The 2025 SSD Showdown
Solid state drives have become one of the most important upgrades you can make to a gaming PC. Faster load times, smoother open world streaming and snappier system performance all start with fast storage. For 2025 the spotlight is firmly on SSDs again, even as memory and storage prices climb thanks in part to demand from artificial intelligence data centers.
This year the focus is on high performance internal NVMe drives and a surprisingly powerful external SSD. There are no tiny 2230 handheld focused drives in the running this time. Instead these nominees are all about pushing speeds as high as possible while still staying somewhere near realistic budgets for PC gamers.
The three drives up for Best Gaming SSD of 2025 are:
- Crucial P510 PCIe 5.0 NVMe SSD
- Sandisk Extreme Pro USB4 external SSD
- WD Black SN8100 PCIe 5.0 NVMe SSD
Each one targets slightly different needs from budget friendly next generation performance to portable high speed game libraries to absolutely top tier Gen 5 throughput.
Crucial P510: Affordable PCIe 5.0 Power
The Crucial P510 is a standout because it delivers genuine PCIe 5.0 performance without the usual eye watering price tag. Instead of relying on third party flash, Crucial leans on parent company Micron and its own 276 layer TLC NAND. That dense and efficient memory is a big part of why this drive can compete with more expensive rivals.
In raw numbers the P510 offers up to 11,000 MB per second read speeds and up to 9,000 MB per second writes. Those figures put it firmly into modern high end territory, more than enough for current and upcoming games, fast file transfers and heavy content creation workloads.
The key selling point is value. While many early PCIe 5.0 drives launched at premium pricing, the P510 undercuts them by a clear margin. Some capacities can be found for under 150 dollars which makes it one of the most accessible ways to jump to Gen 5 performance. For gamers who want a serious upgrade from an older SATA or PCIe 3.0 drive without going broke, this SSD hits a sweet spot.
That combination of strong real world speeds, advanced TLC NAND and relatively sensible pricing is what earned the Crucial P510 its nomination.
Sandisk Extreme Pro: External Storage That Feels Internal
External SSDs often get ignored in enthusiast awards because they usually lag far behind internal NVMe drives. The Sandisk Extreme Pro external SSD shakes that assumption hard. When you connect it to a USB4 port it can sustain up to 3,800 MB per second reads and up to 3,700 MB per second writes. While that is not quite on PCIe 5.0 levels, it is much faster than most older NVMe drives and destroys typical USB external storage.
For gamers this means your portable game library no longer has to feel slow. Moving large titles between systems, backing up massive installs or running games directly from the drive all become a lot more practical. If you are constantly shuffling big files or bouncing between a desktop and a laptop, performance like this makes life much easier.
Random 4K performance is strong as well, which matters for actual game loading and responsiveness rather than just bragging rights on sequential benchmarks. In testing, the Sandisk Extreme Pro outperformed every other external SSD on hand by a substantial margin, to the point that it changed expectations of what an external drive can do.
This drive is a reminder that external storage does not have to mean compromise. For anyone without free internal slots, or for those who want a fast, pocketable game and work drive, the Extreme Pro earns its place among the best gaming storage options of 2025.
WD Black SN8100: Next Level Gen 5 Speed
If you are chasing the fastest possible SSD for your gaming rig and do not mind paying for it, the WD Black SN8100 is the monster of this lineup. It still benefits from the maturing Gen 5 market though. While earlier PCIe 5.0 drives demanded truly extreme prices, the SN8100 comes in around 250 dollars for a 2 TB model. That is not cheap, but for enthusiasts who want top tier performance it is far more attainable than first wave Gen 5 gear.
The performance numbers are wild. Sustained read speeds reach around 14,900 MB per second and sustained writes hit about 14,000 MB per second. Those figures push right up against the limits of what current consumer platforms can handle and make even fast PCIe 4.0 drives look tame in comparison.
Random 4K performance is also very strong with measured results of around 119 MB per second reads and 349 MB per second writes in testing. That is the sort of throughput that helps with demanding open world games, heavy modded installs and multitasking workloads where lots of small files are being hit at once.
Thermals are under control too. During extended benchmarking the SN8100 only briefly touched roughly 74 degrees Celsius which is quite reasonable for a cutting edge Gen 5 drive. That balance of extreme speed, respectable temperatures and solid random performance makes this SSD feel like a complete flagship package.
For gamers building or upgrading a high end system with PCIe 5.0 support, this is exactly the kind of drive that shows what the new standard can really do.
Which SSD Should You Care About?
All three of these nominees would make excellent game drives depending on your priorities.
- If you want the best blend of next gen speed and price, the Crucial P510 is the smart pick.
- If you need fast storage you can throw in a bag and plug into multiple machines, the Sandisk Extreme Pro external SSD is surprisingly powerful.
- If you are chasing absolute performance in a PCIe 5.0 ready gaming rig, the WD Black SN8100 stands out as a true Gen 5 showcase.
The final winner will be revealed as part of the PC Gamer Hardware Awards on New Years Eve, but the bigger takeaway is simple. Whether you are on a tighter budget or building a monster system, 2025 is a great time to rethink your storage setup. Any of these drives will make your games load faster and your PC feel snappier, and that is an upgrade every gamer can appreciate.
Original article and image: https://www.pcgamer.com/hardware/pc-gamer-hardware-awards-the-best-gaming-ssd-of-2025/
