive you choose, remember that it must correspond to your personal needs. It’s always up to you to decide which streaming device is the best for you.

Top Picks

Preview	Product
	SAMSUNG EVO Select Micro SD-Memory-Card + Adapter, 256GB microSDXC 130MB/s Full HD & 4K UHD, UHS-I,...	Check at Amazon
	SanDisk 128GB Ultra microSDXC UHS-I Memory Card with Adapter - 120MB/s, C10, U1, Full HD, A1, Micro...	Check at Amazon
	Silicon Power Micro SD Card 128GB Memory Card with Adapter	Check at Amazon
	SanDisk 64GB Extreme microSDXC UHS-I Memory Card with Adapter - Up to 160MB/s, C10, U3, V30, 4K, A2,...	Check at Amazon
	PNY 128GB Premier-X Class 10 U3 V30 microSDXC Flash Memory Card - 100MB/s, A1, 4K UHD, Full HD,...	Check at Amazon
	64GB Micro SD Card, Netac Memory Card MicroSD High Speed Transfer A1 C10 U3 MicroSDXC TF Card for...	Check at Amazon
	SanDisk 128GB MAX Endurance microSDXC Card with Adapter for Home Security Cameras and Dash cams -...	Check at Amazon
	Kingston 128GB microSDXC Canvas React Plus 285MB/s Read UHS-II, C10, U3, V90, A1 Memory-Card...	Check at Amazon
	Lexar Professional 1066x 256GB microSDXC UHS-I Card w/ SD Adapter, C10, U3, V30, A2, Full HD, 4K...	Check at Amazon
	[Gigastone] 256GB Micro SD Card, Gaming Plus, MicroSDXC Memory Card for Nintendo-Switch, Wyze,...	Check at Amazon

Last update on 2023-10-08 // The links above are affiliate // Images from Amazon

How to Choose the Best microSD Card

SDHC and SDXC

There are two main types of microSD cards – SDHC (Secure Digital High Capacity) and SDXC (Secure Digital eXtended Capacity). The key difference is their storage. SDHC cards offer from 4GB to 32 GB while SDXC cards contain from 64GB to 2TB.

Another thing you should keep in mind is that some devices can accept only SDHC microSD cards. For example, such mobile consoles like the Nintendo 3DS work with SDHC cards only. Still, today plenty of devices are compatible with the SDXC microSD cards as most phones support namely this type of cards.

Speed Classes

Such feature as speed class is a key one when choosing the best microSD card. Nowadays there are such speed classes as 2, 4, 6 and 10. Obviously, the higher class your microSD card has the better and faster performance you will experience. The numbers of each speed class mean the write speed in MB/s (megabytes per second) – e.g. Class 10 = 10 MB/s.

There is no doubt that it’s always better to have a higher speed class. Still, if you are going to record high-resolution videos then you’ll need something more powerful like speed class 10 with UHS classification. UHS stands for ultra high speed and presupposes the highest speed of each microSD model. Cards with UHS classification are also divided into two types – UHS-I (up to 104 MB/s) and UHS-II (up to 312 MB/s).

Another thing you should know is card’s speed rating. There can be either U1 or U3 card’s speed rating. This rating denotes the lowest speed level your card can reach. U1 cards won’t let their write speed get lower than 10 MB/s while U3 cards support at least 30 MB/s. So, if you are buying a card for 4K videos then you will need U3 card’s speed rating.

By the by, if you need a card for video recording then pay attention to a video rating system which is usually marked like V90, V60, V30, etc. So, for 4K video you will need a card with at least V30 rating. Besides, if you can’t find such marker on your microSD then check its write speed.

Capacity

One of the things you should always remember to do before purchasing a new microSD card is to check the maximum size of a card your device can support. If your device is compatible with cards of 32 GB maximum then look for SDHC cards. In case it is compatible with cards of higher capacity then pay attention at SDXC cards (up to 512 GB).

Compatibility

It’s always necessary to check whether your device is compatible with the cards you are going to buy. For instance, there are cards that will be more suitable for Android-based devices or Raspberry.

Still, there are some other sides of compatibility you should be aware of as your device isn’t the only thing the card must be compatible with. The point is that some microSD cards are more suitable for GoPro products while others, for example, for Nintendo Switch.

Extra Options

A lot of microSD cards have some additional options. Among them, you can find SanDisk Memory Zone App, which automatically moves files from your device to your memory card to free up space, and file recovery software. What is more, microSD cards can be waterproof, X-ray proof, static proof, temperature proof, etc.

10 Best microSD Cards

Samsung EVO Select

One of the Best out There

SAMSUNG EVO Select is a highly durable and speedy micro SD card, available in a variety of capacities that go from 64GB, up to 512GB. This card is fitted with multiple protection features that include water, dust, and drop protection, and offers a 10-year warranty that fits its resistant nature perfectly.

More importantly, this card comes with a whole set of certifications that include U3, A2, and V30 classification, and supports read speeds of 130MBps that present a significant leap, compared with the previous generation of this micro SD card.

SAMSUNG EVO Select features the UHS-I interface and is capable of withstanding up to five-meter drops, and more than 10000 writes and rewrites, which is another important bonus to this already great device.

Therefore, if you are after a speedy performing micro SD card, which offers a good value for the money and presents one of the best micro SD cards available, SAMSUNG EVO Select is the choice for you.

SanDisk Ultra

An Affordable, yet Trustworthy Micro SD Card

SanDisk Ultra micro SD card is a reliable and decent-performing device that presents a solid option for a wide variety of users thanks to its good overall quality.

With this micro SD card, you are getting compliance with C10, U1, and A1 standards, or, translated into numbers, sequential read speeds of up to 120MBps. SanDisk Ultra micro SD card comes with a 10-year warranty and is available in a variety of capacities from 32GB to 1TB. In other words, there is something for everyone.

Therefore, if you need a good quality micro SD card that will give you a lot of versatility at a fair price, SanDisk Ultra should certainly be among your picks.

Silicon Power 3D NAND Superior Pro microSDXC

A Great Performance for a Fair Price

The most important characteristics of MicroSD cards are speed and capacity, and Silicon Power 3D NAND Superior Pro microSDXC has proved to be very good in both departments. It is available in four sizes (64GB, 128GB, 256GB and 512GB) and offers solid maximum speeds (100MBps sequential read speed and 80MBps sequential write speed) that in reality are a bit lower; nevertheless, still highly competitive with the rest of the bunch.

Silicon Power 3D NAND Superior Pro microSDXC comes with a five-year warranty and complies with all the latest speed standards such as A1, U3 or V30, and altogether presents a perfect option for 4K video material capturing or high-speed continuous shooting. It is dustproof, waterproof, even X-ray proof, and it offers great compatibility.

More importantly, it comes at a very competitive price and delivers great value for the money. However, its quality control isn’t the best; therefore, there are some complaints about its reliability and DOA cases. Nevertheless, these claims are just a minor fraction of its overall purchases and shouldn’t really bother you.

In other words, if you are looking for one of the best microSD cards, that is also one of the more affordable ones at the same time, Silicon Power 3D NAND Superior Pro microSDXC is the card for you.

SanDisk Extreme microSD U3 A2

Great microSD Card With Environmental Protection

Another great microSD card is SanDisk Extreme microSD U3 A2. It comes with 160MB/s read speeds which allow transferring large files such as 4K UHD videos and high-res images. But keep in mind that it is compatible only with devices that support such a high-speed level. As to the write speeds, this microSD card provides only up to 60MB/s or 90MB/s depending on the card capacity.

SanDisk Extreme microSD U3 A2 has a solid build quality and can withstand low and high temperatures as well as X-rays. What is more, this model is waterproof and shock-proof. There is also SanDisk Memory Zone app which makes file management rather easy.

PNY Premier-X

A More than Solid Micro SD Card

PNY Premier-X is a cheap, but reliable micro SD card that won’t blow you away with performance; however, it will bring more than enough for 4K video recording, or burst mode HD Photography. To be exact, with this card, you are getting a maximum read speed of 100MBps and maximum write speed of 30MBps, which is, as mentioned earlier, only solid, yet good enough for most tasks.

PNY Premier-X provides a minimum of 1500 IOPS when reading, and 500 IOPS, when writing, and is available in 64GB, 128GB, and 256GB capacity. This card is Class 10 type and offers U3, V30, and A1 certification, which means it supports running apps directly from the card.
With this micro SD card, you are also getting an SD adapter, while it also offers multiple protection features that include its magnet-proof, shockproof, temperature-proof, as well as waterproof characteristics.

In other words, PNY Premier-X has everything needed for a solid performance; therefore, if you are after an affordable, but solid micro SD card, this one should certainly be among your favorites.

Netac MicroSD Card

An Excellent Budget-Friendly Micro SD Card Option

If you are seeking the best micro SD card in the low-price market, with solid performance and good durability, Netac MicroSD Card is the device for you.

With this card, you won’t get super-fast speeds or performance of the best SSD drives; however, you will get more than a good “working horse” and a cheaper alternative to the more familiar micro SD cards manufacturers, such as SanDisk and Samsung.

When talking about performance, Netac MicroSD Card provides a sequential read speed of up to 100MBps, while its sequential write speed moves around the 50MBps mark.

This micro SD card is compliant with A1, C10, and U3 standards and is available in capacities from 16GB to 256GB. More importantly, it is reinforced with multiple protection levels that involve shock-proof, temperature-proof, water-proof, and even X-ray proof characteristics, so you can guess this device is pretty durable.

In other words, with Netac MicroSD Card, you are not only getting a good price, but also great durability and overall usability that makes this card worth buying and worth being called one of the best micro SD cards in this market segment.

SanDisk MAX Endurance

Great Endurance for a Small Price

If you are seeking an affordable micro SD card that brings just the right mix of features and performance, SanDisk MAX Endurance is the device for you. As its name suggests, this card is designed for high endurance; therefore, it should be no surprise that, for instance, the 128GB model allows for more than 13 years of continuous recording, which is certainly impressive.

Also, this micro SD card comes in package with the included SD adapter and features a temperature-proof, waterproof, shockproof, and X-ray-proof build that perfectly fits its excellent endurance.

SanDisk MAX Endurance is a Class 10 micro SD card, with U3 speed certification and V30 video certification, which comes in capacities from 32GB, up to 256GB. Moreover, this card supports real-time recording and comes in the package with the RescuePRO Deluxe software, dedicated to file recovery.

More importantly, this card delivers a maximum sequential read speed of 100MBps and a maximum sequential write speed of 40MBps. Its warranty depends on the capacity, and varies from three years in the case of the 32GB model, and goes up to 15 years, in the case of the 256GB model, which is more than solid.

To conclude, SanDisk MAX Endurance brings exactly what its name suggests; therefore, if that is one of your priorities when buying the best micro SD card, this one should be your number one pick.

Kingston Canvas React Plus

A Micro SD Dream Card

Stumbling upon perfection and even more importantly, recognizing it, might be a hard task to manage. However, with certain devices, you are getting exactly that, or at least the nearest feeling to that, and one of such products is the Kingston Canvas React Plus Micro SD card that offers excellent build quality and more importantly, exceptional performance.

To be exact, this card supports excellent sequential write speed of up to 165MBps and even better sequential read speed of 285MBps, that make it a great choice for work with 8K materials and even for professional use. It is available in 64GB, 128GB and 256GB capacity and it supports UHS-II, V90, U3 and A1 standards.

In other words, the best micro SD card is here, and all you need to do to get it is to dig pretty deep into your pocket, since its price is a bit heavy for a micro SD card.

Lexar Professional 1066x

Exactly What You Need for Your Action Camera

Finding a good-performing micro SD card, with an attractive price tag is never easy. However, such cards do appear from time to time, and the Lexar Professional 1066x is the prime example of that.

This is a super-fast micro SD card, with a maximum sequential read speed of 160MBps, and an equally impressive sequential write speed of 120MBps, which is among the best ones in the class. Also, with this card, you are getting a UHS-I interface, as well as a whole set of protective features, such as the IEC 60529 and IPX7 water protection. Moreover, there are also shockproof, vibration proof, and X-Ray proof characteristics that ultimately make this device a highly durable one.

Lexar Professional 1066x also has the U3, V30, and A2 speed rating, and comes with a very nice 10-year warranty that is always a welcoming thing to have. More importantly, this micro SD card is available in a variety of capacities that go from 64GB, up to 512GB, and is a perfect fit for a whole bunch of devices. In other words, you can use it for action cameras, drones, and high-end smartphones, as it should be the case with the card that represents one of the best micro SD cards you can find on the market.

Gigastone Micro SD Card

The Ideal Mainstream Micro SD Card

Gigastone Micro SD Card is a reasonably priced, solid micro SD card that offers exactly what the majority of users need. There is a pretty good 60MBps sequential write speed, and 100MBps sequential read speed, as well as a whole set of protective characteristics that include IPX7 waterproof rating, as well as shockproof, temperature-proof, and X-Ray-proof characteristics.

Although this micro SD card is primarily designed for the fans of console gaming, the matter of a fact is that it has also proved its value in other fields, and proved it is up to the task, when used in action and dash cameras, offering more than pleasing results.

Of course, that should be no surprise, since this card comes with the UHS-I interface and A1, U3, and V30 certification, as each of the best micro SD cards should. This card is available in capacities from 16GB, up to 512GB and brings everything that the user needs. For that reason, if you are after an affordable, yet good micro SD card option, Gigastone Micro SD Card is a sure thing.

Summary

Whatever microSD card you will choose, it will be a nice bonus for your device. But if you choose the best one then you will have a chance to experience its excellent performance when recording a video or capturing a photo.

Whether you’re a gamer, a busy parent or a media collector, you might be on the hunt for extra space to keep your computer files safe and secure. If you’re looking for the best external hard drive to hold all of your important files, use this guide as a reference to ensure you get the most out of your purchase.

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Last update on 2023-09-15 // The links above are affiliate // Images from Amazon

How to Choose the Best External Hard Drive

What’s an external hard drive and why would you need one?

An external hard drive is a piece of external hardware that stores files. If you want the extra room on your computer, laptop or console, you can choose to buy an external hard drive to keep certain files within the drive for safekeeping. Many external hard drives also come with additional security features to make sure your files are as safe as they can be.

There are many reasons why a person might want one or more external hard drives. Here are the three main reasons:

• More space! The space on your computer is precious. More space means more room for larger programs and bigger games. By keeping your pictures, music and other files on an external hard drive, you can free up valuable real estate on your desktop.
• Convenience. An external hard drive can keep all of your important files organized in one place so they’re easily accessible. Having a huge amount of files on your computer can also slow it down, so a hard drive can help improve the performance of your system.
• Safety. Whether it’s something like getting your laptop stolen or having your computer crash; life happens. If you have an external hard drive, you can avoid losing your files by having backup copies.
  On top of being useful and efficient, external hard drives are fairly affordable, making them a no-brainer addition to any PC setup.

Capacity

Most of the best external hard drives come with 1TB, 2Tb, 4TB or 5TB. There are even some that go up to 8TB or 16TB. “TB” stands for “terabytes”, which is approximately a trillion bytes of computer storage.

Figuring out how much storage you need will play a critical role in which external hard drive you choose. If you’re mainly dealing with word-processing documents and smaller files, you should be fine with 1TB or less. However, if you’re storing large game files, pictures and music, you should probably consider something with 2TB or more if you want long-term storage availability.

Price

An external hard drive doesn’t have to suck up your budget, but you’ll also want to consider paying more or less depending on how much space you need. External hard drives can run between $50 and $150 depending on their specifications. Here are a few features that effect the price of an external hard drive:

Type: There are two main types of storage drives to know about: solid-state drives (SSD) and hard disk drives (HDD). Here are a few pros and cons for both:

• SSDs are fast; a PC with an SSD can boot up very quickly.
• SSDs are more expensive, especially if you want more storage.
• HDDs can store huge amounts of data without costing too much in comparison to SSDs.
• HDDs can slow down over time.

SSD external hard drives are expensive and uncommon, so it’s generally a safer bet to choose an HDD external hard drive in most cases.

Storage: The more storage you want on your external hard drive, the more you’ll have to spend. External hard drive storage capacity can range from 1TB to over 8TB, with 4-6TB being more common choices.

Note that anything over 8TB is a LOT of space and can be considered overkill for some people, so don’t pay more for an external hard drive with that much space unless you’re sure that’s the best option for you. That being said, a large-capacity external hard drive may be necessary for large families, businesses and hardcore enthusiasts.

Portability: The level of portability you need should depend on your lifestyle. Some external hard drives are more portable than others; in other words, some are lighter and more durable while others are heavier and better suited to sitting on your desk at home. External hard drives designed for portability can be more expensive but might be worth it if you need to frequently travel for work or play.

Interface

The interface of the best external hard drive will be easy to read, user-friendly and intuitive. If you don’t want to spend hours trying to navigate or configure your external hard drive, you might consider an external hard drive with built-in software.

Different brands of external hard drives may come with different software that allows you to schedule backups and manage your files. Some programs even help you monitor the health of the drives and assist you in running backups to other sources, such as the Cloud.

If you’re looking for a fast setup with most of the work already done, look for external hard drives with “plug and play” features for a less complex setup. An external hard drive with a dashboard interface can also be a time-saving way to check in on your remaining storage space and ensure that all of the drive sectors are functioning as they should.

Ports

If you’re looking at buying an external hard drive, you’ll need to know what ports you’ll be working with.

Here are the most common types used today:

• USB 2.0
• USB 3.0 (the most common for the best external hard drives)
• USB 3.1 Gen 1
• USB 3.1 Gen 2
• USB-C
• Thunderbolt 3

If you want to stay current with technology, it’s important to research the latest ports because these will have an impact on the speed and connectivity of your devices.

Security

Different external hard drives may have added security features, such as automatic backup. If you’re buying an external hard drive to keep your files safe, it might be a good idea to consider an external hard drive with hardware-based encryption. This is especially important if you intend on using your external hard drive for travel or for storing private files.

RAID, backup solutions and hardware encryption. There are several extra features that can add protection to your stored files, including software that provides automatic backups and password protected encryption. While these features will take up space within the external hard drive, they can add valuable security to your sensitive or private files.

Privacy. If you’re using your external hard drive for work or if you’re sharing it with other people, the security of your files should take priority. Some drives come with software that allows you to set up individual users with their own allotted space. Having password encryption is also an extra shield to protect your files if your drive gets stolen.

Physical durability. If you plan on taking your external hard drive with you while on the go, you need to make sure you get one that’s durable, slip-resistant and shockproof. Some models are even water-resistant.

Warranty. You should be able to use your external hard drive for at least a couple of years, so make sure you get one with a long warranty and avoid running it on a daily basis to lengthen its longevity.

Speed

The speed at which the external hard drive reads and writes data is critical to how quickly you can access the files on your desktop or other devices. You’ll need an external hard drive with higher speeds if you’re dealing with larger files, such as videos.

The speed of an external hard drive largely depends on how it connects to your device. If you want a faster external hard drive, look for one with USB 3.0 rather than 2.0, because 3.0 is about ten times faster. Other fast options include eSATA, FireWire and Thunderbolt. Make sure you know what types of ports your computer or device has to ensure compatibility with your new external hard drive.

Compatibility

Operating System. Whether you run Windows 10, MAC OS X or something older, it’s important to check that the hard drive you want will work for your system. Some external hard drives are specific only to Windows and not Mac. In those cases, you will need to configure the external hard drive for Mac.

Multiple Devices. If you want to use your files across multiple platforms, such as between laptops, PCs and gaming consoles, you’ll need to find an external hard drive that has the right compatibility features for your needs. Some external hard drives are optimized for storing games from consoles, including the Xbox One and the PS4.

12 Best External Hard Drives

WD Black 2TB P10

A Perfect Hard Drive for Gamers

WD Black 2TB P10 is portable and lightweight (it weighs only 140g) high performing hard drive that is primarily made as a gaming drive, or better say for the purposes of the additional console storage. Therefore, it should be no surprise that this drive comes with exceptional compatibility that allows for its easy pairing with Windows and Mac devices, PlayStation, Xbox One, and so on.

This hard drive is extremely durable; it is reliable and more importantly, delivers very good overall performance that is resulting in 130MBps sequential read/write speeds.

WD Black 2TB P10, as its name suggests, comes with 2TB of space, which should enough for the majority of console gamers (there are also a 4TB and 5TB version) and offers a very attractive, unique design that makes it distinctive on the market and rather desired, especially in the gaming community.

Furthermore, P10 offers USB3.2 connectivity and plug-and-play functionality; as well as very good overall value, as it should be the case with the best external hard drives out there. To conclude, if you are seeking a reliable and fast external hard drive, to store all your precious games and movies, WD Black 2TB P10 is definitely the drive to look for.

Seagate Backup Plus Slim

Old Hardware in a Shiny Armor

If you are looking for a solid-performing external hard drive that brings an attractive appearance and a compact size in one, Seagate Backup Plus Slim drive is a good choice for you.

Although this updated version of Backup Plus Slim doesn’t bring many changes compared to the previous version, except for the more stylish-looking enclosure that is, again, made in a minimalistic manner, it is still good enough for the most users. No, it won’t blow you away with its performance and read/write sequential speeds of around 120MBps; nevertheless, it will do a job.

Seagate Backup Plus Slim is available in four colors (black, red, light blue and silver) and four capacities (1TB, 2TB, 4TB and 5TB) and like its predecessor offers a one-year free Mylio Create subscription and free two-month membership to Adobe Creative Cloud Photography Plan. Moreover, it offers a two-year warranty and USB3.0 connectivity (its cable has a removable USB Type-C connector), and more importantly, has a tiny body that allows for its easy placement in a pocket or a bag.

Altogether, Seagate Backup Plus Slim doesn’t bring anything revolutionary, or majorly different to the competition or its predecessors. In other words, this drive is probably the best evidence that hard drives’ time is over and that we are now counting their last days.

WD My Passport Ultra

A Solid Storage Device for Everyday Use

WD My Passport Ultra is a good storage device that doesn’t bring anything mesmerizing; nevertheless, it perfectly fulfils its purpose.

It is equipped with some useful features such as 256-bit AES hardware encryption, both USB Type-C and USB3.0 (over the adapter) connectivity and a solid WD Discovery software that allows for easy handling of photos and videos and their import from cloud services and social networks.

This device is available in 1TB, 2TB, 4TB and 5TB capacity and two colors: dark blue and silver. Moreover, it offers a compact design and very attractive appearance that presents a mixture of anodized metal and textures, and more importantly, comes with a three-year warranty.

WD My Passport Ultra offers solid read (125MBps) and write (120MBps) sequential speeds; however, it lacks some of the important features such as shock resistance and Mac compatibility.

All in all, WD My Passport Ultra is a good external hard drive option. Nevertheless, if you are concerned only about the amount of storage, there are certainly more affordable options out there, such as Seagate Expansion or WD Elements.

SAMSUNG T7

A Highly Versatile Portable SSD with an Excellent Security Features

Samsung T7 is a tiny, super-fast external SSD that brings the familiar Samsung quality and offers a great list of features that make it a great multi-role external storage.

This is the drive that provides great compatibility (it is compatible with Windows, Mac, and Android devices); it is shock resistant and overall very durable, and most importantly, it is very fast and it provides sequential read/write speeds of around 1000MBps.

Moreover, this drive comes in three different capacities (500GB, 1TB, and 2TB), two colors (black and silver), and provides a whole bunch of security features that include AES 256-bit hardware encryption, fingerprint, and password security, and many more. Other of its interesting features involve its USB 3.1 Type C connectivity, but its lightweight design as well and the fact that it weighs only 58 grams, which makes it a perfect option for travels and businesses that demand a lot of ongoing work.

SAMSUNG T7 is fitted with 3-bit MLC V-NAND, which is another reason for its great performance, while its sleek look in a combination with square LED status indicator sort of circles its offering, giving it a final touch to its overall great value for the customer.

In other words, if the best external SSD is what you need, you may be sure that SAMSUNG T7 will deliver everything you need and much more.

Seagate Backup Plus Ultra Touch

A Decent Storage Solution for Everyday Backups

Seagate has produced a lot of similar, but still different products in its Seagate Backup Plus line and Ultra Touch is one of those derives that shares a lot in common, but still presents a distinctive device.

What separates it from the bunch, in the first place, is the design that incorporates the woven, textile fabric into its outside shell, making it original and good-looking at the same time.

This drive comes in two capacities (1TB and 2TB) and offers nice data protection, which includes both password and AES-256 hardware encryption. It comes with a two-year warranty and offers USB3.0/2.0 connectivity, along with the USB Type-C one that can be accomplished by installing the included cap addition.

The drive itself archives read/write speeds that are around 120MBps and is compatible with Windows and Mac OSs. Its software offers neat backup/recovery options, as well as mirroring, which is very handy if you always need to keep all your data with you. Along with that, Seagate Backup Plus Ultra Touch provides a one-year free use of the Mylio Create and two months of a free Adobe CC Photography membership.

Generally speaking, this external drive has every feature that a regular user might need, and all that for a fair price.

Plugable Thunderbolt 3 External SSD NVMe Drive

An External SSD Masterpiece

If you are in a need of a super-speedy, uncompromising external storage, Plugable Thunderbolt 3 External SSD NVMe Drive might be exactly what you need. This is the drive that delivers excellent performance and achieves staggering sequential speeds that go up to 2400MBps in the case of reading and up to 1800MBps in the case of writing.

Plugable NVMe drive is available in 512GB, 1TB, and 2TB size and offers great durability that comes as the result of its full aluminum body and the lack of movable parts that altogether make this device a really tough dude. Also, this drive comes with great compatibility that allows for its use with Mac, Windows, and Linux systems, while its Thunderbolt 3 connection comes as a guarantee that its incredible NVMe speed won’t go down the drain, but be used in the best possible way and allow for really fast data management.

Moreover, this device offers a three-year warranty; it is easy to use and overall presents a uniquely fast and useful device, as it should be the case with the best external drives in the first place.

Silicon Power Rugged Armor A60

An Affordable External Hard Drive that Will Even Withstand a Storm

If you are looking for a drive that offers plenty of capacity and the highest possible case protection at a fair price, Silicon Power Rugged Armor A60 is the device for you. Its performance and transfer read/write speeds of around 110MBps won’t impress anyone. Nevertheless, they are good enough for the majority of users.

Silicon Power Rugged Armor A60 comes in capacities from 500GB to 5TB and it supports Linux, Mac and Windows. Also, it offers a USB 3.1 Gen1 or USB Type-C connectivity (depending on the model) that unfortunately doesn’t achieve its full potential because of the slow built-in 5400rpm drives. On the other hand, its rubber/plastic case provides an extensive mechanical protection, complies with various military-grade shockproof standards, and even offers IPX4 protection (water resistant) which makes it ideal for outdoor use.

This drive comes with the SP Widget software that offers just the right number of features, including AES 256-bit encryption, data backup, recovery – basically, all the stuff needed by a regular user.

Silicon Power Rugged Armor A60 comes with a three-year warranty and altogether presents a good entry-level outdoor storage option. Therefore, if you need a durable large capacity device, this is the one to choose.

Toshiba Canvio Advance Backup 2.0

An Affordable and Reliable External Hard Drive

Toshiba Canvio Advance Backup 2.0 is a compact and easy-to-use external hard drive that comes at a reasonable cost, and more importantly, does a great backup job. This drive comes in multiple capacities that vary from 1TB, up to 4TB, and is available in four different colors (black, blue, green, red, and white). In other words, finding the best fit shouldn’t be a problem.

Toshiba Canvio Advance Backup 2.0 features USB 3.0 connectivity, supports data transfer speeds of around 120MBps, and is compatible with both Mac and Windows. However, Mac owners will have to reformat it to use it and won’t be able to use its Storage Backup software, which is only compatible with Windows.

Moreover, this drive features a stylish, textured finish, it comes with the Toshiba Storage Security software for password protection, and it brings a decent value to the customer. Fact is that it isn’t packed with fancy features, yet let’s be realistic, back-up is what these devices are made for in the first place, and that is the job in Toshiba Canvio Advance Backup 2.0 does flawlessly.

Crucial X8

A Perfect External SSD for Everyday Use

Crucial X8 is a compact, durable, and easy to use external SSD that delivers solid performance while being affordable at the same time. This drive doesn’t belong to the crème de la crème of modern drives; however, it provides fairly decent sequential speeds that are moving around the 1000MBps mark, while its great compatibility that allows for its use with Windows, Mac, Android, Xbox, and many other systems, makes this drive a highly versatile one.

As mentioned, Crucial X8 offers great durability, due to its anodized aluminum unibody, as well as great resistance characteristics that allow it to withstand the extreme temperatures, shocks, vibrations, even drops from more than two-meter height.

Crucial X8 is available in 500GB, 1TB, and 2TB capacity; it offers USB-C connectivity and comes along with a decent three-year warranty. More importantly, inside of it, there is a TLC NAND flash, which means that the driver will face certain hiccups whenever its cache runs out, which usually happens when large files are transferred. Therefore, if you plan to use the drive for storing large files, such as Blu-ray rips, some other drives, such as Samsung T7 for instance, might be a much better option.

In any other scenario, this is an excellent, affordable choice that will give you a lot of usabilities and overall value, without a huge investment, as it should be the case with the best external SSD drives.

SanDisk Extreme Portable SSD

An Impressive NVMe SSD that Should Make Anyone Happy

SanDisk Extreme Portable SSD is one of the newcoming NVMe SSDs that are bringing amazing data transfer speeds and setting new standards for external drives. To be exact, this device has 1050MBps read speeds and 1000MBps write speeds, as well as excellent durability, presented in its two-meter drop resistance and IP55 waterproof rating. These features altogether make this drive one tough little cookie.

On top of that, SanDisk Extreme Portable SSD has a five-year warranty and great compatibility, which allows its use with Windows, Mac, Linux, and a whole bunch of other Operating Systems. Furthermore, this SSD offers 256‐bit AES hardware encryption, great portability thanks to its light weight and small size, and it comes with excellent connectivity that is the result of the USB 3.2 Type-C connection that is integrated into this drive.

In other words, if you are a designer or simply a professional that is constantly on the go, seeking reliable storage that will take just a tiny space in your luggage and provide performance worth the best external SSD drives, SanDisk Extreme Portable SSD is without a doubt a great choice for you and a device that will certainly fulfill your every need.

LaCie Mobile Drive

A Beauty and a Solid Performer in One

A quality performance, followed by good looks and a large capacity is what most users are asking for from their external hard drives, and LaCie Mobile Drive fulfills exactly that.

It is available in four capacities (1TB, 2TB, 4TB and 5TB) and two colors (moon silver, space gray) and offers a highly attractive metal-skinned design that distinguishes from every other external drive. Moreover, it provides very good read (125MBps) and writes (120MBps) sequential speeds and overall decent versatility thanks to the USB3.0 and USB Type-C connectivity and compatibility with both Windows and Mac.

LaCie Mobile Drive offers a free one-month subscription to all Adobe Creative Cloud Apps, comes with a two-year warranty and very good LaCie Toolkit software that delivers some very handy functions such as “Mirror”, which allows for file syncing between the dedicated folder on the external drive and the computer itself.

Overall, LaCie Mobile Drive is a great pocket-sized storage device that is highly appealing to a very large base of users and altogether, one of the best external hard drives on the market, or at least the most attractive one.

Seagate One Touch

A Compact Size and Solid Performance in One

Seagate One Touch is attractive looking external SSD, with decent performance and compact size that makes it a great storage option for the mainstream users.

Its sequential read/write speeds aren’t impressive and go up to 460MBps during reading and up to 400MBps during writing; however, are good enough for average everyday use and definitely much better than the speeds of regular hard-drives.

Seagate One Touch comes in 500GB and 1TB capacity; it is compatible with both Windows and Mac and it provides USB3.0 connectivity, which definitely isn’t the optimal solution; nevertheless, savings had to be made somewhere.

When talking about the design, Seagate One Touch offers a simple, yet, attractive appearance that presents the combination of plastic, fabric, and metal that altogether make it possible for this drive to be available in multiple color combinations that include white, black, gray, camo blue, camo green and many other.

Another interesting aspect of this drive is that comes along with two-month membership to Adobe CC photography plan and that it provides a respectable three-year warranty. In other words, it presents a good combination of size, performance, and overall functionality, which ultimately makes it one of the best external drives out there and a pretty good altogether option out there.

LaCie Mobile Drive STHM2000400

An Excellent Performance in a Shiny Armor

LaCie Mobile Drive is a sleek and attractive-looking external hard drive that is available in 1TB, 2TB, 4TB, and 5TB size, and silver, moon silver, and space gray color. This drive works with both Windows and Mac, as well as a whole assortment of consoles, such as PS4 for example.

Inside of it, there is a solid 5,400rpm HDD, while you’ll have both USB-C and USB 3.0 type connectors for external connection. More importantly, this drive delivers pretty solid sequential read/write speeds that are somewhere around the 125MBps mark and offers a very good dedicated software that involves LaCie Toolkit, responsible for easy backup, restore, and mirroring.

Also, LaCie Mobile Drive comes with one free month of Adobe Creative Cloud All Apps Plan, which isn’t much; however, it gives you just enough, in case you need something like that in the first place.

In other words, LaCie Mobile Drive presents a solid external HDD option, except for the price, which is a bit too high, regardless of the drive’s great looks and performance.

External hard drives are incredibly affordable and there are plenty of options for size and features. They’re a must-have for any gamer or media enthusiast who wants an additional layer of file security (even if you already have the best gaming PC with reliable SSD)!

In the world of PC technology, NAS doesn’t get a whole lot of attention. However, NAS is something that becomes a big deal when you need it; therefore, it’s important to familiarize yourself with NAS features and specifications so that you can purchase the best NAS with confidence.

Top Picks

Preview	Product
	QNAP TS-230 2-Bay Home NAS Realtek RTD1296 ARM Cortex-A53 Quad-core 1.4 GHz Processor, 2GB DDR4 RAM	Check at Amazon
	Synology NAS DiskStation DS1520+ (Diskless), 5-Bay; 8GB DDR4	Check at Amazon
	WD Diskless My Cloud Pro Series PR4100 Network Attached Storage - NAS - WDBNFA0000NBK-NESN	Check at Amazon
	Asustor Drivestor 2 Pro AS3302T - 2 Bay NAS, 1.4GHz Quad Core, 2.5GbE Port, 2GB RAM DDR4, Network...	Check at Amazon
	Synology 2 bay NAS DiskStation DS220+ (Diskless),Black	Check at Amazon
	BUFFALO LinkStation SoHo 220 4TB 2-Bay NAS Network Attached Storage with HDD Hard Drives Included...	Check at Amazon
	QNAP TS-453Be-2G-US 4-Bay Professional NAS. Intel Celeron Apollo Lake J3455 Quad-core CPU with...	Check at Amazon
	Western Digital 4TB My Cloud EX2 Ultra Network Attached Storage - NAS - WDBVBZ0040JCH-NESN	Check at Amazon
	Zyxel Personal Cloud Storage Server [4-Bay] with Remote Access and Media Streaming, Disks not...	Check at Amazon

Last update on 2023-10-01 // The links above are affiliate // Images from Amazon

How to Choose the Best NAS

Why You May Need NAS And How It Can Be Used

Why get a NAS when you can just use an external hard drive to store your data? A NAS connects to a network, not a computer; this means that you have much more options for what you can do with the stored data. If something happens to your computer, you might lose that data forever. With NAS, your data is still safe within the connected network. Additionally, you can also use NAS to stream content, such as music and videos, anywhere you go.

Here are a few reasons why you might need NAS at your home or office:

• Everyone using the network can access the data
• Passwords can be set up for certain devices to keep things private, while still storing the data in a safe place
• NAS has its own operating system, so you don’t have to rely on a monthly subscription service to store your data; you have full control and you only have to make one purchase
• NAS is scalable, meaning that you can add more storage options, such as hard drives and additional NAS units, as your needs change over time
• Depending on the configurations, NAS is versatile and can come with several additional features, such as the ability to download large amounts of internet data even during travel
• NAS units are usually more reliable than other storage options because they are built to run at lower temperatures with a specific focus on data storage

Understanding NAS units and their specifications can be a challenge. If you’re thinking about getting the best NAS for your needs, it’s important to research how to setup your NAS in the way that works best for you.

NAS Capacity

A NAS holds hard drives within it. These hard drives can have different storage capacities.

Depending on the size of your family, business or data usage, the size of NAS you need will vary. Here are some things to consider when choosing a NAS based on capacity:

• Documents: Word documents typically don’t take up much space, so if you may not need to spend more on a larger capacity NAS if you’re just storing these types of files, such as in an office.
• Media (music, movies and images): If you’re an avid media user, editor or photographer, you’re going to need lots of space to store those files. The higher quality media you use (such as HD videos), the more storage you’ll need. This is especially true if you live or work in a place where multiple users are accessing and sharing very large data files.
• Do you use RAID? RAID (“Redundant Array of Inexpensive Disks”) is something that you enable in a system, such as a NAS unit, that provides fault tolerance and performance optimization. Essentially, RAID provides added protection for your data and helps your NAS run as best as it can. If you use RAID, it will take up more space within the NAS, so keep this in mind when looking at capacity.

Disks or No Disks?

Some NAS come with hard drive disks, while others do not.

• The Pros of No Disks: You have the freedom to add your own hard drives based on the size and brand that you prefer.
• The Cons of No Disks: You’ll need to buy extra hard drives and spend more time setting the NAS up.
• The Pros of Disks: A NAS with preinstalled disks is convenient because those disks are already configured for that NAS drive. You can set up your NAS quickly and easily (in comparison to diskless).
• The Cons of Disks: The disk that the NAS comes with may not be best quality based on your needs for space and features.

Connectivity

NAS connects through the network at your home or office via a Wi-Fi network or your router. Most NAS units typically connect using a Gigabit Ethernet cable. In order to get the most out of your NAS, it’s important to have a high-quality router and a strong internet connection.

Remote Access

Whether you own your own business or live in a household with various devices, you might come into a situation where multiple users need to access a large chunk of data. That’s exactly what a NAS does; it makes it so that everybody can store and access data through the NAS server, without worrying about losing or misplacing files.

NAS can give you remote access so that you can view and manage your files wherever you are on whichever device you choose. This can be achieved by making an account with the NAS manufacturer and using your login to access your files.

Security

As previously mentioned, RAID means “Redundant Array of Inexpensive Disks” and it’s designed to provide a safety net for the data on your NAS unit. There are different types of RAIDS. The type of RAID you need will depend on the drive capacity of your NAS unit. Hard drives can break down, and that is why NAS has fault tolerance so that you can save your data even if you lose a hard drive.
For more tips on NAS security, check out this guide.

Best Network Attached Storages

Give Your Lifetime Memories and Professional Data Complete Protection with the Best NAS for your Lifestyle

If you’re someone who creates, uses and manages large amounts of data using a computer, laptop or tablet, you might need a NAS. If you’ve been hunting for the best SSD for gaming and the best external hard drive options you might also be interested in finding the best NAS so you can be sure that all your games and multimedia files are safe and accessible.

With the best NAS, you can ensure long-term protection of your important data and personal files. NAS leads to security, and security leads to peace of mind!

The industry of SSDs is ever-evolving as our need for storage increases with larger, more complex programs and games. With this ultimate guide on how to find the best SSD, we’ll show you the basic features to look for, including examples of some of the best SSDs for gaming that you can buy, even if you’re on a budget.

Top 2.5” Picks

Preview	Product
	SAMSUNG 870 QVO SATA III SSD 1TB 2.5" Internal Solid State Drive, Upgrade Desktop PC or Laptop...	Check at Amazon
	Western Digital 500GB WD Blue 3D NAND Internal PC SSD - SATA III 6 Gb/s, 2.5"/7mm, Up to 560 MB/s -...	Check at Amazon
	SanDisk Ultra 3D NAND 500GB Internal SSD - SATA III 6 Gb/s, 2.5 Inch /7 mm, Up to 560 MB/s -...	Check at Amazon
	Crucial BX500 120GB 3D NAND SATA 2.5-Inch Internal SSD, up to 540MB/s - CT120BX500SSD1Z, Black/Blue	Check at Amazon
	Samsung 860 EVO 500GB 2.5 Inch SATA III Internal SSD (MZ-76E500B/AM)	Check at Amazon
	Kingston 480GB A400 SATA 3 2.5" Internal SSD SA400S37/480G - HDD Replacement for Increase...	Check at Amazon
	Crucial MX500 250GB 3D NAND SATA 2.5 Inch Internal SSD, up to 560MB/s - CT250MX500SSD1(Z)	Check at Amazon

Last update on 2023-10-02 // The links above are affiliate // Images from Amazon

Top M.2 Picks

Preview	Product
	SAMSUNG 970 EVO Plus SSD 1TB NVMe M.2 Internal Solid State Hard Drive, V-NAND Technology, Storage...	Check at Amazon
	WD_BLACK 1TB SN850 NVMe Internal Gaming SSD Solid State Drive - Gen4 PCIe, M.2 2280, 3D NAND, Up to...	Check at Amazon
	SABRENT 1TB Rocket 4 Plus NVMe 4.0 Gen4 PCIe M.2 Internal SSD Extreme Performance Solid State Drive...	Check at Amazon
	Silicon Power 1TB w/DRAM Cache NVMe M.2 PCIe Gen3x4 2280 R/W up to 3,400/3,000MB/s SSD...	Check at Amazon
	Crucial P2 500GB 3D NAND NVMe PCIe M.2 SSD Up to 2400MB/s - CT500P2SSD8	Check at Amazon
	SAMSUNG 980 PRO SSD 1TB PCIe 4.0 NVMe Gen 4 Gaming M.2 Internal Solid State Drive Memory Card + 2mo...	Check at Amazon

Last update on 2023-09-18 // The links above are affiliate // Images from Amazon

What to Consider When Choosing The Best SSD for Gaming?

What is Important?

There are several factors to consider when choosing SSDs for your gaming PC, including:

Type of NAND Flash Memory (SLC, MLC, TLC and QLC)

As you probably already know, SSDs are using NAND flash memory for storing data. Yes, that same flash memory that is used in flash drives.

In order to properly function, both of these devices require not only the memory chips but also for an adequate controller that will communicate with the computer and notify it which chip it should look in to find the required information.

These tiny chips are positioned in blocks, or cells, that obtain a certain amount of bits and depending upon their number, NAND flash memories are divided into four types: Single-level Cell (SLC), Multi-Level Cell (MLC), Tri-Level Cell (TLC) and Quad-Level Cell (QLC) memory.

To be more precise, SLC memory can acquire only one bit of information, MLC acquires two bits, TLC – three bits and QLC, four bits of information. However, with the increased number of obtained bits, the speed of an SSD decreases, because the search for a proper cell in a much more crowded environment requires for more time. In other words, the higher the density of information, lower the speed of an SSD.

SLC

Single-Level Cell flash memory is the most durable, efficient and expensive of all the flash memory types. It is mostly dedicated to servers and professional working stations that require constant processing and top of the line performance.

Because of its low number of bits in each cell, this memory type delivers the best possible longevity and allows for up to 100.000 read/write cycles.

MLC

Multi-Level Cell flash memory probably delivers the best value for the money of all the memory types. It is still efficient enough to allow for comfortable video editing or gaming, but at a much lower cost.

It can withstand between 10.000 and 35.000 read/write cycles and is without a doubt the best option for power users, looking for solid durability and reliability.

TLC

Triple-Level Cell flash memory has a significantly lower efficiency than the two previous memory types. Therefore, it is much more suitable for regular home or office users that won’t take their machines to the limits.

It can handle up to 5.000 read/write cycles and, as you can anticipate, it offers only modest durability.

QLC

Quad-Level Cell flash memory, as you may guess, is the worst of all the flash memory types and offers only a mediocre performance that is good enough only for basic tasks and typical office work.

It can withstand the modest 1.000 read/write cycles and overall represents a budget-friendly solution with limited efficiency and rather questionable longevity. Still, QLC memory becomes popular nowadays as it allows to lower the potential cost.

Sequential Transfer Speeds

Sequential Transfer Speeds are how fast the SSD transfers data. You will generally see them on the sales page of any solid-state drive. For example, on a product listing, it might look like “up to 550 MB/s”, referring to the maximum megabytes per second that the SSD can read and write data. It’s extremely uncommon that you’ll actually achieve these maximum speeds seen on the sales page unless you are attempting to read or write one large block of data going to the same cell or location. More commonly, your SSD will be working with a combination of larger and smaller files, so speeds will vary depending on what you’re trying to do.

So how much do read/write speeds really matter when it comes to PC gaming? That depends on a wide range of factors, such as the type of files you’re dealing with, your budget and your personal preferences for having the highest potential speeds. In general, sequential transfer speeds may not be as important as the type of NAND flash memory, IOPS, storage space and price.

IOPS

Input-Output Operations Per Second, or IOPS, is a measure of performance for SSDs and their flash memory. Unlike sequential transfer speeds, IOPS is not actually measured in MB/s. Instead, it’s a whole number that measures how many actions that the SSD can do per second. When seen on a sales page, IOPS refers to about how many 4K blocks of data can be written to the SSD in random locations. The more operations that an SSD can do per second is going to assist with better performance in day to day tasks, especially for gaming activities.

How to Choose the Right SSD?

If you’re shopping for the best SSD for gaming, there are several features you should be looking for when it comes to finding the best option to fit your preference and budget, including:

• Sequential read speed/write speed. While you may never reach the maximum speeds listed for a given SSD, SSDs with higher sequential read speeds are generally capable of reading and writing data at a faster potential rate.
• IOPS. How many read/write requests your SSD can handle may be important to consider for certain types of games that require a large workload. IOPS is also considered in conjunction with 4K performance, which is important for how your SSD accesses smaller files in random locations.
• Longevity and endurance. Unfortunately, any SSD will degrade in performance over time. However, higher-end models with SLC or MLC flash memory will generally last longer.
• 2.5” SSDs versus M.2 SSDs. While looking for the best SSD for gaming, for the most part, you may see SSDs that are either 2.5” or M.2. The differences between the two have to do with the way they are attached and mounted within your PC, so your choice will depend on the way your PC is constructed. M.2 is usually faster but more expensive than 2.5”.
• Storage. Different SSD models usually have various storage capacity options, with 128GB on the lower spectrum and 2TB or more on the higher spectrum. In general, you’re going to need a large storage capacity if you intend on owning and playing a lot of games.
• Price.In the case of the SSDs, the matter is simple: if you want faster-performing SSDs, you will have to invest more money. In other words, the speedier it gets, the pricier it comes.

The Best 2.5” SSDs

SAMSUNG 870 QVO

An Already Great SSD Becoming Even Better

SAMSUNG 870 QVO is a premium-quality QLC SSD, available in multiple storage capacities, from 1TB up to 8TB. More importantly, this SSD comes along with a great Samsung Magician 6.1 software and multiple features that offer a bit more performance improvements, compared to the previous generation of this SSD, and contrary to the limits imposed by the aging SATA interface.

Because of the same SATA interface, its sequential read/write speeds are limited to the 560/530 MB/s speeds. On the other hand, its multiple security functions such as AES 256-bit encryption, TCG/Opal V2.0, and IEEE1667 compliance offer a decent level of security, which is somewhat expected from a high-profile device like this one.

SAMSUNG 870 QVO comes with 98k/88k IOPS random read/write speeds and offers a decent level of reliability that is up to 2,880 TBW. Moreover, this SSD features a refined ECC algorithm that brings additional stability, while the involvement of the TurboWrite technology keeps the long-term high performance, thanks to the variable buffer.

In other words, if you are after the best SATA SSD available, SAMSUNG 870 QVO is pretty much that – of course, if you are willing to accept it’s a bit higher price tag.

WD Blue 3D NAND SSD

A Good Performance SSD with an Entry Level Price

WD Blue 3D NAND SSD is proof that SSDs can deliver good performance and have an affordable price. With its 3D BiCS NAND (improved TLC) flash and older Marvell 88SS1074 controller with an LDPC technology for an improved error-correcting, this SSD delivers performance very close to the Samsung’s 850 EVO, which is more than impressive for a drive that has an almost entry-level price.

When talking about the exact numbers, its sequential read-write speed is above 560/530MB/s, which puts it in the group of the fastest TLC drives you can find on the market. Also, although it uses a TLC flash, WD Blue 3D NAND doesn’t suffer from serious performance issues during the long hauls as the other similar drives. It does slow the write speed to some 450MB/s, but not more than that, which is very good for a TLC drive.

When it comes to other interesting aspects of this drive, it is good to know that WD Blue 3D NAND is exactly the same drive as the SanDisk Ultra 3D. Therefore, no matter which of the two you buy, you will end up with the same drive.

SanDisk Ultra 3D NAND SSD

A Quality Twin Brother SSD That Delivers Much More Than it Costs

As previously mentioned, SanDisk Ultra 3D NAND and WD Blue 3D NAND are essentially the same drives, with a different label. They both have sequential read-write speeds of above 560/530MB/s and use the same Marvell 88SS1074 controller and nCache 2.0 (SLC caching system) that prevents drastic speed drops during long hauls.

SanDisk Ultra 3D NAND comes with a limited 5-year warranty and generally presents a good mainstream SSD option, just like WD Blue 3D NAND. According to performance, they are somewhere between the slower Crucial MX300 and a bit faster 850 EVO, and offer a good combination of performance, cost and low power consumption.

If you are a newbie in the SSD world or just want to have a decent drive that won’t cost you too much, any of the two, SanDisk Ultra 3D NAND or the WD Blue 3D NAND, will do more than a good job.

Crucial BX500

An Entry-level SSD Designed for Lightly Used Systems

If you are building a new system for your parents or just want a cheap drive upgrade for your lightly used PC, Crucial BX500 comes as a nice option. Of course, if you accept that its highly affordable cost also means a lack of DRAM, which is the most visible in its poor small random writes performance, but also not that great performance in general when compared to the other SSDs.

When talking about its sequential read/write speeds, they are very good 540/500MB/s, which is pretty similar to the more costly SSDs with a DRAM. Crucial BX500 uses Silicon Motion SM2258 XT controller combined with a Micron 3D TLC flash and offers not that great endurance of 120 TBW (total bytes written), because of which it has a modest 3-year warranty.

Overall, Crucial BX500 is a cheap option SSD, with limited capabilities enough for lightly used systems, or internet browsing, but nothing more than that.

Samsung 860 Evo

A Great Performing SSD that Struggles to Fulfil Its Full Potential

If you are looking for premium quality that will deliver a top-notch SSD performance, Samsung 860 EVO is a great choice. This drive comes with a 3bit MLC 3D V-NAND flash and improved MJX controller, thanks to which it has a great endurance rating (half of the 860 PRO’s, but still among the highest ones on the market) and nice sequential read/write speed of 550/520MB/s.

Samsung 860 EVO presents a slight improvement over the previous 850 EVO, and in real life situations, due to Operating system limitations, the majority of the users will not see the difference. Another thing that is problematic for 860 EVO is competition (Crucial MX500, SanDisk Ultra 3D, etc.) that offers slightly lower performance, but for noticeably less money. Even worse, unless you are into frequent heavy workloads, you won’t spot the difference between the EVO and the rivals.

In other words, Samsung 860 EVO is a great SSD, but due to the SATA limitations and the arrival of cheaper entry-level NVMe SSDs is a bit too pricey for its own good.

Kingston A400

An Excellent Entry-Level SSD

Kingston A400 is cheap, lightweight, and low power-consuming SSD that presents a great option for every gamer that has limited resources and wants the most for his/her money, thanks to its superb price/performance ratio. This is a budget-friendly drive devoted to lap-top gamers and entry-level users, so don’t expect from it to perform as Samsung 860 PRO or some other high-end drive. However, expect to have a reliable and durable SSD that, considering its cost, is more than an overachiever.

Kingston A400 is available in capacities from 120GB to 1.92TB, it provides the reading speed of 500MBps and writing speed between 320MBps and 450MBps, which depends on the size of the drive, and offers a fairly decent three-year warranty, especially if you add its low price into the equation.

When talking about its components, they include the Phison PS3111-S11 controller and Toshiba 15nm TLC flash memory that aren’t anything spectacular; nevertheless, they deliver very good overall performance and certainly position Kingston A400 among the best cheap gaming SSDs available on the market.

Crucial MX500

Affordable SSD With Good Transfer Speed

The Crucial MX500 is a fairly inexpensive 2.5 inch SSD with decent transfer speeds and a generous 5-year limited warranty. It offers 560/510 MB/s Sequential Read/Write speeds while Random Read/Write speeds are at 95k/90k IOPS respectively.

This SSD is designed with an “Integrated Power Loss Immunity” feature so that your data will always be saved, even in the event of a sudden power outage. If you need a 2.5 inch SSD with lots of storage and a reliable build at an affordable price point, the MX500 could be the right SSD for you.

The Best M.2 SSDs

Samsung 970 EVO Plus

Exceptional Value at More Than a Reasonable Price

Samsung 970 EVO Plus is affordable, yet very competitive NVMe 1.3 SSD, with excellent read/write speeds that go from 3500MBps/2300MBps (250GB model), at up to 3500MBps/3200MBps (higher capacity models).

This drive provides excellent endurance that rises at up to impressive 600TBW in a 2TB model, as well as great IOPS values that are, in the case of a random write, positioned around 550,000.

Samsung 970 EVO Plus is fitted with a five-year warranty and it comes with a great Samsung Magician Software. However, what is more, important is hidden “under the hood”, and that is a brand new Samsung 9x-layer V-NAND TLC memory that is performing miracles, along with the Samsung Phoenix controller, which is also used in older Samsung 970 EVO NVMe SSD, and is the key reason for this drive’s great performance.

In other words, Samsung 970 EVO Plus is a great drive, considering both performance and price. Therefore, if you are looking for something that will rock your gaming, Samsung 970 EVO Plus is definitely a great choice.

WD BLACK SN850

A Blazing Fast NVMe SSD

WD BLACK SN850 is pricey; however, it is a super-fast NVMe SSD that brings an impressive sequential read/write speeds of 7000/5300 MB/s and equally impressive peak random read/write speeds of 1,000,000 IOPS (this includes only 1TB and 2TB models).

It is available in 500GB, 1TB, and 2TB, and more importantly, it is packed with features. Yes, the AES 256-bit encryption is off-limits; nonetheless, there is Secure Erase, Power Management (ASPM), S.M.A.R.T., and Trim data reporting, as well as the Autonomous Power State Transition (APST). Furthermore, this drive is accompanied by the WD BLACK Dashboard software that offers multiple customization options and the ability to monitor your SSD’s health.

WD BLACK SN850 is a PCIe Gen4 NVMe SSD, fitted with a BiCS4 96L TLC memory, dynamic SLC cache, and a fairly convincing five-year warranty that is another important addition to this already amazing device. Therefore, if you are after a blazing fast NVMe SSD that accepts no compromise, WD BLACK SN850 should be your weapon of choice and you may be more than sure it will fulfill your every need and much more.

Sabrent Rocket 4 Plus

A Fast, Yet Affordable NVMe SSD

If you are seeking a fast performing, yet reasonably priced NVMe SSD that is neck and neck with the best SSDs for Gaming, Sabrent Rocket 4 Plus is the device for you. This is a super-fast drive, with sequential read/write speeds of up to 7000/5300 MBps and peak random read/write speed of 650k/700K IOPS (in the case of the 1TB drive, random write speed is only 350K IOPS).

Sabrent Rocket 4 Plus is fitted with the Micron 96L TLC NAND memory and Phison PS5018-E18 controller that is the main reason for its great performance. However, it’s also the key reason for its excessive heat, when heavily loaded, which happens due to high power draw.

Moreover, this SSD comes fitted with multiple features, such as the SMART and TRIM commands, and support for multiple interfaces that, among others, include the ONFi 3.2 and ONFi 4.0 interface. In addition, there is also Advanced Wear Leveling, Bad Block Management, SmartECC, and Over-Provision features, as well as support for the APST / ASPM / L1.2 power managements.

Sabrent Rocket 4 Plus SSD comes with a five-year warranty and is available in 1TB, 2TB, and 4TB capacity. It is equipped with a fast SLC cache, and it is cool-looking. In other words, it has everything needed for good gaming. Therefore, if you are after a fast, yet affordable drive, the choice is pretty simple.

Silicon Power P34A80

A Good Performer in an Affordable Package

Silicon Power P34A80 is an NVMe-based SSD that brings good value for the money, or in other words, a more than solid performance for the price. Although, it’s not really comparable with the pack of the best SSDs, such as, for instance Samsung 970 EVO Plus, this drive is still very competitive in the entry-level market. There, it surpasses drives such as Intel SSD 660p and Crucial P1 and with its maximum sequential read speeds of around 3.4GBps and maximum sequential write speeds of around 3GBps, has a pretty similar performance to MyDigitalSSD BPX Pro drive.

Silicon Power P34A80 is fitted with Phison E12 controller and Toshiba 256Gb 64L 3D TLC NAND Flash and comes in four capacities (256GB, 512GB, 1TB and 2TB). Moreover, it supports SLC Cache and DRAM Cache Buffer and comes with a five-year warranty that is rather common for today’s TLC drives.

All in all, if you have a limited budget, but still want to treat yourself with a decent NVMe SSD, Silicon Power P34A80 is a great choice.

Crucial P2

A Budget-Friendly NVMe SSD Solution for Mainstream Gamers

If you are searching for a solid NVMe SSD drive that will give you much faster read/write speeds (around 2300MBps/1000MBps) than the regular SSDs for a slightly higher price, Crucial P2 is the hardware for you.

This is a drive that presents a significant upgrade over its predecessor P1, allowing for trouble-free mainstream gaming and professional work at a low cost. It is equipped with a Phison E13T controller and Micron’s 96-Layer TLC flash that aren’t doing miracles but do a proper job and deliver more than a solid value for the price.

Crucial P2 is available in 250GB, 500GB, and 1TB capacity and is backed with a fairly convincing five-year warranty that, along with its long list of features that include TRIM support, Error correction code, good software package, etc., makes this drive a really good buy.

To make a long story short, if you want one of the best gaming SSDs for the price, Crucial P2 should definitely be in the top part of your list.

SAMSUNG 980 PRO

Everything You Need from a High Performing NVMe SSD

SAMSUNG 980 PRO is an excellent high-performing PCIe 4.0 NVMe SSD that offers no compromise and brings a ton of features that turn gaming into a great adventure. With this drive, you are getting a ton of features, such as the AES 256-bit FDE encryption and the compliance with the TCG Opal V2.0 and IEEE1667 security standards, as well as the S.M.A.R.T. data reporting and Trim capability.

More importantly, SAMSUNG 980 PRO offers blazing fast speeds and has a sequential read/write speed of up to 7000/5000 MBps, and has a peak random read/write speed of around 1 million IOPS.

This drive is available in 250GB, 500GB, 1TB, and 2TB, and features a compact M.2 2280 form factor design, with nickel coating for better heat dissipation. Inside of it, there is a V6 V-NAND 3-bit TLC flash and the Samsung Elpis controller. They are the key reasons for its great performance.

SAMSUNG 980 PRO comes with a five-year warranty; it features good monitoring and performance-boosting Samsung Magician software, and in general, offers exactly what every gamer needs, and that is the high performing drive that will bring the best performance possible.

Whether you’re searching for the best SSD for the money or you just want a cheap SSD to satisfy your basic PC gaming needs, there’s an SSD for everyone.

Pay close attention to customer reviews and don’t get wrapped up in any one feature or specification. Consider the overall pros and cons and choose a higher quality SSD if you want a longer-lasting and higher-performance SSD for gaming.