I spent many years using a slower SSD, but a couple years back, I made the jump to a faster one and there was a considerable difference when playing my favorite PC games. Games loaded faster and I also had a ton of more room to store more of my game files, which made the whole gaming experience more convenient.
Arguably, the best internal SSD for gaming PCs on the market today is the WD_BLACK SN850X and right now it's an an incredible discount. The 1TB capacity is selling for just $77.04 at Amazon this Prime DAy, which is a decent amount off from its usual $114.99 MSRP. If you need a higher capacity, many of the SN850X SSD's other size options are also on sale.
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When it comes to modern components, the WD_BLACK SN850X NVMe SSD really is one of the very best SSDs for gaming right now. Part of this is due to its extremely fast transfer speeds, which can reach up to a 7,300 MB/s read speed and up to a 6,350 MB/s write speed. In layman's terms, this means that the SSD will load and save your game data very quickly, making the whole playing experience a whole lot smoother than it is with slower SSDs.
As an example, a few years back I played Cyberpunk 2077 on my old computer configuration. The game took a long time to load and I sometimes felt that there was a delayed response between when I pressed on the keyboard or clicked my mouse and the game reacted. However, I ended up upgrading my PC tower with a better SSD that offered much faster read and write speeds, and when I played Cyberpunk 2077 again, the game ran a good deal smoother. Now, you'll still need to have a decent gaming GPU and a powerful CPU in order to play more demanding or graphically intense modern games, but an SSD really can make a difference.
Another awesome thing about this SSD is that Western Digital — the company behind the WD_BLACK brand — offers it in four different capacities to meet your needs. Most people's gaming needs will be met with a 1TB SSD. However, if you're the kind of person who buys multiple big PC games every year during Steam Sales or simply because a new game came out then you might want to consider a larger solid-state drive capacity.
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As I previously said, WD_BLACK SN850X offers great performance and in addition to the 1TB capacity, it's also available in 2TB, 4TB, and a new 8TB. Imagine how many games and files you could store with that much space. Just be aware that since the 8TB is new, it's harder to find at some retailers and it currently isn't on sale at Western Digital.
If you really care about performance, you should consider purchasing the Heatsink versions of the WD_BLACK SN850X, which will help keep the SSD cool it it can operate at its best.
What is Heatsink?
If a device says it has Heatsink, what it means is that it specifically has a piece of metal attached to it that's meant to help keep the electronic cool so it can function more efficiently than devices of the same kind that don't have Heatsink. For instance, an SSD with a Heatsink should dissipate heat better than an SSD without one, allowing it to do its job better.
What should I look for when buying a gaming SSD for my PC?
When looking for a solid-state drive (SSD) for a gaming PC, you specifically want to choose an option that offers plenty of storage space while also providing fast read and write speeds. These three factors will determine how well your gaming PC functions, especially in regards to loading times and save times. OF course, the more storage space you have, the less frequently you'll have to rearrange game data in order to make way for more game files.
What SSD is good for gaming?
In our opinion, the best gaming SSD on the market right now is the WD_BLACK SN850X SSD, which comes in 1TB, 2TB, 4TB, or 8TB capacities and offers super-fast read speeds up to 7,300 MB/s and write speeds up to 6,350 MB/s.
How fast should my SSD be for gaming?
If you're playing the latest modern PC games then you're going to want an SSD that can at least reach read speeds up to 500 MB/s and write speeds up to 600 MB/s. That said, SSDs with faster transfer speeds can significantly reduce game load times and other wait times, which is why much higher SSD speeds are important for competitive or online gaming.
How does an SSD affect gaming performance?
Yes. The faster your SSD read and write speeds are and faster your games will load or respond to your input. For instance, if you have a really fast SSD, you won't have to wait as long while your game prepares a part of a map in an open-world game. It can even make the game respond to your input faster, which is why pro gamers and competitive players prefer fast SSDs.
What size SSD should I get for my gaming PC?
Most people will be served well with a 1TB SSD. However, if you tend to play a whole lot of games or like to have a lot of game files stored locally on your machine at a time than you might want to consider a 2TB or 4TB SSD. There are even some brands like Western Digital's WD_BLACK that offer up to an 8TB internal SSD for gaming. Just remember that the larger the SSD capacity, the more the SSD will cost.
Do I need a Prime membership for Prime Day?
Yes, a paid membership or 30-day free trial is required to access the full range of Prime Day benefits during this event. If you haven't signed up in the past, you'll be eligible for the free trial and can cancel afterward if you want to.
