Best cheap SSD deals for gaming today

WD Black SN770 | 500GB | NVMe | PCIe 4.0 | 5,150MB/s read | 4,900MB/s write | $69.99 $49.99 at Best Buy (save $20)
This PCIe Gen 4 drive is an excellent buy, though we've seen it cheaper, even very recently. It can get a little warm, but with the cash you're saving, you can always grab a heatsink to help. Otherwise, any good motherboard or case cooling suits the job well.

Price check: Walmart $69.21

Solidigm P41 Plus | 1TB | M.2 2280 | PCIe 4.0 | 4,125MB/s read | 2,950MB/s write | $69.99 $49.99 at Amazon (save $20)
Solidigm is a brand name of SK Hynix, a company that directly makes memory chips for SSDs. Here you've got a drive that has a faster read rate than the Team model, but a slightly slower write speed. The former should help PCs boot a little quicker so the extra $6 is worth it.

Nextorage Japan | 1TB | NVMe | PCIe 4.0 | 7300MB/s Read | 6000 MBs write | $149.99 $54.99 at Newegg (save $95)
Nextorage may be a relatively new name in the world of NMVe SSDs, but don't be fooled by appearances. This drive sports a Phison E18 controller, the very same used in a number of high-performance SSDs and the 1TB version represents excellent price/performance value here. Check out our review for more.

Sabrent Rocket 2230 | 512GB | NVMe | PCIe 4.0 | 5,000MB/s read | 3,700MB/s writes | $59.99 at Amazon
This compact 2230 form factor 512GB drive is a great middle-ground for Steam Deck upgrades. Add the price of this and the $399 64GB Deck together, and you still save $160.01 over buying the top tier Deck. That's with well-improved read/write speeds, too.

Price check: Newegg $74.99

WD_BLACK COD Black Ops SN850 | 1TB | M.2 2280 | PCIe 4.0 | 7,000MB/s read | 5,300MB/s write | $69.99 $59.99 at Walmart (save $10)
This WD_Black SN850 has excellent read speeds and decent write performance from an established brand with great reliability. Plus this one's Call of Duty Black Ops Cold War branded, so if that's your thing then there's plenty of room here to handle the game and all its future updates.

Solidigm P44 Pro | 1TB | M.2 2280 | PCIe 4.0 | 7,000MB/s read | 6,500MB/s write | $91.99 $59.99 at Newegg (save $32)
It's another Solidigm drive but this one is blisteringly quick. The Nextorage offer is clearly cheaper but if you want the absolute best write performance, for less than $60, this the one to get.

Price check: Amazon $85.79

Crucial P3 Plus| 2TB | NVMe | PCIe 3.0 | 3,500MB/s read | 3,000MB/s write | $99.99 $67.99 at Best Buy (save $32)
If the Crucial P3 Plus is a deal at just under $100, this non-Plus is a steal. It has the same Phison controller and the same QLC NAND chips. It's just this drive runs at PCIe 3.0 speeds, not 4.0. You're not going to feel that most of the time because the two share similar random access performance.

WD Black SN850X | 1TB | NVMe | PCIe 4.0 | 7,300MB/s read | 6,300MB/s write | $159.99 $79.99 at Amazon (save $80.00)
This is our favorite SSD for gaming right now, but much like the SN770 on this list, it was cheaper a week ago. Stick around for a couple weeks and it'll likely drop in price again. But unlike the cheaper SN770, the SN850X encapsulates the best PCIe 4.0 offers in terms of performance (check out our review). That makes it a great fit for a boot drive with space to spare for your game library, and at this price, we're happy to pay the premium for its higher speed.

Price check: Best Buy $84.99 | Newegg $84.99

Sabrent Rocket 2230 | 1TB | NVMe | PCIe 4.0 | 4,750MB/s read | 4,300MB/s write | $89.99 at Amazon
This is a very high-capacity version of our favorite 2230 form factor NVMe SSD for the Steam Deck. While you are paying a premium for handheld compatibility, pairing this with the cheap Steam Deck would save you cash over the top capacity Deck and net you double the storage space.

Price check: Newegg $109.99

Silicon Power XS70 | 2TB | NVMe | PCIe 4.0 | 7300  MB/s Read | 6800 MB/s Write | $124.99 $109.97 at Amazon (save $19)
The XS70 was going cheaper last month, but we've seen it pop back up in price recently. I'd perhaps wait a bit longer to see if the price dips again before picking one up. It packs rather a large bang for your buck with its fast read and write times, at least. While the software side of things may be a little lacking, we were impressed with the overall performance and value proposition of this drive. Read our review here.

Lexar NM790 | 2TB | PCIe 4.0 | 7,400MB/s read | 6,500MB/s write | $124.99 $109.99 at Amazon (save $15)
Lexar has put together a superb SSD in the NM790, and the best bit is it's surprisingly cheap. Thanks to high layer NAND and a low-power controller, you can get tons of storage here on an energy-efficient and great performing drive for not much cash. Often much less cash than the competition, even. Read our Lexar NM790 (4TB) review for more.

Silicon Power UD90 2230 | 2TB | PCIe 4.0 | 5,000 MB/s read | 3,200 MB/s write | Steam Deck + ROG Ally compatible | $199.99 $154.99 at Amazon (save $45)
This Silicon Power drive isn't the fastest compact SSD you can stick in your Steam Deck, but it is the cheapest 2TB drive you'll be able to find for your wee handheld gaming PC. And it will also be a little quicker than the stock drive the Deck ships with, too.

Silicon Power UD90 | 4TB | NVMe | PCIe 4.0 | 5,000MB/s read | 4,500MB/s write | $179.99 $159.99 at Amazon (save $20)
This Silicon Power might not be the fastest of drives, but it's difficult to argue with this much storage for this sort of money. With a sequential read write of 5,000MB/s and 4,500MB/s it's still not what you'd call slow and should be fine for gaming, and it comes from a reliable brand at a great discount.

Samsung T7 Shield | 1TB | USB 3.2 Gen2 | 1,050 MB/s read | 1,000 MB/s write | $84.99 $79.31 at Amazon (save $5.68)
Samsung's external drives have a better recent history than its internal SSDs, so we've no hesitation in recommending the T7 for any professional looking for a large amount of storage that can be safely taken from place to place. They're designed to be rugged and fast, a potent combo. Oh, and they are available in three colors.

Price check: Newegg $99.30

Crucial X9 Pro | 2TB | USB 3.2 Gen2 | 1,050 MB/s read | 1,050 MB/s write | $87.99 at Amazon
This external drive uses Micron flash memory chips, which owns the Crucial brand name. It's performance is just as good as the above Samsung, so you'll have no worries there. The X9 Pro stand out features are its size and weight, as it's very compact and lightweight. Perfect for having lots of storage on the go.

Price check: Newegg $162.99

Crucial P3 Plus | 1TB | NVMe | PCIe 4.0 | 5,000MB/s read | 4,200MB/s write | £47.66 £40.99 at Amazon (save £6.67)
The Crucial P3 Plus is a proper PCIe 4.0 SSD, with speeds well in advance of what any PCIe 3.0 drive can offer. And at this price, it's giving you a whole lot of fast SSD storage for not a lot of pennies.

Seagate FireCuda 530 | 1TB | NVMe | 7,300MB/s read | 6,000MB/s write | £83.99 at Scan
There are cheaper 1TB drives out there, but the Seagate FireCuda 530 counters this by being one of the fastest you can get. You'll need a CPU and motherboard that both support PCIe 4.0 to reach its full potential, though.

Lexar NM790 | 2TB | PCIe 4.0 | 7,400MB/s read | 6,500MB/s write | £123.99 £109.99 at Amazon (save £14)
Lexar has put together a superb SSD in the NM790, and the best bit is it's surprisingly cheap. Thanks to high layer NAND and a low-power controller, you can get tons of storage here on an energy-efficient and great performing drive for not much cash. Often much less cash than the competition, even. Read our Lexar NM790 (4TB) review for more.

Lexar NM790 | 4TB | NVMe | PCIE 4.0 | 7,400MB/s read | 6,500MB/s write | £202.32 £189.98 at Scan (save £12.34)
It's a lot of money to spend on a storage drive but it's actually great value for money. Trying to find a high quality 4TB SSD under £200 in the UK  is a serious challenge but this Lexar squeezes under that limit. There are cheaper SSDs with the same capacity but they won't have anywhere near the same performance.

Price check: Amazon £207

Samsung T7 Shield | 1TB | USB 3.2 Gen2 | 1,050 MB/s read | 1,000 MB/s write | £97.29 £77.59 at Amazon (save £19.70)
Samsung's external drives have a better recent history than its internal SSDs, so we've no hesitation in recommending the T7 for any professional looking for a large amount of storage that can be safely taken from place to place. They're designed to be rugged and fast, a potent combo. Oh, and they are available in three colors.

Crucial X9 Pro | 2TB | USB 3.2 Gen2 | Up to 1,050 MB/s read and write | £151.99 £95.99 at Amazon (save £56)
Crucial is a big name in SSDs, and the Micron-owned brand is offering a 37% saving on this 2TB external model. The drive comes in anodized aluminium shell with a rubberized base, and is just 65 x 50 mm big. There's an integrated lanyard hole too, if you want to wear it, which hides a drive activity light.