It is hard to imagine a modern complete desktop with no SSD (Solid State Drive). These drives give your system major performance boosts. The benefits include faster load times, reliability, and extra storage. What about old hard drives? They are so last year (outdated). If you are into gaming or video editing, you’ll need one. They handle heavy tasks with ease. Desktop SSD is a must in 2025.
We have come from slow SATA drives to super-fast PCIe Gen 5 SSDs. They bring incredible speed and raise performance expectations. However, how to choose between them? Of course, PCIe Gen 5 SSDs are lightning-fast. But when we compare them against budget-friendly PCIe Gen 3 SSD models or super-popular PCIe Gen 4 SSDs, the speed might feel unnecessary. Do our daily tasks need that much speed? Probably not.
What is PCIe and Why Does It Matter?
PCI or Peripheral Component Interconnect Express connects your SSD to the CPU. They are like the Pune-Mumbai highway for data flow. The latest PCIe versions let data travel faster. This means quicker loading times and smoother performance. If you are upgrading your desktop PCIe version makes a big difference. It impacts how fast and responsive your system feels.
Here’s the difference:
- On a budget? Go PCIe Gen 3 SSD: Reliable, budget-friendly. Read speeds up to 3.9 GB/s and you can enjoy it for everyday usage and light gaming.
- Go PCI-Gen 4 SSD if you love speed: Take it to the next level with speeds up to 7.8 GB/s. That is what a gamer and content creator needs.
- Best of the best is PCIe Gen 5 SSD: The latest tech on the market. They reach bandwidths of up to 14 GB/s. This is perfect for power users who want top-tier performance. It is ideal for heavy gamers and 4K video editors.
PCIe Gen 3 SSDs are okay if you are on a tight budget. They give very good value for the money you paid for it. The speed is nothing to rave about, but it’s good enough to get by with daily applications and light gaming. Even at a heavy usage level, they work fine. They come with compatibility with most motherboards, even the old ones.
Gen 4 SSDs do strike a good balance between the two. They bring excellent performance for gaming and content creation. Plus, they are less expensive than high-end Gen 5. They are perfect for the ones who need both in one package. The Gen 4 SSD will depend on the motherboard it requires to support PCIe 4.0.
When choosing a high-end option, select a PCIe Gen 5 SSD. It will cut someone requiring high-end performance. Whether you are editing top-of-the-line, ultra-HD video or enjoying premium, top-tier gaming, you’ll find this money-worthy. It’s pretty expensive, but the level of performance speaks for itself.
Best Speed: Samsung 990 Pro PCIe Gen 5 SSD
This desktop SSD is all about speed. It beats the 980 Pro Gen 4 with ease. The read speed goes all up to 7,450 MB/s while the write speed goes up to 6,900 MB/s.This is driven by the power of all heavy files, especially video editors.
This consumes 50% less power than the Samsung 980 Pro model. Even with the immense speed, heating isn’t an issue. Its nickel-coated controller and sophisticated thermal control system can well manage heat to provide steady performance. The heat spreader can help control NAND chip temperatures, and the Dynamic Thermal Guard keeps everything at a good temperature.
Best Prices today : Samsung 990 Evo
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Best Budget: Crucial T700 PCIe Gen 5 SSD
Tough performance of PCIe Gen 5 SSD? Also don’t want to compromise your budget? Well, the Crucial T700 is for you. It has a speed of up to 12,400 MB/s, and it is a really serious drive that does its performance without costing an arm.
Compared to the Crucial P5 Plus (which is Gen 4), the T700 is definitely a serious upgrade. As this provides future-proofing and more performance.
Best Prices today : Crucial T700 1tb
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Best SSD for Gamers: Western Digital Black SN850X PCIe Gen 4 SSD
It is designed for gamers. It will read speeds up to 7,300 MB/s for games to pop up instantaneously. Even with aggressive gaming, this remains cool due to excellent heat management. It has two variants in terms of heating with a heat sink and one without.
In comparison, the WD Black SN770 outdoes the SN850X in both speed and durability.
Best Prices today : WD Black SN850X
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Best for Durability: Seagate FireCuda 540 PCIe Gen 5 SSD
Seagate FireCuda 540 is a powerful desktop SSD with PCIe Gen 5 with double sides. It features read and write speeds up to 10,000 MB/s and 9,500 MB/s. It is of four lanes and 80mm. It runs under the protocol of NVMe 2.0.
You can do everything you need to, from a long gaming marathon to editing your 4K video smoothly without slowing down. This desktop SSD is compatible with older systems with PCIe Gen 3 and 4 too.
Best Prices today : Seagate FireCuda 540
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Best High End: Kingston Fury Renegade PCIe Gen 4 SSD
The Kingston Fury Renegade is perfect for those who do not need PCIe Gen 5 SSD but want speed nonetheless. It delivers read speeds of 7,300 MB/s and writes speeds of 7,000 MB/s and can run games and video editing with great ease.
It is a faster and tougher one than Kingston’s KC3000; therefore, it is expected to be an excellent upgrade for Gen 4. Reliability doesn’t get any better even under its heavy workload but brings in a heat spreader for cooling at pressure. Its good potential upgradability includes either this SSD or serious system power at either a PCIe Gen 5 SSD.
Best Prices today : Kingston fury Renegade
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| Pc Kumar | Kingston fury Renegade | click here |
Conclusion
This simply is all about how much you are willing to spend. The other factor that decides what kind of desktop SSD one has to buy is the user. These high-performing SSDs are meant for gamers, creators, or video editors.
PCIe Gen 3 SSD is different in that it offers reliable, solid performance without costing much. PCIe Gen 4 SSD provides greater speeds and better value to users who need a great balance of price and performance. The PCIe Gen 5 SSD is a high-performance model that gives the best possible speed and power for users who need the absolute best to game, create content, or do demanding tasks.
But here is the thing everybody needs something different. Some are looking for speed, others want reliability or even price value. Based on these facts above, which SSD do you think you would most use? Are you going to choose the more affordable but reliable Gen 3, or rather the well-balanced Gen 4, or, perhaps, the leading Gen 5? After all, the decision is in your hands.
