Best budget SSD in 2024 – our top cheap picks
If you’re looking for the best budget SSD to upgrade your setup, then we have you covered right here.
Now, if you want to upgrade your HDD to SSD or simply want the fastest drive for your setup, then SSD is the way to go. However, the speed and storage capacity come at a price. While SSDs are expensive, there are plenty of options available that won’t break your bank.
If you have a look at the budget options available on the market, then you will find NVMe drives, SATA drives, portable SSDs, and many more options. Of course, you will have to compromise a bit, but with so much variety, you should be able to get your money’s worth.
With that being said, we have researched and compiled a list of some of the best cheap SSDs available out there.
Products at a Glance
How we picked
For this guide, we have looked at several budget SSDs from different brands and then shortlisted the ones we thought were the best. Further, we have selected the drives based on specs like speed, storage, performance, value, and more. Plus, we are always updating our lists with new products, so you can check back here again for the latest updates.
Product Reviews
- High read/write speeds
- Heatsink
- Compatible with PS5
- Mediocre design
If you want the absolute best SSD within a reasonable price range, then you should check out the Addlink Addgame A93 drive.
To start with, this internal M.2 SSD offers up to 7,400 MB/s read speeds, which is almost more than twice the speed of SATA disks. So if you are looking to give your setup a budget-friendly boost, then this disk might be suitable for you.
The variant we have selected comes with 1TB of storage capacity, which we think strikes a good balance between price and performance. However, depending on your requirements, you can also go for 2TB, 4TB, and 8TB.
As far as gaming is concerned, this SSD is compatible with PS5, so you will be able to use it with the console. Further, the drive also has a heatsink, which should ensure that you get optimal performance even when the drive is under pressure.
- Decent speeds
- Massive 4TB storage
- Wide compatibility
- Slightly expensive
If you need a large storage capacity SSD within your budget, then you should consider looking at the Crucial X9 drive.
To start with, the Crucial X9 portable SSD has 4TB of storage capacity, which should be enough to meet your massive storage requirements. For this guide, we have chosen the 4TB variant, but you can also go for lesser storage capacity.
As far as speed is concerned, you get a read speed of up to 1,050MB/s, which is decent, considering that it is a budget option.
The biggest selling point of this SSD drive is its ‘plug-and-play’ compatibility. To be more specific, the drive comes with a USB Type-C to C cable, which helps connect to a variety of devices, including PCs, Android, iPads, Xbox, and PlayStation.
In addition to these features, the SSD also offers up to 3 months of Mylio Photos along with one month of Adobe Acrobat Pro for free – which is a good perk to have if you’re a professional.
- High read/write speeds
- Decent storage
- Lack of extra features
If you want a speedy SSD with a reasonable price tag, then you should check out the Crucial 1500 drive.
As mentioned, this M.2 SSD is all about speed. It promises to deliver up to 7300MB/s of read speed and up to 6,800 MB/s of write speed. With these speeds, you can expect faster app launches and overall faster performance. So if you’re a gamer or if you simply want the fastest SSD, then this might be a good choice.
For this guide, we have picked the 1TB variant, which we think strikes a good balance between price and storage. However, depending on your needs, you can decide to get more or less storage.
To add to the offer, you also get a month of Adobe Creative Cloud All-Apps plan for free, which should appeal to content creators.
- Decent read/write speed
- SanDisk Memory Zone app
- Extremely portable
- Limited storage
If you are looking for a portable, external SSD, then you should check out the SanDisk 500GB drive.
To start with, the SSD offers up to 1050MB/s read and 1000MB/s write speeds, which should be sufficient for most users. Plus, for easier file and memory management, you can use the SanDisk Memory Zone app.
For this guide, we have selected the 500GB variant, which should be sufficient for people who do not need too much storage. However, depending on your requirements, you can also consider getting 1TB, 2TB, and 4TB variants as well.
As mentioned, this drive is extremely portable and even has a handle at the corner, so you can easily hook it up with a keychain. To add to its portability, the SSD has an IP65 rating, which makes it water-resistant and dustproof.
How to pick the best budget SSD
Before you add a drive to your cart, here are a few things to consider –
Storage
The “right” amount of storage will depend on your use case. For example, if you’re planning to use the SSD for general storage, then 500GB to 1TB space should suffice. However, if you are a professional who needs to store large files, then you should consider getting around 2TB of storage capacity. If you want to store large amounts of data or if you’re a hardcore gamer, then you should look for more than 2TB of storage.
Speed
Now, if you are looking for budget options, then you should be expecting to see low to medium speeds. Depending on your budget, you should be able to find an SSD anywhere from 1000 MB/s speed to 5,000 MB/s and more.
Additional features
While you won’t see any fancy features on budget SSDs, it is always good to look for some extras like heatsink and other features that might tweak your experience. For instance, some of the best gaming SSDs come with dedicated gaming features that enhance the overall user experience.
What's the difference between M.2 and SATA?
We want to touch on is the difference between SATA and M.2 drives. More standard solid states drives use the 2.5” form factor that looks like a traditional drive. The small metal housing is plugged into the motherboard using a SATA connection and also receives a power connector.
More recently, a form of SSD emerged called an M.2 which plugs directly into a slot on the motherboard. In some cases, these too use SATA connectors, but more often they utilize much faster PCIe lanes to communicate with the hardware in your computer. This is how the fastest drives on our list achieve their performance.
It is important to make sure when purchasing an M.2 drive that your motherboard has a slot for it.
How long do SSDs last?
SSDs have varying life spans, cheaper SSDs usually have a warranty of five years whereas, more expensive ones can last up to ten years. The life span of an SSD will vary depending on how frequently you write data onto it.
Our Verdict
If you want a top-tier SSD without breaking the bank, then you should consider the Addlink Addgame A93 drive. It has read speeds double traditional SATA drives, it delivers a budget-friendly performance boost. Plus, it is available in 1TB to 8TB capacities, it even offers PS5 compatibility and a cooling heatsink for intense gaming sessions.