Our Top Pick: Kioxia Exceria Plus G4 for Most PC Builders
The best SSDs and storage drives for your PC combine fast NVMe speed performance, reliable endurance, and sensible pricing, with PCIe Gen 5.0 and Gen 4.0 options delivering different tiers of real‑world responsiveness for gaming, content creation, and everyday productivity across desktops, laptops, and mobile devices. Our clear top pick for most people is the Kioxia Exceria Plus G4, because it delivers PCIe Gen 5.0 performance at a more attainable price than flagship drives and is fast enough that you will not feel held back in any mainstream workload. A 2TB Exceria Plus G4 costs £209.99 or about USD 320 (approx. RM1,470), undercutting ultra‑premium models while still outperforming leading Gen 4.0 SSDs such as the WD_Black SN850X and Samsung 990 Pro in sequential transfers. Tested sequential read speeds around 10,420MB/s show this drive “acts as a bridge” between high‑end Gen 4.0 and the fastest PCIe 5.0 drives.
| Spec | Kioxia Exceria Plus G4 (2TB) | Best Use Case |
|---|---|---|
| Interface | PCIe 5.0 x4 M.2 2280 | High-end gaming and creator desktops with Gen 5 slots |
| Seq. Read / Write | 10,000MB/s / 8,200MB/s | Large game libraries, project files, and fast installs |
| Random Read / Write | 1,300,000 / 1,400,000 IOPS | Snappy OS, multitasking, app-heavy workloads |
| Endurance & Warranty | 1,200 TBW, 5-year warranty | Daily primary drive use over many years |
| Key Drawbacks | No DRAM, no heatsink-equipped version, high US price | Needs motherboard heatsink; pay attention to thermals |
SanDisk Optimus GX Pro 8100: The Fastest PCIe Gen 5.0 Drive
If you care only about the highest NVMe speed performance and are willing to pay for it, the SanDisk Optimus GX Pro 8100 (also sold as WD_Black SN8100) is the fastest SSD available. In 2TB form it lists at £396 or about USD 440 (approx. RM2,020), and testing shows peak sequential read speeds of 14,957MB/s, right at the PCIe Gen 5.0 ceiling. This M.2 NVMe storage uses a PCIe 5.0 x4 interface and delivers up to 14,900MB/s sequential reads, 14,000MB/s writes, and up to 2,300,000 / 2,400,000 IOPS in random operations, with a five‑year warranty and 1,200TBW endurance. It suits enthusiasts moving huge datasets, such as 8K video footage or large game archives, where multi‑gigabyte transfers dominate. Thermal performance is strong too: with a motherboard heatsink attached, peak temperatures around 55°C keep throttling at bay in continuous workloads. You will not find a faster M.2 NVMe drive for your desktop PC today.
WD_Black SN850X: The Gen 4.0 Sweet Spot for Gaming
Not everyone needs Gen 5.0, and for many gaming PCs the WD_Black SN850X is the smarter buy. At around £170 or about USD 220 (approx. RM1,010) for 1TB, it gives a solid mix of capacity and performance without reaching flagship Gen 5.0 pricing. This M.2 2280 NVMe drive uses a PCIe 4.0 x4 interface and hits up to 7,300MB/s sequential reads and 6,300MB/s writes, with random performance rated at 800,000 IOPS read and 1,100,000 IOPS write. It is described as a “top PCIe Gen 4.0 drive” that can hit its advertised 7,300MB/s with suitable hardware, making it excellent for fast game load times and responsive system performance. A heatsink-equipped version is available and recommended if your motherboard’s M.2 cooling is limited. While current prices mean some Gen 4.0 drives are not far off Gen 5.0 territory, the SN850X still stands out as a high‑end gaming SSD that avoids the steep premiums of PCIe 5.0 models.
Mobile and Future Storage: Samsung UFS 5.0 vs Traditional SSDs
Beyond desktop M.2 NVMe storage, Samsung’s UFS 5.0 embedded storage shows how mobile and thin‑and‑light devices are closing the gap with traditional SSDs. UFS 5.0 delivers sustained read speeds up to 10.8GB/s and writes up to 9.5GB/s, exceeding what current PCIe 4.0 SSDs can manage. According to Samsung, this new standard also improves energy efficiency by up to 40 percent over UFS 4.1 through clock gating and multi‑voltage techniques, all in a compact 7.5mm x 13mm x 0.9mm package. UFS has typically replaced slow eMMC storage in leaner laptops, but with UFS 5.0 “offering PCIe 4‑beating performance, it could be a solid base for a lean, lightweight (and maybe even cheaper) gaming laptop or handheld gaming system.” While you cannot upgrade UFS modules like an SSD, they point to a future where many mainstream devices ship with SSD‑class performance by default, and extra capacity comes from SD Express or external drives.
Gen 5.0 vs Gen 4.0: What Our Testing Shows You Actually Feel
Extensive in‑house testing, detailed benchmarks, and thermal measurements help show whether paying for PCIe Gen 5.0 drives over Gen 4.0 makes sense for you. On paper, the jump from around 7,300MB/s sequential reads on a drive like the WD_Black SN850X to above 10,000MB/s on the Kioxia Exceria Plus G4 or nearly 15,000MB/s on the SanDisk Optimus GX Pro 8100 is enormous. In practice, you mainly notice that extra NVMe speed performance when moving huge files or running professional workloads that hammer storage continuously; day‑to‑day Windows responsiveness and game load times often show diminishing returns once you reach high‑end Gen 4.0 territory. That is why this guide focuses on tangible benefits and thermals as much as headline numbers, including how hot SSDs run at full load and the heatsink requirements you need to consider. For gaming and general productivity, a strong Gen 4.0 drive is still more than enough; for heavy content creation or data‑intensive work, a good value Gen 5.0 model like the Exceria Plus G4 becomes easier to justify.
- Buy the Kioxia Exceria Plus G4 if you want Gen 5.0 speed that clearly beats top Gen 4.0 SSDs without paying flagship prices.
- Skip the Kioxia Exceria Plus G4 if your motherboard lacks a PCIe 5.0 M.2 slot or a decent heatsink for hot-running Gen 5.0 drives.
- Buy the SanDisk Optimus GX Pro 8100 if you need the fastest possible sequential transfers for massive video, AI, or data projects and cost is secondary.
- Skip the SanDisk Optimus GX Pro 8100 if you mainly game and browse, as you will see little real-world difference over cheaper NVMe SSDs.
- Buy the WD_Black SN850X if you want a high-end Gen 4.0 SSD with fantastic pace, great for gaming and everyday use.
- Skip the WD_Black SN850X if current pricing puts it close to value-oriented Gen 5.0 drives, and you can stretch to a Kioxia Exceria Plus G4 instead.
- Buy the UFS 5.0-based device if you want thin, light laptops or handhelds with SSD-class performance and better battery life.
- Skip the UFS 5.0-based device if you need upgradable internal storage, as embedded UFS modules cannot be swapped like M.2 SSDs.
