While 3D printing has been rapidly advancing and the list of the best 3D printers changes on an almost weekly basis, 3D scanning technology has been making slower but steady progress toward becoming a consumer-friendly technology. With many 3D scanners dropping in price to around the cost of an entry-level 3D printer or laser engraver, it’s a great time to get started and learn about the technology. While some of these scanners launched several years ago, they remain competitive due to continued software updates and strong performance when capturing geometry.

To explain it simply: most 3D scanners work by capturing a point cloud and stitching it together to make a 3D model. This can easily add up to hundreds of thousands or millions of points, so there is a lot of data to process, align, and stitch together to create a 3D model. Some 3D scanners include an onboard computer to simplify the workflow, typically at the expense of a slightly longer processing time than a fast computer. If you’re proficient in mesh editing and 3D modeling, a 3D scanner that uses a computer for mesh clean-up offers more flexibility but may require more hands-on effort.

There’s a 3D scanner for almost every application, from CT scanners that can accurately capture the inside of a model to cell phone apps that can make a 3D model from pictures in minutes. Before buying a 3D scanner, it’s worth doing some research to understand what aspects are most important for your project. Consider what you want to accomplish, and read through some of these tips to get you started on your journey into the world of 3D scanning.

The Best Consumer 3D Scanners You Can Buy Today

Best Overall 3D Scanner

The Creality Sermoon P1 is a handheld all-in-one 3D scanner that uses both structured light and blue lasers to quickly and accurately capture geometry. The standout feature of the Sermoon P1 is the integrated touchscreen, which allows users to edit point clouds, create and repair 3D models, and even export the file just by using the onboard computer, no desktop PC required.

The bright 6-inch LCD on the Sermoon P1 is equally readable indoors and outdoors, so users can go through the entire editing process and create a 3D model without needing to put the 3D scanner down. Whether it was scanning sculptures outdoors, automotive components, or consumer products, the Sermoon P1 performed exceptionally during testing, although the color textures lacked detail.

The Sermoon P1 launched at $3,299, a price point that moves into prosumer territory and likely won’t appeal to casual or first-time users. The 22-line laser mode is ideal for scanning large parts quickly, and the ability to go back into single-laser mode to scan deep recesses makes this a compelling option for reverse engineering.

More: Creality Sermoon P1 3D Scanner Review

Best 3D Scanner for Beginners

Originally launched in 2023, the 3DMakerPro Mole uses NIR structured light to provide marker-free scanning capable of accurately capturing dark objects without any surface prep or spray. The base package for the Mole doesn’t support color texture capture, although it can capture greyscale textures which may be useful in certain applications. The Mole requires a wired connection to a computer, although an optional grip is included to connect to a smartphone.

The automated turntable is especially beneficial to beginners, and it can capture a full revolution of an object automatically. When enabled, this mode will detect the turntable, remove it from the scan data, and capture 320 frames all in a single operation without any manual work. This worked well during testing and will take out much of the guesswork around positioning for beginners.

The Standard package of the Mole is available for $649, but the extra $100 for the automated turntable in the Premium is easy to justify given the more automated workflow it enables. The Mole is ergonomically designed and easy to hold, and while the software can sometimes struggle with tracking thin objects the Mole is still worth looking at for a first 3D scanner for a beginner.

More: 3DMakerPro Mole 3D Scanner Review

Best Prosumer Laser Scanner

The Creality Sermoon S1 combines NIR structured light and blue laser scanning modes into a single unit and also includes a camera specifically for capturing color textures. The Sermoon S1 is capable of high-precision scanning and capturing deep recesses in the single laser mode, and can also use up to 34 laser lines simultaneously at a high frame rate for capturing large models quickly.

The NIR mode allows for marker-free scanning, making it an appealing choice for applications where it isn’t practical or possible to add tracking markers to a model. While the NIR mode provided high-quality geometry during testing, the color texture wasn’t up to expectations and is unlikely to be a selling point of the unit.

Available starting at $2,399, the Sermoon S1 is similar in specifications to the more expensive standalone Sermoon P1 but offers a higher FPS capture rate and a 34-line mode for the blue laser. The optional $299 Scan Bridge accessory adds a wireless mode for using the scanner without being tethered by cords.

More: Creality Sermoon S1 3D Scanner Review

Other 3D Scanners We Tested

▶️ 3D MakerPro Toucan

The 3DMakerPro Toucan is an all-in-one 3D scanner that enables a computer-free workflow thanks to onboard processing and a touchscreen LCD. With an upper limit of 15 FPS, the Toucan worked well for small, detailed objects but struggled with tracking loss on larger objects. Sharing a name with the notably colorful bird, the Toucan unfortunately performed poorly during testing when capturing color textures.

The Toucan has two laser modes: Class 1 and Class 3R, with the latter being a more powerful laser that can capture sharp detail but is not safe for applications that involve scanning people. Using tracking markers enables very accurate scans, and the alignment in JMStudio usually works well, but getting the file off the Toucan requires a USB-C thumb drive or a transfer via Wi-Fi.

The Standard package starts at $1,499, but another $200 will buy the Premium package, which includes a portable tripod that doubles as a handle as well as a carrying case. Designed for users who put a high value on portability, the Toucan is a solid 3D scanner for general use or field work.

Read: 3DMakerPro Toucan 3D Scanner Review

Shopping Tips for the Best 3D Scanners

Here are a few important points to consider when choosing the best consumer 3D scanners.

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MORE: How to Buy the Right 3D Printer

We've extensively benchmarked the best Thunderbolt and USB-C docks in 2026 and have compiled a list of the best models on the market here. There used to be a time when laptops would come with a bevy of ports to satisfy most of your connectivity needs. While some larger, desktop-replacement laptops still have a relatively large number of ports, ultrabooks have mostly reduced the number of ports to the bare minimum to save space and reduce weight.

While these efforts result in laptops that are thin and light, if you want to connect a wide variety of devices, including external monitors, you’ll need a dongle or a dock. While dongles are fine for connecting a single peripheral, docks are handy for connecting a variety of devices while simultaneously charging your laptop.

The two most common connectivity options for modern docks are USB-C and Thunderbolt. Nearly every laptop on the market has at least one USB-C port available, which opens up a wealth of possibilities for connecting everything from an external monitor to an external hard drive to webcams to gaming mice. Thunderbolt ports are less common, particularly the latest Thunderbolt 5 standard, but these docks give you the option for even more ports and faster maximum transfer speeds while supporting higher-resolution monitors.

With this in mind, we’re going to take a look at some of the best Thunderbolt and USB-C docks available today.

Quick List

Best Thunderbolt and USB-C Docks for Laptops you can buy today

Best Value Thunderbolt 4 Dock

The Amazon Basics Thunderbolt 4 Pro Dock is a relatively compact dock measuring just 7.86 x 2.95 x 1.23 inches. It features a jet black finish with cooling fins along its flanks to help dissipate heat. As you can see from its name, this is a Thunderbolt 4 dock, so it doesn't offer the higher throughput speeds and loftier Power Delivery figures available to Thunderbolt 5 docks. However, you do get up to 40 Gbps bidirectional data transfer speeds and up to 96-watt charging for your laptop.

The dock supports up to two 4K monitors at 60 Hz, and even includes a 2.5 GbE Ethernet port and an SD slot for offloading images from your digital camera or drone.

With a street price of around $200, the Thunderbolt 4 Pro Dock is a good all-around solution if you need a dock that won't break the bank.

Best Value Thunderbolt 5 Dock

The WAVLINK WL-UTD58-M is a well-rounded Thunderbolt 5 dock supporting bidirectional data speeds of up to 80 Gbps (120 Gbps one way) via its three downstream ports. The dock measures 8.6 x 3.8 x 1.38 inches and includes four USB-A ports for legacy peripherals. Your media needs are also met with microSD and SD slots, while a 2.5 GbE port handles your wired networking. It can also support up to three 4K monitors at a 144 Hz refresh rate.

One of the standout features of the WL-UTD58-M is the M.2 slot on the bottom of the dock, which allows you to add a PCIe 4.0 SSD.

The WL-UTD58-M has an MSRP of $399, making it price-competitive in the Thunderbolt 5 Dock market.

Best Premium Thunderbolt 5 Dock for Windows Laptops

The CalDigit TS5 Plus puts most other Thunderbolt docks to shame with its sheer number of ports (20 in total). The TS5 Plus looks unassuming from the front, offering microSD and SD slots, a single USB-A port, two USB-C ports, and a 3.5mm combo jack. However, the floodgates open at the back, where you'll find a wealth of USB-C, Thunderbolt, and USB-A ports.

CalDigit even offers up a DisplayPort 2.1 port for your monitor, and a 10 GbE port for wired networking. About the only thing missing here is an internal M.2 SSD slot like some other Thunderbolt 5 docks. The TS5 Plus supports up to two 8K60 monitors or three 4K144 monitors.

The TS5 Plus is a premium dock, and it definitely comes with premium pricing with an MSRP of $499.

Best Premium Thunderbolt 5 Dock for Macs

If you have a high-end Mac or MacBook, look no further than the Ivanky FusionDock Ultra. This is the ultimate Thunderbolt 5 dock available, and it only supports Apple Silicon Macs.

It offers a staggering 26 ports, including seven USB-C and two USB-A on the front panel (along with a microSD and SD slot). The back panel is awash in ports, including four Thunderbolt 5 ports, DisplayPort 2.1, HDMI 2.1, S/PDIF, and even a 10 GbE port. You won’t be left wanting, as every possible data and video option is covered here.

The FusionDock Ultra has two Thunderbolt 5 chips onboard, so it requires two Thunderbolt ports on your Mac. While that might seem a bit odd, giving up those two ports opens you to the most feature-packed Thunderbolt 5 dock on the market, while also delivering 140 watts through Power Delivery. With the proper hardware, the FusionDock Ultra can support up to four 6K60 monitors simultaneously.

All of this port goodness comes at a cost; however, the FusionDock Ultra has a street price of a staggering $649.

Best USB-C Dock

The Baseus RD1 Pro is a 15-in-1 unit with dual HDMI ports that support up to 4K resolution at 60 Hz. It also supports Power Delivery to a laptop, along with Gigabit Ethernet, an SD card slot, and a gaggle of USB-A and USB-C ports.

Perhaps its most interesting addition is a Qi2.2 wireless charging dock (25 watts) mounted to the top of the unit. The dock can lie flat or pivot forward, giving you a better view of your smartphone when it's docked.

The RD1 Pro even has a display on the front that shows the status and power level of the USB ports, which is a nice touch. The dock has an MSRP of $199.99.

Specifications

Best Thunderbolt and USB-C Docks for Laptops Shopping Tips

You can generally get by using whatever charger came in the box with your device (provided one was included, which is no longer a given), be it a low-powered smartphone or a high-powered item like a gaming laptop. But if you’re anything like me and inevitably lose the original charger, or you need more ports or power for all your devices on the go and at home, the choices suddenly become less straightforward. What wattage do I need? Is GaN actually worth paying for? (Spoiler: yes!) Can the cheap, no-name charger that's on sale safely handle multiple devices over extended charging times?

To find the best USB chargers for your phone, laptop, and other devices, we started by testing 20 different models (with plenty more to come), ranging from a 15W phone charger that came with a Samsung phone to 140W beasts, across a wide variety of brands including Anker, Baseus, Belkin, Ugreen, Cuktech, and more. Our extensive charger testing goes beyond marketing claims, focusing on real-world performance, including sustained output over time, thermal performance, efficiency, idle power draw, and even a raw dollar-per-watt metric for those who just want the best bang for their charger buck.

We found that most of today’s chargers are relatively efficient, safer, and smarter than ever. Even the cheap options handled basic charging without issue, particularly at lower wattages. But once you hit the 100W-plus range, heat and sustained output are much more important. Modern charging technologies like USB-PD, PPS, QC, and GaN have significantly improved charging speeds, efficiency, and size. However, chargers still can’t escape physics, and removing 140W of heat from something roughly the size of a deck of cards is still challenging.

Picking a charger that gets the job done isn’t rocket science. Almost any modern charger will suffice, especially for the low-wattage devices. But if you’re looking to power laptops, tablets, or multiple devices at once, spending a bit more can get you more ports, better sustained performance, cooler temperatures, faster charging, and added peace of mind. After dozens of hours of testing, these are the best phone chargers, laptop chargers, and general USB device chargers we recommend.

Quick List

Best Wall Chargers you can buy today

Best Low-Power Charger (up to 30W)

Anker’s Nano 3 30W charger offers users a simple, one-port charger with all of the modern charging and protection features. The little charger that could supports fast charging with USB PD 3.0 support, and PPS (Programmable Power Supply). It also utilizes Anker’s proprietary PowerIQ 3.0 technology, which combines universal device compatibility with rapid charging speeds by integrating USB-PD and Qualcomm QC (Quick Charge) protocols, and can identify your specific device to charge it as fast as possible. Anker’s MultiProtect safety system includes a full array of protections, including high-voltage protection, current regulation, temperature control, and more.

Our testing showed that the 30W Nano 3 delivered its nameplate wattage throughout the testing period. Temperatures during the test peaked at just under 65 degrees Celsius, which was on the warmer side compared to others, but nothing to be concerned about. Efficiency was also solid under load, and it didn’t draw any appreciable amount of power from the wall at idle. If you need a basic one-port charger for your smartphone, watch, or other small devices, it's well worth the $12.99 price.

Read more about our charger testing, including the Anker Series 5

Best 65W-Range / Midrange Charger

The Baseus Enercore 67W (CJ11) gets the nod for our best mid-range charger due to its charging flexibility with the integrated, retractable Type-C cable, consistent output over time, and well-managed thermals. The Enercore supports a wide variety of fast-charging protocols, so you can be assured your device will be recognized and will charge quickly. Safety isn’t an afterthought either, with the company's ‘AI-powered’ BCT technology (an onboard chip that monitors temperatures) to keep thermals in check, along with your more common features like OCP, OVP, and short-circuit/overcharge protections.

Testing the Baseus Enercore confirmed its low operating temperature. In fact, it delivered the lowest temperature we recorded (just under 55 degrees Celsius), running much cooler than most 65-67W models and even the 45W Anker Nano. It was also one of the most efficient we tested, but at these lower wattages, you’ll see that more is reflected in the low temperatures than on your electric bill. Priced at $29.99 (currently on sale; normally $39.99), it compares well with the competition and is the only one in our initial testing group with a retractable cable, making it more convenient for travel. So long as you’re not trying to charge multiple high-power devices, it’s ideal for multi-device charging.

Read more about our charger testing, including the Baseus Encercore

Best 100W-plus / High-output Charger

The curiously named Cuktech 10 Ultra lands on our best list because of its ability to charge multiple devices at once while maintaining the highest percentage of full output (after temperature-related throttling). Note that all of the high-output (100W-plus) chargers we tested throttled, which is par for the course for any passively cooled charging devices at this density. The 10 Ultra has a wide range of charging protocols and has plenty of safety features. The vibrant color display shows per-port output and warns of potential trouble due to temperature and other issues.

Testing the Cuktech 10 Ultra showed it to have average efficiency. It was actually the second-lowest peak temperature (less than 1 degree Celsius from the Baseus Encore 100W), topping out at 63.4 degrees and running cooler than chargers that output significantly less. The multiple ports (three Type-C, one Type-A) allow you to charge a slew of devices, including high-power items like a gaming laptop, and smaller devices concurrently. While it doesn’t have a retractable cord, it’s still good for travel as it can replace multiple chargers.

Read more about our charger testing, including the Cuktech 10 Ultra

Glossary of Terms

• GaN: GaN refers to Gallium Nitride, a crystal-like material that replaces traditional silicon in power adapters to control and convert electrical power. GaN chargers are more efficient at transferring power, can handle more power, run cooler, and are generally smaller. GaN chargers also handle rapid voltage and current changes more effectively, supporting fast-charging standards such as USB Power Delivery (PD) and PPS.
• (USB) PD: “PD” stands for Power Delivery. Essentially, it’s a fast-charging technology that communicates with your connected device to deliver the maximum safe and optimal amount of power. This allows a single device to charge lower-power items like phones and high-power electronics like laptops over a USB-C connection. It can safely deliver up to 240W under newer standards (USB-PD 3.1), allowing many smartphones to reach 50% charge in ~30 minutes.
• PPS: PPS stands for Programmable Power Supply. As the name implies, this is an advanced USB-C charging technology that dynamically adjusts its voltage and current in real time. It communicates with your device to optimize power flow, minimizing output heat, boosting charging speeds, and is said to prolong battery life.
• QC: Qualcomm Quick Charge is a fast-charging technology developed by, you guessed it, Qualcomm, and is designed to work with any device using a Qualcomm Snapdragon processor. The latest iteration, QC5+, supports charging speeds up to 140W and smartly regulates power delivery by using lower voltage and higher current for a cooler, more efficient charge.
• FCP/SCP: Fast Charge Protocol and SuperCharge Protocol are proprietary fast-charging standards developed by Huawei for their smartphones and tablets. FCP, the older standard, uses a high-voltage, low-current model (9V/2A ~18W) while SCP is a low-voltage, high-current model that starts around 4.5V/5A ~22W with newer generations scaling much higher, even to 100W. Unless you have a Huawei device, this doesn’t apply.
• UFCS: Universal Fast Charging Specification is a brand-agnostic fast-charging standard developed by major Chinese smartphone makers (think: Huawei, OPPO, Vivo, Xiaomi). Its goal is to break brand barriers so you can quickly use a single third-party charger to power devices from different manufacturers. Like USB PD PPS (which it operates alongside), UFCS uses continuous voltage and current regulation from 5V to 30V and up to 100W.

Best Charger Shopping Tips

When choosing a charger for your devices, consider the following:

Gaming laptops can be pricey, and in the past few years, they have only gotten more expensive. The components inside laptops have gotten more expensive, the market below $1,000 has effectively been decimated, and finding a good deal is harder than ever. But we're still testing, and while the goal posts of what defines a budget gaming laptop may be a bit more expensive than they used to be, there are still ways to save.

At Tom's Hardware, we test many gaming laptops every year at a range of prices with different features and parts, so we know what to expect at every price point, no matter what your budget. While even the budget gaming laptops may not be cheap, we can still point out where you get the most for your money. We thoroughly benchmark all of the best budget gaming laptops in numerous games, extensively measuring gaming performance under a wide range of graphical conditions to suss out the best cheap laptops on the market.

Most gaming laptops under $1,500 will use Nvidia's GeForce RTX 5050 and RTX 5060 graphics cards. Many of them will use the latest Intel Core Ultra or AMD Ryzen mobile processors, though sometimes you'll still find last-gen options. Above $1,500 (which, unfortunately, is still on the low end with all-new components these days), you should have the latest. That being said, don't cut corners so far that you settle for 8GB of RAM or just 256GB of storage. Those are outdated specs for gaming laptops.

With a budget gaming laptop, you'll be able to play most games — even graphically intensive ones — on medium or high settings, if not better. If you're playing lighter games, like esports, you should still be able to achieve high frame rates.

Best Budget Gaming Laptops You Can Buy

Best budget gaming laptop overall

The Acer Nitro V 16S AI is, as of this writing, typically selling around $1,500. This laptop is great for those who are willing to trade off some gaming performance for a bright and colorful screen and a ton of ports, including a microSD card slot.

Those ports, paired with a speedy storage drive in our tests, make the Nivro V 16S AI a solid productivity machine alongside one that can play most games. Acer is using an RTX 5060 with an 85W graphics card, so it's not the most performant system out there, but it's well-balanced if you're going to use just one laptop for gaming, work, or school.

The 16-inch, 1920 x 1200 IPS screen goes up to 180 Hz, allowing for smooth gameplay for esports and indie games. Our system came with a 1TB storage drive, which should hold a few games, and there's room to add another inside. It also came with 32GB of RAM, which should be a bit future-proof.

There is a bunch of bloatware that you'll probably want to uninstall, and the webcam is just 720p.

Read: Acer Nitro V 16S AI review

Best budget gaming laptop for work and play

We had previously seen this laptop as high as $1,800, but lately it's been on sale closer to $1,500. The machine is another good mix of productivity and gaming. Like many other budget systems, it's using an 85W GPU (in this case, an RTX 5070), which means you won't get the most powerful gaming performance.What it does allow for, however, is strong battery life, lasting 9 hours and 13 minutes on our test. We also found the keyboard and touchpad to be quite comfortable.

The Ryzen AI 7 350 is a recent chip, and one that offers strong productivity performance, should you be using this system for work other than just gaming.It would have been nice to see Wi-Fi 7 at this system's full price, though on sale, Wi-Fi 6E is more forgivable. That being said, the display and audio are both middling, so this may be best if you use a monitor or speakers to bump up your experience.

Read: Gigabyte Aero X16 review

Best for battery life

If you want something a bit more minimalist, the Alienware 16 Aurora, the gaming brand's stripped-down machine, may work for you. This one has been consistently available.

The Aurora has an attractive chassis that mixes its plastic body with an alumium lid. The indigo color seems almost black, but has a navy shimmer in the right light.

The biggest benefits we saw were in the 16-inch, 2560 x 1600 IPS display, which goes up to 120 Hz. That screen was brighter and far more vivid (112% of sRGB color volume, 312.2 nits) in our measurements compared to other budget machines.

We also appreciated the Aurora's 96 WHr battery, which helped the system last for 9 hours and 41 minutes on our battery test.

The 80W RTX 5060 is fairly low-power, which might help with the longevity, but means you'l have to set your expectations while gaming. Additionally, the storage could be faster, though you could consider swapping that out down the line.

Read: Alienware 16 Aurora review

Quick Shopping Tips

What to Expect From the Best Budget Laptops for Gaming

Whether you're a student submitting homework, at work typing away at documents, spreadsheets, or presentations, or you're just someone who wants to access resources online and connect with family and friends, you want a laptop with the components and features you'll need to get the job done. That means a great screen, a comfortable keyboard, and long battery life (and nice design doesn't hurt, either!).

The laptop space is more competitive than ever. Windows machines come from many companies using silicon from three major CPU vendors: Intel, AMD, and Qualcomm. Apple, meanwhile, has a range of powerful and portable systems based on its own Apple Silicon.

In 2026, Intel's most recent chips are its Intel Core Ultra (Series 3) chips, code-named Panther Lake, while AMD launched its "Gorgon Point" Ryzen AI processors at CES. At Computex, Nvidia announced that its RTX Spark chips will launch in laptops from Microsoft, Dell, Lenovo, HP, and more starting in the fall, taking on Qualcomm in the Windows on Arm space. Earlier this year, Qualcomm released its Snapdragon X2 Elite Xtreme, Elite, and Plus chips.

On Macs, Apple's top chips are the M5 series, including the M5 Pro and M5 Max, which can be found in the MacBook Pro and MacBook Air lineup.

Best Laptops You Can Buy Today

The Best Laptop (and Mac) overall

The MacBook Air has been a go-to laptop recommendation for quite some time, thanks to strong performance, a fanless design, excellent built quality, and long-lasting battery life. With the version of the chip with M5, you get the benefits of years of hardware revisions since the Air's last redesign with M2, including a minimum 16GB of RAM and a 12-megapixel webcam.

The M5 chip in the MacBook Air showed off excellent single and multi-core performance. In fact, it;s closest rival was the same chip in the MacBook Pro, which gets a boost because of an active fan.

That being said, the system can throttle under heavy workloads like rendering. But for most people's typical tasks, including writing, editing, making spreadsheets, editing photos, listening to music, programming, and general multitasking, you'll have a very powerful machine.

Apple has boosted the base MacBook Air's price to $1,099, but it now starts with 512GB of memory. Given the price of components these days, the laptop is still a great value. If you want a Mac but don't want to spend that much for it, you could take a step down to the entry-level MacBook Neo, starting at $599, as long as you're willing to sacrifice on power, memory, ports, and a backlit keyboard.

Read: MacBook Air (M5) review

Best Windows laptop

The Dell XPS 14 is back, and while you might expect its performance or design to be the headlining feature, it's the battery life that wows. With its base 1920 x 1200 LCD display, which has a variable refresh rate that goes all the way down to 1 Hz, it lasted 20 hours and 41 minutes on our battery test.

That's not to say the battery life is all there is to like about this laptop. The 3-pound chassis is sleek, and Dell added a function row back to the keyboard, making it way easier to use over the touch bar of yesteryear.

If you're OK with 12 hours of charge, more expensive models with a tandem OLED display have way better colors and more powerful Arc B390 integrated graphics.

That being said, both of them have a low-travel keyboard without space between the keys, which definitely tripped up my fingers, so you'll need time to get your muscle memory going. And the starting price, at $1,600, is a lot to ask but is unfortunately common as the memory crisis rages on.

Read: Dell XPS 14 (2026) review

Best ultralight laptop

Some of the best laptops are barely noticeable in your bag. The Lenovo Yoga Slim 7i Aura Edition, at 2.15 pounds is extremely light.

Still, despite the weight, you get plenty of other benefits. The speakers are surprisingly good for a laptop of this size. Perhaps most impressively, the system ran for 16 hours and 38 minutes on our battery test, outlasting many of the laptops we bit against it by multiple hours.

The system also offers a lovely display. The POLED touchscreen measured 476 nits of brightness while falling in similar gamut ranges as other OLED notebooks that weren't as luminous.

There are some downsides. There are limited ports outside of Thunderbolt 4/USB-C, including a lack of a headphone jack. And CPU performance fell behind some competitors, like Apple's M5 MacBook Air and a thicker AMD-based 2-in-1 from HP.Still, the laptop impressed for its airiness and multimedia strengths. And as tested with 32GB at $1,519, it's not a crazy price as the costs of many laptops skyrocket during an ongoing component shortage.

Read: Lenovo Yoga Slim 7i Aura Edition review

Another great Windows clamshell

We can argue about how much the AI PC is really any sort of revolution, but there are still some strong ultraportables coming out. The HP OmniBook Ultra puts the AMD Ryzen AI 9 HX 375 in a sleek chassis with strong productivity performance.

HP is offering up decent battery life here, running for 12 hours and 52 minutes on our battery test. That's not the best, but all things considered including the high-resolution display, it's not bad. It's also nice to see Thunderbolt 4 ports on an AMD system, which is exceedingly rare.

The experience is knocked down a bit by a significant amount of bloatware, but if you're looking for a strong AMD laptop, the HP OmniBook Ultra is a strong competitor if you don't mind doing some uninstalling.

Read: HP OmniBook Ultra review

The best budget laptop

If you're looking for an affordable laptop, Apple does it best these days. The MacBook Neo starts at $599 ($499 with an education discount), but you rarely feel like you're not getting enough – unlike most Windows laptops in this price range. The Neo has a premium, all-metal chassis, a bright, vivid screen, and a custom mechanical trackpad that lets you click anywhere. And yes, you get all of macOS running on what was formerly an iPhone chip.

The quality of the 13-inch chassis and screen are key here. You're not getting something plastic. You're not getting something low-resolution, and you're not getting something dim. You also get a great webcam for this price range, and the system stays remarkably cool. There are some niceties you sacrifice, however. Apple has gone without a backlit keyboard. And the two USB ports aren't labeled, so you'll have to remember which is the faster 10 Gbps USB 3 port (the back one) for backup drives and monitors, lest you end up with an error message.

I suspect that most people with light workloads — especially students and people using home computers doing a lot of work in the browser — won't have too much trouble with the 8GB of RAM. That being said, 16GB systems can be found in the Windows world for a bit more money, though you'll need to hunt for sales.

But if a premium laptop experience (including great build quality and a high-res screen) are important to you, Apple delivers that better than any Windows machine priced close to the Neo’s $599 starting price.

Read: MacBook Neo review

The Best Laptop for work

There are plenty of reasons why the ThinkPad X1 Carbon is a classic. It's thin design and strong build quality are beloved by ThinkPad diehards. The latest model, the ThinkPad X1 Carbon (Gen 11), offers long battery life and great speakers.

Perhaps most critically, the ThinkPad X1 Carbon offers an excellent keyboard. Lenovo's reputation was built on great typing experiences, so this is crucial. For those who love Lenovo's TrackPoint, it's still here, allowing you to move the mouse without ever taking your fingers away from the home row on the keyboard.

The latest version comes with Intel's 13th Gen Core processors. We reviewed it with a Core i7-1355U, 16GB of RAM and a 512GB PCIe Gen 4 SSD.

The one real issue we had is that the base screen could benefit from being a bit brighter. Those who want the most vivid experience can opt for an OLED panel, but at a higher price.

When shopping for the ThinkPad X1 Carbon (Gen 11), keep an eye out for Lenovo's frequent sales, as there's often a deal available.

Read: Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon (Gen 11) Review

The Best Windows Tablet

Microsoft may push the Surface Pro as a do-it-all AI machine, but the truth is it's just a really nice, portable, slim PC that lasts a long time on a battery and includes a beautiful OLED display. It's definitively one of the best Surfaces to date.

The Qualcomm Snapdragon X Elite processors offer enough performance to keep up with x86 competitors, making this one of the first Arm-based Surfaces that doesn't feel like it's lacking. Add on more Arm-compatible apps than ever, including the Chrome browser, and there's far less to miss from previous Intel models. That's not to say it's perfect — there are still some gaming issues, as well as drivers for specialized peripherals that may need to be rebuilt for the new platform.

The 45 TOPS NPU powers some of Windows 11's Copilot+ features, like Cocreator, Live Captions, and Windows Studio effects. None of these are showstoppers, but they're cool tricks.'

If you want a premium tablet running Windows 11, the Surface Pro is one of the only premium games in town. And that means paying a premium for a separate keyboard. But for those who love this form factor, the Surface Pro remains the best option out there.

Read: Microsoft Surface Pro review

A more powerful Mac laptop

The MacBook Air is a great starting point, but if you want an air-cooled processor and a few more features, the base MacBook Pro adds a few niceties. The 14-inch MacBook Pro starts with an M5 processor, has three Thunderbolt ports (including one on the right side), and a beautiful micro LED display.

For those willing to spend an extra $150, there's a nano-texture display option that is completely worth it if you ever use your laptop outside. The matte display looks excellent, and was great on desks near windows.

If you need the most power possible, we also reviewed the MacBook Pro with an M5 Max, including a 40-core GPU, a mix of Apple's latest performance and super cores, and a blazing fast SSD.

Both the 14-inch and 16-inch laptops offer great speakers and beautiful displays, but you will have to pay quite a bit for any storage or memory upgrades you want, and you won't be able to make changes later.

Read: MacBook Pro (14-inch, M5) review
Read: MacBook Pro (14-inch, M5 Max) review

The Best Gaming laptop

Razer Blade 18 offers some of the strongest gaming performance we've seen in a laptop, but also features excellent design, comfortable features, and the latest connection standards. At $5,199.99 as tested, it sure should be good. It tops our list of the best gaming laptops.

The major highlight is the dual-mode display, which has two options: 3840 x 2400 at 240 Hz or 1920 x 1200 at 440 Hz. Those two choices (which you can switch between in Razer Synapse) is enough to showcase both intensive, graphics-driven games at high settings and esports where frames are more important than resolution and detail.

The laptop, packed with an Intel Core Ultra 9 275HX and Nvidia GeForce RTX 5090 Laptop GPU in our review configuration, outperformed the field in our gaming tests, especially at the lower resolution.Razer is one of the few laptop makers using Thunderbolt 5 ports (we've also seen them from MSI and Apple), so this system is ready to go if you're using advanced peripherals or the fastest external storage drives.

Perhaps the biggest downside is that the Blade's dual 2TB storage drives use PCIe 4.0 rather than 5.0. You won’t notice this in games or mainstream productivity, but if you want PCIe 5.0 speed for future proofing or 8K video editing, the Titan may still be the way to go. The Blade 18 does support PCIe 5.0 drives, if you want to upgrade to speedier storage in the future.

Read: Razer Blade 18 review

Other Laptops We Tested

💻 Asus Zenbook A16

The Zenbook A16 has Qualcomm's powerful Snapdragon X2 Elite Extreme processor, including 48GB of RAM on the package. While the chip is fast, the laptop, while lightweight, didn't meet our expectations. While light, it flexed and didn't feel premium; battery life was lesser than competitors; and while emulation is better than it used to be, there are still some compatibility issues with Windows on Arm for power users.

Read: Asus Zenbook A16 review

💻 Samsung Galaxy Book6 Ultra

Samsung's Galaxy Book6 Ultra is a powerful system for creatives, thanks in part to the RTX 5070 GPU in the version we tested. The OLED screen is beautiful and you get an nice design (albeit one that is quite similar to Macs), but this laptop is pricey, and you get a shallow keyboard.

Read: Samsung Galaxy Book6 Ultra review

Quick Laptop Shopping Tips 

Finding Discounts on the Best Laptops

Whether you're shopping for one of the best laptops, or just something that is good enough for your needs, you may find savings by checking out our lists of the latest Dell coupon codes, HP coupon codes, Lenovo coupon codes, Best Buy promo codes or Newegg promo codes.

Cooling a computer isn’t terribly complicated in and of itself. But if you want to do it right, selecting the best cooling fan can be a daunting task. It’s easy to throw money at Noctua, and we wouldn’t fault you for doing so, but that strategy gets very expensive very quickly. And not everyone digs the beige-and-brown theme – and the company flat-out refuses to do RGB.

Of course, you can opt to go the other easy route and just use what’s included with the case and cooler you bought. But that’s also rarely the optimal solution, and many premium cases come with no fans or just one for exhaust. Ideally, you want a fan that’s quiet, effective at moving air, attractive, and affordable. And since you’ve landed on this page, chances are you bought one of the cases that doesn’t come with enough fans, or you’re not happy with the included fans' performance or audio profile, and are looking for something better.

Recently, we’ve picked up fan testing again, and we’re working hard to test a bunch of different models to figure out the best options in this very crowded field. Over the past several months, we’ve worked in cooperation with industry experts to flesh out a benchmarking methodology, and we expect to update this page regularly with new models we’ve tested.

Our Testing methodology is built on real-world applications, and there are a handful of scenarios a fan needs to perform well in. Naturally, we’re testing airflow in an unrestricted environment as a ‘vanilla’ test, but this is often not indicative of performance inside a PC case.

What’s also not indicative of real-world performance is static pressure testing. Yes, it’s an industry standard, but it really only measures how much pressure a fan can generate when blowing into a closed tube, or up against a wall in a more real-world scenario. It does not account for the changes in acoustics when a fan is mounted on a radiator, heatsink, or behind a mesh intake.

Instead, we’ve decided to measure a fan’s acoustic performance not only when unrestricted and suspended mid-air, but also when strapped to a radiator and again when behind a mesh intake. The results from this paint a much more nuanced, real-world picture, often with interesting outcomes.

For more information about how we test PC fans, scroll to the bottom of this page.

Quick List

Best PC fans you can buy today

Best silence optimized fans

Noctua’s NF-A12x25 G2 is game-changing, offering the quietest, most refined fan we’ve ever seen. In our testing, it delivered whisper-quiet performance and managed an impressively huge amount of airflow despite running at very low RPMs.

Managing such big airflow despite not needing to spin fast to accomplish it means it’s also not a very turbulent fan, which translates to chart-topping performance when installed on a radiator or behind an intake mesh. In fact, it’s the only fan we’ve tested thus far that ran quieter on a radiator than when suspended mid-air without any load.

In addition to pulling off airflow miracles, the NF-A12x25 also offers a seriously advanced internal hub, featuring Noctua’s refined, tried-and-tested SSO2 bearing, a new 3-phase etaPERF motor, and a new PWM controller with SupraTorque functionality. This sounds like a bunch of marketing talk, but after testing the fan, we can tell you with confidence that it has zero audible mechanical noise.

Best budget silence optimized fans

The Arctic P12 Pro is an interesting fan, because it offers performance that is, as far as the charts go, nearly neck-and-neck with Noctua’s NF-A12x25. Except, the Arctic does something Noctua doesn’t: It only costs $8.50 for one fan.

The price you pay for the Arctic fan is, in part at least, in its level of refinement. It uses a plastic ring to strengthen the impeller. And, in order to achieve its airflow, it relies on spinning up to higher speeds. Consequently, it’s a more turbulent fan than the Noctua, so it takes a bit more of a hit when mounted close to a mesh intake. It also produces a few mechanical noises, but even so, it’s a highly capable fan.

If, however, you just want a fan to move lots of air quietly, and you don’t want it to cost much, the Arctic P12 Pro is in a league of its own.

Best RGB fans

It feels a bit weird to place essentially the same Arctic fan on the Best list twice, but it truly is that good. The P12 Pro RGB is, for all intents and purposes, the exact same fan as the non-RGB variant, except with a white translucent impeller so that the RGB lighting from the hub shines through.

It performs on par with the non-RGB variant in our testing, offering wicked performance at up to 3000 RPM and a fantastic noise-to-airflow ratio. The best part: it barely costs more than the non-RGB variant.

Best High-Performance fans

The Phanteks T30 (review here) is one of the fans that somewhat copied the NF-A12x25 – it featured a similar blade shape, and also used a LCP (liquid crystal polymer) plastic for the impeller. Except, it wasn’t quite a copy, and now, even half a decade later, it’s still king of the hill in the ultra-high-performance fan space.

Why is it so good? Phanteks cheated. I wish I could say they didn’t, but they did. The industry standard for a 120mm fan is 25mm thickness. So what did Phanteks do? They made a 30mm fan. In fact, Phanteks was so proud of this fan that when they sent it out for review, they put together a wind tunnel kit for us because they wanted everybody to know Phanteks meant business and had defeated Noctua at their own game. And they did – it performed notably better than Noctua’s finest when tested for noise-to-airflow.

Moreover, the good stuff doesn’t stop at just 5mm of extra thickness. The company also built in a mode selector at the back of the hub that lets you select quiet, regular, and advanced modes. If you ask me, though, advanced should be called Final Destination mode it lets spin all the way up to 3,000 RPM. With its added thickness, high speed, and LCP material, it’ll gobble air and your fingers if you’re not careful.

Choosing the best fan for you

Fans. They spin. They move air. They make noise. Sometimes they have lights, and more recently, some have LCD screens. It may seem like a silly thing to obsess over, but picking the right, or wrong, fan can make a major difference in a PC build.

Not everybody looks for the same thing in a fan, and whereas picking the Best CPU or Best GPU is often a matter of what’s best-performing for the dollar in your allocated budget, fans don’t evolve at nearly the same pace, so picking one is much more of a subjective exercise. With that said, depending on your situation, there can be a few key considerations that can make the choice easier.

• If you’re someone who comes home from work, whips on a headset, and plays games for an hour, noise levels or MTBF (durability) figures may not matter much to you.
• Alternatively, if you’re someone who works on your PC in silence all day long, it may be worth investing in more refined fans that offer less wind and mechanical noise, with a more durable motor.
• Personal sensitivity to certain noise types and frequencies also plays a role.
• Whether the PC is placed on the desk or on the floor is another factor to consider. Fan noise can be less noticeable from the floor.
• Some fans are designed to perform better on radiators and heatsinks, whereas others perform better as case intake or exhaust. Pick accordingly.
• Fans with daisy-chaining connectors can ease installation and provide tidier cable management.
• Cases with tinted windows require fans with brighter RGB for a visual spectacle.
• Mini-ITX PCs, though fantastically small, can benefit more from a fan upgrade to quiet them down than big full-tower E-ATX machines.

More about how we test PC fans

Our PC fan testing consists of multiple phases. First, we test a fan’s vanilla acoustics by suspending it mid-air with four pieces of string so that no frames or holders interfere with the airflow. We start with a basic measurement, noting whether the fan breaks through the noise floor at its minimum speed, then we record the RPM for every whole dB between 34 and 44 dB(A). Finally, we record the maximum RPM and its associated noise level.

We then repeat these tests with a radiator mounted behind the fan, and again with a mesh intake in front of the fan. We do this because radiators and intake mesh fundamentally change a fan’s acoustics and the RPM they must spin at to achieve the desired noise targets.

After the acoustic data, we mount the fan in our wind tunnel to collect airflow data.

The windspeed is measured with an anemometer. However, although the fan’s impellers may push air, no air comes from the space behind the motor hub, and fans don’t generally push air in only one direction. In fact, the space immediately behind a motor hub usually becomes a low-pressure pocket, which is why we need a wind tunnel – to form the airstream into one cohesive, non-turbulent column of moving air.

Inside the wind tunnel (at the halfway point and near the end) are two air-straighteners, which together with the length of the tunnel at 77cm (just over 30 inches) neatly combs the airstream into something we can measure, without creating tons of backpressure that would affect the readings.

Using the RPM datapoints from the acoustic testing phase, we now set the fan to each RPM point and record the associated wind speed. We repeat this with a radiator behind the fan, and again without the radiator but with the mesh intake in front of the fan. Of course, the wind speed isn’t actually a useful measure (yet) of how much air a fan can displace, until we convert it to meters cubed per hour (m³/h).This testing yields up to 84 datapoints per fan (assuming the fan can achieve each point), which tells us enough about a fan's capabilities, quirks, and acoustics to judge whether it's one of the best PC fans you can buy.

If you're looking for the best microSD Express cards for the Switch 2, our picks below, curated from our in-depth benchmarking, will show you the top cards available on the market right now. The Nintendo Switch 2 is one of the most highly anticipated launches in the world of gaming handhelds. It has met expectations by introducing a series of solid hardware upgrades, notably including significantly faster internal storage, complemented by microSD Express cards for expandable storage.

The original Switch featured 32GB of eMMC storage, a figure that subsequently doubled in the OLED version. The Switch 2, on the other hand, arrives with a whopping 256GB of UFS 3.1 storage, a massive upgrade in both capacity and speed. The Switch 2 offers gamers up to 7X more storage capacity compared to the Switch and up to 3X more than the Switch OLED.

As is customary with gaming consoles, not all of the internal storage is available to you. For the Switch 2, Nintendo has allocated approximately 7GB of the 256GB for system use. Consequently, the actual usable space amounts to approximately 249GB. However, while 249GB of storage capacity may appear like a lot on paper, any avid gamer would dispute this perception.

Take first-party titles such as Mario Kart World and Donkey Kong Bananza, for example — two games that will likely make your Switch 2 collection. They require approximately 22GB and 9GB of storage space, respectively. Modern AAA games aren't any lighter, either. If you like genres like Cyberpunk 2077 and Split Fiction, those occupy an additional 60GB and 70GB, respectively. Thus, only four games have already eaten up half of your available storage. If you share your Switch 2 with your children or a family member, space becomes even more important. The internal storage will inevitably fill up as your gaming library grows.

In its initiative to modernize the Switch 2, Nintendo adopted the microSD Express standard, thereby becoming a pioneer in this area. As of the time of this publication, the Switch 2 is the only device to use microSD Express cards. Although the standard has been in place since 2019, it has not yet gained momentum, which has primarily led to the limited availability and high cost of microSD Express cards.

Best MicroSD Express Cards At A Glance

Here's the shortlist of our recommendations and rankings, but we have a more detailed card-by-card breakdown and far more detailed in-depth performance benchmarks of these drives below. To find the best microSD Express cards for the Switch 2, we tested numerous cards of different capacities from various vendors.

Further below, we also have a hierarchy that ranks the microSD Express cards based on performance. Since it’s not possible to evaluate every card due to regional availability, we will continue testing and updating our recommendations as new cards become readily available for purchase in the U.S. market. We also have a detailed definition and explanation of the different speed classes across the various generations of the microSD specification.

Best 1TB MicroSD Express Card

The TeamGroup Apex SD7.1 1TB is a very fast microSD Express card for the Switch 2. It offers great speed and capacity to house all the latest games. At $209.99, you can find it at most major U.S. stores, and it comes with TeamGroup’s limited lifetime warranty for that extra peace of mind.

The Lexar Play Pro 1TB delivers top-tier performance for demanding users. If you want uncompromising storage capacity and blazing speeds, this card deserves your consideration. Lexar offers a limited lifetime warranty on the Plat Pro 1TB, making it a smart and reliable choice.

The Next 1TB is one of the most affordable and fastest 1TB microSD Express cards on the market today, making high-speed storage accessible without breaking the bank. While it is currently exclusive to Best Buy and, like other budget options, comes with a standard one-year warranty, its unbeatable combination of price and performance offers good bang for your buck.

GameStop's 1TB microSD Express card stands shoulder to shoulder with the fastest 1TB offerings. It sells at a hard-to-beat price and is perfect for cost-conscious buyers. While it is sold exclusively at GameStop, making it harder to find outside the U.S., its outstanding value and competitive edge make the extra effort worthwhile. However, it only comes with a standard one-year manufacturer’s warranty.

Best 512GB MicroSD Express Card

The Adata Premier Extreme 512GB is the fastest 512GB microSD Express card we’ve ever tested, setting a new benchmark for speed and reliability. While its premium performance comes at a $129.99 price point, it's the microSD Express card to pick up if you’re seeking the absolute best in the 512GB category.

The Sandisk microSD Express 512GB card gives you plenty of space for all your Switch 2 games and offers fast speeds for quick loading and smooth gameplay, even with the biggest titles. With Sandisk’s reliable quality and a full warranty, it’s a great pick for dedicated gamers.

PNY’s microSD Express card positions itself as an affordable option for your Switch 2. With speedy performance at a surprisingly affordable price, you get the speed your device deserves without the premium. Plus, PNY’s limited lifetime warranty sets this card apart from some competitors.

While the GameStop 512GB microSD Express card may be marginally slower than a few higher-priced competitors, it still offers respectable speed and dependable performance for everyday use. Its exclusive availability at GameStop is a downside. Even with a standard one-year warranty, this card represents a smart, budget-friendly pick.

Best 256GB MicroSD Express Card

The Adata Premier Extreme 256GB is the type of upgrade that will transform your Switch 2's storage experience. It doesn't require a big investment, either. The included limited lifetime warranty provides extra confidence, making this card a truly smart buy for Switch 2 owners.

The Sandisk 256GB microSD Express card commands a premium price at $71.99, but it's an investment that rewards you with great performance and a lifetime warranty. Sandisk’s offering is a microSD Express card that justifies every penny.

While the Samsung P9 Express may not claim the top-speed crown, it excels as an accessible 256GB microSD Express card for value-driven Switch 2 users. It offers reliable performance without overspending. With a generous three-year warranty, two years longer than some competitors, you gain extra peace of mind.

GameStop’s microSD Express cards stand out as some of the most budget-friendly options, and the 256GB version continues that tradition. You get good performance for what you pay. While it comes with a one-year warranty, the value it delivers at this price point makes it a compelling option for Switch 2 owners on a very tight budget.

Best 128GB MicroSD Express Card

The AGI TF338 is a mixed bag in terms of performance. While it may be harder to find and carries a premium price due to shipping from Amazon Japan, its limited five-year warranty far exceeds the standard coverage offered by competitors. If you spot this card at a discounted price in your region, it's worth considering.

Indiana Jones and the Great Circle MicroSD Express Performance

The Switch 2’s improved hardware unlocks a whole new world for handheld gamers. Many AAA blockbuster titles, once exclusive to PCs and consoles, are now available with you on the go. A new challenge has surfaced: the increasing storage demands if you're going down the digital path. If you don't plan on picking the cartridge version of Indiana Jones and the Great Circle, the game will set you back 61.5 GB. That's about half the size of the PC or console versions. That’s within expectations, since the graphics are toned down to a level that allows the title to run seamlessly on the Switch 2.

Indiana Jones and the Great Circle, on average, takes over 40 seconds to reach the main menu after you press the A button to launch the game. One cool feature is that the main screen shows a static snapshot of your last checkpoint. When you select the “continue” option, the transition to your saved game is swift, clocking in at just over four seconds, depending on how far you’ve progressed in the game.

Once you’re in the game, traditional loading screens become a rarity. Instead of interrupting the player’s experience with loading screens, the developers replaced them with cinematic cutscenes. Although the storytelling and voice acting are great, this may annoy some players since it interrupts the action. However, the upside of this approach is that it's more engaging than staring at a loading screen. Occasionally, you might encounter a brief black loading screen, usually when transitioning between major locations. Fortunately, these interruptions are minimal and last no more than 10 seconds.

If you’re a hardcore Switch 2 gamer, there’s a high possibility that you’ll be running Indiana Jones and The Great Circle off a microSD Express card. The growing size of modern games has required gamers to rely on these high-speed external storage cards. Fortunately, you can rest assured that you’re not losing any storage performance. The difference that we measured in loading times between running the game off a microSD Express card and the Switch 2’s internal storage is minimal, less than 2% to be precise. You’re free to enjoy Indiana Jones and The Great Circle without compromise, and your gameplay experience isn't affected by the storage choice, unlike other titles that have shown a higher performance delta between the handheld's internal storage and microSD Express cards.

MicroSD Express Card Hierarchy 2026

Our hierarchy showcases every microSD Express card rigorously tested in our lab, thoughtfully organized by capacity to help you find the perfect match. All results reflect real-world performance on the Switch 2, and we provide a 10-test average metric—the geometric mean of our comprehensive bandwidth tests conducted on a PC—for a clear, apples-to-apples comparison. For deeper insights into each card’s strengths, explore our detailed performance charts below.

1TB MicroSD Express Cards

512GB MicroSD Express Cards

256GB MicroSD Express Cards

128GB MicroSD Express Cards

MicroSD Express Card Performance Charts

Right now, the Nintendo Switch 2 is the only device that fully unlocks the power of microSD Express cards—making our Switch 2 benchmarks the most relevant for owners. We didn’t stop there, though, and tested every microSD Express card in standard storage scenarios, revealing just how much performance can vary between brands and capacities. As this technology rolls out to more devices, those differences will become important for buyers.

Nintendo Switch 2 Benchmarks

PC Storage Benchmarks (1TB & 512GB)

PC Storage Benchmarks (256GB & 128GB)

MicroSD Express Performance and Specifications

MicroSD Express Performance and Specifications

Nintendo's adoption of microSD Express cards for the Switch 2 is both a blessing and a curse. Nintendo has disabled the Switch 2 from playing games off a standard microSD card, thereby persuading gamers to pay the early adopter tax associated with new microSD Express cards if they want to play games. The new microSD Express format offers improved tangible performance compared to the regular microSD cards used in the original Switch.

The only way to expand the Switch 2's gaming storage is to buy into the microSD Express standard. The new cards have a similar resemblance to standard microSD cards. A simple way to tell them apart is to look for the 'EX' logo on the label of the microSD Express cards. If you're an experienced user, you can probably tell one card apart from the other because, although microSD Express cards have two rows of metal pins, like microSD UHS-II cards, the position and size of the pins on the second row differ.

You can still insert a standard microSD card into the Switch 2, and it'll work in a way. Usage is limited to screenshots, video playback, or file transfer, as the console doesn't allow gameplay from these media types. The funny thing is that MicroSD Express maintains backward compatibility with devices that lack support for this standard; it just defaults to UHS-I speeds in such cases. Consequently, the limitation observed in the Switch 2 is more attributable to Nintendo's design choices, potentially serving as a strategy to prevent any adverse impact on the device's reputation due to lower performance levels with standard microSD cards.

The original Switch utilizes microSD cards, specifically those that support the UHS-I interface. That's why even Nintendo advised Switch owners to select a microSD card with transfer speeds ranging from 60 to 95 MB/s (theoretical maximum for UHS-I is 104 MB/s); investing in higher standards, such as UHS-II or UHS-III, would be an unnecessary expenditure because the Switch couldn't tap into the higher transfer speeds. On the other hand, microSD Express cards offer significantly higher performance, resulting in reduced game loading and transfer times.

The Switch 2 uses microSD Express, which is based on the SD 7.1 specifications and theoretically achieves transfer speeds of up to 985 MB/s. This represents an approximately 9.5X increase over UHS-I cards. The enhanced performance is enabled by the current SD 7.1 revision's use of the PCIe 3.0 x1 interface, finally moving away from the antiquated SD bus. The standard will continue to improve, and once it leverages a faster interface, such as PCIe 4.0 x2, projected speeds could reach up to 3,938 MB/s. However, this is a topic for another time.

Like regular microSD cards, microSD Express cards also come with their own speed classes. These ratings are designated by the "E" prefix followed by a number, which represents the minimum sustained write speed. For example, a card marked with E150 guarantees 150 MB/s of sustained write performance. None of the brands, at least the ones we tested, labeled their microSD Express cards with the appropriate speed class ratings. However, our storage benchmarks include a sustained write test, and some of the cards comply with the E150 or E300 categories.

Despite their higher transfer speeds, microSD Express cards continue to fall short compared to the Switch 2's internal UFS 3.1 storage system. UFS 3.1 technology, primarily used in smartphones and tablets, achieves maximum sequential read and write speeds of up to 2,100 MB/s and 1,200 MB/s, respectively. Therefore, when performance is at stake, the most efficient method for loading games remains loading them from internal storage. But when you're out, that's when the best microSD Express cards become relevant.

Frequently Asked Questions: MicroSD Express Cards 2026

How We Test MicroSD Express Cards in 2026

We first test each microSD Express card on the Switch 2, then move it to a PC test bed for further benchmarking. We charge the battery to 100% and keep the Switch 2 connected to the wall while using the device in handheld mode during our tests. We keep the firmware to version 22.5.0 to ensure consistency for all future evaluations. We retest every microSD Express card with every firmware update.

For the transfer tests, we used two games: Mario Kart World and Pokémon Legends: Z-A. We run our benchmarks on versions 1.6.1 and 2.0.2 of the aforementioned titles, with sizes of 21.9 GB and 11.2 GB, respectively, for a total of 33.1 GB. We conduct the test three times, clearing the microSD Express card data with the corresponding function before each run. We use the median result for our comparisons.

We use a consistent PC test system to benchmark our microSD Express cards. The specifications are in the table below. This system serves as the test bed for our RAM reviews. We apply our extensive SSD storage benchmarking suite to evaluate each microSD Express card. The evaluation encompasses trace tests, transfer rate tests, synthetic tests, and sustained write performance.

We use the same set of benchmarks for each microSD Express card and run them multiple times. We utilize the highest result from each test. The version of Windows on our test system is Windows 11 24H2 to ensure consistent test results, as various security updates have affected specific benchmarks over the years.

We utilize the Lexar microSDXC Express card reader (pictured above), available on Amazon for $112, to interface with our microSD Express cards. We specifically use the Lexar card reader for its active cooling design, which incorporates a built-in fan to maintain optimal conditions for the microSD Express cards during rigorous testing. The reader connects to our system via a USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-C port.

The build plate is at the literal foundation of your 3D printer, and it can determine the success or failure of your prints more than any other feature. A single greasy fingerprint can be all it takes to turn a delicate model into a pile of spaghetti. And yet, we take the stock build plates that ship with our printers for granted, especially if we paid a high price for the 3D printer itself.

🟦🟥 Stock Build Plates 🟥 🟦

Before we dive into aftermarket print surfaces, a word on stock plates. Every modern 3D printer we’ve reviewed since 2024 has come with a very usable build plate. Textured PEI flex plates have become somewhat standard, and that’s a good thing. If you’re buying a printer today, you may be quite happy with your stock plate. You may only need this list if your build surface has been scratched, worn down, or otherwise damaged.

3D printing has been constantly evolving, with new technologies emerging every year. My first printer had a rudimentary glass build plate held down with binder clips, but now I have a plate with my own logo embedded right in the center.

There’s a buffet of build plate options out there: flexible, coated, textured, dual-sided, and optimized for specific filaments and print styles. But not all build surfaces are created equal. Here are the best third-party build surfaces you can buy for your 3D printer to get that first layer buttery smooth.

Best Build Plates for 3D Printers at a glance

Best Build Plates For 3D Printers You Can Buy Today

Tyson Flex Plate System

Tyson Build Plates are a revolution in 3D printing build surfaces. The T-95 plate is made from a thick Tempered 1095 spring steel with a proprietary coating that is truly universal. The plate can handle everything from PLA to PEEK, and the only limits are from the machine you put it on.

We tested this plate on the Qidi Tech Plus 4 and ran PLA, PETG, TPU, ASA, and Nylon without glue stick or any adhesion aid. Prints pop off easily and release on their own when allowed to cool. The bottom of the print is smooth and glass-like.

For an extra charge, the plate can bear your logo or an etched pattern that will transfer to the bottom of the print.

BIQU CryoGrip Pro “Glacier”

Glacier is one of BIQU’s two new cold plates, which rely on texture and Arctic Fairy Dust to hold down prints with minimal heat. Ok, we’re kidding about the fairy dust, but there’s definitely some magic to the “porous oleophobic polymer coating” used on the top surface. Glacier plates have superior holding powers and defy dirt and grease from ordinary handling, and are scratch-resistant. They work for every material without the need for a glue stick, even TPU.

Because the Glacier is a cold plate, it will continue to hold at room temperature, which is nice if you’re worried about power outages. Most prints come off with a flex after it’s cooled a bit, but smaller things – like flexi animals – may need light persuasion. If you still have problems, 10 minutes in the freezer will help.

BIQU CryoGrip Pro “Frostbite”

Frostbite is the other new cold plate from BIQU, and could have been called “Rottweiler,” considering how well it holds on to prints. It has a coarser texture than Glacier and holds prints at low temperatures. The plate is almost TOO sticky, but if you’ve ever had just one segment of a 3-day print pop off, you’ll appreciate the holding power of this plate. Frostbite plates defy dirt and grease from ordinary handling and are also scratch-resistant.

Because the Frostbite is a cold plate, it will continue to hold at room temperature, which is nice if you’re worried about power outages. Prints need more than a little flex to pop off this plate, and definitely need to cool down before you even try. If you still have problems, 10 minutes in the freezer will help.

SliceWorx Dipped PEI

Like Oreos dipped in chocolate, SliceWorx had a brilliant idea: what if we dip a PEI Flex plate in…rubber? Ok, it's not rubber, and they aren’t saying what the “high quality polymer” actually is, but rubber is pretty close. The coated surface of SliceWorx’s dipped plates is pure genius for those of us hooked on tiny articulated prints with a high failure rate.

Like the FrostBite plate from BQ, these dipped wonders are strictly for cool filaments like PLA and PETG. They need to be cooled a bit before flexing to remove your prints.

WhamBam PEI

Wham Bam PEI flex plates are no longer “revolutionary” after manufactures adopted PEI sheets for themselves. But their commitment to quality ensures that when you need a better build plate, Wham Bam has you covered with every size imaginable.

Its line of PEI plates is known for consistent quality and comes in both a smooth sheet that gives a shiny surface, or a baked-on textured plated.

Holographic Build Plates

A holographic build plate has a specialized surface that leaves a shimmering “holographic” pattern on the bottom of the print. The plate has an ultra-fine textured surface that diffracts light and can be transferred to the PLA print.

The holographic sticker is easily scratched, so great care should be taken when removing prints. The effect is also spoiled by finger oils and glue stick, so you’ll need to keep the plates super clean and additive-free, which is why PLA is the go-to filament for these special effects plates.

The plates do not have any special gripping powers, so you’ll need to have a well-tuned printer and slow your speed for the best chances.

Custom Textured PEI Plate

Ember Prototypes knocked our socks off when it introduced custom PEI plates that bore whatever artwork you wanted to show off on your prints or the printer itself. The plates are not laser cut, but rather use a proprietary coating that leaves a raised image on the plate that can transfer to the bottom of your print.

While they have some generic artwork available, the best plates are the ones where you supply the art. I had one made up with a hexagon pattern and my logo in the center, which is a little hit or miss as to what will end up on the finished print. Because these are bespoke plates, there are no refunds, so double-check your artwork before sending it over.

Best Build Plates for 3D Printers: How We Test

How we test the best build plates for 3D printers

We test all the build plates we recommend.

Our favorite test model for build plate adhesions is the humble “Mini Cute Octopus” by McGybeer – one in each corner – run at default speeds for the printer. We used a Bambu Lab P1P, A1, A1 Mini, QIDI Plus 4 and MK4s, all capable of running at an average speed of 200mm/s. It’s eight tiny tentacles each have 5 sections, meaning there’s 40 individual sections, some as small as 6x11mm.

I tested each printer’s stock plate – many of which failed without the help of glue stick - before switching to the aftermarket plate. Each plate had a few weeks of regular printing in addition to the test prints. The Octopus models will be given to children (for free) at 3D printing festivals when they visit my table, so there is no plastic wasted.

Best Build Plates for 3D Printers: FAQs

FAQs for the best build plates for 3D printers

🟢 What’s the best build plate surface to print on?

A clean one! Many first layer issues can be fixed by washing your build plate with hot soapy water, then drying the plate with a lint free cloth. Preheating the bed and using a little “purple” washable glue stick can also help give some extra stick for your models.

🟢 What’s the best build plate surface for PLA?

Textured PEI is one of the best all around surfaces, very affordable and generally works well for easy going PLA.

🟢 What’s the best build plate for PETG?

PETG is known to bond with just about anything, but a good clean, smooth PEI works best. And it never hurts to add a little glue stick for insurance.

🟢 What’s the best build plate for ABS?

We highly recommend the Tyson Build plate, a specialized high temperature plate that works for all filaments and absolutely excels at high temperatures.

MORE: Best 3D Printers

MORE: Best Resin 3D Printers

MORE: Best Budget 3D Printers

MORE: Best Filaments for 3D Printing

MORE: How to Buy the Right 3D Printer

Of the key components in any PC, the storage drive is the slowest, transferring bits in a fraction of the time your CPU and GPU take to process it or your RAM takes to load it. A poor-performing storage drive often leads to a big bottleneck, forcing your processor (even if it's one of the best CPUs for gaming) to waste clock cycles as it waits for data to crunch.

You can fix that problem with an SSD, but finding the best SSD or solid-state drive for your specific system and needs is key if you want the best gaming PC or laptop, or even if you just want a snappy productivity machine. To find the best SSDs for gaming and productivity, we test dozens of drives each year and highlight the best ones here. We also maintain an SSD benchmark hierarchy that ranks SSDs by performance. We have multiple categories, including the best SSD for NAS and the Best SSD for the Steam Deck listed below. For those on the hunt for the best external SSD or the best SSD for the PS5, be sure to head to those links for our recommendations based on our exhaustive testing. If you're looking for the ultimate in cheap and deep storage, we also have a list of the best hard drives.

Prime Day Exceptional SSD deal

Here is a standout deal from the Prime Day event, which is currently taking place. Our list of best overall picks continues below.

Picking the Best SSD for You

The era of PCIe 5.0 SSDs is also upon us, propelling storage performance to new heights. Blazing-fast PCIe 5.0 M.2 SSDs, which offer up to twice the sequential speeds of the older PCIe 4.0 standard, are now supported with Intel and AMD's current platforms, like Zen 5 Ryzen 9000 and the Intel Core 200S series.

It's great if your desktop system can handle a PCIe 5.0 drive, but they are still new and more expensive and certainly aren't a requirement. For example, the PCIe 4.0 Samsung 990 Pro is our current choice for the best SSD overall, and the best SSD for gaming. This drive is rated for 7,450 / 6,900 MBps of sequential read/write throughput and 1.2 / 1.55 million read/write IOPS. That means less time waiting for game levels to load or videos to transcode, not to mention a snappier experience in Windows.

PCIe 5.0 SSDs still have plenty to offer. The Crucial T705 ranks as the fastest consumer SSD in the world that you can actually buy, alongside similar SSDs like the Sabrent Rocket 5, delivering up to a blistering 14.5 GB/s of sequential throughput and 1.8 million random IOPS over the PCIe 5.0 interface. That's an amazing level of performance from a surprisingly compact device.

While the PCIe 5.0 drives are the fastest SSDs money can buy right now, believe it or not, raw speed isn't everything. In regular desktop tasks such as web browsing or light desktop work, you may not even notice the difference between a PCIe 3.0 SSD and one with a 4.0 interface, let alone a new bleeding-edge PCIe 5.0 model. The latest PCIe 5.0 SSDs also carry a heavy price premium for now, so you're probably best suited with a PCIe 4.0 model — unless you're after the fastest possible performance money can buy, of course. If that's the case and your system supports it, go for a new PCIe 5.0 SSD.

Ultimately, the best SSD for you is one that provides enough capacity to hold your data at a price you can afford. Consider that a high-end, AAA game can use more than 100GB of data, and Windows 11 all by itself may need 60GB. These days, we feel 2TB drives represent the sweet spot, with 4TB models becoming increasingly common.

Best SSDs in 2026 at a glance (more info below):

Here's the shortlist of our rankings, but we have deeper breakdowns for these drives below, along with far more picks for other categories, like PS5 SSDs, RGB SSDs, workstation SSDs, and SATA SSDs, among other categories.

Quick Shopping Tips

Below, you'll find our list of the best SSDs. For even more information, check out our SSD Buyer's Guide. Iif you're looking for an external SSD, you can check out our Best External Hard Drives and SSD page, or learn how to save some money by building your own external SSD.

Best SSDs You Can Buy Today

Samsung hit back at its competitors with this impressive update to the 980 Pro. New hardware and new options, including a heatsink with RGB and a 4TB variant, have allowed Samsung to retake the M.2 SSD crown. Performance is excellent across the board, setting a few new performance records, such as with 4K random read performance. In our testing, the drive was consistent, power-efficient, and cool. Samsung has also updated its software for this drive, giving it the best SSD toolbox available, and the drive is backed by a competent warranty and decent support.

$20 extra for a heatsink and RGB is a good deal, and Samsung will likely discount this drive over time. Competing PCIe 5.0 drives on the market offer faster performance, but they still carry a premium.

Read: Samsung 990 Pro review

WD has taken its popular Black SN850 SSD and turned it up to 11. The Black SN850X leverages an improved controller and newer flash to get the most out of the PCIe 4.0 interface. Performance is improved across the board, and the drive rivals most of the top contenders in the PCIe 4.0 market. There's also a heatsink option that comes with RGB at 1TB and 2TB. WD also supports the SSD with its decent Dashboard application and a respectable five-year warranty.

The M.2 Black SN850X was a bit pricey at launch, however, with a daunting MSRP, but those prices have largely come down. The touted Game Mode 2.0 feature felt incomplete in our testing, although WD ensures us that this will improve with future firmware updates. All-in-all, this is a good compromise if you can’t find the Samsung 990 Pro.

Read: WD Black SN850X review

Fastest Best SSDs

The Corsair MP700 Pro XT delivers shocking levels of performance with excellent power efficiency. It’s the first Phison E28-based drive we reviewed, and it’s also the fastest drive, period, we’ve ever reviewed. If you want a no-compromises storage solution, this is it. The only exception would be if you’re gunning for 8TB in a single drive, in which case we recommend the Samsung 9100 Pro or, when it arrives, the 8TB model of the SanDisk WD Black SN8100. The Black SN8100 was our old pick for fastest SSD and still remains relevant at lower capacities if it’s priced lower than the MP700 Pro XT.

Read: Corsair MP700 Pro XT review

Not content with the release of the WD Black SN7100, our pick for the best laptop M.2 SSD, Sandisk followed up quickly with the WD Black SN8100. This drive is a response to the Samsung 9100 Pro – a good drive in its own right – with the added desire to destroy all existing high-end PCIe 5.0 SSDs. The SN8100 achieves this by using a new, more efficient controller from SMI along with very efficient BiCS8 flash. Through this, the drive is not only highly power-efficient for an SSD of this caliber, but it’s also able to hit higher performance levels with less overhead. For the time being, it’s the fastest all-around drive out there.

Sandisk could have skimped on the capacity end, but there’s 1TB to 4TB at launch, with 8TB promised in 2025. Historicall,y it has been difficult to get even 4TB drives out the door at this performance level and while it might take some time for Sandisk to improve availability there, the upfront promise of 8TB has us more hopeful. An 8TB drive in this class is a dream come true for many enthusiasts. That said, you’ll pay for the privilege. The SN8100 is not and will not be an inexpensive drive..

Read: Sandisk WD Black SN8100 review

Best Budget PCIe 5.0 High-End SSD

“Budget” and “PCIe 5.0” are two terms that are difficult to reconcile, but the modern consumer SSD landscape is such that you actually might want to save some money when getting a high-end drive. The Lexar NM1090 Pro is positioned precisely to take advantage of that, offering full PCIe 5.0 bandwidth but at a lower cost by using older flash. The cost differential is small, but so is the real-world performance impact. This drive will max out your PCIe 5.0 slot and won’t leave much performance on the table, which means the drive can be a slightly more affordable way to future-proof.

You’re still getting 14 GB/s or more of theoretical bandwidth with up to over 2 million 4K random read IOPS. These are startling numbers that beat any PCIe 4.0 drive and also all lower-end Gen 5 drives. Earlier high-end Gen 5 drives will fall behind in other areas, such as being much less power-efficient than the NM1090 Pro. This is a drive that could functionally work in some laptops – especially in Gen 4 mode – and it never needs any active cooling. You’re trading one generation of NAND flash for the ability to get a top-tier drive for a little less money. A worthwhile trade-off, even if the drive doesn’t stand out in any way.

Read: Lexar NM1090 Pro review

Best Laptop SSDs

If you’re looking for a new SSD for your laptop or other portable device, the Sandisk WD Black SN7100 should be at the top of your list. Battery life is usually of utmost importance, and there is no drive on the market more efficient than this one. In the grand scheme of things, your SSD probably won’t make a huge dent in your power budget unless you’re pushing things a little harder, but on the other hand, every bit matters. That selling point alone might not be enough for everyone, but luckily, the Black SN7100 also has fantastic random read performance, which makes it exceptionally responsive.

While the drive did not have a 4TB model at the time of launch and review, it is now part of the lineup, which removes one of the negatives we had for the drive. You no longer have to compromise on capacity. However, the drive still suffers from middling all-around performance, and its pricing remains a sticking point. Sandisk has been more prone to sales as of late, though, and we think that even if this drive isn’t the best pick for desktop, it’s pretty hard to beat for laptops.

Read: Sandisk WD Black SN7100 Review

The Crucial T500 combines cutting-edge flash with a customized controller that manages to be power-efficient with just four channels but also squeezes in the coveted performance-boosting DRAM cache. The T500 is also a single-sided drive with TCG Opal support, making it perfect for professional laptop use.

Many laptops are still stuck with PCIe 3.0 slots, and that’s fine. The T500 will be even more efficient when run at 3.0, and its benefits, aside from bandwidth potential, do not disappear. While the T500 does offer a heatsinked version, which we have in our all-around best SSD category, you’ll be going bare for a laptop. In this respect, it can even be better than DRAM-less drives, as the T500’s controller has more surface area and a metal IHS to prevent controller overheating. It’s simply the finest drive for laptops at this time unless you really want more horsepower. That’s on the menu, too, especially once the 4TB version arrives.

Read: Crucial T500 Review

Best 4TB SSD

4TB has become a more attractive capacity point for SSDs as time has gone on. While there are now many options available, most come with compromises of one sort or another. You may have to settle for QLC, a weaker controller, no DRAM, unreliable hardware, etc. This is not always a big deal, especially if the drive is intended to be a secondary gaming drive. In the PlayStation 5, however, extra cooling is beneficial, so it’s convenient to have a heatsink option available. At the same time, laptops favor bare drives and especially single-sided drives, the latter of which have been very rare with TLC until recently.

Samsung has managed all of this with its high-performing 990 Pro SSD. You have a powerful controller with DRAM, cutting-edge TLC flash, and a single-sided drive with or without heatsink even at 4TB. WD’s SN850X has been out a while at 4TB but has no heatsink option and is double-sided, with the SN850P being a latter heatsinked version for the PS5. There has been an increasing amount of 4TB TLC drives, including the Lexar NM790 and Addlink A93, but these cannot compare to the power and brand power of Samsung’s 990 Pro. You do have to pay for that privilege given the high MSRP, but at this time there is no substitute.

Read: Samsung 990 Pro Review

Now that Crucial has finally brought out the 4TB SKU for the T500, it can replace the T700 on our best SSDs list for the best 4TB SSD alternative. The T700 is still a good choice for this, but the T500 is better for a few reasons. While both drives have a heatsink option, the T700 requires one, while the T500 can work bare in a laptop. The T500 is also more power-efficient but doesn’t skimp on performance by omitting DRAM. And while the T700 is PCIe 5.0 capable, many machines — including laptops and the PS5 — won’t benefit from that extra bandwidth.

The 4TB T500 is not without its faults, though. Its pricing is a little high for what you get, matching other high-end drives, which makes more sense on desktops. This is partly because the T500 has inconsistent sustained performance while those like the 990 Pro and SN850X do not. The 4TB T500 is also double-sided, which potentially reduces its compatibility. There are already single-sided, 4TB DRAM-less drives for less, such as the Lexar NM790, and there may be more in the future, although in general, this fact shouldn’t reduce the T500’s appeal.

Read: Crucial T500 4TB review

Best High-Capacity (8TB) SSD

We love the WD Black SN8100 and we love the SanDisk Optimus GX Pro 8100 now, too. Okay, it’s the same drive by a different name, but we finally got to see what this hardware can do at 8TB with the latter. While the WD Black SN850X remains the best bargain for an 8TB SSD, the Optimus GX Pro 8100 / Black SN8100 offers the best performance for an 8TB drive. It achieves all of this while remaining power-efficient, which is no mean feat. It even offers an optional heatsink with RGB LED lighting if that suits your fancy.

Most importantly and especially for a high-capacity drive, the drive’s random read latency is incredibly low. This ensures the most responsive experience possible with fast game and app loading times. The drive even has a Game Mode feature to improve this even further. It’s maybe a little expensive to get just for games, but if you want the very best this is the way to go. It’s the best all-around 8TB drive out there if you need one drive to rule them all. The Samsung 9100 Pro is not the worst consolation prize but it’s just not as good. We’ll have to wait for more high-end, Gen 5 8TB drives to see if SanDisk’s masterpiece can be unseated.

Read: SanDisk Optimus GX Pro 8100 Review

The Samsung 9100 Pro is not a record-setting drive now that the second generation of Gen 5 SSD controllers are coming out in retail products. However, it is the first high-end drive to offer an 8TB SKU. This is a massive amount of storage, especially for a drive at this performance level. The 9100 Pro delivers good results in all of our tests, and the overall package is perfect for enthusiasts who want this much space in one drive for their HEDTs and workstations. It can also work in laptops, but the double-sided nature of the drive makes it more suitable for desktops, especially with the optional and affordable heatsink. Behind it all is Samsung’s name, so you know you’re getting a high-quality product with support to back your expensive investment.

Read: Samsung 9100 Pro 8TB SSD review

Best Budget M.2 SSD

Everybody loves a good budget drive and, luckily, there’s almost always something to fill that gap. Right now, it’s the Biwin NV7400, taking over from our long-time favorite TeamGroup MP44. There’s nothing wrong with the MP44; it’s just getting harder to find. It also has variable hardware – a reality for almost all drives – while our more recent NV7400 sample had very good hardware, indeed. Biwin did a great job with this drive, and we can recommend it for pretty much any system, so if its price is at or below similar contenders like the MP44, then it’s an easy choice. Assuming things stay that way.

There are many things to like. It has good all-around performance, capped by good power efficiency. The single-sided design, that makes it a good pick for laptops and the PS5. You can always add your own heatsink, though. It also has high TBW if that’s something you look at, although we think a drive with DRAM is better for high writes. Also, there is no 8TB SKU here – the MP44 does have that – but we really don’t think that matters for a budget drive. There are less expensive drives, sure, but this category is for the best budget drive, and the NV7400’s bandwidth and 232-Layer flash take the prize.

Read: Biwin Black Opal NV7400 2TB SSD Review

We recently replaced the TeamGroup MP44L on our Best PS5 SSDs list for a good reason: the MP44L has had its hardware changed over its life, but it’s now showing up with decidedly bad controllers and QLC flash. It was our budget champion for quite some time, but it feels like Team has introduced the MP44Q to fill that gap.

Drives in the middle of the PCIe 4.0 range – usually around 5 GB/s peak, give or take – are becoming less sensible by the day. What this means for you is that it’s more appropriate to opt for budget-friendly 7 GB/s drives, such as the MP44 and MP44Q, if you’re budget-conscious. Which drive to pick depends on the pricing and availability at the time of purchase. The MP44Q can end up competing with the MP44 with comparable pricing at times, and even at its best, it’s up against other QLC-based drives.

That doesn’t mean the MP44L and its class of drives should be ignored completely, as sometimes it really does come down to a few $ in either direction. However, we would strongly recommend going up to the MP44Q at the least if you value hardware longevity. Cheap drives are cheap for a reason. The MP44L once stood out with good controllers and TLC flash, but now that the market squeeze has left it as a poor man’s Kingston NV3 – Kingston’s NV series being the poster child for hardware that changes in some budget SSDs – we think you can do better. The MP44Q offers a good, power-efficient alternative.

Read: TeamGroup MP44Q review

The WD Green SN3000 is not a drive for everyone. It’s on the lower end for budget Gen 4 drives in terms of peak bandwidth, and it inherits a mixed reputation. WD’s Green line has always been associated with dirt-cheap drives that are very much the last resort. This isn’t helped by the fact that the SN3000 has a shorter warranty than usual at three years, and also has some of the lowest TBW, or warrantied writes, of any drive we’ve tested in recent memory. That paints a nasty picture, but we believe this drive is actually a diamond in the rough.

The drive has good performance thanks to its BiCS8 QLC flash, so it feels more responsive than expected. This flash also helps the drive stay efficient enough for mobile devices. On top of this, you can get the drive at smaller capacities that have been hard to find. If you’re buying on a budget, it’s a veritable godsend. We can overlook its weak sustained write performance, as that’s not a factor in this segment. As for the TBW, we can’t deny that it is dismal, but in its defense, a read-heavy drive won’t have any problem here over three years.

Read: WD Green SN3000 Review

Sandisk’s newest Blue NVMe SSD is an achievement despite its complete transition from TLC to QLC flash. This drive has something for everyone, offering decent all-around performance, low 4K random read latency, and high power efficiency, all within a nice capacity range. In fact, it’s difficult to tell it apart from the TLC-based Black SN7100 in everyday use. Given that the Blue SN5100 is using less-expensive QLC flash, it should end up priced better, too, which would be quite something given the great value the Black SN7100 provides.

The Blue SN5100’s excellent balance makes it an all-around winner for use in mobile systems, the PS5, HTPCs, and as a secondary or gaming desktop drive. It’s a drive for everyone and is our pick for the best QLC drive on the market, although the Crucial P310 comes close. QLC usually means capacity, and thankfully, the Blue SN5100 is available up to 4T,B which leaves us with few criticisms. Yes, it still has weaker sustained write performance than a TLC drive, but this is less concerning than the launch price. This drive, when settled at its proper price point, will be a great pick.

Read: Sandisk WD Blue SN5100 Review

WD took its popular Black SN850 SSD and turned it up to 11, but luckily for value seekers, the price isn't nearly as extreme. The current $156 price on Amazon for the 2TB model is a great deal, even if it's now $25 more than it cost last year. The Black SN850X uses an improved controller and newer flash to get the most out of the PCIe 4.0 interface, thus delivering excellent performance with the Sony PlayStation 5. WD improved performance across the board, and the drive comes with a heatsink option at 1TB and 2TB capacity points.

WD also supports the SSD with a solid five-year warranty that will let you game with peace of mind. This drive is made for the PlayStation 5, and while it can be a bit pricier than budget options, overall, it's still our top pick for the PS5. It's also fast for gaming on a PC, particularly with DirectStorage starting to become useful, so this drive is plenty attractive.

WD has taken the course of releasing an officially licensed SN850P SSD. That drive is a glorified heatsinked SN850X and you should only pick it if you want the heatsink at 4TB. Even then, it's far cheaper to get a bare SN850X and add your own heatsink.

Read: WD Black SN850X Review

The Addlink A93 is a perfect example of a great PlayStation 5 expansion drive – it delivers top performance at up to 4TB without breaking the bank. The PS5 doesn’t need anything special, but you might as well get a drive that will last a long time. The A93 checks this box with its TLC flash, and it’s also designed for the PS5 with a compliant heatsink and a single-sided drive design. It’s DRAM-less with a four-channel controller, which means it’s power-efficient and, with its heatsink, it’s therefore unlikely to overheat, which is always good news for console lovers.

That said, enthusiasts would still prefer to have DRAM, which is why we have the WD Black SN850X as our first pick for a PS5 drive. If you’re trying to save some money, though, the A93 is a decent substitute. There are competing drives that would work as well, such as the Lexar NM790, but currently, the A93 offers the best package for the best price. It has all the performance you need with no real drawbacks, unless you really have your heart set on 8TB.

Read: Addlink A93 SSD Review

The Crucial P310 came as a bit of a surprise, but a welcome one. M.2 2230 SSDs have ratcheted up in popularity ever since Valve’s Steam Deck launched, and now there are more portable gaming systems than ever. There’s also Microsoft’s Surface Pro line and some laptops that take M.2 2230 or M.2 2242 - this drive can be extended up to M.2 2280 if needed - which used to mean going to eBay for OEM options like the WD SN740. This hasn’t been the case in a while, but finding a decent 2TB drive has remained difficult. The P310 handles that challenge like a champ.

Sure, it’s QLC-based, which means it’s not quite as fast or consistent as it could be, but it’s more power-efficient than the TLC-based WD Black SN770M and has more throughput. In fact, it’s the fastest 2TB M.2 2230 SSD we’ve ever tested. We expect the updated Corsair MP600 Mini would beat it, but the P310 has better availability and should be less expensive. It’s fast enough where it matters, which makes it the best option if you’re looking purely for capacity, but your host system should be able to take PCIe 4.0 drives to fully benefit.

Read: Crucial P310 SSD review

Kingston’s NV3 (2230) is a good example of a budget drive done right. Our reviewed version has good hardware, including superior QLC flash. However, the specifications are lower than normal which gives Kingston the ability to change the hardware down the road. This isn’t a big trade-off considering the drive is priced right at 1TB and 2TB, the most popular drive capacities for this form factor. The good power efficiency also means it won’t drain your battery or overheat.

When we’re talking about the Steam Deck this drive is more than fast enough as the device is limited to PCIe 3.0. Other and future devices will take PCIe 4.0 and even 5.0 SSDs, however. For the most part you don’t need a drive with TLC flash even in that case if your primary workload is gaming. The NV3 would have more competition there, certainly on the performance front but also possibly with capacity down the line. Aside from the excellent Crucial P310, we may begin to see 4TB drives in this and the M.2 2242 form factor with double-sided solutions, 2TB dies, or both. Right now the NV3 is a solid deal, though.

Read: Kingston NV3 (2230) SSD review

Corsair’s second run at the MP600 Mini, now with a faster controller and flash, is an example of how to do things right. It takes M.2 2230 SSDs to the next level in terms of performance while maintaining excellent levels of power efficiency. To top it off, it brings TLC flash at up to 2TB in a single-sided package. Previously, it was necessary to go with QLC flash - which in some cases is slower than TLC flash - or the power-hungry WD Black SN770M, which in any case isn’t as fast. This isn’t as big a deal with the PCIe 3.0 Steam Deck, as you can’t reach the full potential of today’s drives with that interface.

The new MP600 Mini comes at a price, though. Literally - it costs a bit more than the competition. The least expensive way to get this level of performance is to go with the Crucial P310, the best choice for M.2 2230 on any PCIe 4.0 platform if you want the highest capacity and 7 GB/s. For a 3.0 platform like the Deck and TLC flash, the Black SN770M remains solid. If you want the best performance possible, then the updated MP600 Mini is the way to go. For the time being, it is even good for M.2 2242 with an extender, otherwise, the native Rocket Nano 2242 will do the trick at 1TB.

Read: Corsair MP600 Mini (E27T) SSD Review

The WD Black SN770M is unique in that it offers 2TB of TLC NAND flash in the tiny M.2 2230 form factor in a single-sided design. This makes it optimal for use in the Steam Deck, ASUS ROG Ally, and other portable gaming/computing devices. Some of these can take double-sided drives or longer drives, but the most popular of them all - the Deck and Deck OLED - work best with this form factor. For a long time, it was only possible to get a drive with less-desirable QLC if you wanted 2TB, but with the SN770M, that compromise is no longer required.

This comes at a cost as the older hardware on the SN770M - which is the same as the popular M.2 2280 Black SN770 - pulls more power and puts out more heat. For regular gaming use, this wasn’t an issue in our testing. The difference in battery life is essentially negligible, and the drive is usually not pushed enough for its direct heat output to be an issue. Therefore, it offers the best baseline performance in this form factor for now, but QLC-based alternatives may be more affordable.

Read: WD Black SN770M Review

The Corsair MP700 Micro is the best M.2 2242 SSD on the market, and it’s not even close. It’s not only the fastest drive, it also has the highest capacity possible at up to 4TB in a single-sided design. This makes it an effective, if niche, storage solution. If you happen to need an M.2 2242 SSD with this much space or want the highest performance and power efficiency possible, the MP700 Micro is your drive. Although a bit overkill, it would also be great in PCIe 3.0 and 4.0 slots if that’s all you have available.

The overkill factor is also a drawback to this SSD. You can get by with slower drives like the Sabrent Rocket Nano 2242, especially as most M.2 2242 devices are not PCIe 5.0 capable. While it’s impossible to match the capacity of the 4TB MP700 Micro, it’s a very expensive drive, and the current memory market may end up encouraging smaller drives for affordability purposes. If all you need is 1TB or 2TB, you can get by with many M.2 2242 or 2240 drives instead. The MP700 Micro still has its place, though, and it could be a niche solution for specific HTPC builds as well.

Read: Corsair MP700 Micro review

With the growing popularity of M.2 2230 SSDs, it was only a matter of time before we saw retail 2242 options. The Sabrent Rocket Nano 2242 is one of these, alongside the Corsair MP600 Micro. Alternatives include OEM and last-gen drives, like Sabrent’s original Rocket 2242, but some are double-sided. Not so with the Rocket Nano 2242, which will fit in the Lenovo Legion Go and many laptops with at least one M.2 2242 slot. It’s an easy drop-in solution with good performance and power efficiency.

The drive is only currently available at 1TB. However, with dual NAND packages, we expect larger capacity options in the future. M.2 2230 SSDs can also be extended for M.2 2242, but the 2TB options currently on the market all have their own drawbacks, except perhaps for the imminent Corsair MP600 Mini (E27T). However, the Rocket Nano 2242 gives plenty of performance for portable devices as it stands and is an easy pickup for M.2 2242.

Read: Sabrent Rocket Nano 2242 SSD review

PNY had its heart set on producing a very fast RGB-capable SSD, and with the CS3150 XLR8, or CS3150, it succeeded. This PCIe 5.0 SSD also has a heatsink with dual fans to ensure it never overheats. PNY’s software allows control over the RGB and fans, with synchronization possible for the former if you have other PNY RGB products. The warranty is standard, but the drive does support hardware encryption via the TCG Opal 2.0 specification, which may be a selling point for some.

The CS3150 isn’t perfect, though. It’s expensive and can be difficult to find. It’s only available at 1TB and 2TB capacities, needing 2TB to hit its maximum performance numbers. There are also other drives equal or faster to it, although for many workloads this isn’t particularly relevant. If RGB isn’t your thing, this drive also comes without the RGB in both white and black variants. Regardless of the model you go for, the drive can operate without throttling, and its performance is good across the board.

Read: PNY CS3150 Review

Best Workstation SSDs

The Inland Performance Plus has been around for a while, so long in fact that it hasn’t been using its original hardware in a long time. It was updated when the Gaming Performance Plus came out with a newer type of flash. It also saw an expanded capacity range over time, up to 8TB. The performance specifications have not changed, though, and remain quite good for a Gen 4 drive. The warranty is also excellent at six years – more than the typical five – with up to a whopping 6,000TBW at 8TB.

This is a solid all-around drive that’s good for anything, but it’s especially good for NAS. Aside from the high write endurance and warranty period, the drive also has a balanced pSLC cache scheme that makes it more ideal for expected workloads. It doesn’t hurt that the drive is also actually available – well, at the time of writing, anyway – for prices that are not outside the competitive range. It’s Inland so there’s no real software support, but that’s our only ding.

Read: Inland Performance Plus Review

The Seagate FireCuda 530R is an all-around contender for best workstation drive, covering all the main areas you look at for a heavier workload storage solution. It has good performance with exceptional IOPS, consistent writes, and decent throughput. The drive is rated for an unusually high amount of writes, and Seagate throws in three years of data recovery service support, too. On top of this, it also optionally comes with a heatsink and runs surprisingly cool for a drive of its caliber and hardware age.

Speaking of age, the Phison E18 controller is long in the tooth, and BiCS6 flash isn’t as exciting as it once was. However, this combination proves to be a winner if you’re looking for a reliable workstation SSD. You’re mostly missing out on the higher-efficiency options that now exist, but we’d take this drive over the DRAM-less options if you have more demanding workloads.

Read: Seagate FireCuda 530R Review

Best Workstation SSD Alternate

The Kingston KC3000 is a long-standing favorite, a popular Gen 4 SSD that has been around for a while. There are many drives out there with the same hardware, including the previous holders of our Best Workstation SSD and SSD Alternate slots. The primary reason for the change is that drives with the Phison E18 controller have been identified with issues that could impact performance or reliability. However, only a few manufacturers have actually addressed this with a firmware update. Kingston is the primary one, offering the update for both the KC3000 and the Fury Renegade.

This makes the KC3000 a safer pick for workstation use, given that it also has decent all-around performance and is readily available. It also has a higher-than-standard TBW endurance rating and the Kingston name, which means it can be serviced more widely around the world. The only downside is that there are competing products, including some that are less expensive. However, if the reported issues are something you take seriously, then that brings things into focus. The KC3000 – or its sibling, the Fury Renegade – checks the right boxes for workstation use if you want a reliable solution.

Read: Kingston KC3000 Review

Best NAS SSDs

The Addlink NAS D60 is a niche drive but fills its designated role pretty well. If you have a NAS system, a workstation, or other servers - whether for home lab use or SOHO - this drive may be worth looking at. Assuming your server can take an M.2 NVMe drive or two, the NAS D60 can do caching duty in tandem with mechanical hard drives or even be used in an all-flash array. Whichever way you go, some special features of this drive help it step away from other retail consumer drives, which justifies its price premium. But it’s still more affordable than full-out enterprise solutions.

The first thing that stands out about this drive is that it’s using enterprise-grade flash. Such flash is more reliable with higher baseline endurance. This lets Addlink extend the warranty to 1 drive write per day (DWPD), which is three times the retail standard. The second thing that stands out is that it has capacitors on-board for power loss protection. This means improved integrity for data-in-flight. Lastly, the NAS D60 foregoes any pSLC cache, which, while hurting all-around performance, does give more consistent sustained performance. This combination makes it particularly good for a write cache, singly or in RAID, for NAS and other systems.

If you’re looking for a more traditional drive or one with a larger capacity option, the Adata Legend 960 Max remains viable. It also has a heatsink, which the D60 NAS lacks. Pick the D60 Max if you want the higher TBW, the PLP, and/or the non-cache performance characteristics. Oh, and remember that the NAS D60 will not be very power-efficient if that’s a factor for you.

Read: Addlink NAS D60 SSD review

Best SATA SSDs

You can get a SATA drive in the M.2 form factor, but most SATA drives are 2.5-inch models, which allows them to drop into the same bays that hold laptop hard drives. SATA drives are the cheapest.

If you’re still buying SATA SSDs, your options are vanishingly few if you’re looking for a quality drive. Crucial has stopped making its popular MX500 – our previous Best SATA SSD – and other manufacturers have swapped to DRAM-less hardware in some cases, the WD Blue SA510 being the most prominent example. While having DRAM isn’t make-or-break with newer M.2 NVMe SSDs, it’s more useful for maintaining good performance with SATA SSDs. TLC flash is also preferable to QLC if you want to maintain high write speeds and performance.

This leaves the Samsung 870 EVO as the likely best remaining SATA SSD available. You’re going to get quality TLC flash and DRAM. Samsung also offers a decent capacity range, which means you should be able to find the drive you need when you need it. The vast majority of SATA SSDs out there are DRAM-less nowadays, but they’re also cheaper and might be good enough for basic upgrades. The 870 EVO, as a result, is an expensive proposition, but if you want a drive to last, it’s the best option.

Read: Samsung 870 EVO Review

How We Test SSDs and Benchmark Charts

We use the same test system for all our SSD benchmarks. You can find the specifications in the boxout, and the short summary is that it's an Intel Alder Lake platform — chosen because it was the first platform to support PCIe 5.0 for expansion cards and M.2 slots. We have periodically looked at newer platforms, but Raptor Lake didn't change the results much if at all, and AMD's PCIe 5.0 platforms tend to be slightly slower than Intel's platforms.

We have a battery of benchmarks, each of which gets run multiple times. We use the best result from each test. Here are the charts of all currently tested SSDs (from the past three years, give or take). We froze Windows 11 at version 22H2 in order to keep the test results consistent — various security updates have had an impact on certain benchmarks over the years.

We've grouped the SSDs by capacity, beginning with the 4TB and larger drives, then the 2TB drives (which are easily the most popular and well-represented class in our testing), then the 1TB drives, and finally all the 2230 drives (in both Gen3 and Gen4 modes). We haven't tested any new 500GB-class or smaller SSDs in several years as that market is mostly dead for DIY upgrades these days.

4TB SSD and larger testing results

2TB SSD testing results

1TB SSD testing results

M.2 2230 SSD testing results

Finding Discounts on the Best SSDs in 2026

Whether you're shopping for one of the best SSDs or one that didn't quite make our list, you may find savings by checking out the latest Crucial promo codes, Newegg promo codes, Amazon promo codes, Corsair coupon codes, Samsung promo codes or Micro Center coupons.

MORE: Best External SSDs and Hard Drives

MORE: All SSD Content

The Best PS5 SSDs

Finding the best PS5 SSD can be daunting due to the wide variety of choices. Plenty of SSDs will work in the PS5 and provide a simple and hassle-free capacity upgrade for your game library, but which ones rise above the crowd? To narrow down the options, we've tested many drives in a battery of tests, including many models from our SSD benchmarks hierarchy. From these, we've picked the best SSDs for the PS5 based on performance and price at several different capacities.

Nearly any new drive you buy for the PC can also be used in the PS5, so you'll also find many of these same picks on our list of Best SSDs for desktop PCs. You can also use everything from a tiny M.2 2230 drive up to a longer M.2 22110 model in the PS5, but there's no real benefit from choosing the other form factors. M.2 2280 SSDs are ubiquitous and typically offer the best combination of value, performance, and capacity.

The PS5's internal SSD is a restrictive 825GB (or 1TB on the PS5 Slim), and after formatting, updates, and bloatware, it typically leaves you with about 670GB free for games. That's bad news because today's games are becoming larger with each new release, and you'll also need somewhere to store all the screenshots and video clips you gather while you play. Call of Duty, as an example, can use more than 200GB all by itself!

The good news is that Sony has an M.2 expansion slot where you can put a second SSD for the PS5, and the current system firmware allows you to use SSDs with up to 8TB of capacity. That's hopefully enough storage to satiate even the most demanding of gamers, but there are also far more affordable options, with modern 2TB and 4TB models being particularly attractive choices for the PS5.

Prime Day Exceptional PS5 SSD deal

Here is a standout deal from the Prime Day event, which is currently taking place. Our list of best overall picks continues below.

The TLDR: Best SSDs for the PS5 (more info below):

Here's the quick list of the best SSDs for the PS5, but we have further breakdowns and testing results below. There are also similar drives in some cases, with effectively the same hardware, and we'll list those alongside our primary selections. When searching for the best SSD for the PS5, you'll want to be careful about which drive you pick. The Samsung 990 Pro and WD SN850X are great SSDs for the PS5, though pricing has been trending upward for the past several months — on all SSDs. The SN850X also comes as an SN850P that's just an overpriced SN850X with a different heatsink and PlayStation 5 branding.

We've broken things down by category, with our top picks being the WD Black SN850X, SK hynix Platinum P41, and Samsung 990 Pro. For capacity or budget minded shoppers, we also have the Acer GM7000, Silicon Power US75, and Netac NV7000. Which drive will fit your particular needs best depends on what you're after, so we list multiple alternatives for most categories and SSDs.

Best SSDs for PS5

WD took its popular Black SN850 SSD and turned it up to 11, but luckily the price isn't nearly so extreme. The current $124 price on Amazon for the 2TB model is a great deal, though other capacities may not be as attractively priced. The 4TB drive at $249 is worth a look for those who want more capacity; the 8TB drive at $549 is also worth a thought if you really want all the capacity you can pack into that M.2 slot — and it's now $300 off the original launch price.

The Black SN850X leverages an improved controller and newer flash to get the most out of the PCIe 4.0 interface, thus delivering excellent performance with the Sony PlayStation 5. Performance is improved across the board, and the drive comes with a heatsink option at all capacities. You'd be better served by a purpose-built PS5 heatsink, however.

WD also supports the SSD with a respectable five-year warranty that will let you game with peace of mind. It's a great match for the PlayStation 5, and while it can be a bit pricier than budget options, overall it's still our top pick. It's also fast for gaming on a PC, particularly with DirectStorage starting to become useful.

WD has taken the course of releasing an officially-licensed SN850P. That drive is a glorified heatsinked SN850X and should only be picked if you really want the PS5 logo on your heatsink for whatever reason. It's far less expensive to get a bare SN850X and add your own heatsink.

Read: WD Black SN850X Review, WD Black SN850X 8TB Review

The Samsung 990 Pro was not our original pick for the best PS5 SSD alternate option, but the drive has grown on us over time. Samsung experienced some firmware issues with the 990 Pro that were eventually resolved, and the manufacturer later introduced a single-sided 4TB SKU with newer flash to enhance the product. This newer flash has trickled back into the smaller SKUs, making the mature version of this drive an excellent all-around pick. That means it’s great for the PlayStation 5 even though it lacks the 8TB option that WD/SanDisk offers with the SN850X/SN850P line.

Samsung also offers the drive with a PS5-compliant heatsink, which means one less worry if you’re running your system hard in a hotter environment. You can also take advantage of Samsung’s software and support if you have a PC available to host the drive. The main downside of the 990 Pro, especially when it’s being used for the console, is that it costs more per GB than many alternatives on the market. If you want a high-quality drive, though, it’s near the top of our list.

Read: Samsung 990 Pro Review

The Biwin NV7400 doesn’t have DRAM, but it does have good performance, good power efficiency, and a good warranty with high TBW. The cost of DRAM has made DRAM-less SSDs more attractive than usual, but some are better than others. The NV7400 should be near the top of the list for PCIe 4.0 choices. It’s available in a range of capacities up to 4TB with a single-sided form factor that’s great for the PS5. It does lack a heatsink, but you could add your own, and the drive is power-efficient enough to be run bare. If you don’t want to go with a slower drive or one with QLC flash, it should be near the top of your list.

Read: Biwin Black Opal NV7400 Review

Alternative Compromise PS5 SSD

Our backup choice for a compromise drive is the WD Black SN7100. We like the NV7400 a little bit more on the whole as it’s more well-rounded in the performance department, but the Black SN7100 has a lot going for it. It has class-leading power efficiency and random read performance, which makes it fantastic for everyday use and for laptops. These two areas are less important for the PS5, though, which means the NV7400 wins on price. That said, we think you should keep the door open for this drive. We would take it over budget options like the Kingston NV3 or QLC-based Blue SN5100, or even higher-end QLC like the P310.

Read: WD Black SN7100 Review

High-Capacity SSD for PS5

If you want the largest possible SSD for your PS5, look no further than the WD Black SN850X 8TB. 16TB drives aren't really a thing in the consumer space, likely because even 8TB drives remain relatively niche parts with a higher price per TB of capacity than 4TB and 2TB drives. But the SN850X online prices have dropped quite a bit since it initially launched with an $849 MSRP.

In our PS5 test suite, the SN850X 8TB was effectively just as fast as any other drive. The PS5 doesn't support PCIe 5.0 speeds and the internal drive ends up being a bottleneck for both the copy to and read from tests that we run. That means you not only get maximum capacity but also maximum performance.

What's not to love? The price. $579 for 8TB isn't terrible, but that's more than a PS5 costs on its own. $649 for the heatsink version is a bit of a joke, since you can put on your own $10–$15 heatsink instead (but without the WD Black branding). It's also a double-sided drive, which means the underside can run a bit hotter if you're doing a bunch of writes — both most writes will be limited by the internet connection so it's not really a concern.

Read: WD Black SN850X 8TB review

The Addlink A93, or the S93 if you don’t need a heatsink, has been one of the most affordable SSDs for the PS5 all the way up to 4TB. It’s DRAM-less, but it has good performance and power efficiency, so it works well in the PS5. The A93 also takes a PS5-compliant heatsink if that’s something you want, although the S93 without the heatsink uses the same hardware. Its main weakness is a lack of DRAM but, but thankfully, that’s not a requirement for use in a PS5.

Other drives we’ve reviewed with this same hardware, like some variants of the TeamGroup MP44, would also fit in this slot as pricing and availability change over time. The Biwin Black Opal NV7400, which has Micron flash with the same controller, is also a good alternative. The A93 stands out here mainly because it is often positioned less expensively and is sometimes overlooked for bigger brands.

Read: Addlink A93 SSD Review

Best Cheap SSD for PS5

Our biggest complaint about the Crucial P310 – both in this and the shorter M.2 2230 form factor – was its high price for what it offered. This has changed as the price of the drive relative to the competition has lowered significantly. Memory and SSD prices are currently in a large upward swing, but Crucial benefits from using its own Micron NAND flash and can position QLC, which is in high demand in the enterprise, more aggressively in the consumer market. This means it’s a good pick for the PS5 right now, as our original entry for this category – that would be the SanDisk WD Black SN7100 – uses TLC flash but has become more expensive.

While we’re all about getting a drive with TLC flash whenever possible, and better yet with DRAM, the PS5 console’s storage requirements are very modest. Almost any Gen 4 drive will do, and, as it so happens, the P310 isn’t at the low end of that segment anyway. It’s one of the best QLC-based drives on the market – only the WD SanDisk Blue SN5100 gives it a real run for its money – and it performs well even without DRAM. The P310 was only available up to 2TB at the time of our review, but now comes in 4TB, which removes another caveat we had. The Blue SN5100 does have higher rated endurance, but we don’t suspect that it is an issue on the PS5.

Read: Crucial P310 (2280) Review

Oh, how the mighty have fallen. We long had the popular TeamGroup MP44L on our list as a good budget SSD for the PS5, but times have changed. With the release of the MP44Q earlier this year, settling for a 5 GB/s drive like the MP44L doesn’t make much sense anymore. Especially as the MP44L is using questionable hardware these days. The MP44Q excels in its role, even with the transition to QLC flash, delivering good performance and power efficiency. More importantly, it’s affordable with a decent capacity range.

There are some caveats, though. The drive does have the typical issue with sustained write performance that QLC flash is known for, but this is not a huge deal with the PS5. The MP44Q may also have to face the superior Crucial P310 and Sandisk WD Blue SN5100 down the road if prices come down. Currently, however, it offers an affordable alternative to the TeamGroup MP44 – which would fill a gap if not for the Sandisk WD Black SN7100 – and has a good price per GB at 1TB and 2TB. The SN7100 currently beats both at 4TB, but on a tighter budget, you can get by with the MP44Q at lower capacities.

Read: TeamGroup MP44Q review

Benchmarks / How We Tested PS5 SSDs

Swipe through the galleries for different capacities

Some of the best SSDs for the PS5 are either specifically designed for the console, or come with an integrated heatsink. However, some drives don't come with a heatsink, so we equip them with the Sabrent M.2 NVMe heatsink for the PS5 to both meet the requirements for the PS5 and to ensure a level playing field. We've found that this cooler is a great solution if you're looking for a cheap, versatile, and easy-to-install solution. There are other similar heatsinks, like the SK hynix Haechi H01 that will work just as well (though apparently neither of those work with the newer PS5 Slim).

The Sony PS5 has an internal benchmark measuring how fast the system can read data from the drive. This is the most critical performance metric for gaming, as a speedy response time is responsible for ensuring a smooth gaming experience. As you can see in the 'PS5 Read Benchmark' column above, the fastest SSD in our test pool was 90% faster than the slowest model. Sony will even flag performance as being potentially inadequate if the read score is below about 4,000 MB/s. However, this read tests only takes a few seconds and basically shows the burst speed of the SSDs, so it's quite synthetic in nature.

Real-world tests show much smaller differences. For instance, our 'Copy to M.2' benchmark consists of timing how long it takes to move four games totaling more than 200 GB (we use Mass Effect: Andromeda, Assassin's Creed Valhalla, Elden Ring, and Astro's Playroom) from the internal PS5 SSD to the expansion drive. In most cases, we only see a difference of a few seconds, and converting to MB/s the difference between the fastest WD Black SN850X and the Solidigm P41 Plus is only 10%. But then there's a pretty big step down to the Samsung 990 Evo and the various Phison E27T-equipped SSDs, followed by the Transcend 250H, and in dead last (for now) sits the Inland TN470 1TB — another Phison E27T drive. How much will this matter in terms of gaming performance? Probably not at all, but when you move a bunch of data from the integrated SSD to the M.2 drive, it will take longer.

On the flipped side, we also tested this process in reverse, moving the four games back to the internal drive for our "Transfer From M.2" benchmark. Here, the sustained write speed (and encryption/security protocols) of the integrated 825GB SSD becomes the limiting factor, and there's only a 5.6% difference between the fastest and slowest SSD we've tested. The current 825GB SSD only appears to write data at up to ~250 MB/s, and all of the M.2 SSDs are easily able to maintain read speeds much higher than that figure.

Likewise, real-world testing (i.e. launching games) has failed to expose meaningful differences between the drives — it's common to see at most a one to two second difference between drives in game load times. Other testing we've seen from multiple outlets indicates very few meaningful differences, if any, for game loading times. Overall, you're unlikely to notice the speed difference between most PCIe 4.0 SSDs and could make a good argument for simply selecting the most cost-effective drive that meets the capacity target that you want — 4TB and 2TB drives are particularly popular.

Naturally, not all of the drives that we test will make the final cut for our list of Best SSDs for the PS5, but that doesn't mean those drives failed the test, or wouldn't be a great deal if you can catch them on sale. The Solidigm P44 Pro is a great SSD that delivered respectable performance in our PS5 SSD benchmarks (it's the same hardware as the SK hynix Platinum P41), and given the slim difference between the fastest and slowest SSDs on our list, it could make a great drive if the price is right. The only thing we'd try to avoid is any SSD that uses QLC NAND, as those drives can slow down significantly as they're filled to capacity.

There's also no real benefit at present to selecting any of the PCIe 5.0 SSDs, as they tend to use more power then PCIe 4.0 drives, making them a poor choice for the PS5. Given current prices there's no real purpose in using a PCIe 5.0 drive for your PlayStation 5, though we've included results from several of the newer models (on the assumption that price differences between PCIe 4.0 and 5.0 drives will shrink over time).

Tips for Finding the Best SSD for the PS5

Sony PS5 SSD Requirements

The Sony PS5 requires an M.2 SSD that communicates over the NVMe protocol. Officially, you'll need a PCIe 4.0 x4 model that can deliver up to 5,500 MB/s of sequential read throughput. In practice, you can use slower SSDs, and you'll just get a warning that performance may be inadequate — note that PCIe 3.0 models are explicitly prohibited from working. The console supports 250GB, 500GB, 1TB, 2TB, 4TB and 8TB models.

These small, rectangular drives look like sticks of RAM, only smaller, and the PS5 accepts both single-sided and double-sided versions. You'll also need to ensure that your drive has a cooling solution pre-applied. These can consist of thin copper heat spreaders that look like a label, or a full-fledged metal heatsink with a thermal pad.

Not all of the best SSDs for the PS5 come with a heatsink, but you can easily use your own double- or single-sided heatsink. We recommend the Sabrent M.2 NVMe heatsink for the PS5, which actually replaces the outside SSD panel on the PS5 with a heatsink, giving the SSD access to nice cooler air from outside the system. We've found that this cooler is a great solution if you're looking for a cheap, versatile, and easy-to-install solution, but there are many options on the market. For instance, TeamGroup has its new TForce AL1 heatsink, which operates similarly, coming to market soon.

Just make sure the SSDs don't exceed 110 x 25 x 11.25mm. M.2 SSDs are usually 80mm long by 22mm wide, described as size 2280, but some may be shorter or longer. The PS5 supports M Key Type 2230, 2242, 2260, 2280 and 22110. Some M.2 drives are also SATA interfaces instead of NVMe, but those are rare and would not be listed as being PCIe 4.0 compliant. Regardless, make sure your SSD supports NVMe.

Sony has detailed instructions on how to install a PS5 SSD. As you can see in the video above, installing the SSD is a simple process that only requires a #1 Phillips head screwdriver. After you've installed the SSD, you can navigate through the menus to the 'Settings→Storage→Installation Location' area and change it to your new SSD. All new games will now install directly to the SSD.

To move existing games to your new drive, select the internal SSD, highlight the item you want to move, press the Options button, and then select 'Move Games and Apps.' Select any other games that you would like to move in the checkboxes, then select 'Move.' As noted in our above testing, moving from the integrated SSD will generally be much faster than moving to the integrated drive.

This article covers our picks for the best graphics cards for gaming in 2026. Amid the AI gold rush and consequent supply crunch for consumer silicon, no truly new gaming GPUs have been introduced in almost a year. If you haven't already upgraded your graphics card after the GeForce RTX 50-series and Radeon RX 9000-series launches in 2025, well, you're still looking at the exact same products now.

AMD did make its formerly China-only Radeon RX 9070 GRE available globally after Computex 2026, but in our review, we found that $549 product to be too expensive given the level of performance it delivers and the compromises made to hit its price point, so it isn't joining the list here. Check out that coverage for all the details.

Most of the products we recommend remain at elevated prices compared to their MSRPs, but this is just life in mid-2026.

It's admittedly cold comfort, but unless you're shopping for an RTX 5090, graphics card prices haven't risen much more than they already did earlier this year. Compared to the doubling or tripling of prices we've seen for RAM kits and SSDs in 2026 versus last year, a GPU upgrade remains a relatively affordable (and self-contained) option, either as a boost for an existing PC or part of an all-new parts list.

Even if you can’t build an all-new system, you can just put a new graphics card in an older PC and still enjoy boosts to gaming performance, image quality, or both—especially if you can upgrade your monitor at the same time.

As we discuss in further depth below, the arrival of DLSS 4.5 upscaling (for RTX 40-series and 50-series cards, at least) and expanded multipliers for Multi-Frame Generation, which now can boost frame rates by up to 5x or 6x, means that driving a high-resolution, high-refresh-rate monitor is now easier than ever if you're considering a GeForce RTX 50-series graphics card.

Read on to see our picks in today's gaming graphics card market.

Best graphics cards for gaming, at a glance

The above list shows all the latest-gen graphics cards we feel stand out in their segments. If you want to see how all of the current and prior generation GPUs stack up, check our GPU benchmarks hierarchy. We also have performance benchmarks further below.

When accounting for pricing, we perform our own research to find the midpoint of current prices for a given graphics card, rather than taking a vendor's MSRP at face value. We feel this method tends to be most representative of the price you're likely to see for products in stock.

If you can find a card for less than this midpoint, it's likely closer to (or even less than) a vendor's MSRP and a better value. Conversely, if you find one for more than this midpoint, it could be a worse value (or too close in price to a more powerful card that's a step up). Tread carefully.

The overall performance ranking incorporates 19 games from our 2026 test suite, which takes the geometric mean (i.e., equal weighting) for both rasterization and ray tracing games. Note that we are not including any upscaling or frame generation results in the table.

Raw performance may be the most important consideration for most gamers, but it's not the only metric that matters. Our subjective rankings below factor in price, power usage, and power efficiency, and features colored by our own years of experience. Others may offer a slightly different take, but all of the cards on this list are worthy of your consideration.

Upscaling and frame generation mean GPUs are more than just a chip

GPU performance goes beyond the hardware these days. Choosing a particular GPU vendor means you're buying into a complex software stack that includes upscaling, frame generation, and (more rarely) AI-powered RT denoising technologies.

In Nvidia's corner, the DLSS 4.5 upscaling model and its second-generation transformer architecture offer superior image quality to other upscaling tech (and with lower input resolutions, meaning higher potential performance), but it's more computationally expensive than past DLSS models and works best on RTX 50-series and 40-series cards.

The DLSS 4 model and its first-gen transformer architecture still work with cards going all the way back to the RTX 20-series family. Not all games implement DLSS 4 natively, but Nvidia allows you to force the usage of that model in many older titles through the Nvidia App utility, so you can practically always get the latest and greatest.

Between native support and driver overrides, DLSS is available in virtually any modern game you might want to play. Nvidia recently marked DLSS feature availability in over 1000 titles.

RTX 50-series GPUs are Nvidia's first with support for multi-frame generation (MFG), which allows Blackwell GPUs to insert anywhere from one to five AI-generated intermediate frames between each native one (for a 2x, 3x, 4x, or even 5x or 6x frame rate boost). RTX 40-series GPUs also support framegen, but only with a 2x boost.

Meanwhile, AMD's FSR 4 offers AI-enhanced upscaling with superior image quality to other FSR versions, but official support for it is limited to RX 9000-series Radeons for now. AMD will bring FSR 4 upscaling to RX 7000-series cards in July 2026 and RX 6000-series cards in early 2027.

In the meantime, AMD's FSR 3.1 and earlier upscalers still work on any GPU, but the image quality tends to be noticeably lower than both DLSS and FSR 4.

AI-enhanced FSR framegen (aka ML Frame Generation) arrived on AMD cards as part of the FSR Redstone update late last year. Like FSR 4 upscaling, ML Frame Generation is limited to Radeon RX 9000 cards, and it can be enabled in compatible games using a control panel override for titles that don't natively have it.

Legacy FSR frame gen remains available, too. Its framerate-doubling boost remains cross-compatible with GPUs from all vendors, but its image quality can't keep up with the AI-powered frame gen tech of the latest AMD and Nvidia models.

Intel XeSS upscaling can be superior to FSR 3.x, but it isn't available in as many games as FSR or DLSS. It works best on Arc GPUs, but like FSR, it's cross-compatible with a wide range of graphics cards from AMD and Nvidia if you need it.

XeSS 2 with AI-enhanced frame generation is now available in 95 games as of this writing and requires an Arc GPU. XeSS 3 brings multi frame generation to the party through both native support and a driver override in compatible titles.

All that said, we don't think you should go out of your way to buy an Intel Arc card for gaming in 2026 for reasons we'll get into later.

1. Best high-end graphics card: GeForce RTX 5070 Ti, $1099.99

If you want the best blend of high performance and cutting-edge graphics tech out there for 1440p or 4K gaming, the GeForce RTX 5070 Ti is it. This card comes with full support for Nvidia’s latest DLSS 4.5 upscaling and Multi Frame Generation tech, and its 16GB of VRAM gives you full freedom to enable every DLSS 4 feature.

AMD’s closest competitor, the Radeon RX 9070 XT, is way cheaper than the RTX 5070 Ti right now, but the AMD card obviously doesn’t support DLSS 4 or MFG. For the privilege of those capabilities, you'll generally need to spend a whopping 45% more cash right now for just 5% more baseline performance than AMD’s best before you start enabling all the DLSS 4 features Blackwell supports.

Is that worth it? Yes, if you can swing it. Here's why: getting the best gaming performance on modern graphics cards is as much a software problem as a hardware one. Tuning your gaming experience to taste requires access to high-quality upscaling, frame generation, and (more infrequently) an AI-powered RT denoiser like DLSS Ray Reconstruction.

Even amid its shift to AI and data center products, Nvidia ensures that its full suite of DLSS tech is adopted in virtually every new game, whereas AMD's support of FSR 4 adoption has become rather hit-or-miss.

The RTX 5070 Ti also offers superior RT performance versus the RX 9070 XT across our 2026 test suite. Beyond that baseline, Nvidia is working with developers to enable impressive path-traced effects in many of the latest AAA releases.

In our recent experience, path-traced games play best with DLSS 4.5 upscaling and MFG at your disposal, and being able to consistently rely on the availability of those features makes the extra cash for the 5070 Ti worth it.

Our recent GPU Hierarchy retesting has shown that high-end graphics cards are becoming five- to eight-year investments, and Nvidia's ongoing commitment to developer relations and new software features means that you'll enjoy a first-class gaming experience throughout the life of your 5070 Ti no matter what games you want to play on it.

Spread out over that time span, the extra cost of the RTX 5070 Ti versus the RX 9070 XT is worth it for the better experience.

What about the RTX 5080? Nvidia's second-fastest Blackwell card is anywhere from 8% to 16% faster than the 5070 Ti, with the biggest gap at 4K. Prices for the 5080 in June 2026 remain insane, however, and at the midpoint of current prices, the 5080 is 33% more expensive than the 5070 Ti.

There's no way the RTX 5080 offers anywhere close to enough value for the money to justify the step up right now unless you're looking for the fastest thing this side of a 5090 for 4K gaming.

Read: Nvidia GeForce RTX 5070 Ti review

2. Best enthusiast value graphics card: Radeon RX 9070 XT, $759.99

The Radeon RX 9070 XT is AMD's most well-rounded graphics card in years. It delivers raw gaming performance within spitting distance of the GeForce RTX 5070 Ti for far less money, making it a strong value at first glance. But that appealing price tag comes with a number of asterisks in mid-2026 that mean it's no longer our first pick for high-end PC gaming.

AMD shored up two of its greatest weaknesses against Nvidia with the RX 9070 XT's RDNA 4 architecture: RT performance and AI acceleration, both of which are closer to Nvidia's latest and greatest. And AMD did all that while keeping power efficiency right there with Nvidia, too.

The FSR 4 upscaler is a big jump in image quality over FSR 3, and FSR ML Frame Generation now offers higher-quality framegen on the RX 9070 XT than FSR 3's approach, although it's still limited to a simple doubling of frame rates versus DLSS Multi Frame Generation's versatility.

The problem for the RX 9070 XT in mid-2026 is that FSR 4.x upscaling still trails Nvidia's flagship DLSS 4.5 in image quality, and AMD isn't driving the adoption of FSR 4 features nearly as aggressively as Nvidia is for DLSS. Driver-level overrides for those features can't entirely close the gap.

Worse, you might find the RX 9070 XT entirely shut out of features that you might want to enable in certain games. For just a couple of examples, Radeon gamers can't enable path-traced effects at all in recent titles like Pragmata and Resident Evil Requiem, and 007 First Light sticks you with FSR 3 upscaling that can't be overriden through a driver toggle due to the way it's implemented.

And in our latest GPU Hierarchy retesting with the RX 9070 XT, we saw major performance issues in Grand Theft Auto V Enhanced and minor visual corruptions in Stalker 2 that weren't present on GeForces or on RX 7000- or RX 6000-series cards. We don't think these issues should have slipped past any QA program, especially for such popular and high-profile games, but they sting especially hard on a current-gen product.

All that means the overall ownership experience of an RTX 5070 Ti and an RX 9070 XT is significantly different in mid-2026. We think that gamers shopping in this price class should be able to expect a consistently high level of software feature support and quality across all the games they might want to play, and Nvidia provides that assurance better than AMD does right now.

If you're willing to gamble with the availability of FSR 4 features, for RT or path-traced effects, and don't care to tune the smoothness of your gaming experience with frame generation, the RX 9070 XT's shortcomings versus the RTX 5070 Ti may be easier to overlook given the large amount of cash that will remain in your pocket.

But we also think that you should look closely at what you're giving up before reflexively choosing an RX 9070 XT over an RTX 5070 Ti, despite its strong value at a glance.

Read: AMD Radeon RX 9070 XT review

3. Best midrange graphics card: GeForce RTX 5070, $659.99

Until 2026 rolled around, the GeForce RTX 5060 Ti 16GB had been our entry-to-midrange Blackwell gaming favorite. But the $579 midpoint of current pricing puts the 5060 Ti 16GB's on-shelf price above that of the RTX 5070's $549 MSRP, and the 5070 is one of the least marked-up graphics cards out there at the moment.

As a result, it's possible to find RTX 5070s for about $670, and that makes it an easy call to step up for less than $100 more than 5060 Ti 16GBs.

The RTX 5070 is about 30% faster than the RTX 5060 Ti 16GB across our 2026 test suite, and that's a huge leap that you'll easily see on the right monitor for just 15% more money.

The advent of DLSS 4.5 upscaling, which makes it possible to achieve superior delivered image quality at lower input resolutions than older DLSS versions, also takes some VRAM pressure off the RTX 5070's 12GB of GDDR7, making the deployment of RT and DLSS MFG more practical on this card than it has been in the past.

And as with the RTX 5070 Ti, the universal availability of DLSS 4.5 (both natively and through app overrides) plus MFG makes this card a fast and flexible performer across all of the games you might want to play in 2026.

Given the image quality of DLSS 4.5 and the smoothness boost of MFG, along with the higher baseline RT performance of this card versus the 9070 in our 2026 testing, we think the 5070 should be your first pick for a midrange gaming card right now.

In an ideal world, the RTX 5070 would have more VRAM to allow for unhindered exploration of everything DLSS 4 and MFG have to offer, especially at a native 4K resolution. If you're pushing those limits, we'd still recommend the Radeon RX 9070 thanks to its 16GB of VRAM.

But if you're on a 1440p monitor where VRAM is less of an issue and want DLSS 4.5 over FSR 4, as most gamers do, the RTX 5070 is still a strong performer, and you're less likely to run into its limits.

Read: Nvidia GeForce RTX 5070 review

4. An AMD midrange alternative: Radeon RX 9070, $629.99

If you primarily play raster titles at native resolution and aren't on board with upscaling or framegen, the Radeon RX 9070 remains a strong midrange alternative to the RTX 5070. It's one of the least marked-up 16GB graphics cards available even with today's AI headwinds, and in a world where MSRPs have largely been forgotten, that makes the RX 9070 a strong value.

The GeForce RTX 5070 and RX 9070 go neck-and-neck in our test suite, but the RX 9070 has 16GB of VRAM and the RTX 5070 has just 12GB. Especially if you're trying to push 4K games at native resolution, that extra VRAM matters.

But the advent of DLSS 4.5 upscaling, which provides image quality that's practically indistinguishable from native rendering even at relatively low input resolutions, means that the RTX 5070 is a more potent midrange graphics card in 2026 than it was at launch.

On top of their inherent technical superiority, you can find DLSS 4 and MFG in most every game released today, which can't be said for FSR 4.x upscaling or ML framegen. AMD's driver overrides make up some of the gap, to be sure, but not all of it.

And as with the RX 9070 XT, AMD gamers may find themselves locked out of certain features like path tracing (in major releases like Pragmata and Resident Evil Requiem) or FSR overrides (in 007 First Light) entirely.

The RX 9070 is subject to the same minor image quality issues and performance hitches we saw with the RX 9070 XT, and those issues could certainly be overcome with future software updates. But we think that if you're looking for the best midrange graphics card, it should be free of those issues entirely, and so the RTX 5070 is our first pick for this price point right now.

Read: AMD Radeon RX 9070 review

5. Best enthusiast value graphics card: Radeon RX 9060 XT 16GB, $469.99

AMD's Radeon RX 9060 XT 16GB can handle basically anything the mainstream gamer can throw at it at 1920x1080 and 2560x1440, all at a price that comes in way under the sky-high markups on the RTX 5060 Ti 16GB as of this writing.

At a midpoint of $459.99 in mid-2026, prices for the RX 9060 XT 16GB are the highest we've ever seen, dulling the 9060 XT 16GB's reputation as the value-minded builder's GPU of choice. But with no cheaper Radeons worth recommending in the lineup, what can you do?

In any case, the RX 9060 XT enjoys the much-improved ray-tracing and AI performance of the RDNA 4 architecture, both of which bring Radeons a lot closer to the latest Nvidia competition. And its 16GB of VRAM gives mainstream gamers the assurance they'll basically never find VRAM a bottleneck in modern games at 1080p and 1440p resolutions.

Like the RX 9070 XT, the 9060 XT 16GB gives you access to AMD's much-improved FSR 4 upscaling tech, allowing you to boost performance with a small hit to image quality in the small but growing list of titles that support it.

Even with its new ML-powered model, FSR Frame Generation remains limited to a doubling of output frame rate at best, so it’s not a direct competitor to Nvidia’s DLSS 4 with MFG.

If you want more frames, AMD just launched the RX 9070 GRE globally for $549, and it provides a decent step up in performance for less than $100 more, especially if you're only gaming at 1080p or 1440p. But the more powerful RX 9070 can be found for just $50 more than the GRE, and then you're contemplating the even more powerful and versatile RTX 5070, too.

The RTX 5060 Ti 8GB is the RX 9060 XT 16GB's closest Nvidia competition, dollar for dollar, but we can’t recommend it at all. If you're spending over $350 on a GPU, we don't think you should have to fine-tune every setting to avoid running out of VRAM. The RX 9060 XT is easy to live with for a wide range of gamers in a wide range of titles, and that’s why it won our Editor’s Choice award.

Read: AMD Radeon RX 9060 XT 16GB review

6. The best graphics card for 1080p gaming: Nvidia GeForce RTX 5060, $369.99

If you want to get your game on at 1080p, we think the RTX 5060 is still your best bet in mid-2026. The midpoint of RTX 5060 prices is around $370 right now thanks to the AI crunch, but you can still find them for as little as $350 if you're willing to shop around.

The RTX 5060 has impressive baseline performance for 1080p gaming in wildly popular titles like Fortnite, Counter-Strike 2, Marvel Rivals, and Apex Legends that aren't hungry for giant pools of VRAM. And if you are trying to push higher output resolutions in demanding AAA games, the universal availability of DLSS 4.5 upscaling means that it's easy to achieve near-native image quality at lower input resolutions than before, making the RTX 5060 a more flexible performer than ever.

If you can tune your settings right, enabling DLSS 4 Multi-Frame Generation could make for an even smoother ride on this card, but we find that 8GB of VRAM isn't enough to consistently enable framegen in the titles where you'd really want it. The feature often doesn't work if you're already at the limits of the RTX 5060's memory pool (or that of any 8GB Blackwell card), since the MFG AI model needs some VRAM of its own to run.

AMD's toughest competition for the RTX 5060 is the RX 9060 XT 8GB, which also lists for $299 but is now selling for about the same $350 as you'll see RTX 5060s going for. Supply of those cards has largely dried up in mid-2026, however, and you're likely to see only a couple options for them from any e-tailer.

Despite its much-maligned 8GB of VRAM, the 9060 XT 8GB put in a strong showing in our 2026 GPU Hierarchy testing, but not consistently enough to beat out the RTX 5060 and take home our general recommendation.

When the RX 9060 XT can bring its full compute horsepower to bear in certain games, it can handily outpace the RTX 5060, so it's worth checking out results like those from our RX 9070 GRE review and seeing whether a game you love benefits from the Radeon's raw muscle.

But if you want a more consistently solid gaming experience, we'd still recommend the RTX 5060.

Read: Nvidia GeForce RTX 5060 Ti review

7. The best graphics card, period: GeForce RTX 5090, $4299

There's nothing else like the GeForce RTX 5090. If you want to turn on every bell and whistle in modern games at 4K (or beyond), the RTX 5090's sheer shader and Tensor Core horsepower, along with support for Nvidia's DLSS 4 upscaling and multi-frame generation, lets you tune your gaming experience to perfection even on high-refresh-rate 4K displays.

If you're a hardcore PC gamer who demands only the best, the hair will stand up on the back of your neck when you watch the RTX 5090 breeze through workloads that other graphics cards leak out all their thermal gel about.

Prices for the RTX 5090 have always been elevated, but they're stratospheric in early 2026. Major e-tailers only have a few different models listed, and prices start at $3500 or so and only go up from there. Nvidia's $1999 MSRP is pure imagination in current market conditions.

At those prices, an RTX 5090 is an indulgence of the highest order, but then again, it always has been. Without a compelling AMD alternative even on the horizon, considerations of value don't really apply here. If you truly need (or want) this class of gaming or AI performance, you're going to have to pay up.

This card needs a system with a massive power supply, one of our best gaming CPUs, and a top-shelf monitor to take full advantage of its astounding capabilities, and all those spendy components add up quick. But if you have a big enough bankroll to consider shopping for a graphics card of this caliber, you probably don't need us to tell you all that.

If Nvidia and its industry partners fixed the meltdown-prone ATX12V-2x6 connector, the RTX 5090 would be as close to gaming perfection as any graphics card that's ever been made. Guess that's something to improve on the RTX 6090, if it ever arrives.

Read: Nvidia GeForce RTX 5090 Founders Edition review

8. The cheapest graphics card worth buying: GeForce RTX 5050

If you have to save every penny on a new graphics card in 2026, you're hard up for good budget options. We previously recommended Intel's Arc B570 here, but after completing our 2026 GPU Hierarchy retesting, we're bumping it in favor of the RTX 5050, which is currently selling for about $300, or about $50 more than the B570.

Here's why: we think if you're spending any amount of money on a graphics card, it should just work. You should expect consistent feature support over time in games, universal support for upscaling and (optionally) frame generation when you need them, and consistently high performance in games.

The RTX 5050 unreservedly checks all those boxes, while we couldn't even complete our testing of the Arc B570 (or B580) for our 2026 GPU Hierarchy until the literal day before this guide update goes live, due to a months-long settings lockout with UE5's Nanite and Lumen in a little title you may have heard of called Fortnite.

We can't say when a similarly major issue might occur again with the Arc B570 in any game, and so we're no longer recommending it. Unless you're willing to gamble and need to save every possible dollar on a graphics card, we think you should just save up a bit more cash and buy an RTX 5050.

The RTX 5050 isn't the fastest GPU around, to be sure, and its 8GB of VRAM is a constraint for anything beyond 1080p gaming in mid-2026. But it delivers solid enough native raster performance at 1080p, and it beats out the Arc B570 even before you enable DLSS 4.5 upscaling. And if you do want the performance boost of DLSS, you're getting access to the best and most widely adopted upscaler on the market.

On top of that, the extra $50 over the Arc B570 means that you have the full strength of Nvidia's developer relations team and software support behind you when you go to play the latest games, and we think that reliable software support makes all the difference between a GPU that's fun and affordable and one that's merely cheap.

Read: GeForce RTX 5050 review

How we test the best graphics cards

Determining pure graphics card performance is best done by eliminating all other bottlenecks — as much as possible, at least. To that end, we've selected components for our test rig , most notably AMD's Ryzen 7 9800X3D CPU, one of the best CPUs for gaming.

We test across the three most common gaming resolutions, 1080p, 1440p, and 4K, using a mix of high and ultra settings, depending on the title. Where possible, we use 'reference' cards for all of these tests, like Nvidia's Founders Edition models and AMD's reference designs. Most midrange and lower GPUs don't get reference models, however, and in some cases we only have factory-overclocked cards for testing. We do our best to select cards that are close to the reference specs in such cases.

For each graphics card, we follow the same testing procedure. We run one pass of each benchmark to "warm up" the GPU after launching the game, then perform our actual test runs across each resolution.

We carefully review our test data and check for anomalies. For example, we always expect the RTX 5080 to be faster than the RTX 5070 Ti. If it's not, and we're not in a CPU limited situation, we'll recheck both cards to ensure that our standings our accurate. We also check and retest in cases of subtler issues, as when a transient hitch or frame-time spike causes a large dip in 1% low FPS.

Due to the length of time required for testing each GPU, updated drivers and game patches inevitably come out that can impact performance. We periodically retest a few sample cards to verify our results are still valid, and if not, we go through and retest the affected game(s) and GPU(s). We may also add games to our test suite over time, if one comes out that is popular and conducive to testing. See what makes a good game benchmark for our selection criteria.

Best graphics cards performance results

Our updated test suite of games consists of 19 games at present, eight of which have ray tracing enabled (or require RT to run at all).

We test without any upscaling or frame generation technologies enabled. We expect that most gamers will want to enable these features, but they complicate apples-to-apples comparisons between GPU vendors due to inherent differences in output image quality. To keep it simple, we present native resolution performance as a baseline.

The data in the following charts is from testing conducted during the past several months. We've tested all of the latest GPUs at every resolution and setting, even where it generally doesn't make sense (e.g. 4K with ray tracing at single digit framerates).

For each resolution and setting, the first chart shows the geometric mean (i.e. equal weighting) for all tested games. The second chart shows performance in the 11 pure raster games, and the third chart focuses in on ray tracing performance in eight games.

The charts below contain all the current Nvidia RTX 50-series and AMD RX 9000-series graphics cards. We're leaving Intel Arc cards out of the standings for now due to software compatibility issues with our test suite, and we'll include those results when those issues are corrected and we have the opportunity to retest them.

Our GPU benchmarks hierarchy contains additional data for every GPU spanning multiple generations of hardware. The charts are color coded with AMD in red, Nvidia in blue, and Intel in gray to make it easier to see what's going on.

The following charts are up to date as of June 2026.

Best Graphics Cards — 1080p

Best Graphics Cards — 1440p

Best Graphics Cards — 4K

Additional Shopping Tips

When buying a graphics card, consider the following:

• Monitor Resolution: The more pixels you're pushing, the more performance you need. You don't need a top-of-the-line GPU to game at 1080p, but you will certainly want more power at 1440p or 4K.
• PSU: Make sure that your power supply has enough juice and the right 6-, 8- and/or 16-pin connector(s). Nvidia, AMD, and Intel board partners will all make PSU recommendations alongside their products that you can use as a baseline, so if you're unsure whether your PC can provide enough power, be sure to check those spec sheets first. If you have an older PSU, be mindful that power supplies do lose capacity with time, so if you're contemplating a high-end GPU, it might be time to upgrade your GPU, too.
• Video Memory: In 2026, 8GB of VRAM is the bare minimum you'll want to play the latest games at 1080p, and it's the smallest amount of memory you'll find on a new card. Midrange cards tend to feature 12GB of VRAM, which is generally enough for raster gaming all the way out to 4K but may present limitations for RT even at 1440p. If you're planning to push a 4K display without upscaling or want to explore RT gaming without restriction, we recommend a 16GB card.
• FreeSync or G-Sync? Either variable refresh rate (VRR) technology will synchronize your GPU's frame delivery with your screen's refresh rate. Nvidia supports G-Sync and G-Sync Compatible displays (for recommendations, see our Best Gaming Monitors list). And most every G-Sync Compatible display also supports AMD FreeSync these days, so this vendor war is largely over.
• Upscaling and Frame Generation technologies: Nvidia's DLSS is in practically every game, and the latest DLSS 4.5 tech provides high-quality upscaling and frame generation (on RTX 40-series to boost performance to taste with practically no loss of image quality. AMD FSR 4 provides AI-enhanced upscaling on RX 9000-series cards, and a version compatible with RX 7000-series cards arrives in July 2026. Intel XeSS can deliver better image quality than older versions of FSR, but the core upscaler hasn't been updated in some time, and it's not as widely adopted as either DLSS or FSR, so it shouldn't influence your buying decision either way.

Finding Discounts on the Best Graphics Cards

While deep discounts are rare on graphics cards in 2026, you might find some particularly tasty deals on occasion. Check out the latest Newegg promo codes, Best Buy promo codes and Micro Center coupon codes for potential savings.

Want to comment on our best graphics picks for gaming? Let us know what you think in the Tom's Hardware Forums.

MORE: HDMI vs. DisplayPort: Which Is Better For Gaming?

MORE: GPU Benchmarks and Hierarchy

Tom’s Hardware has tested dozens of processors to find the best CPU for gaming. Our list of 2026 CPU gaming benchmarks currently comprises 17 of the most demanding titles available on the market, which we run each gaming processor through to see the chips that come out on top. We select our picks based on the data in our CPU benchmark hierarchy, so all of the CPUs below are backed by hundreds of hours of real-world, hands-on testing where we gather extensive data on how a CPU performs and behaves while gaming. If you want a broader look at the CPU market, our AMD vs. Intel article shows you where the current CPU duopoly stands, while our CPU buying guide can help you narrow down the best processor for you.

Now in the back half of the year, we don’t expect major new releases from AMD or Intel. AMD has been on a tear with refreshes, particularly among X3D CPUs. We recently reviewed the Ryzen 9 9950X3D2 Dual Edition, AMD’s first CPU with 3D V-Cache on both CCDs, and it’s the most powerful chip from Team Red currently available. It’s earned a spot on this list, though the (much cheaper) Ryzen 9 9950X3D isn’t far behind in overall performance.

We’ve also seen the Ryzen 7 9850X3D, which is technically the fastest gaming processor on the market, as you can see in our Ryzen 7 9850X3D review. However, we’ve kept the base Ryzen 7 9800X3D as our top recommendation for the best CPU for gaming due to its price. It’s only marginally behind the refreshed model (about 3% on average), and much cheaper. For most gamers, the Ryzen 7 9800X3D makes more sense.

Intel has seen a recent boost in gaming performance with Arrow Lake Refresh, and both the Core Ultra 5 250K Plus and Core Ultra 7 270K Plus have earned spots on our list. AMD dominates in gaming at the moment, however. Our sights are set on Intel’s next-gen Nova Lake chips for a big gaming boost from Team Blue, as well as the rumored ‘Raptor Lake Next’ lineup that’s supposedly arriving early next year.

For the rest of the year, we have the Ryzen 7 7700X3D and Ryzen 7 5800X3D 10th Anniversary Edition to look forward to, which are arriving in July and June, respectively. We don’t anticipate they’ll make a major impact on our rankings here, but we plan on reviewing both CPUs as soon as they’re available.

In addition to the fastest CPUs from AMD and Intel, we’ve included a few DDR4 options on this list. The price of DRAM and NAND flash has made building even a budget PC prohibitively expensive, so DDR4 platforms are a great way to save money. Vendors are signaling a shift back toward DDR4 platforms at the moment, so we may reconsider some older CPUs for our rankings as pricing and availability allows.

Here are the gaming CPUs we recommend buying. We have a shortlist of the top options and some alternatives below, but you can click the ‘More’ links to read our thoughts about a particular CPU and where it stands in the current market.

Best CPU for Gaming in 2026 at a glance (more info below):

The list below is for the best CPUs for gaming, while the best budget CPUs can help you find a cheap chip. Processors benefit from the best thermal paste, so check out our guide if you're shopping for a new processor. But if you're after the best CPU for gaming, you're in the right place.

Best CPU for Gaming Benchmarks

We rank all the Intel and AMD processors based on our in-depth CPU benchmarks hierarchy. You can see some of those numbers in the charts above, including CPU overclock performance results (marked as PBO for AMD processors). We're currently retesting all of these processors with the Nvidia RTX 5090, but only the first four slides have that testing. The remainder are historical testing results with the RTX 4090, which we'll remove once we have fully retested all of the gaming CPUs with the RTX 5090 for our benchmarks. This group of results comprises only the chips that have passed through our newest test suite. Additionally, the tables in our CPU benchmark hierarchy include rankings based on past CPU benchmarks and breakdowns of single- and multi-threaded performance in productivity applications across a broad spate of processors. Finally, be aware that the pricing in the charts above can fluctuate.

Quick Shopping Tips

When choosing the best CPU for gaming in 2026, consider the following:

• You can't lose with AMD or Intel: As noted in our AMD vs. Intel feature, AMD tends to make the best all-around CPU for gaming for mainstream PCs lately, but both offer compelling performance options at any given price point.
• Eight cores is sufficient for gaming: If you’re looking at a pricey flagship, you’re likely wasting some money if gaming is your primary focus. You can game on as little as a quad-core CPU, but performance scaling really falls off past eight cores.
• Budget platform costs: You never want to pair a strong CPU with a weak GPU, RAM, and storage. Right now, it’s especially important to consider platform costs, however. DDR5 prices are peaking, and you’ll need to factor in the cost of DDR5 and a new motherboard if you’re coming from an older socket like AM4.
• Overclocking isn’t for everyone, but if you follow our How to Overclock a CPU guide, you can scrape out extra performance gains.

Best CPU for Gaming 2026 - $300 to $400

The Ryzen 7 9800X3D technically isn’t the fastest gaming chip on the market any more. That title goes to the new Ryzen 7 9850X3D, though the victory is marginal. As you can read in our Ryzen 7 9850X3D review, AMD’s latest X3D offering pushes ahead by 3.3% on average. Despite a minor uplift, we’re still recommending the Ryzen 7 9800X3D. With prices as they currently are, the Ryzen 7 9850X3D is only 3.3% faster despite costing around 6% more than the Ryzen 7 9800X3D.

This chip really has no peer in the market outside of the Ryzen 7 9850X3D — the Ryzen 7 9800X3D delivers outstanding gaming performance, beating Intel's fastest gaming chip, the $469 Core i9-14900K, by 30% in our test suite. The 9800X3D is also almost unbelievably 35% faster than the current-gen Intel flagship, the $560 Core Ultra 9 285K. The stock Ryzen 7 9800X3D's 1% low frame rates (a good smoothness indicator) also deliver an exceptionally smooth gaming experience, benefiting gamers even in GPU-limited scenarios.

The Ryzen 7 9800X3D has eight cores and 16 threads that operate at a 4.7 GHz base and 5.2 GHz boost clock rate. The chip employs AMD's 3D V-Cache tech with a new spin, which places a 3D-stacked SRAM chiplet underneath the die to deliver an incredible 96MB of L3 cache to great effect. AMD moved the L3 cache chiplet from the top to the bottom of the compute die this generation. That gives the integrated heat spreader (IHS) direct access to the compute die, allowing for more thermal headroom, and in turn, higher clock speeds. The end result is a comparatively low-power chip that delivers incredible gaming performance and comparable productivity performance to other eight-core models on the market.

3D V-Cache previously came with trade-offs in the productivity department, but that’s not the case with the Ryzen 7 9800X3D. Still, 3D V-Cache doesn’t provide a performance benefit in every game, and the performance benefit is less pronounced as your display resolution climbs.

The Ryzen 7 9800X3D has much lower power consumption than the Intel competition, making it a far cooler processor that won't require as expensive accommodations, like a beefy cooler, motherboard, and power supply. It also takes particularly well to undervolting, which is easy to accomplish with AMD’s Curve Optimizer. That means the 9800X3D delivers top-notch gaming performance and a cooler, quieter, and less expensive system than you'll get with an Ultra 9 or Core i9.

Read: AMD Ryzen 7 9800X3D Review

The $305 Ryzen 7 9700X had a rough initial product launch, but AMD's targeted firmware and operating system improvements have changed the picture tremendously, allowing the chip to place much higher on our CPU benchmark hierarchy (head there for the most up-to-date gaming benchmarks). Combined with lower-than-launch pricing, the Ryzen 7 9700X is a strong contender, tying Intel's Core i9-14900K in gaming and beating the Core i7-14700K. That's not to mention that it beats Intel's entire lineup of Arrow Lake processors as well. Now, all of those processors offer faster performance in heavily-threaded productivity applications than the 9700X, but when it comes to a pure gaming experience, the 9700X either ties or beats all current Intel competitors.

The Ryzen 7 9700X has eight Zen 5 cores with 16 threads that operate at a 3.8 GHz base and 5.5 GHz boost clock. The chip has a 65W TDP, though AMD retroactively added a 105W TDP option you can select in the BIOS that helps boost performance in productivity applications. It's covered by the warranty, as well. With either setting, the 9700X has comparatively tame power consumption, so it is an easy chip to cool. You'll have to buy your own cooler for the processor, though.

The Ryzen 7 9700X drops into socket AM5 motherboards, and B-series motherboards make the most sense for this class of chip. B850 and B840 motherboards get AMD's latest chipset with features like mandatory PCIe 5.0 support on the top M.2 slot and better availability for features like Wi-Fi 7. However, the Ryzen 7 9700X will still work with the older B650 chipset if you can find a board on sale.

Read: Ryzen 5 9700X Review

The $350 Core Ultra 7 270K Plus performs like a flagship CPU, but it costs about half as much. In games, it narrowly outclasses the Core i7-14700K and offers a 2.4% boost over the competing Ryzen 7 9700X. AMD’s last-gen Ryzen 7 7800X3D still offers around a 10% boost over the Core Ultra 7 270K Plus, but it’s also around $50 to $80 more expensive depending on sales.

It’s a solid gaming CPU, and certainly a better recommendation than the Core i7-14700K given prices right now. Compared to the Ryzen 7 9700X, things are tighter. The Core Ultra 7 270K Plus gains an edge with productivity performance. Short of the 9950X, it’s at the top of our multithreaded performance rankings, more than doubling the performance of the Ryzen 7 9700X.

On the gaming front, it supports Intel’s new Binary Optimization Tool, which offers an average of an 8% improvement in gaming performance based on our testing. It’s only available in a limited number of games at the moment, but Intel says it plans to support the feature with updates in the future.

For specs, the Core Ultra 7 270K Plus is close to the 285K. It comes with 24 cores and threads, split across eight Lion Cove P-cores and 16 Darkmont E-cores. The P-cores boost up to 5.4 GHz and the E-cores can climb to 4.7 GHz. Across the CPU, you get a total of 76 MB of combined L2 and L3 cache. It comes with a 125W TDP and 250W MTP. Critically, the Core Ultra 270K Plus also comes with a 900 MHz boost in die-to-die frequency and 400 MHz boost in fabric frequency compared to stock Arrow Lake chips.

The Core Ultra 7 270K Plus slots into existing 800-series motherboards with the LGA 1851 socket. This is an unlocked chip, so if you want to get the full benefits of overclocking, you’ll need a Z890 board. However, it’ll still work with H- and B-series motherboards, just without CPU overclocking support.

Read: Core Ultra 7 270K Plus Review

Mid-Range Best CPU for Gaming - $200 to $300

Intel has returned to gaming prominence with its Arrow Lake Refresh CPUs, and nowhere is that clearer than with the $220 Core Ultra 5 250K Plus. It’s priced like a budget CPU at $220, but it can perform as well (and sometimes even better) than chips that cost twice as much. It doesn’t dominate the gaming charts in the same way as AMD’s X3D offerings, but at this price, it doesn’t need to. It offers marginally better performance than AMD’s competing six-core Ryzen 5 9600X in games while running the tables with application performance.

On average, the Core Ultra 5 250K Plus is 1% faster than the Ryzen 5 9600X at 1080p, and 9% faster than the 245K. It’s functionally identical, but Intel’s new iBOT feature allows the chip to hold some solid leads in certain titles. For instance, it’s 10% ahead of the 9600X in Cyberpunk 2077. Even in a non-iBOT title like Doom: The Dark Ages, the 250K Plus leads by 12%. There are still some games that struggle with the unique Arrow Lake architecture like F1 2024, but the losses are less pronounced with the souped-up Arrow Lake Refresh chips compared to the stock offerings.

The application performance is what really stands out with the 250K Plus, however. With 18 cores, it outpaces the Core i7-13700K, nearly matches the Core i7-14700K, and more than doubles the performance of the Ryzen 5 9600X in multithreaded applications. In single-threaded applications, it beats the Ryzen 5 9600X by 6%.

Although you get 18 cores, they’re split between six Lion Cove performance cores and 12 Darkmont efficient cores. The P-cores climb up to 5.3 GHz, while the E-cores top out at 4.6 GHz. The CPU comes with a combined 60 MB of L2 and L3 cache, along with a TDP of 125W and a MTP of 159W. Like all Arrow Lake chips, it doesn’t support Hyper-Threading, so you get 18 total threads.

The Core Ultra 5 250K Plus slots into existing motherboards with the LGA 1851 socket. It’s unlocked for overclocking, so a Z-series motherboard is an ideal pairing. However, Intel increased the die-to-die frequency and the fabric frequency out of the box, and you’ll see those improvements in action on B- and H-series motherboards, as well. It’s locked to DDR5 memory, unlike Raptor Lake and Alder Lake platforms, and it officially supports speeds up to 7200MT/s.

Read: Core Ultra 5 250K Plus Review

The $230 Ryzen 5 7600X3D is currently the best value gaming CPU you can get right now, though it trades performance in other areas to reach that status. It's just 4.5% slower than the Ryzen 7 7800X3D based on our testing, giving you most of the performance of AMD's coveted 3D V-Cache in games without the extra cost.

In games, it outclasses more expensive CPUs with ease, including the Ryzen 7 9700X, and averaged just 65W of power draw during our gaming tests. Outside of games, however, the Ryzen 5 7600 X3D struggles. The Core Ultra 5 250K Plus is more than twice as fast in multithreaded performance, and in single-threaded performance, even the base Ryzen 5 7600X is around 13% faster.

The lagging productivity performance makes sense. The Ryzen 5 7600X3D is a six-core / 12-thread chip, so it has limited multithreaded potential, and it only clocks up to 4.7 GHz. The limited specs give AMD room to cram 102 MB of combined L2/L3 cache on the die, however, which comes with a sizeable boost in gaming performance. Compared to the base Ryzen 5 7600X, the X3D version is 22% faster despite coming in at lower peak clocks and power draw.

You can slot the Ryzen 5 7600X3D into socket AM5, which is available on 600- and 800-series motherboards, though the latter may require a BIOS update. Memory and CPU overclocking is available on both B- and X-series chipsets; however, the Ryzen 5 7600X3D has a locked multiplier, so the only overclocking you can access is through AMD's Precision Boost Overdrive, or PBO.

Read: Ryzen 5 7600X3D review

Highest Performance Best CPU for Gaming - $400+

How do you improve upon a CPU that already claims a dominating position in gaming and productivity workloads? You add more cache, of course. The Ryzen 9 9950X3D2 is powerful, expensive, and hungry for wattage, but it’s the best of the best if you want top-shelf gaming and application performance. It throws value out the window, and it’s only marginally better than the Ryzen 9 9950X3D, but it is still better.

Based on our testing, it’s about 3.9% ahead of the Ryzen 9 9950X3D in multithreaded applications, and in lockstep in gaming at 1080p. Compared to Intel’s Core Ultra 7 270K Plus, the Ryzen 9 9950X3D2 is 9% ahead in multithreaded performance and 23% ahead in average gaming performance. The Ryzen 7 9800X3D delivers a better value on the gaming front, and the Core Ultra 7 270K Plus is a monster productivity chip at a third of the price of the 9950X3D2. But the magic trick of this chip is that it can do both without breaking a sweat.

Under the hood, the Ryzen 9 9950X3D2 is similar to the Ryzen 9 9950X3D. It’s a 16-core / 32-thread chip packing AMD’s Zen 5 architecture, and it tops out with a 5.6 GHz boost clock; just 100MHz behind the 9950X3D. As the name suggests, this processor is unique because it uses AMD’s 3D V-Cache on both CCDs. Both eight-core CCDs have 32 MB of onboard cache, plus an additional 64 MB chunk placed under the cores, giving you a total of 192 MB of L3 cache.

The extra cache slightly accelerates multithreaded performance overall, though only by around 4%. There are specific workloads where the advantage is more present, with some data science workloads showing performance gains in the realm of 26% over the Ryzen 9 9950X3D. Those specific workstation-class workloads are where the Ryzen 9 9950X3D2 earns its stripes.

Otherwise, it’s the chip to buy because you simply want the best, no matter what the cost or how marginal the improvements are. It slots into existing AM5 motherboards, and it’s best suited for newer 800-series chipsets. AMD officially supports memory speeds up to DDR5-5600, though we find that DDR5-6000 is the sweet spot for Zen 5 CPUs.

Prices have dropped since release, though the 9950X3D2 is still expensive. It launched at $1,000, but you can find the chip for around $900 now.

Read: AMD Ryzen 9 9950X3D2 Review

The prior-gen $469 Core i9-14900K is now selling for all-time low pricing, primarily because the newer $560 Core Ultra 9 285K has arrived to take its place. However, the Core Ultra 9 285K is actually slower than the 14900K in gaming, so it isn't a suitable replacement. The new Core Ultra 7 270K Plus is marginally slower based on our testing, as well. Even in the face of Intel’s 200S Boost update, which was meant improve gaming performance, the competitive landscape remains unchanged. In our testing, the Core Ultra 9 285K gained an average of 7% from the update, which means it’s still slower than the Core i9-14900K.

You should be aware that the much more economically-priced 14700K (listed above) is only 2% slower than the 14900K in gaming but costs over $100 less. The Ryzen 7 9700X, also listed above, is also less expensive and effectively ties the 14900K in gaming.

However, there are Intel fans willing to pay extra for the absolute most gaming performance they can get from an Intel platform. Also, the 14900K does offer more multi-threaded horsepower than the 14700K and 9700X, which could be useful if you game, stream, and record simultaneously or do other heavy multi-tasking while gaming. Just make sure that your use case justifies the extra cost.

The 14900K sports leading-edge connectivity, supporting DDR4-3200 or up to DDR5-5600 memory, along with 16 lanes of PCIe 5.0 and an additional four lanes of PCIe 4.0 from the chip for M.2 SSDs.

The chip comes with eight P-cores that support Hyper-Threading and 16 single-threaded E-cores for a total of 32 threads. The P-cores have a 3.2 GHz base, and peak frequencies reach an amazing 6.0 GHz with Turbo Boost Max 3.0 (this feature is only active on P-cores). Meanwhile, the E-cores have a 2.4 GHz base and stretch up to 4.4 GHz via the standard Turbo Boost 2.0 algorithms. The chip also has 36MB of L3 cache and 32MB of L2.

This 14900K has a 125W PBP (base) and 253W MTP (peak) power rating, but we recorded considerably lower power consumption than its prior-gen counterpart. You'll need to buy a capable cooler for the chip, and you'll also need either a 700-series or 600-series motherboard. Like other Raptor Lake Refresh chips, you can find DDR4 and DDR5 motherboards, though you’ll need to go with a DDR5 board for the highest performance.

The lower price of DDR4 might entice some gamers, but you'll lose anywhere from 5-8% of gaming performance with higher-end Intel chips. You can step up to the much more expensive DDR5 if you need access to more memory throughput and, thus, every bit of performance possible.

Beyond specs, the Core i9-14900K was at the center of a years-long controversy concerning instability. An error in the microcode (CPU firmware) meant the Core i9-14900K would degrade faster than expected, starting with instability in games. Intel has rectified the issue with microcode 0x12F, so make sure you update your BIOS immediately if you pick up Intel’s last-gen flagship

Read: Intel Core i9-14900K Review

Best Budget CPU Pick - $100 to $150

The $164 Ryzen 5 7600X is an attractive budget CPU at its new price, forced down by Intel's new Arrow Lake Refresh chips. It’s marginally slower than the Ryzen 5 9600X, but also marginally cheaper – the Ryzen 5 7600X offers about 90% of the performance of the Ryzen 5 9600X for 94% of the price. It’s a slightly worse value, but it’s still a good option to keep in mind, especially if you find it on sale. The Ryzen 5 7600, sans X, is available at around the same price. We’ve yet to see it drop below the Ryzen 5 7600X, however.

With the 7600X, you get six cores and 12 threads based on the Zen 4 architecture, clocked at 4.7GHz with boost speeds up to 5.3GHz. Unlike the Ryzen 5 9600X, the Zen 4-based version comes with a TDP of 105W. Cooling it shouldn’t be an issue, and you’re free to run in AMD’s 65W Eco mode through the Ryzen Master software.

The Ryzen 5 7600X slots into AM5 motherboards, including 600- and 800-series chipsets, and it supports PCIe 5.0. DDR5 is required, which is a tough pill to swallow at this bang-for-your-buck price point, but it’s hard to avoid soaring RAM prices.

Read: Ryzen 5 7600X review

The $135 AMD Ryzen 5 5600 delivers a solid blend of performance in both gaming and productivity applications, bringing a new level of value to the Zen 3 lineup. If you're fine sticking with a previous-gen AM4 motherboard, the Ryzen 5 5600 makes a great base for a budget build. The primary trade-off for the AM4 platform is that you're limited to DDR4, and you don't have access to PCIe 5.0. You also have a limited runway for upgrades, as the fastest gaming CPUs on AM4 – the Ryzen 7 5700X3D and Ryzen 7 5800X3D – have reached end of life.

The Ryzen 5 5600 also makes an absolutely unbeatable budget chip if you're updating a first-gen Ryzen system. The 5600 unseats the Ryzen 5 5600X, a long-time favorite. The 5600X is only a mostly imperceptible ~1% faster in gaming and multi-threaded PC work than the non-X model, but provides a 4% advantage in single-threaded work.

Our testing shows that the Ryzen 5 5600 generally matches the gaming performance of its more expensive sibling, the ~$230 Ryzen 7 5800X. That makes the 5600 an incredibly well-rounded chip that can handle gaming well, from competitive-class performance with high refresh rate monitors to multi-tasking gaming workloads like streaming, while also serving up more than enough performance for day-to-day productivity apps. As with all AMD CPUs for gaming, you can fully overclock the chip.

The Ryzen 5 5600 has a 3.7 GHz base and 4.6 GHz boost clock. The chip also has a 65W TDP rating, so it runs cool and quiet. Existing AMD owners with a 500-series motherboard will be happy, as the 5600X drops right into existing 500-, 400-, and 300-series motherboards. If you need a new motherboard to support the chip, AMD's AM4 motherboards are plentiful and relatively affordable, with the B-series lineup offering the best overall value for this class of chip.

Prices for the Ryzen 5 5600 have drifted upward as stock depletes, but that’s offset by platform costs. In addition to low prices on AM4 motherboards, the Ryzen 5 5600 is limited to DDR4. High DDR5 prices are a significant roadblock to opting for a newer chip, as prices continue to surge. So it’s hard to recommend a newer budget CPU, even if it’ll net you higher performance. In the event you already have a kit of DDR5, the $189 Ryzen 5 7600 is a compelling option, and it includes AMD’s Wraith Stealth cooler.

Read: AMD Ryzen 5 5600 Review

Entry-Level Best CPU for Gaming - For gaming on integrated GPUs

The $268 Ryzen 7 8700G, AMD's flagship desktop APU, delivers the fastest socketed performance on the market from integrated graphics, bringing passable 1080p gaming to the desktop PC without a discrete graphics card, but its high price point relegates it to a niche audience.

In contrast, the $191 Ryzen 5 8600G delivers 90% of the 8700G's performance but for ~$80 less, making it a solid alternative for gaming systems that don't use a discrete GPU.

Naturally, you'll have to accept lower fidelity settings and be realistic about which titles can play at 1080p resolution. Still, AMD's Hyper-RX suite of features, which includes in-driver Radeon Super Resolution upscaling tech, frame generation with AMD Fluid Motion Frames (AFMF), Anti-Lag+, and Radeon Boost, helps boost performance at a slight cost to image quality. This new feature set, a first for AMD's iGPUs, is a boon for budget gamers.

The Ryzen 5 8600G has six Zen 4 CPU cores and the RDNA 3 GPU engine with eight CUs. The Ryzen 5 8600G drops into the AM5 platform, with value-focused B650 and A620 motherboards being the obvious best combination. These systems offer a new level of connectivity for AMD's APU processors, which were previously on the aging AM4 platform but require DDR5 memory. That adds some cost, so do a value analysis before selecting this processor. If you're looking for the lowest entry price possible with an APU, the Ryzen 5 5600G listed below slots in as the value alternative.

The Ryzen 7 8600G only supports 16 usable lanes of PCIe 4.0 connectivity, while other processors on the AM5 platform support PCIe 5.0. However, we don't feel this will impact this class of system.

More: AMD Ryzen 7 8700G and Ryzen 5 8600G Review

The Ryzen 5 5600G steps into the arena as the value champ for APUs, which are chips with strong enough integrated graphics that they don't require a discrete GPU for light gaming—just be sure you're willing to accept lowered quality settings.

The Ryzen 5 5600G gives you 96% of the gaming performance on integrated graphics than its more expensive sibling, the Ryzen 7 5700G, but for 25% less cash. Our testing shows that its level of performance makes it the best value APU on the market. As long as you're willing to sacrifice fidelity and resolution and keep your expectations in check, the Ryzen 5 5600G's Vega graphics have surprisingly good performance in gaming.

The 5600G's Vega graphics served up comparatively great 1280x720 gaming across numerous titles in our tests, but options become more restricted at 1080p. Of course, you can get away with 1080p gaming, but you'll need to severely limit the fidelity settings with most titles.

With eight cores and 16 threads that operate at a 3.9 GHz base and boost up to 4.4 GHz, the Ryzen 5 5600G also offers solid performance for its price point in standard desktop PC applications. The chip also comes with a bundled Wraith Stealth cooler, sweetening the value prop, and drops into existing 500-series and some 400-series motherboards, though support on the latter will vary by vendor.

The Ryzen 5 5600G is nearly five years old, and as a result, it’s hard to find it in stock at a reasonable price. AMD updated this model with the Ryzen 5 5600GT in early 2024, which features identical silicon and a slight boost to clock speed, and you’ll generally find it for less at around $150.

If your budget is tight and you're looking to build a system for modest gaming, you should check out our Best Cheap CPU feature. Some of those chips can deliver passable gaming performance without a graphics card, and their prices start at just $55 (£40).

Read: AMD Ryzen 5 5600G Review

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