SSD TIER LIST

[testcy]

Is Kingston NV2 1TB M.2 NVMe worth considering even if it has no DRAM? Is it using TLC or QLC?

[RevGAM]

44 minutes ago, testcy said:

Is Kingston NV2 1TB M.2 NVMe worth considering even if it has no DRAM? Is it using TLC or QLC?

What are you using it for? Gaming or storing large files?

[RevGAM]

2 hours ago, Steve G.O.B.S. said:

For the same price with heatsink should I go for kc3000 or Adata Legend 960 max?

 

According to this test the Adata is slightly better and more efficient.

 

https://aphnetworks.com/reviews/adata-legend-960-1tb/2

Honestly, the Legend is better but you probably won't notice most of the differences. Both companies engage in downgrading their products' quality after getting great reviews, so it's best to buy products you can trust or pay more when they're new. That said, you'll get a better deal with the WD Black SN850X or the Kingston Fury Renegade. If you get the 2 TB, it's even better as stats are typically better than smaller SSDs. I hope that helps. 

[testcy]

46 minutes ago, RevGAM said:

What are you using it for? Gaming or storing large files?

Boot drive?

[RevGAM]

56 minutes ago, testcy said:

Boot drive?

Then it's good. 

[bojanh66]

Are all of these 3 SSDs downgraded to QLC or some of them are still TLC ?
I am reading different opinions, some say that 2tb models are TLC, while some says that companies has downgraded them to QLC after getting good reviews?

Adata Legend 800 2tb

Kingston NV2 2tb

Lexar NM620 2tb

 

Which one would you buy for storage only ?

[RevGAM]

4 hours ago, bojanh66 said:

Are all of these 3 SSDs downgraded to QLC or some of them are still TLC ?
I am reading different opinions, some say that 2tb models are TLC, while some says that companies has downgraded them to QLC after getting good reviews?

Adata Legend 800 2tb

Kingston NV2 2tb

Lexar NM620 2tb

 

Which one would you buy for storage only ?

You would need to find reviews made recently where the person got them from a new batch. Some companies, including Adata and Kingston engage in secretly downgrading their quality once a product is deemed great. Sadly, there seem to be several more. 

[penguino]

On 5/6/2023 at 7:27 PM, testcy said:

Is Kingston NV2 1TB M.2 NVMe worth considering even if it has no DRAM? Is it using TLC or QLC?

More often than not it has QLC, I'd skip.

On 5/7/2023 at 8:41 AM, bojanh66 said:

Are all of these 3 SSDs downgraded to QLC or some of them are still TLC ?

NM620 is still TLC. ADATA is new, there are no reviews so it's hard to tell anything about this drive.

[testcy]

Is Adata XPG Gammix S70 Blade still a good choice and under Tier A (Upper High-end)?

[tdkid]

seeing this list. i see it was last updated in Nov. 2022 as of right now and currently waiting on the creator of this thread to update the list. anyone have suggestions on what would change? what is better or worse? i am asking because i am looking for a good 2.5" SSD as i am currently limited to 1 m.2 and that spot is filled.

[Meiso]

Kimtigo TP-3500 (K001P3M28TP3500)

1Tb

SSD M.2

SM2262EN

3 Bit TLC

PCI-E 3.x x4

2280

M

Seq Read - 3500 MB/s

Seq Write - 2800 MB/s

Spoiler

 

 

[En2AM]

Hello folks! I'd like to ask you for a recommendation, I'm looking to buy a cheap SSD ASAP, since my old HDD (2014 WD 1TB) is starting to fail, so pretty much any SSD will be an upgrade in terms of performance, but I'm looking for advice in the reliability and endurance (I'll be looking to buy another one in the future, but if this one won't be failing or giving me errors in the remainder of this year that'd be great! xD), anyways, I'm specifically targeting 240-256 GB because I mostly need it for a fresh Windows install and mostly some programs and apps, maybe a couple of low demanding games (LoL, Valorant, and such), since I'll try to mantain my HDD for media storage as long as it remains alive!.

 

The ones I've found are:

 

ADATA - SU650* - 240 GB 

PNY - CS900* - 240 GB

 

ADATA - SU630* - 240 GB
 

Addlink - S20 - 256 GB

 

Crucial - BX500* - 240 GB

 

All of them around $20 (Crucial $5 more than the rest) and I've not seen many bad reviews for any of them (so far), so it'd be mostly a matter of which do you guys think is the best in terms of quality or longevity. The one I've seen more bad reviews is the Addlink, most of them saying it didn't last even 1 month... yet here it's in the higher tier out of all of these.

____

 

Oh a quick question, what's the difference between Phison s10 and s11? I assume one's newer, but does that mean it's better?

 

[tdkid]

On 6/15/2023 at 12:44 PM, En2AM said:

Hello folks! I'd like to ask you for a recommendation, I'm looking to buy a cheap SSD ASAP, since my old HDD (2014 WD 1TB) is starting to fail, so pretty much any SSD will be an upgrade in terms of performance, but I'm looking for advice in the reliability and endurance (I'll be looking to buy another one in the future, but if this one won't be failing or giving me errors in the remainder of this year that'd be great! xD), anyways, I'm specifically targeting 240-256 GB because I mostly need it for a fresh Windows install and mostly some programs and apps, maybe a couple of low demanding games (LoL, Valorant, and such), since I'll try to mantain my HDD for media storage as long as it remains alive!.

 

The ones I've found are:

 

ADATA - SU650* - 240 GB 

PNY - CS900* - 240 GB

 

ADATA - SU630* - 240 GB
 

Addlink - S20 - 256 GB

 

Crucial - BX500* - 240 GB

 

All of them around $20 (Crucial $5 more than the rest) and I've not seen many bad reviews for any of them (so far), so it'd be mostly a matter of which do you guys think is the best in terms of quality or longevity. The one I've seen more bad reviews is the Addlink, most of them saying it didn't last even 1 month... yet here it's in the higher tier out of all of these.

____

 

Oh a quick question, what's the difference between Phison s10 and s11? I assume one's newer, but does that mean it's better?

 

DO NOT get a 240-256GB SSD. you will not be able to do all of what you want. i have seen it a few times that you do not want to load the SSD over 75% as it will start to slow down. a 240-256gb SSD is already going to lose around 20-40GB of itself for formatting or just that they never actually have the full GB about they say. then you want to add the OS, programs, apps and some games. the SSD will be filled in no time. of course if you plan on moving all the stuff over except the OS then that would be fine for a temporary use. personally I went with the Samsung 970 evo plus 500GB m.2 for my OS and I am looking for a new SSD too to store the rest.

 

the biggest thing is that you need to know the specs of your PC and what it can handle. a Pcie gen4 SSD like m.2 is not going to work on a gen3 system. 

[En2AM]

On 6/22/2023 at 8:20 AM, tdkid said:

DO NOT get a 240-256GB SSD. you will not be able to do all of what you want. i have seen it a few times that you do not want to load the SSD over 75% as it will start to slow down. a 240-256gb SSD is already going to lose around 20-40GB of itself for formatting or just that they never actually have the full GB about they say. then you want to add the OS, programs, apps and some games. the SSD will be filled in no time. of course if you plan on moving all the stuff over except the OS then that would be fine for a temporary use. personally I went with the Samsung 970 evo plus 500GB m.2 for my OS and I am looking for a new SSD too to store the rest.

 

the biggest thing is that you need to know the specs of your PC and what it can handle. a Pcie gen4 SSD like m.2 is not going to work on a gen3 system. 

That's all I can get at the moment  , so you could see it as get the best of the worst.

 

Things to keep in mind: 

• This is something I need ASAP and can't afford to spend much on it as of right now (too many expenses to cover first).
• I'm not from the US, so the prices are different (that's why I listed those and said the prices I can find them).
• It's first and foremost for my OS and some programs. I can keep the rest I don't immediately need in the HDD (the one that's failing and I need a replacement for the OS to keep working...). This is just a temporary measure (I hope I can solve sooner rather than later)
• I won't get many games on it, if anything 2 (one of those being LoL and its size is quite small).

Out of all of those I listed (I repeat, those are the ones I found that I can afford and get quickly), which one would be the least bad? 

 

Quote

 

The ones I've found are:

 

ADATA - SU650* - 240 GB 

PNY - CS900* - 240 GB

 

ADATA - SU630* - 240 GB
 

Addlink - S20 - 256 GB

 

Crucial - BX500* - 240 GB

 

All of them around $20 (Crucial $5 more than the rest) and I've not seen many bad reviews for any of them (so far), so it'd be mostly a matter of which do you guys think is the best in terms of quality or longevity. 

 

 

Also, I'm getting paid a decent amount in a couple of weeks, so then I might start looking for a better one.

Edited June 26, 2023 by En2AM

[tdkid]

7 hours ago, En2AM said:

That's all I can get at the moment  , so you could see it as get the best of the worst.

 

Things to keep in mind: 

• This is something I need ASAP and can't afford to spend much on it as of right now (too many expenses to cover first).
• I'm not from the US, so the prices are different (that's why I listed those and said the prices I can find them).
• It's first and foremost for my OS and some programs. I can keep the rest I don't immediately need in the HDD (the one that's failing and I need a replacement for the OS to keep working...). This is just a temporary measure (I hope I can solve sooner rather than later)
• I won't get many games on it, if anything 2 (one of those being LoL and its size is quite small).

Out of all of those I listed (I repeat, those are the ones I found that I can afford and get quickly), which one would be the least bad? 

 

 

Also, I'm getting paid a decent amount in a couple of weeks, so then I might start looking for a better one.

well you have to remember that the more programs you put on it the less space you are going to have which means slowing it down but also all of the updates for those programs are going to take space. 200-250GB might work for the here and now but 1-2 years from now, probably not. i would suggest amazon as they ship world wide. a lot of the companies we have here in the US will ship it but its going to cost you. 

[En2AM]

On 6/26/2023 at 6:54 PM, tdkid said:

well you have to remember that the more programs you put on it the less space you are going to have which means slowing it down but also all of the updates for those programs are going to take space. 200-250GB might work for the here and now but 1-2 years from now, probably not. i would suggest amazon as they ship world wide. a lot of the companies we have here in the US will ship it but its going to cost you. 

Yes, I agree with all of what you just said, but then again, those are the only ones I have access to atm, no point in trying to give other type of solutions when those would be out of reach. So I hope you (or someone else) can answer my original question, if it's not too much to ask, please and thank you. I'm not trying to come across as disrespectful (sorry if that's how it reads), just need to know if there's an answer to my previous inquiry .

 

I'm not looking to buy something that will be my one-and-only storage for the next 2-3-4 years, nor to get it for a gaming setup or a high number of programs/apps; Those are things I already have given decent thought. As of now, I just need something that would be good enough for the short term (I need it asap, can't import it, couldn't find other options without spending significantly more, etc) mostly for work and some side stuff (as in 1-2 games in there, if any) and most importantly something that has (a somewhat proven, barring bad luck in manufacture side failures) low chance of failing and leaving me hanging in the next couple of months. I just don't know enough about [hdd & sdd] brands, models and such. The one time I have bought one I just went for the safe WD Blue but at that time I could afford it and imported it. Different circumstances but I'll try to not leave it as a "permanent solution" for too long.

Sorry if my english is not perfect, if there's something I need to clarify I'll gladly do so.

[Sherry_Ci]

@En2AM I created an account just to applaud you for how you handled the previous responses, because I was getting angry reading them. I can't understand why some people can't grasp that us people not leaving in thr US have only a couple options and that's it. We don't want suggestions of anything else than previously mentioned, because they are not viable for us.

 

Now, to give you a reply to your original question, I am in the same situation right now and that's how I found this post. Where I live, there are a lot of reviews for ADATA SU650 complaining that their SSD died in mere months after purchase, with irreparable data loss. I couldn't tell if they must have been unlucky to all get the SSD from a bad batch or not, but considering that I've seen almost a hundred reviews complaining about this, I would avoid it. In a review someone recommended SU630 instead of 650 for being more reliable, but I belive they must have been lucky with the 630, because, since it uses QLC nand instead of TLC like the 650, it is bound by specs and physics to be less reliable, but I don't know what to say. Interestingly, I was looking at SU650 because I found the 120GB variant for the dirt cheap price of 8 bucks (equivalent in my currency) and the 240GB for 18 dollars. When I looked for it I saw that it was the same price as the 240GB Kingston A400, which is not on your list, but in case you can find it, I can tell you from experience that I had no problems with it and I've had it for almost 5 years as a windows boot drive and it's still healthy and performant.

 

Regarding ADDLINK, I haven't seen SSDs made by them being sold in my country, however I have had USB flash drives from Addlink and I can tell you that they were the worst. They would run great but if you try to move files onto them, they would start off at 20mb/s for the first 10-15 seconds, then immediately drop to kb/s, whilst getting burning hot. I tried multiple versions and capacities and they are all awful. So, if their SSDs use the same NAND flash as their pen drives, I would say to run away immediately.

 

I have no experience with PNY or CRUCIAL, but generally, when I've seen PNY drives, they were the cheapest available and personally, they didn't inspire me confidence, but I might be wrong. I've heard about CRUCIAL a lot on youtube and in Linus's videos, so I believe there must be something that that brand does great. 

 

Personally, I would buy the CRUCIAL SSD, even if it's more expensive by a little, I can assure you that difference in price is justified. Or, if you can find a Kingston in your area, those are really good too.

 

Alternatively, if you need it immediately, as a temporary drive, you could buy the cheapest one available and invest into a OneDrive or Google Drive subscription (2 USD a month for 100GB is quite reasonable I would say) and make sure to save all important data on them. This way it shouldn't be that big of an annoyance if the SSD fails prematurely.

[En2AM]

2 hours ago, Sherry_Ci said:

When I looked for it I saw that it was the same price as the 240GB Kingston A400, which is not on your list, but in case you can find it, I can tell you from experience that I had no problems with it and I've had it for almost 5 years as a windows boot drive and it's still healthy and performant.

First and foremost, thank you for your kind words, sometimes it's a struggle when I ask about something on the internet, at this point it's just a toss up, some people / users think (again, not to say they aren't trying to be helpful) that by giving you a different/better option than the ones you specifically asked they're helping you, but sometimes they don't take into account the other person's situation. That's why I tend to be very specific and include every little detail if possible when asking for any kind of info or help.

 

That being said: at first I had in mind the Kingston A400 but then I read (maybe in this thread?... or somewhere else) that a lot of people got theirs DOA (dead on arrival) and even when they got a replacement some of those were also dead or failed rather quickly. Which is why I got kind of scared, not gonna lie, I won't buy something that I know I might not be able to use/enjoy for more than a few weeks xD. Perhaps I need to reconsider it, I'll research again about it just in case.

 

I was somewhat leaning towards the Crucial, which is "only" extra $5 (it's not much, I agree, but if I'm able to save that for food, I will) , but the only thing that I was uncertain about it is that most reviews (including this thread!) rate highly the MX500 model, while the BX500 (the one I've found around that price) is just... meh, like the others on my list xD.

 

But if what you say is true, then I'll just go for the Crucial BX500 and hope for the best, if anything, it's a good brand as far as I know.

[tdkid]

16 hours ago, En2AM said:

Yes, I agree with all of what you just said, but then again, those are the only ones I have access to atm, no point in trying to give other type of solutions when those would be out of reach. So I hope you (or someone else) can answer my original question, if it's not too much to ask, please and thank you. I'm not trying to come across as disrespectful (sorry if that's how it reads), just need to know if there's an answer to my previous inquiry .

 

I'm not looking to buy something that will be my one-and-only storage for the next 2-3-4 years, nor to get it for a gaming setup or a high number of programs/apps; Those are things I already have given decent thought. As of now, I just need something that would be good enough for the short term (I need it asap, can't import it, couldn't find other options without spending significantly more, etc) mostly for work and some side stuff (as in 1-2 games in there, if any) and most importantly something that has (a somewhat proven, barring bad luck in manufacture side failures) low chance of failing and leaving me hanging in the next couple of months. I just don't know enough about [hdd & sdd] brands, models and such. The one time I have bought one I just went for the safe WD Blue but at that time I could afford it and imported it. Different circumstances but I'll try to not leave it as a "permanent solution" for too long.

Sorry if my english is not perfect, if there's something I need to clarify I'll gladly do so.

sorry if i was sounding mean. i didn't mean to be. i was just giving my advice that 240Gb is not really a good idea if you plan on putting the OS and some programs on it. it will work for what you are planning but it's just not the best solution but then again since this is temporary, anything you get will work. you said Kingston a400 so you are looking for a 2.5" SATA SSD? and not a m.2 nvme SSD right? the Kingston A400 doesn't come with a DRAM cache. personally I would look at most anything crucial, WD or Samsung as they are all pretty good.

 

just one other piece of advice for you. you know your local area and what stores are in it. i would not buy something from the store that you go "that place has nothing but junk" even if its the only place in town. because everything in that store is bought as manufacturer rejects for their quality control that they still sell to make some money of of them. if that is the case buy directly from the marker of whatever you do decide to go with. the crucial bx500 is a good choice and right now (not sure if you are seeing the same info) the 480GB bx500 is actually cheaper than the 240Gb by a few dollars and its twice the capacity. 

 

480GB Crucial BX500 480GB 3D NAND SATA 2.5-Inch Internal SSD - Newegg.com

 

240GB Crucial BX500 240GB 3D NAND SATA 2.5-Inch Internal SSD, up to 540 MB/s - CT240BX500SSD1 - Newegg.com

[En2AM]

Yes, Sata since my mobo is rather old (I think it might be compatible with NVme, but at this point the slowest SSD will do just fine, anything will be an upgrade over my current disk at this point lmao). Don't worry, I'll be checking for NVmes next (hopefully soon) when looking for a more permanent solution.

 

Thank you for your advice, I'll take them into account. Holy... wtf that's really cheap for 480gb, sadly that's not the case over here, I've only seen them either close to or over 40 bucks, and that's including the piss brands (D tier and such) xD. 

5 hours ago, tdkid said:

sorry if i was sounding mean. i didn't mean to be. i was just giving my advice that 240Gb is not really a good idea if you plan on putting the OS and some programs on it.

Also, just to be clear, never thought you were being mean, even though it wasn't exactly the answer I was asking for, I know it came from a good place... so, no hard feelings.

 

Alright, I'll go with the Crucial BX500, both of you seem to trust it the most. Rather than performance (not to say it's not important) I'm mostly concerned about their (any brand or model I'm not familiar with) reliability. Thanks again!

[tdkid]

1 hour ago, En2AM said:

Yes, Sata since my mobo is rather old (I think it might be compatible with NVme, but at this point the slowest SSD will do just fine, anything will be an upgrade over my current disk at this point lmao). Don't worry, I'll be checking for NVmes next (hopefully soon) when looking for a more permanent solution.

 

Thank you for your advice, I'll take them into account. Holy... wtf that's really cheap for 480gb, sadly that's not the case over here, I've only seen them either close to or over 40 bucks, and that's including the piss brands (D tier and such) xD. 

Also, just to be clear, never thought you were being mean, even though it wasn't exactly the answer I was asking for, I know it came from a good place... so, no hard feelings.

 

Alright, I'll go with the Crucial BX500, both of you seem to trust it the most. Rather than performance (not to say it's not important) I'm mostly concerned about their (any brand or model I'm not familiar with) reliability. Thanks again!

you would need to look up the specs of your board to see if it has an m.2 slot, if not then it doesn't support nvme drives and only SATA. crucial is one of the better companies out there for computer parts. this guy is a youtube like linus but he does a lot more PC builds himself Robeytech Live - YouTube

[Newblesse Obblige]

is the Crucial P3 good? planning to use it as a storage drive for my laptop

[tdkid]

On 7/7/2023 at 4:38 AM, Newblesse Obblige said:

is the Crucial P3 good? planning to use it as a storage drive for my laptop

most anything from crucial is good. along with Samsung, western digital and seagate.

[Newblesse Obblige]

1 hour ago, tdkid said:

most anything from crucial is good. along with Samsung, western digital and seagate.

What about Kingston NV1 or NV2?  Also planning to use it as a storage drive for my laptop
 

[tdkid]

16 hours ago, Newblesse Obblige said:

What about Kingston NV1 or NV2?  Also planning to use it as a storage drive for my laptop
 

i am not sure about kingston anymore. kind of lost track of them for a while so I cant say they are good or bad.