High-Performance M.2 SSDs for Gaming, PS5, and Content Creation

Rising component costs are creating urgency for selecting reliable M.2 SSDs before the next major price increases begin.

Hardware by Tanvir Kabbo on Jan 03, 2026

Memory prices have completely skyrocketed over the past few weeks, and a similar trend could soon apply to M.2 SSDs. Between SSDs and RAM, the components are similar.

These have DRAM cache and NAND built into them, and those are also subject to price hikes soon. For anyone interested in an M.2 SSD, it may be better to get one sooner rather than later.

Below is a guide to our favorite M.2 SSD options for your use case, along with what we look for when choosing the best SSD for a gaming PC.

High-Performance M.2 SSDs, Gaming, PS5, Content Creation, NoobFeed

Choosing a Boot Drive

If you're looking for a boot drive—something you're going to install Windows and commonly used programs on—we definitely recommend investing in a premium M.2 SSD rather than going straight for the bottom-bin, cheap option you find first on Amazon. Spending a little more will get you something that lasts.

A great example is the Seagate FireCuda 530R. It has all the hallmarks of a great boot drive. First, it's PCIe 4.0, not PCIe 5.0. PCIe5.0 SSDs for a regular gaming PC build are simply too extreme. You, using that PC for everyday gaming, are not going to necessitate the crazy read and write speeds of a 5.0 drive.

Going with a more affordable 4.0 drive that still delivers read and write speeds of up to 7000MB/s will be more than adequate.

This drive features TLC NAND, a technology commonly found in premium M.2 SSDs. TLC is good for continuous read and write operations on your SSD. It also features a DRAM controller, which provides insurance to maintain the high read and write speeds advertised on the box over time.

Since you access a boot drive all the time—downloading, installing, and opening apps every day—don't be cheap. In the long run, a good, long-lasting choice like the FireCuda 530R is best.

Adding a Secondary Scratch Drive

If you already have your boot drive sorted and you're looking to add an additional scratch drive for downloading your entire Steam library, rendering video files, or storing backup data, then a DRAMless SSD doesn't hurt. These will be cheaper than SSDs with a DRAM controller.

You could go with either style, but for a boot drive, we strongly recommend sticking with DRAM and TLC NAND. For a secondary drive, saving money with DRAMless options is perfectly fine.

Storage for Other Devices

You may have another device at home that accepts M.2 storage, such as a PlayStation 5. In that case, we would suggest getting an M.2 SSD with an integrated heatsink, like the FireCuda 530R, which includes one. With memory prices rising and SSDs likely to follow, expanding storage for your home PC or PS5 sooner rather than later is a smart move.

High-Performance M.2 SSDs, Gaming, PS5, Content Creation, NoobFeed

Fast External SSDs

If you need a very fast external SSD for transferring video files between devices after a long recording session, drives like the ultra-compact Seagate external SSD offer high read and write speeds and plug easily into any laptop or PC over USB-C. These could also go up in price soon.

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