My PC's SSD died last week, but this replacement is way better. Here's why.

Black Friday seems like it's been underway for most of November, but the deals really kicked off today a week ahead of the official event. As I expected, there are more deals than I can count on PC upgrade hardware, including top-rated M.2 PCIe 4.0 NVMe solid-state drives (SSD).

Samsung is leading the way with a massive 42% discount on its 990 PRO 4TB drive, dropping the price to $269.99 at Best Buy. If that's too much money or capacity, the SK hynix Platinum P41 (1TB) is down to $76 at Newegg, making it a close second on my list.

The SSD to beat

Samsung 990 PRO (4TB)
Was: $464.99
Now: 269.99 at Best Buy

"With the release of the 990 Pro, Samsung took the best features from its 980 Pro SSD, beloved by scores of gamers, and made them better. The result is the world's fastest PCIe Gen 4 drive with solid thermal management and plenty of storage configurations that will satiate the demand of hard-core gamers, data scientists, video and 3D artists, and creative professionals." — Chuong Nguyen

Windows Central review ⭐⭐⭐⭐½

✅Perfect for: Gamers, creators, artists, and anyone who needs bulk storage with fast transfer speeds.

❌Avoid if: You want to spend less on a drive and don't mind a smaller capacity or lower speeds.

Capacity: 4TB. Form factor: M.2 2280. Interface: M.2 PCIe 4.0 NVMe. Read/Write speeds: 7450MB/s & 6900MB/s Warranty: 5 years. Launch date: 2022.

👉See at: BestBuy.com

Return period: 15 days. Price match? Yes (Also applies within return period). Free shipping: $35 minimum. Membership: My Best Buy w/ free shipping, exclusive deals, 60-day return period, & expanded support.

💰Price check: $269.99 at Amazon

🤩Alternative deal: $80 off 990 Pro (2TB) at Best Buy

Awesome alternative

SK hynix Platinum P41 (1TB)
Was: $94.99
Now: $75.99 at Newegg

"The SK hynix Platinum P41 PCIe 4.0 SSD comes out ahead of other SSDs we've tested in almost every benchmark. It's competitively priced, it has an excellent TBW rating, and it's available in three capacities. It's an easy recommendation if you want an upgrade for gaming or for productivity." — Cale Hunt

Windows Central review ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

✅Perfect for: Practically any PC user, desktop or laptop, who wants a quality M.2 SSD without overspending.

❌Avoid if: You're looking for the latest PCIe 5.0 speeds or want a capacity larger than 1TB.

Capacity: 1TB. Form factor: M.2 2280. Interface: M.2 PCIe 4.0 NVMe. Read/Write speeds: 7000MB/s & 6500MB/s Warranty: 5 years. Launch date: 2022.

👉See at: Newegg.com

Return period: 30-day free returns. Price match? Select items (noted). Membership: Newegg+ is a free membership with free shipping, exclusive sales and discounts, and dedicated customer service.

💰Price check: $75.99 at Amazon

🤩Alternative deal: $35 off SK hynix Platinum P41 (2TB) at Newegg

🍁The hottest Black Friday deals🦃

• 🎮ASUS ROG Ally (Ryzen Z1) | $349.99 at Best Buy (Save $150!)
• 💽Seagate Xbox Series X|S Card (2TB) | $199.99 at Best Buy (Save $160!)
• 📱iPad 9th Generation (64GB) | $199.99 at Best Buy (Save $130!)
• 🎮Xbox Series X (1TB) | $449.99 at Best Buy (Save $50!)
• 💻Surface Pro 11 (X Plus) | $899.99 at Best Buy (Save $300!)
• 📺HP Curved Ultrawide (34-inches) | $299.99 at Best Buy (Save $180!)
• 💽WD_Black Xbox Series X|S Card (1TB) | $99.99 at Best Buy (Save $50!)
• ⌨️Razer BlackWidow V3 Mini Wireless | $84.99 at Best Buy (Save $115!)
• 🖱️Razer Basilisk V3 Wired | $39.99 at Best Buy (Save $30!)
• 💽WD_BLACK Handheld SSD (2TB) | $179.99 at Best Buy (Save $60!)

Why these Samsung and SK hynix SSDs are in my cart on Black Friday

I took advantage of some early PC deals to grab the hardware needed to upgrade my personal gaming PC from a Ryzen 7 5800X to a Ryzen 7 9800X3D CPU. In the process of swapping out motherboards, I somehow managed to fry my XPG Gammix S70 2TB drive. It happens, and I didn't fret too much knowing that Black Friday is so soon.

Samsung and SK hynix are two brands with which I have a ton of experience, and neither has let me down in the past. I actually gifted an SK hynix Platinum P41 SSD to a friend about a year ago, and I've confirmed it's still running without issue. On Samsung's side, it's usually regarded as some of the most reliable storage on the market.

While both have been around since 2022, the Samsung 990 PRO and SK hynix Platinum P41 remain popular for gamers, creators, designers, and practically anyone else who needs fast and reliable storage. They both use the PCIe 4.0 NVMe standard, which a vast majority of PCs are still using today.

Although I personally reviewed the Platinum P41 years ago, I recommend most people take advantage of the massive deal on the Samsung 990 PRO. The 4TB model is only $20 more than the cheapest price in its history, and I'm happy with the 42% discount. Here's what my former colleague Chuong Nguyen had to say about the Samsung 990 Pro in their review:

"With the 990 Pro, Samsung made some big updates to make its cult-favorite 980 Pro flagship solid-state drive even better. While the 980 Pro is a reliable drive that delivers solid speeds, the 990 Pro elevates that experience with performance that leaves all its rivals in the dust. Meaningful upgrades, such as a new proprietary controller and support for PCIe Gen 4, drive drool-worthy performance on this humble PC component that's worth an upgrade if you're a PC enthusiast, dedicated gamer, content creator, video editor, data scientist, or 3D modeler. The only thing holding back the 990 Pro is the drive's premium price tag compared to other PCIe Gen 4 competitors."

Indeed, one of Nguyen's only complaints was the price, and that's been more than rectified with this $195 Black Friday discount at Best Buy.

The SK hynix Platinum P41 is a worthy (and affordable) alternative

Not everyone needs to have every game in their library downloaded onto their PC, and 4TB of storage space might seem a bit extreme. If you want to spend a lot less — even compared to the smaller capacities of the 990 PRO — I recommend checking out the SK hynix Platinum P41 I reviewed.

I came away very impressed with the SSD's capabilities, remarking in my review:

"The Platinum P41 PCIe 4.0 M.2 SSD took a while to hit the market, but it seems that SK hynix took its time to do things right. The P41 is easily one of the fastest SSDs we've tested, coming out on top or just below the top spot in all benchmarks. Its three capacities all have a sturdy TBW rating, and pricing is super competitive for the speeds you're getting. Throw in some decent supporting software, cloning tool, and recyclable packaging, and you have an all-around impressive offering. If you need a new SSD for gaming or productivity, the Platinum P41 is easy to recommend."

It's not quite as fast as the 990 PRO, hitting upwards of 7,149MB/s read and 6,789 write speeds in my testing, but it's still more speed than most users will need. It's reliable, and it has the same five-year warranty. The 1TB capacity on sale is a great deal at just $75.99, and the 2TB model is also discounted at just $135.