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Nowadays, HDDs have almost been phased out because SSDs offer much higher speeds. Faster read and write speeds mean games load faster, there are fewer loading screens, and you get better performance when transferring files or installing programs.
There are many reasons why getting an SSD is a better choice, although HDDs are still used in some situations. For example, to store recordings from a security camera system, an HDD is usually a better option, especially because of the price. An HDD is much cheaper than an SSD.
How Fast Is an SSD?
It depends, because there are two popular types of SSDs: SATA SSDs and NVMe / PCIe SSDs. Both are fast compared to an HDD, but a SATA SSD usually offers maximum speeds close to 550 MB/s and over 1,000 MB/s for the more advanced models. NVMe / PCIe SSDs, on the other hand, can even exceed 7,000 MB/s.
If we compare an HDD with a high-end NVMe SSD, a standard HDD can be up to 70 times slower, so there is a huge difference in read and write speeds.
There are also portable SSDs, which are basically a SATA SSD inside a case that allows it to connect to the USB-A or USB-C port of a laptop or computer. They usually offer almost the same speed as a SATA SSD, so even though they are portable, they still maintain very good performance. Of course, they are much better than a portable HDD.
Why Isn’t an HDD Recommended for Gaming?
Even though it might seem tempting to buy a portable HDD with many terabytes of storage, they are actually quite bad for gaming, especially when it comes to large games that are bigger than 50 GB. Nowadays, many games easily exceed 120 GB.
The main problem with HDDs is that they can take a long time to load data. Launching a game can take several minutes, while an SSD usually takes just a few seconds. In addition, even if your PC is powerful, you might experience small FPS drops because the HDD cannot load the game data quickly enough.
Which Is the Best SSD?
There are many options available, but if you have a gaming PC or simply want to upgrade your storage, below we’ll show you an NVMe M.2 SSD that offers some of the best speeds. We’ll also recommend a portable SSD for storing games or large files, so you won’t have to rely on HDDs, which are very slow and not recommended for storing games.
1. Samsung 990 EVO Plus
One of the best NVMe M.2 SSDs available right now is the Samsung 990 EVO Plus. It offers a capacity of 2 TB along with read speeds of up to 7,250 MB/s and write speeds of up to 6,300 MB/s. As a result, gaming on this drive is incredibly fast, so you can be confident you won’t be dealing with endless loading screens.
In addition to working on PCs, the Samsung 990 EVO Plus also works perfectly with the PS5. So if you want extra storage for your favorite games, you can install this drive in your PS5 without any issues.
2. Crucial X10 Portable SSD
If you are looking for a portable SSD that offers excellent speed, the Crucial X10 is definitely what you need. It offers speeds of up to 2,100 MB/s, which is much faster than the 550 MB/s typically offered by a standard portable SSD. Because of that, it’s ideal for storing games or large files without worrying about noticeable differences in loading or transfer speeds.
We are influencers and brand affiliates. This post contains affiliate links, most which go to Amazon and are Geo-Affiliate links to nearest Amazon store.
My name is Joel! I love to read, I go to university like most people my age.
In my free time I usually train boxing, I love music, I also know how to play the guitar and the harmonica.