1. The three types

NVMe SSD (M.2)The fastest and the current standard. Connects directly to the motherboard, no cables.
SATA SSD (2.5")Much slower than NVMe, but much faster than an HDD. Good for older PCs.
HDDSlow, but cheap per TB. Only for archive: photos, videos, backups.
RuleSystem and games always on an NVMe SSD.

2. PCIe 3.0, 4.0 or 5.0?

In games and normal use, the difference between a good PCIe 4.0 and a 5.0 is barely noticeable. PCIe 5.0 SSDs cost more and run hotter. A good-quality PCIe 4.0 NVMe is the best buy for most people.

3. How much space?

  • 1 TB: the minimum for gamers; some games take more than 150 GB.
  • 2 TB: comfortable for a large game library.
  • 500 GB: only in office PCs.

4. What to look for on the spec sheet

  • DRAM or HMB: SSDs with a DRAM cache keep their speed during long copies.
  • TBW: the amount of data it can write over its lifetime. 600 TBW per TB is plenty for a home user.
  • Heatsink: useful on PCIe 5.0; many motherboards already include one.

5. Common mistakes

  • Buying the cheapest DRAM-less SSD for the main system.
  • Forgetting to check how many M.2 slots the motherboard has.
  • Using an HDD as the system drive: the PC feels slow even with good parts.
Summary: a 1–2 TB PCIe 4.0 NVMe SSD with good TBW. HDD only as an extra drive. Compare SSDs →