Which Brands are the Best for PCIe NVMe M.2 SSDs
M.2 NVMe is the blazing fast form of flash storage we all know and love. The rapid speed, small form factor, and ease of use of these drives have earned them the reputation they deserve. We’ve already talked in detail about the working process and all the benefits of M.2 NVMe drives in detail. In this article, we’ll be having a look at some of our favorite brands to go for when considering buying a new M.2 SSD.
What was once a vacant market with only a few options at ridiculous prices, is now densely populated with a lot of appealing choices for everyone. Over the past few years, the M.2 SSD game has grown very competitive and prices have dropped almost near higher end SATA drives. Ultimately, it is the consumer who wins. Still, it can be a confusing task of deciding between different brands and their products. Especially considering that all of them boast the same features such as high speeds, reliability, and long lifespans. We’ve put all those claims to the test and ended up with a list of what we consider to be the best brands when it comes to M.2 SSDs.
Best Brands For PCIe NVMe M.2 SSDs
We’ve compiled the following list based on our opinions of speed, reliability, and value. We also focused on the warranty and customer support offered as that can really make or break an experience you have with a certain brand.
The electronic giant never ceases to impress us. Samsung is undoubtedly one of the biggest companies out there and they have a giant reputation to back it up. They have garnered a lot of attention in storage. Especially in the SSD department. Currently, their M.2 NVMe SSDs consists of two product lineups. The “EVO” and the “PRO”. The Evo line of SSDs has always represented lightning fast speeds at a fairly reasonable price. This is why the EVO lineup has remained a favorite among people for many years. The newest addition to this is the 970 EVO. The “PRO” lineup takes things to a different level. Going up in price yet still making up for it with speed, their newest 970 PRO leads the M.2 market with speeds that remain unmatched. Pair all of that with 5 years of warranty on nearly all their SSDs and fairly reasonable value on the EVO side of things, there was simply no competition for the top spot. Their popularity can be recognized by taking a quick glance at nearly every high-end laptop, all of which use Samsung M.2 drives.
Another behemoth in the land of storage. For decades, this has been the go-to brand when it comes to hard drives. Almost anyone on the internet will easily recommend a WD drive. The reason they have earned their popularity is that of their competitive prices, performance, and enormous lifespan. The last aspect being the biggest contributor to their fame. You know what you’re getting with WD. They dipped their toes into the waters of M.2 drives recently and it was received quite well by everyone. Our favorite product from their M.2 lineup has to be the WD black. Sporting lightning fast speeds and great price/performance ratio, the WD Black NVMe M.2 is an easy recommendation. The M.2 lineup also consists of their Blue and Green M.2 SSDs. All in all, the long lifespan and 5 years of warranty makes WD a reputable and trustworthy brand in our eyes.
ADATA gloriously represents the budget end of the market. Mind you, budget does not mean cheaply made or poor performance. ADATA’s drives have always offered the best value in the market with reasonable performance. Sure, it’s not as good as any high-end competitor but that is not the intention. Their new M.2 XPG lineup perfectly backs up this reputation of great value. If your wallet hates you for overspending, ADATA is the one for you. Their M.2 drive is still miles faster than any SATA drive and we can’t really find any faults in their lineup. Although, one concern might be the endurance or lifespan. Those concerns were quickly eradicated however when we found out that even this budget lineup has 5 years of warranty. It is truly a great time for consumers.
It seems that Corsair is absolutely dedicated to becoming the biggest brand in gaming. Headsets, keyboards, mice, mousepads, power supplies, RAM, storage, Corsair has got it all. Their huge product lineup has turned many people into loyal customers of the brand. In regards to M.2 storage, we admire Corsair for offering one of the best values in the game. Their Force series represents decent speeds at a very competitive price point. Compatibility is also another plus point as their force series of SSDs are fairly thin and small. They can fit in almost any desktop motherboard or laptop. They even support compatibility with Macs. The Force series also sports 5 years warranty which is impressive for the price. Value is the name of the game with Corsair in the M.2 NVMe department. Although the speeds are not as impressive as Samsung or WD, the performance is still respectable for the price.
Conclusion
Having a quick glance at all the complexities of buying an M.2 drive can make any novice confused. You should know what you are getting into whenever going with a specific brand in this regard. Lifespan and performance are both equally important key aspects. In short, we believe the above list represents the best of the best in the market whether it be speed, endurance or great value.
