SSDs

An M.2 NVMe SSD is the fastest type and ideal for Windows and games. is a sensible baseline. For gaming, a quality PCIe 4.0 NVMe drive is the value pick.

PCIe 5.0 NVMe drives are the fastest, but for gaming the real-world gain over a good PCIe 4.0 drive is small. PCIe 5.0 shines for large file work. For a gaming PC, a PCIe 4.0 drive is usually the better value, and you can step up if your board supports it.

Most modern boards have at least one M.2 slot and most drives are the standard 2280 length. Check how many M.2 slots you have and which PCIe version they support so you get the speed you pay for. Larger drives use the same slot.

For a gaming PC, a 1TB or 2TB PCIe 4.0 NVMe drive hits the sweet spot. For a PS5 you need a PCIe 4.0 NVMe SSD with a heatsink that meets Sony's speed rule, so look for drives listed as PS5 compatible.