Which SSD drive for a laptop? Recommended SSDs for laptops

How can I improve my laptop's performance? Choosing the right drive can be crucial - SSHD or SSD. With the current trends, it's best to reach for SSD versions. It offers high performance, which translates into better comfort of using the computer.

A dilemma may be the choice of a carrier and which SSD drive for a laptop will be the best for us. Therefore, we have prepared a guide "SSD - ranking" for people planning to buy. You will find recommended SSDs for laptops from different price segments.

Laptop SSDs - Ranking

• Samsung 980 Pro - an efficient SSD drive for a laptop
• GOODRAM CX400 - cheap SSD for a laptop
• Kingston SSD A400 - inexpensive SSD drive for a laptop
• Crucial P2 M.2 PCI-e NVMe - cheap M.2 SSD
• WD Blue SN570 - a fast SSD drive for a laptop
• Silicon Power P34A80 M.2 - SSD drive for a gaming laptop
• Crucial MX500 - a good SSD for a laptop

What does an SSD drive in a laptop give?

If you still have doubts about which SSD or HDD is better, we have several arguments in favour of choosing the first one:

better working comfort - SSD offers much higher performance than HDD, which translates into faster system, games and applications launch

quieter laptop operation - SSD drive does not contain mechanical parts, so its operation is completely silent

greater durability - a laptop with an SSD disk is much less susceptible to mechanical damage

longer battery life - the SSD drive consumes less power, so the laptop can work a little longer without being connected to a socket

High-performance laptop SSD: Samsung 980 Pro 500GB

If you are looking for a speed demon, the Samsung 980 Pro is undoubtedly one. This M.2 standard PCIe 4.0 drive offers blazingly fast sequential write speeds of up to 5000MB / s and read speeds of up to 6900MB / s. With random writes and reads, the 980 Pro reaches up to 1,000,000 IOPS. This medium also has a very large 512MB cache, which will undoubtedly facilitate multitasking. In addition, we can enjoy 256-bit AES data encryption, SMART monitoring system and the Trim function, thanks to which the write speed will not drop. As befits a premium drive, we have a 5-year warranty here.

Cheap SSD for a laptop: GOODRAM CX400

GOODRAM CX400 is one of those SSDs that will allow you to cheaply upgrade an older laptop with a HDD drive. The carrier is based on modern 3D TLC NAND memories, uses the SATA III 6Gb / s interface and offers quite good performance. Sequential transfers reach 550MB / s read and 450MB / s write data.

We especially recommend the 256 GB version, which will allow you to install the system, the most important programs and store data or games. The choice of the CX400 is supported by a guarantee without limiting data writing.

Inexpensive SSD for a laptop: Kingston SSD A400 480GB

Based on the SATA III standard, Kingston SSD A400 is a good budget choice with a medium capacity - 480 GB. This disk is very popular and it is so for a reason. It is one of the cheaper ones on the market in its class, and at the same time delivers decent performance. As for writing, it's 450MB / s, while reading is 500MB / s. The manufacturer's estimated lifetime is one million hours, and the warranty is provided for 3 years.

Cheap M.2 SSD: Crucial P2 M.2 PCI-e NVMe 500GB

When it comes to affordable M.2 drives, there's hardly a better choice than the Crucial P2, which offers an excellent price / quality ratio. This medium uses the PCIe 3.0 x4 interface. It is supported by a great read speed of up to 2300MB / s and an equally good write speed of up to 940MB / s. Its lifetime is 1.5 million hours, and the manufacturer gives a five-year warranty. The Trim function cleans the used data blocks so that the writing process does not lose speed over time, and in addition to the disk, special software was developed to optimize it.

Laptop high-speed SSD: WD Blue SN570 M.2 PCIe NVMe 1TB

WD Blue SN570 is an M.2 medium with PCIe 3.0, with 112-layer BiCS5 3D NAND TLC memory with very high read speed up to 3500MB / s and up to 3000MB / s write. Plus we have an excellent random read rate - 460,000 IOPS and 450,000 IOPS for random write. The medium uses the PCIe 3.0 x4 interface and the NVMe 1.4 protocol. Its advantage is the large capacity, 1TB, which at its price also makes it one of the best in its class. The disk comes with a software package, including a backup program - Acronis True Image.

SSD hard drive for gaming laptop: Silicon Power P34A80 M.2 NVMe PCIe 1TB

Players are demanding and want the fastest loading time possible. Silicon Power P34A80 is able to provide them, and all thanks to the reading at 3400MB / s and writing up to 3000MB / s. The second important aspect is the capacity, which in this case is 1TB, so we can accommodate quite a lot of games here. The heart of the disk is a solid Phison E12 NVMe controller and high-quality Toshiba BICS3 64L TLC NAND Flash memory. The drive features Trim technology, which maintains a high write speed, even with frequent filling of the drive. In addition to the 5-year warranty, we can also count on a long service life (1665 TBW).

A good SSD for a laptop: the Crucial MX500

One of the most popular SSD drives in our store. The Crucial MX500 offers very good parameters, and at the same time is available at an attractive price. We especially recommend the 500 GB version, which will save more data and may be a more future-proof solution. The medium communicates via the SATA interface, and its transfers reach 560MB / s for reading and 510MB / s for writing data. The choice of the MX500 is also supported by a long 5-year manufacturer's warranty.

How to connect a drive to a laptop?

Before buying a disk, make sure that the model will be compatible with your laptop. If everything is correct, you can start mounting the drive. It will be helpful to take a look at the instructions. In some laptop models, manufacturers use special service flaps to facilitate disk replacement. In others, it may be necessary to unscrew the entire bottom case of the laptop.

Important: in case of any doubts or difficulties, we recommend that you consult an experienced person or service.

Can the drive be replaced in every laptop?

Not all laptops allow easy disk replacement. Some have special service flaps, others have to unscrew the entire housing cover. In some laptops it is possible to replace the disk, but its removal is so complicated that it is best if it is done by a professional service.

What does disk replacement involve?

You should also be aware that replacing the disk usually involves the need to reinstall the system and transfer data (you can perform disk cloning, but it will be a time-consuming process and may require an additional paid application). In the case of very important data or documents, it is best to copy them to a flash drive or other data backup medium.

What to do before replacing the drive?

To find out how to install an SSD in a laptop you have, it is best to use the dedicated laptop manual or search for the appropriate YouTube video by entering the name of your laptop and the password "disk replacement". There's a good chance someone has already done it and made a video for it.