Best PCIe Gen5 NVMe SSDs

Consumer PCIe 5.0 has a new performance benchmark in the WD Black SN8100, made by SanDisk. Tom's Hardware called it 'the fastest overall consumer SSD ever made,' and StorageReview measured it topping sequential charts at up to 15 GB/s reads and 14.1 GB/s writes, 'edging out even the Crucial T705 and Samsung 9100 Pro.' Efficiency is what sets it apart: the Silicon Motion SM2508 controller on a 6nm process draws far less power than the Phison E26 silicon in most rivals, so DongKnows (8.5/10) found it 'never became hotter than 85C, much less hot than the heatsink version of the Crucial T705.' Add record PCMark 10 scores and a 5-year, 1,200 TBW warranty and it is the most complete drive in this group. The catches are premium pricing and the need to supply your own cooling.

The Corsair MP700 Pro SE comes within reach of the fastest consumer NVMe SSD crown, tying with the Crucial T705. PCWorld's Jon Jacobi found it only slightly behind the competition, with a 2GBps speed boost coming from upgraded 2,400MT/s NAND. The warranty runs a generous 5 years at 750TBW per TB of capacity, and an optional heatsink cooler is available. At $625 for 4TB it sits at the high end, though not outrageously so given the performance and warranty. Enthusiasts and power users who demand peak performance are the fit; casual users will find better value elsewhere.

Instead of chasing peak speed like the rest of this group, the Seagate FireCuda 540 competes on durability and peace of mind. Tom's Hardware said the drive 'sets itself apart with an excellent warranty,' and its specification table puts the 2TB model at 2,000TB written on a five-year term with a three-year Seagate Rescue subscription — a service no rival here offers, and one the same review called 'an excellent addition that sets it apart from the MP700.' Peak speeds of around 10,000 MB/s trail the WD Black SN8100 and Crucial T705, but PCWorld found that 'though it's not the fastest PCIe 5.0 SSD we've seen with synthetic benchmarks, the FireCuda 540 blazed to a first-place finish in our real world 48GB transfers.' The drawbacks are familiar: it runs hot, needs a heatsink, and is priced like a flagship despite not being the fastest.

With the 9100 Pro, Samsung is back on top of the NVMe SSD leaderboard, delivering PCIe 5.0 performance PCWorld called the fastest they have tested. TechRadar praised it as a fantastic option for professional use while noting it is a poor match for gamers. It carries 1GB of DRAM per terabyte and 236-layer TLC NAND, and reviewers noted the premium pricing makes it excessive for typical users. Professionals who need maximum performance are the fit rather than casual consumers.