How to choose an SSD (and how much storage you need)
An SSD decides how fast your PC feels — booting, loading, installing. Here's NVMe vs SATA in plain terms, and how many terabytes actually make sense.
Storage decides how fast the computer feels day to day: how quickly it boots, opens programs, and loads game levels. A new build should always run its system on an SSD — the real questions are which kind and how big.
NVMe vs SATA
An NVMe SSD is a small stick that plugs straight into the motherboard's M.2 slot — no cables — and is several times faster than a SATA drive. SATA SSDs still work fine as extra storage or in older systems, but for the system drive of a new build NVMe is the default: it's faster and often costs about the same.
How much capacity
- 500 GB — the working minimum: the system plus a few programs and games; fills up quickly.
- 1 TB — the sweet spot for most builds: system, software, and a solid game library.
- 2 TB and up — for big game collections, video projects, or large work files.
Most motherboards have a spare M.2 slot, so starting with 1 TB and adding a second drive later is a safe plan.
Do speed classes matter?
Within NVMe, drives differ by PCIe generation. For gaming and everyday work the difference is hard to notice: a solid mid-range NVMe drive loads games almost exactly as fast as a flagship. You'll feel extra capacity every day; you won't feel the last digits of a benchmark. The newest generation mostly matters for heavy professional workloads.
Does a faster SSD increase FPS?
No. The SSD affects loading times and how responsive the system feels, not frame rate. For more FPS, put the budget into the graphics card.
Is the newest PCIe generation worth it?
For most builds, not yet: game-loading differences against a good previous-generation drive are minimal, and the price premium is real. A quality mid-range NVMe is the value pick.
Do I still need a hard drive (HDD)?
Only as cheap bulk storage for archives — backups, footage, media libraries. The system and games belong on an SSD.