Sean Webster

Sean Webster

Sean is a lifelong gamer and tech-lover who inevitably became an authority on storage. Gaming in the late 90s and early 2000s at a competitive level, he realized that you needed to embrace every edge. Flash storage had potential. Long load times became a thing of the past, and it was clear over the next decade that only a discerning eye could identify the best consumer and enterprise SSDs. That eye of his is also forward-looking and outward-seeking, finding the next mountain to climb - often, literally.

Articles by: Sean Webster

Best SSDs hero

Best SSDs 2022: From Budget SATA to Blazing-Fast NVMe

By Sean Webster, Shane Downing published

We recommend the best SSDs for every need and budget based on our extensive lab tests.

Recent External SSDs

Best External SSDs and Hard Drives of 2022

By Matt Safford, Sean Webster published

We've tested dozens of external hard drives and SSDs to pick out those that offer the best balance of performance, features and price.

Inland Prime M.2 NVMe

Inland Prime M.2 NVMe SSD Review: Entry-Level on the Cheap

By Sean Webster published

The Inland Prime is an affordable, convenient entry-level NVMe drive with a solid warranty.

Seagate IronWolf 525

Seagate IronWolf 525 SSD Review: The PCIe 4.0 NAS Upgrade

By Sean Webster published

Leveraging a Phison E16 and BiCS4 TLC, the Seagate IronWolf 525 was built to endure demanding NAS workloads.

WD Black SN770 SSD

WD Black SN770 SSD Review: A Wolf in Sheep's Clothing

By Sean Webster published

The WD Black SN770 uses a DRAM-less design and fast 3D TLC flash to create a responsive and cost-efficient gaming SSD.

WD Black SN750 SE

WD Black SN750 SE SSD Review: Cost-Effective Storage for Gamers

By Sean Webster published

Built on a DRAM-less architecture and paired with BiCS4 96L TLC, the WD Black SN750 SE delivers mainstream performance at competitive prices.

MSI Spatium 470

MSI Spatium M470 SSD Review: Ready for Play

By Sean Webster published

Leveraging Phison’s E16 controller and BiCS4 TLC and low pricing, the MSI Spatium M470 is a solid PCIe Gen4 SSD built for gamers.

Kingston KC3000 1TB Capacity Update

Kingston KC3000 M.2 SSD Review: The Fastest Flash You Can Get (Updated)

By Sean Webster published

Update Thanks to a mix of Micron’s 176L TLC flash and Phison’s solid engineering, Kingston’s KC3000 proves one of the fastest SSDs to have crossed our labs.

Team Group T-Force Cardea Z44Q

4TB Team Group T-Force Cardea Z44Q SSD Review: Affordable High-Capacity Gen4 Performance

By Sean Webster published

With Phison’s E16 and Micron’s 96-Layer QLC flash, the Z44Q delivers high capacities and entry-level Gen4 performance for gamers on a budget.

WD Blue SN570

WD Blue SN570 M.2 NVMe SSD Review: Bleeding-Edge Bargain

By Sean Webster published

The WD Blue SN570 offers snappy mainstream NVMe performance with a DRAM-less architecture and BiCS5 TLC flash.

PNY LX3030

PNY LX3030 M.2 NVMe SSD Review: Chia Plot Master Flex

By Sean Webster published

Leveraging Phison’s PS5012-E12S and QLC flash in SLC mode, the PNY LX3030 delivers high performance and endurance for Chia farmers and enthusiasts.

SanDisk Professional G-Drive SSD

SanDisk Professional G-Drive SSD Review: Fast, Resilient Pro Storage

By Sean Webster published

SanDisk Professional G-Drive SSD delivers fast performance, ultra-rugged resiliency, security, and portability.

Crucial P5 Plus SSD

Crucial P5 Plus M.2 NVMe SSD Review: Affordable Gen4 Performance (Updated)

By Sean Webster published

Update Leveraging Micron’s 176L B47R TLC and the company’s latest PCIe Gen4 NVMe controller, the Crucial P5 Plus is a high-performance SSD priced to sell.

Kingston XS2000

Kingston XS2000 Portable SSD Review: Small Size with XL Performance

By Sean Webster published

Kingston’s XS2000 is a responsive, well-priced portable SSD built on Silicon Motion’s new SM2320 controller and Micron’s 96L TLC.

Team Group T-Force Cardea A440

Team Group T-Force Cardea A440 SSD Review: A Speedy Value for PC or PS5

By Sean Webster published

The T-Force Cardea A440 is a responsive PCIe 4.0 x4 NVMe SSD that is hot with speed, but cool on temps when used with the included heatsinks.

Upgrading a Tiger Lake laptop with a PCIe 4.0 SSD

Upgrading Your Laptop with PCIe 4.0 Storage: Which SSD is the best?

By Sean Webster published

We dive deep to see if upgrading a Tiger Lake laptop with a PCIe 4.0 SSD is worth the high cost.

Acer FA100

Acer FA100 NVMe SSD Review: Low-cost, DRAM-less

By Sean Webster published

Powered by a DRAM-less NVMe SSD controller, the Acer FA100 delivers faster-than-SATA performance at a relatively low cost.

SK hynix Gold P31 2TB Update

SK hynix Gold P31 M.2 NVMe SSD Review: High-Performance, Unprecedented Efficiency (Updated)

By Sean Webster published

Update With SK hynix’s latest 128L 4D NAND TLC flash, the Gold P31delivers strong performance at a low price.

Corsair MP600 Pro XT

Corsair MP600 Pro XT SSD Review: Corsair’s Best Just Leveled Up

By Sean Webster published

Built for prosumers and gamers with a taste for speed, the MP600 Pro XT delivers awesome performance with Micron’s 176L TLC flash.

Seagate FireCuda 530 4TB

Seagate FireCuda 530 M.2 NVMe SSD Review: Performance Above All (Updated)

By Sean Webster published

Update The Seagate FireCuda 530 is built for professionals and enthusiasts searching for the most reliable and fastest SSD that they can get their hands on.

Silicon Power XD80

Silicon Power XD80 SSD Review: Mainstream Performance at Low Cost

By Sean Webster published

Silicon Power’s XD80 offers up mainstream performance, high endurance, and cool operation at low prices.

MSI Spatium M480

MSI Spatium M480 M.2 NVMe SSD Review: Classy Looks and Speed

By Sean Webster published

MSI’s Spatium M480 offers up fast, cool Gen4 performance along with secure AES 256-bit hardware encryption support at premium prices.

Sabrent Rocket XTRM-Q 16TB TB3 SSD

16TB Sabrent Rocket XTRM-Q SSD Review: Twice the Storage, Twice the Price

By Sean Webster published

With two 8TB M.2 NVMe SSDs connected to the Thunderbolt 3 interface, the Rocket XTRM-Q offers up massive capacity at a massive price.

Crucial P2

Unsavory Flash Swap: Re-Testing Crucial’s P2 SSD After QLC Downgrade

By Sean Webster published

Now shipping with QLC flash, Crucial’s P2 is significantly slower than the original sample that we initially reviewed.

Gigabyte Aorus Gen4 7000s - 1TB

Gigabyte Aorus Gen4 7000s M.2 NVMe SSD Review: Nanocarbon Cooled for Speed (Updated)

By Sean Webster published

Update Gigabyte Aorus Gen4 7000s is a fast and secure PCIe 4.0 x4 NVMe SSD that utilizes nanocarbon coating to aid its cooling.