Huawei has announced a new chip design framework aimed at closing the technology gap with global semiconductor leaders like TSMC and Nvidia, targeting '1.4nm-class' transistors and a 55% increase in transistor density. The firm also unveiled a new 'Tau Scaling Law' that's designed to replace Moore's Law for future chip scaling. Unveiled at the IEEE International Symposium on Circuits and Systems (ISCAS 2026) in Shanghai on Monday, this new design method is intended to circumvent strict US trade sanctions. It allows the company to develop high-performance smartphones and AI processors without relying on restricted Western manufacturing equipment like extreme ultraviolet (EUV) lithography machines.

Delivering a keynote address at the symposium, He Tingbo — a Huawei board member and President of its semiconductor division, HiSilicon — unveiled the company's new, proprietary “LogicFolding” architecture. The cutting-edge design blueprint is built directly upon the newly introduced Tau Scaling Law.

He revealed that Huawei has spent the last six years quietly refining the methodology, secretly designing and mass-producing 381 chips based on the principle. The company will debut the LogicFolding architecture in flagship Kirin smartphone processors this autumn.

Traditional chipmaking relies on Moore's Law (geometric scaling), which involves shrinking physical transistor sizes. However, as US sanctions blocked China's access to the extreme ultraviolet lithography machines required to implement this approach, HiSilicon has pivoted to a completely different methodology: the Tau scaling law.

Tau Law is a "temporal scaling" framework that prioritizes signal speed, optimizing how fast data moves across a system rather than how small the components are. To execute this theory on a commercial level, Huawei engineered the LogicFolding architecture, a blueprint that physically folds and stacks logic circuits into a dual-layer framework. By drastically shortening internal wiring to eliminate signal delay, the resulting hardware achieves a 55% increase in transistor density and a 41% boost in power efficiency, enabling Huawei to build cutting-edge processors that rival foreign counterparts without Western equipment.

The company’s upcoming Kirin smartphone chips — highly anticipated for the flagship Huawei Mate 90 series — will be the first commercial processors to feature the LogicFolding architecture. The company aims to scale this architecture to its Ascend AI processors and high-capacity data center clusters by 2030. This will provide local alternatives to restricted Nvidia hardware. By 2031, Huawei confidently projects it can design high-end chips with a transistor density equivalent to a 1.4-nanometer (nm) process.

Huawei's announcement comes as China continues its push to end dependence on foreign semiconductor players — amid sanctions and concerns about over-reliance — by aggressively investing in domestic companies and alternative technologies.

Following the announcement, shares for China's largest contract chipmaker, SMIC, surged by 7.6%. The breakthrough is a major symbolic and practical win for Beijing’s push toward complete technological self-sufficiency. While global foundry leader TSMC expects to mass-produce true 1.4nm chips by 2028, Huawei's alternative path means China can dramatically close the performance gap by packaging and structuring chips differently — significantly mitigating the impact of the US clampdown.

With the prices of memory and storage at record highs, the amount of laptop you get for the money has shrunk significantly. We've used our knowledge and experience, informed by our extensive testing and benchmarking program, to find the best available gaming and productivity laptops on sale for under $1,000 to help you find the right laptop for you. We're updating this page constantly with the best deals available, but be aware that these deals often expire quickly, so you'll need to act fast.

A giant desktop gaming PC isn't for everyone! Price, space, and portability are negatives of a giant desktop gaming rig. These are things a compact and powerful gaming or productivity laptop can help to solve, especially if you can get your hands on one for under $1,000. There are, of course, obvious compromises that you'll need to make if you're going to try to find a budget machine. Things like dedicated graphics, the amount of onboard RAM, storage space, and even the size and quality of the screen and chassis.

Apple has jumped to the rescue with the likes of the MacBook Neo, but Windows users haven't been as lucky as of late. For gaming laptops, you're going to be looking at the lower end of GPUs from Nvidia's RTX 5050 and even graphics chips from older generations. The same goes for the processors used. Expect to see previous-gen CPUs in lower-priced laptops that are available for under $1,000.

Best Gaming and Productivity Laptops Under $1,000: Quick Links

• Amazon: Top gaming laptops under $1,000 at Amazon
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• HP: Amazing HP laptop discounts
• Lenovo: Deals on Lenovo laptops

Best Gaming and Productivity Laptops Under $1,000

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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.

Steam just released its Client Beta patch notes, and it’s adding a major new feature designed to make game reviews better. According to the company announcement, users will now have the ability to include their system specifications in any new or updated review they write. This would make it easier for potential game buyers looking at reviews to see how the reviewer’s hardware might have influenced their feedback.

At the moment, the only way you can see the specs of a reviewer’s system is if they intentionally add it into the review or into their profile. However, only a few people do that, so if a reviewer criticizes or praises a game, especially based on its performance, you’re unsure if you’ll get the same experience. But if you can see the specs of the reviewer’s system, you can then gauge if the issue they encountered is truly a problem with the game or if it’s only caused by a mismatch with their system and the minimum specifications listed on Steam.

Alternatively, a person saying that the game runs smoothly and without any problems might be running an AMD Ryzen 7 9800X3D, which offers devastating gaming performance, that’s paired with a powerful (and definitely expensive) MSI RTX 5090 Lightning Z. This is especially true in some modern AAA titles like Indiana Jones and the Great Circle, which demands a ray-tracing GPU and an Intel Core i7-10700K for its minimum requirements. So, if you’re only driving a modest AMD Ryzen 5 5500 and an old GTX graphics card, then your experience will be completely different from what you read.

It’s unclear if Steam will automatically get your specifications, like how it extracts data for the Steam Hardware Survey, or if gamers will need to manually input their components into their profile. The former would make it far easier to implement this feature, although this would definitely raise some privacy concerns regarding the client. On the other hand, the latter could be problematic, as users could lie and skew the data. But whichever route Valve takes, this is an optional feature, and you can keep it turned off if you don’t want the world to know that you’re keeping a monster PC stowed in your basement.

The tech industry is facing some headwinds. Manufacturers, sellers, and consumers are more concerned than ever about prices and stock as a global trade war upends the supply chain.

But, even as we face these challenges, many companies continue to innovate in ways that surprise and delight us. It’s time to celebrate those who move the ball forward, even in tough times.

That’s why, as we do at this time of year, we present to you the 2025 Tom’s Hardware Innovation Awards: a set of products that set or expand the standard for others. This year’s list includes laptops with rollable screens, the fastest-ever consumer GPU, and a 3D printer that doubles as a laser cutter, among many others.

Nvidia RTX 5090

The Nvidia Blackwell RTX 50-series launch has been both incredibly exciting and horribly disappointing, and nowhere is that more apparent than with the halo GeForce RTX 5090. It comes with all the Blackwell architectural enhancements, which admittedly can feel more than a bit overhyped — looking specifically at Multi Frame Generation (MFG). But the GB202 chip at the heart of the 5090 offers clear generational improvements.

It comes packing 170 Streaming Multiprocessors (SMs), a 33% increase from the prior generation RTX 4090's 128 SMs. It also comes with a 512-bit memory interface and 32GB of VRAM, another 33% increase. Except that memory is now 28 Gbps GDDR7 instead of 21 Gbps GDDR6X memory, which means the net improvement in memory bandwidth is an impressive 78%. To help the GPU reach its full performance potential, the power limit also got a big 28% bump to 575W.

That's all good for performance, but the 5090 isn't without controversy. Deja vu: All that power, through the 16-pin 12V-2x6 connector, has again resulted in some melting adapters. As frustrating and concerning as that might be, the real problem has been a lack of availability and skyrocketing retail prices. Ostensibly carrying a $1,999 starting MSRP, retail cards have routinely been selling for closer to twice that much. Still, it's the dream GPU that gamers would love to own, assuming they could afford it and find it in stock.

—Jarred Walton

AMD Ryzen 9 9950X3D

AMD’s 16-core 32-thread Ryzen 9 9950X3D is designed to provide no-compromise leadership performance in both gaming and productivity application performance, and it delivers. Courtesy of its game-boosting 3D V-Cache technology, the 9950X3D ties the best CPU for gaming, the Ryzen 7 9800X3D, in 1080p gaming performance, and even beats Intel’s flagship Core Ultra 9 285K by an incredible 37%, planting AMD’s flag as the uncontested leader in gaming.

Perhaps most impressively, the 9950X3D also preserves the full performance of the standard models’ performance in productivity applications, a first for the company’s 3D V-Cache models. That allows it to outperform the competing Intel chips in a multitude of workloads.

The Ryzen 9 9950X3D costs a hefty $699, but it justifies the price tag with the performance served up from the 16 Zen 5-powered cores paired with the voluminous 128MB of L3 cache. The chip is also comparatively easy to cool, borne of its reasonable 170W TDP rating. The CPU cores also boost to 5.7 GHz, a surprising peak for this core-heavy model. AMD also enabled its full suite of overclocking bells and whistles for the 9950X3D, a first for its 16-core 3D V-Cache models, giving enthusiasts a plethora of options to tweak performance.

If you’re focused specifically on gaming, the lower-tier $480 Ryzen 7 9800X3D ramians the best option for most users. However, if you’re looking for fantastic performance in heavily-threaded applications and multitasking without compromising on gaming performance, the Ryzen 9 9950X3D is the best option on the market.

Read: AMD Ryzen 9 9950X3D review

—Paul Alcorn

Micron 4600 SSD / Silicon Motion SM2508

Two years is a long time to sit at the top, but that's precisely what Phison's E26 controller that powers some of the best SSDs has done. Now, thanks to drives like the Micron 4600, it finally faces some competition courtesy of the Silicon Motion SM2508 controller (which we previewed last September). It delivers equal to or better performance than the incumbent Crucial T705 in nearly every test we ran. Most critically, it also trims down the average and maximum power consumption by several watts.

The key advantage, for the time being, is that the SM2508 uses TSMC's N7 process node, while Phison's E26 uses the older TSMC 12nm FinFET node. Phison is readying its E28 controller built on TSMC N6/N7, but it's not out quite yet — the company appears to have prioritized its lower power DRAM-less E31T controller.

Competition benefits consumers, and the SM2508 brings a healthy rivalry back to the top-tier SSD realm. The biggest issue right now: There are no retail SM2508 drives available, as the Micron 4600 chiefly targets OEMs and system integrators. That means you can't actually buy the 4600 right now, as far as we're aware.

—Jarred Walton

AMD Radeon RX 9070 XT and RDNA 4

Nvidia may control the lion's share of the GPU market, but the AMD RDNA 4 architecture and Radeon RX 9070 XT promised to bring some real competition to the upper-mainstream market segment. On paper, everything looks good, and our testing definitely showed real potential for AMD to recapture some lost ground. The problem, as with Nvidia's GPUs, has been retail availability and pricing.

The RX 9070 XT carries an official $599 starting MSRP, but such prices haven't been seen in the U.S. Even now, nearly two months after the initial launch, the lowest prices we've seen tend to be in the $850–$900 range — and those often go out of stock. It's not really worse than what we've seen from the competing RTX 5070 Ti, but neither is it clearly better.

AMD finally brought some real improvements to the Navi 48 GPU, with greatly improved ray tracing and AI performance. Nvidia still holds onto a raw performance and support lead in those areas, but FSR 4 looks promising and native RT performance ends up being competitive. Now we just need to see cards selling for closer to $599, rather than the 40% or more 'markups' that have plagued recent GPU launches from all the involved parties.

—Jarred Walton

Lenovo ThinkBook Plus Gen 6

When you’re at home or at the office, you can connect your laptop to one, two or even four external monitors for more screen real estate. But when you’re on the road, you either need to lug one of the best portable monitors or live with a single screen. Lenovo’s ThinkBook Plus Gen 6 offers a different way to get more pixels of workspace.

The ThinkBook Plus Gen 6 features a rollable screen that, with the press of a button, uses a motorized interface to grow from 14 to 16.7 inches, adding a significant amount of additional real estate along the way. You can use those pixels for an additional window or two, but Lenovo also has a utility to help you take advantage of them.

ThinkBook Workspace, an app which comes preloaded, lets you pin widgets such as a to-do list to the bottom of your screen, where that extra space lies. It also allows you to create a virtual display (a window that the OS treats as a separate monitor) or view Smart Copy – a history of your clipboard. You can even put any individual app you want – the browser for example – into a tab in Workspace so it stays pinned to the bottom of your screen while you perform other work at the top.

Read: Lenovo ThinkBook Plus Gen 6 Hands-On

– Avram Piltch

Intel Battlemage and Arc B580

Intel has fallen on hard times, with massive layoffs and underwhelming new CPUs. It's not down and out by any means, but it faces an uphill battle. GPUs have taken over the data centers, powering huge AI clusters, and Intel has finally entered the dedicated GPU market with its Arc graphics cards. Too little, too late? Perhaps, but the second generation Intel Arc Battlemage takes a step in the right direction.

Headlined by the Intel Arc B580, it kicked off the current generation of new GPU architectures in late 2024. Oh, how naive we now look, praising the $249 starting MSRP — that was before we realized just how bad things could get, though there were definitely tremors already. Nearly five months later, the lowest price we can find is the $329 Onix Lumi Arc B580 (that's made by a sibling company to Sapphire, if you're wondering).

Generationally, the Arc B580 delivers an impressive 20% average performance improvement over the Arc A770 16GB, while using about 40W less power on average. That shows real progress, and when coupled with an attractive price, it proved almost too good to be true. It's still faster and costs less than Nvidia's prior-gen RTX 4060, thanks to having 12GB of VRAM. Let's hope Intel can improve the supply and continue to compete in the GPU realm.

—Jarred Walton

Asus ROG Ally X

Perhaps the best way to innovate is to straight up improve. The Asus ROG Ally X took everything its predecessor, the ROG Ally, did, and largely did it better.

While the Ally X uses the same AMD Ryzen Z1 Extreme chip and 7-inch display, it has more, faster RAM to improve graphics performance, adds higher power profiles, a larger battery, and better build quality. All of these in combination make it the best PC gaming handheld that runs Windows out of the box.

The RAM is the biggest deal. Because the Z1 Extreme uses the same RAM for both the system and graphics, it lets the integrated GPU shine, and beat out the regular Ally in all of our gaming tests.

There was no successor to the Z1 Extreme when Asus released the Ally X. It could've let the original continue to sell unchanged. But the Ally X, if you can afford its $799.99 price point, feels so much better in every way.

Read: Asus ROG Ally X review

— Andrew E. Freedman

Mac Mini

Wow, is the Mac Mini tiny. The latest redesign is just 5 x 5 inches wide and deep and a petite 2 inches tall, taking up very little space on a desk. And starting at $599, with an M4, 16GB of RAM and 256GB of storage, this is the first value Mac we've seen in a long time.

Shrinking down the Mac Mini didn't come without issues. The power button is on the bottom of the desktop, which is irksome to some, while others say they never shut their Macs off anyway.

There are some smaller Windows PCs out there, but they're often more expensive and come without RAM, an SSD, or an operating system.

Those looking for a family machine that don't need a laptop have a competitive choice in the Mac Mini, which is small, quiet, and stays out of the way so you can focus on your work.

Read: Mac Mini (M4 Pro) tested: Tiny titan

— Andrew E. Freedman

Tryx Panorama 360 AIO cooler

How do you innovate as an AIO cooler company when the latest generation of CPUs just aren’t as hard to keep cool as previous-gen flagships like the 14900K? If you’re Tryx, you borrow a page from high-end phone makers and slap a massive 6.5-inch curved AMOLED screen on your cooler to make sure it stands out, while also delivering excellent cooling performance (thanks to Asetek’s latest Gen8 pump). Not bad for a company I’d never heard of before seeing this cooler at Computex 2024.

While the screen on your AIO might not be your first priority, our reviewer was quite impressed, noting that the curved screen and absolute black levels created a “striking anamorphic 3D effect” using the pre-loaded visuals. You can of course add your own media using the company’s Kanali software.

A VRM fan is included to help chill components around the CPU, and when we tested it last September, the Tryx Panorama was in most ways the best-performing cooler we’d tested to date. But of course, class-leading performance and a curved screen don’t come cheap. The Tryx Panorama sells for around $350.

Read: Tryx Panorama 360 ARGB review

— Matt Safford

Be Quiet Light Base 900

At a Computex 2024 that was overflowing with multi-sided glass cases, Be Quiet’s Light Base stood out for its tasteful, almost retro-style RGB light strip, and for its ability to be oriented three different ways, horizontally, or vertically with the motherboard on the left or right edge. This is accomplished by some clever internal design and removable feet.

When we got it in for testing, we also appreciated its pre-installed ARGB and PWM hubs, as well as its support for back-connector motherboards. It’s solidly built, as we’ve come to expect from Be Quiet. Its thermal performance wasn’t the best, but we found it to be good enough for the vast majority of PC builders, especially gamers and general-purpose users.

Read: Be Quiet Light Base 900 DX review

— Matt Safford

Lian Li EDGE EG1000 ATX 3.1 power supply

Between rear-connector motherboards, the rise in popularity of dual-chamber setups, and the ever-increasing demands of modern GPUs, PC is still continuing to evolve — which is why we're glad to see products like the Lian Li Edge ATX 3.1 PSU evolving along with it. Designed for dual-chamber cases, its L-shaped, fully modular design gives you much easier access to key (and often tough to connect or disconnect) power cables.

The Edge also has a built-in USB header hub so you can connect more internal accessories, and its internals are well designed, as we saw in testing. It's also quiet until you tax it with a heavy load, and efficient. It won't work well for every case, but for dual-chamber designs where the PSU is mounted vertically, it can make building, cable routing, and maintenance much easier.

Read: Lian Li EDGE EG1000 ATX 3.1 power supply review

— Matt Safford

Corsair EX400U external SSD

After years of limited external storage advances, 2025 has brought us both the first Thunderbolt 5 SSD to land on our test bench, as well as the first truly great USB4 drive we’ve tested, Corsair’s EX400U. And while TB5 drives like LaCie Rugged SSD Pro5 can be faster, unless you own a recent Mac, TB5 ports are exceedingly rare, while USB4 is much more common. That, plus the fact that Corsair’s EX400U is small and designed to magnetically attach to the back of your MagSafe or Qi2-ready phone, makes the Corsair drive feel a lot more innovative.

The EX400U also blasted past every other USB-based SSD in our testing, and sometimes even beat the technically faster Thunderbolt 5 drive in Windows over USB4. In our Crystal DiskMark sequential testing, it edged above 4,000 MB/s reads, and topped 3,700 MB/s writes, while the best USB 3.2 2x2 drives were roughly half as fast. We’re sure to see faster USB4 SSDs before too long, but Corsair’s drive is the first we’ve tested that’s easy to recommend, especially if you want a fast drive that’s designed to connect to your phone.

Read: Corsair EX400U review

— Matt Safford

Mechboards Hyper7 R4 Keyboard

In a world where keyboards keep shrinking their numbers of keys, the Mechboards Hyper7 R4 is a real standout. Loosely based on a 1970s keyboard called the Space Cadet, the Hyper7 has 178 keys and weighs a whopping 5 kg (11 pounds). That makes it three or four times heavier than a typical mechanical keyboard and gives it at least dozens of more keys to play with.

We were fortunate enough to get a late prototype of the Hyper7 R4, of which only about 500 units were made. The unique layout has six blocks of keys, many of which have very unique labels such as “SMOL,” “Hold Input,” ”Suspend,” and “Fun.” A lot of these match commands that no longer matter much in 2025, but the good news is that you can use VIA, a popular keyboard mapping software, to remap the keys into any macro you choose.

The symmetrical shape of the Hyper7 R4 takes some getting used to. Normally, keyboards have their spacebars offset a little to the left, not directly in the center. And if you want to use this with Windows, you’ll need to map yourself a Windows key and a CTRL key. However, once you’ve done the work, you’ll be gifted with more macros than you know what to do with.

Read: Mechboards Hyper7 R4 Review

– Avram Piltch

Asus ProArt PA32UCDM 4K 32-inch Gaming Monitor

The Asus ProArt PA32UCDM is a gaming monitor with a dual mission, appealing to two distinct groups of consumers. On the one hand, it’s a highly capable professional monitor with a 32-inch 4K QD-OLED panel, rich, accurate colors, excellent build quality, Dolby Vision support, and bountiful calibration options.

However, the PA32UCDM also caters to gaming enthusiasts by supporting a heady 240 Hz refresh rate at 4K, Nvidia G-Sync, and AMD FreeSync. We’d also be remiss if we didn’t mention the ultra-low input lag, which is critical for gamers looking for every slight advantage in twitchy online multiplayer games.

As if those fundamentals weren’t enough, the PA32UCDM also features HDMI 2.1 connectivity and Thunderbolt 4 ports, which turns the monitor into a professional-oriented peripheral hub with support for up to 96-watt power delivery.

Read: Asus ProArt PA32UCDM 4K 32-inch Gaming Monitor Review

– Brandon Hill

Asus ZenWiFi BT10 Wi-Fi 7 Mesh Router

If you’re looking for a high-end Wi-Fi 7 mesh router to upgrade your home network, look no further than the Asus ZenWiFi BT10. While it doesn’t sit at the tippy top of Asus’ mesh router lineup (that distinction belongs with the ZenWiFi BQ16 Pro), it delivers scintillating performance, broad connectivity options, a rich web user interface with countless configuration options, and a full-featured smartphone app for those that like to tinker with router settings on the go (the BT10 support remote configuration).

We observed strong performance across 6 GHz, 5 GHz, and 2.4 GHz bands, with the former delivering over 2,600 Mbps throughput at close range. The BT10 supports the full Wi-Fi 7 spec, unlike lesser dual-band Wi-Fi 7 mesh routers, and even allows you to utilize up to a 10 Gbps backhaul between the satellites for improved network performance. When you throw in no-cost software features like AI Protection, which is powered by Trend Micro, support for Apple Time Machine backups, and smartphone cellular tethering in case of an ISP outage, and a street price of around $600, the BT10 is hard to beat.

Read: Asus ZenWiFi BT10 Wi-Fi Mesh Router Review

– Brandon Hill

Logitech G Pro X Superlight 2 Dex

The Logitech G Pro X Superlight 2 Dex isn't necessarily the most innovative mouse we've ever seen, but it's a big innovation in Logitech's Superlight lineup, as it's the first non-ambidextrous Superlight mouse. The Superlight lineup has been highly popular with gamers since it debuted, so it's no surprise Logitech hasn't done much to mess with the style — the most recent G Pro X Superlight 2, which came out in Sept. 2023, was almost identical to its predecessor. But the G Pro X Superlight 2 Dex, which came out last September, is a whole different shape: a contoured, right-handed shape with a hump that's shifted toward the center-left.

It's designed to be more ergonomic and easier to hold, and it feels a little like the Razer DeathAdder V3 Pro, which is one of the best gaming mice we've ever used. While we didn't love the smooth finish as much as we like the DeathAdder V3 Pro's matte texture, it does come with precut grip tape in the box, which is perfect for adding extra friction. It's also superlight (of course) — weighing just 2.12 ounces (60g), while the DeathAdder V3 Pro is 2.22 ounces (63g). The G Pro X Superlight 2 Dex has top-notch specs: it sports Logitech's Hero 2 sensor with a maximum resolution of 44,000 DPI, a maximum speed of 888 IPS, and can handle up to 88 G's of acceleration. It also gets polling rates of up to 8,000 Hz, and up to 95 hours of battery life (with a standard 1,000 Hz polling rate).

Read: Logitech G Pro X Superlight 2 Dex Review

— Sarah Jacobsson Purewal

Bambu Lab H2D

The Bambu Lab H2D is one of the most anticipated (and highly speculated about) 3D printers to come out this year and it does not disappoint. Similar to the popular X1 Carbon, the H2D is an amazing high-speed XY core machine that comes fully enclosed with multi-color and multi-material support — but it's so much more than that.

What makes the H2D better is its bigger build volume, the addition of a dual nozzle hotend, an upgraded heated AMS (Automatic Material System), and of course, a laser and cutter module that turns this 3D printer into every elite hobbyist’s dream machine.

Bambu Lab packed the H2D with great innovative features, such as a dual nozzle system, which makes multi-color printing easier and more efficient. It also saves time because you can print multiple colors, minimizing waste. You can even print using different materials, such as PLA with TPU, at the same time. The upgraded AMS is heated and provides the optimal environment for your filaments, keeping them dry and preventing cracking and storage issues.

And best of all, Bambu Lab has added a laser and cutter module that is easy to install and use, equipped with a laser, blade cutter, and pen plotter. It is available with 10W and 40W laser options. Add in a larger, 350 x 320 x 325mm build volume, and makers can complete bigger and more complex projects faster.

The H2D Laser Combo is available for pre-order at $3,499 (10W) and $4,399 (40W). The H2D AMS Combo is now available for $2,699, while the H2D stand-alone model, priced at $2,399, will be available in June 2025.

Read: Bambu Lab H2D Review

— Anj Bryant

Pimoroni Picade Max

A two-player arcade cabinet is hardly an innovation, but what Pimoroni has done with its latest iteration of the Picade series integrates the Raspberry Pi Pico’s PR2040 into multiple aspects of this DIY arcade cabinet kit.

We start with the controls. The dual arcade sticks and corresponding buttons can take the punishment when trying to land that kick, punch or shot in your favorite arcade game. But linking these controls to your choice of a Raspberry Pi 4, 5 or even an ITX based PC is a custom designed arcade controller to USB adapter.

Powered by the RP2040, Picade Max USB Controller handles 25 inputs for a two player setup, and it worked flawlessly with Recalbox. The Raspberry Pi 5 running Recalbox detected the controls as if it were a typical USB controller. Picade Max USB Controller can also work with StemmaQT devices, which means with some clever coding you could install a spinner for games such as Tempest.

Next is sound, and again the RP2040 powers another add-on board. The Picade Max Audio provides 3W of stereo sound output that really impresses. The “attract” screens, used to entice players to part with their quarters, really grab your attention when the booming audio starts to play. Speaking of the attract screen, the large 19 inch IPS display is a huge upgrade over previous models and it provides plenty of screen for two players to fight it out.

The build process is enjoyable, and it will certainly test your skills with a screwdriver. We had access to a beta unit and provided feedback on the build process which is now part of the final retail instructions. If you’ve got kids, this would be an ideal project to learn how to build electronics projects as the goal is just as exciting as the journey to get there.

This is my third Picade, and it just happens to be my favorite, as now I can play games, shoulder to shoulder with my friends and family, just like the old days.

Read: Picade Max Review

– Les Pounder

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.

A Chinese hardware leaker affiliated with Zotac claims that the RTX 5060 and RTX 5060 Ti GPUs will have a 650-watt minimum PSU power requirement — a 100-watt bump over the 550-watt requirement that the previous RTX 4060-series GPUs had. According to VideoCardz, the Douyin post says that the cards will still use 8-pin power connectors despite the bump in power consumption, so users won’t have to worry about any power connector shenanigans should they choose to upgrade. But this is far from official, so treat the news with some skepticism.

The Nvidia RTX 5060 and 5060 Ti GPUs, which are destined to be Nvidia’s most affordable Blackwell desktop GPUs, are rumored to arrive this coming March. If correct, we can expect even more 'leaks' about these GPUs to arrive in the coming days. Nevertheless, we still don’t have any official specifications or performance data. The most we can say is that the 5060 Ti is expected to arrive in both 8GB and 16GB variants, based on Maxsun EEC filings.

The leaker suggests these GPUs will come at a higher cost versus the previous generation RTX 4060-class equivalents. According to the leaker, the RTX 5060 will be priced between 2,599 and 3,399 RMB or about US$357 to US$467. On the other hand, RTX 5060 Ti cards are expected to go between 3,299 and 3,599 RMB or about US$453 to US$494. Given the non-USD base pricing, we wouldn't read too much into this at present. The 5070 as an example costs the same as the (reduced after the 4070 Super launch) 4070, while the 5070 Ti costs $50 less than the 4070 Ti Super and the 4070 Ti launch price. And with the same 128-bit memory interface, Nvidia will have a difficult time convincing gamers to spend more for the RTX 5060 and RTX 5060 Ti.

The power recommendations also need some additional dissection. Increasing the recommended PSU wattage by 100W usually means the base power use is only up to 50W higher. So with the 4060 Ti having a 160W TGP (Total Graphics Power) and the RTX 4060 at 115W TGP, it would be reasonable to assume around 200W for the 5060 Ti and 150W for the 5060. Time will tell on the actual specs, but both of those wattages are well within the capabilities of a single 8-pin connector.

But that's also for reference clocks and performance. Could we see some RTX 5060 Ti cards opting for a 16-pin connector, with a factory overclock? If Nvidia does a reference 5060 Ti Founders Edition, you can bet it will have a 16-pin connector, even if it only has a single 8-pin to 16-pin adapter — just like the 4060 Ti Founders Edition.

AMD's CEO has already confirmed that the Radeon RX 9070 and 9070 XT GPUs are set to arrive in early March, meaning it will coincide with Nvidia’s release of its 5060-class cards and could potentially dampen enthusiasm for Team Red’s graphics cards. It will also depend heavily on the sort of performance AMD can deliver, both with its 9070-class GPUs as well as the 9060-class cards that may not arrive until April~June.

If the 5070- and 5060-class GPUs also encounter the same GPU shortages that the RTX 5080 and RTX 5090 GPUs have right now, gamers who want a new GPU may choose AMD’s RDNA4 graphics cards as a more readily available option. Hopefully, AMD will be able to deliver enough stock to board partners and retailers so that we don’t have to deal with scammers and scalpers trying to take advantage of the situation.

The latest Steam Hardware Survey shows a substantial AMD CPU market share. It also suggests that consumers are beginning to favor PC systems with 64GB of RAM. This configuration is a solid third behind 32GB and 16GB RAM systems, both of which saw declines.

Another remarkable trend in the new December data deluge was a significant jump in Windows 11 adoption, almost wholly at the expense of Windows 10. Graphics card VRAM trends were also interesting, with a notable migration away from 6GB GPUs.

AMD CPU gains

AMD is finally gaining momentum, winning Steam gamers' hearts and minds in this latest survey. After steady but small gains since the middle of 2024, December saw a chunky 4.96% increase in AMD CPU user share.

We've seen signs of this movement in retail charts and the buzz for AMD's latest Zen 5 processors, especially those with 3D V-Cache. The CPUs are also backed by a good selection of AM5 motherboards, widely expected to enjoy enviable longevity.

So, perhaps it isn't surprising to see AMD gain nearly 5%, but the Intel/AMD ratio is still so strong in the former's favor at 63.43/38.73. The figure is likely skewed by Intel's strength in pre-built and laptop systems.

PC RAM – 64GB in strong gains

The PC system RAM chart shows that 64GB configurations were up 0.59% last month. This is the biggest gain in the RAM table, meaning that 3.94% of Steam gamers—or those surveyed—now use 64 GB RAM systems.

Perhaps surprisingly, 32GB RAM systems were down, but only by 0.09%, to 32.08%. The most popular RAM quota, 16GB, was equipped by 45.07% of users, down 0.86% from last month.

Windows 11 will win you over, eventually

According to this survey, December 2024 saw a significant increase in Windows 11's market share. With a massive 6.16% uplift in December, Windows 11 jumped above the halfway mark to grab 54.96% of Steam users. Meanwhile, Windows 10 dropped 5.07% to 42.39% of Steam gamers.

Somehow, Windows 7 users are still charting despite Steam support for this aged OS dropping in January last year. However, the number almost halved, with Windows 7 users now at 0.15—down 0.13%.

VRAM – users migrate from 6GB GPUs

Lastly, 70% of Steam gamers still use a GPU with 8GB or less VRAM. Though the biggest gainer in December was 16GB GPUs, up 0.88%, and the most significant drop was seen with 6GB GPUs, down 2.42%, more than two-thirds of people are edging into VRAM poverty as far as modern AAA gaming is concerned.

There's been an upswell in voices complaining about mid-range GPUs packing 8GB of VRAM. Intel decided that 8GB wasn't enough, even with its first Battlemage graphics card with 12GB VRAM at a $250 MSRP. Nevertheless, enthusiasts are worried AMD and Nvidia won't raise the VRAM stakes for their most popular 060 cards in 2025.

A portable monitor can provide an extra screen for your laptop when you travel, serve as a compact display for a Raspberry Pi project, help you test a desktop that's still on your workbench, or even connect to a game console when you take it on vacation. When it comes to the best portable monitors, we prioritize good image quality, a lightweight chassis, strong usability, and versatile connectivity options.

There is a lot of variety in this space, with prices ranging from around $50 to well over $700 and screen sizes measuring from 10.5 inches to 18.5+ inches and beyond. You can find portable monitors with a 4K resolution, 240Hz+ refresh rates, touch input, and even wireless connectivity.

No matter what kind of user you are, I'm sure you can find a portable monitor that suits your needs at a price you're comfortable with. With this in mind, I've tested a range of brands and models to help you find the best portable monitor for your needs.

Below are our top choices, followed by some portable monitor shopping tips and details on how we benchmark. If you're looking for a screen that stays on your desk, check out our list of the best gaming monitors.

The Best Portable Monitors You Can Buy Today

Best Overall Portable Monitor

The ViewSonic TD1656-2K is the sweet spot when it comes to portable monitors. Not only does it have a large 16-inch IPS panel, but it also boasts a generous 2K (2560 x 1600) display. At this price point, you’re usually stuck with 1080p or 1200p panels, so the TD1656-2K is a cut above the rest.

The TD1656-2K also has multi-touch, which is natively supported in Windows 11. However, that support also extends to macOS thanks to ViewSonic’s vTouch software package. An active stylus pen is also included in the box to assist in taking notes or drawing images in macOS or Windows.

Beyond the excellent hardware features (including a premium-feeling aluminum chassis), the TD1656-2K was near the top of the class in DCI-P3 and sRGB coverage and topped all competitors in brightness (363 nits).

More: ViewSonic TD1656-2K Review

Best Budget Portable Monitor

Over the past few years, we’ve seen a race to the bottom with respect to portable monitor pricing. However, the steep decline in street prices doesn’t mean that you have to contend with extremely poor quality (as was once the case in this segment).

Enter the Arzopa A1, which is a value-priced, no-frills 15.6-inch portable monitor. It has a 1080p resolution, which is standard for this class, and an integrated kickstand (which we absolutely love for portable monitors).

The A1 features two USB-C ports and even includes a mini-HDMI port (which is sometimes left out to reach a lower price point). I was even surprised at the dual 1-watt speakers, which offer good clarity and output. This is almost unheard of in a portable monitor that costs well under $100.

You can’t have it all regarding a budget monitor, and the A1 does fall behind the competition in color performance. In addition, its maximum brightness (which we measured at 228 nits) was vastly outperformed by its competitors. However, the current street price for the A1 is $70, making it an easy pick for value-conscious consumers.

More: Arzopa A1 review

Best Portable Monitor for Productivity

We’ve previously been impressed with the Espresso Displays 17 Pro, a 17-inch portable monitor that offers a remarkable picture, a high-quality chassis, and a trick magnetic stand. Now, the company has delivered a slightly smaller counterpart that still has all of those perks with a lower price tag.

The new 15 Pro features a 15.6-inch IPS panel (down from 17.3 inches), but still retains a 4K (3840 x 2160) resolution. Espresso Displays also managed to improve upon the 17 Pro by boosting the maximum brightness by over 50 percent in our testing.

The monitor ships with the Stand+, which is a versatile articulating stand that magnetically attaches to the back. Because of the magnets, you can easily transition the 15 Pro from landscape to portrait mode. Likewise, you can adjust the height and tilt to suit your viewing preferences. There’s also an extra hinged “leg” at the bottom of the stand that allows you to position the 15 Pro above your laptop’s integrated display.

But the perks don’t end there. The 15 Pro also has multi-touch support, which works natively in Windows 11. However, that support extends to macOS when you install the free EspressFlow software. EspressoFlow also lets you configure virtual desktops for the 15 Pro.

With a price tag of $699, the 15 Pro isn’t cheap, but it offers a complete package for productivity warriors who crave some extra display resolution, flexibility with viewing modes, and a well-integrated software experience.

More: Espresso Displays 15 Pro Review

Best Portable Gaming Monitor

The Nexigo NG17FGQ achieves a feat that we don't often see in the portable monitor realm: it offers a tantalizing 300Hz refresh rate in a 17.3-inch form factor and connects to a laptop or desktop via HDMI or USB-C (DisplayPort Alt-Mode).

However, you'll need to connect the monitor to a PC with a USB-C cable to reach that 300Hz threshold. Connecting via an HDMI cable limits you to 240Hz, which is still not bad for a portable monitor.

Thanks to its good build quality, excellent color representation, and great performance while gaming, the NG17FGQ is hard to beat for mobile gamers looking for a step up in performance. If that wasn't enough, a remote is included in the box to make it easier to navigate the OSD (instead of fumbling with sometimes poorly-placed physical buttons on the actual monitor) along with built-in speakers.

More: Nexigo NG17FGQ Review

Best Portable Wireless Monitor

ViewSonic has a vast portfolio of portable monitors, many of which I’ve reviewed for Tom’s Hardware. However, one of the company’s most impressive entries is the VG1656N, a feature-packed entry retailing for less than $300.

The monitor measures a relatively large 16 inches across with a resolution of 1920 x 1200 (16:10). If you’re looking for HDMI connectivity, you won’t find it here. However, the VG1656N does include two USB-C ports with DisplayPort Alt Mode support. More importantly, the VG1656N also supports wireless connectivity via the ViewSonic VG19948 USB-C dongle.

You can use the dongle with smartphones, tablets, laptops, and other computing devices. For example, the VG1656N shows up as an AirPlay display on Apple devices, allowing me to enjoy iOS games on the 16-inch display instead of my iPhone 16 Pro’s built-in 6.3-inch display. Bolstering this wireless support is a built-in battery for true “wireless” connectivity.

From a performance perspective, the VG1656N is among the top performers in terms of color but is mid-pack in brightness.

With a price tag of $299, the VG1656N isn’t an impulse buy for a portable monitor. However, it offers plenty of enticing features that make it a perfect fit for mobile warriors.

More: ViewSonic VG1656N review

FAQs for Best Portable Monitors

Shopping Tips for Best Portable Monitors

Discounts on the Best Portable Monitors

Whether you're shopping for one of the screens that made our list of best portable monitors above or something else, you may find savings by checking out our best monitor deals page, along with our lists of Dell coupon codes, Lenovo coupon codes, LG coupon codes, HP coupon codes, Monoprice coupon codes and Newegg promo codes.

MORE: Best Gaming Monitors

MORE: How We Test Monitors

MORE: All Monitor Content

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

Cyber Monday is over, but there are still some computer hardware deals to be found If you missed the opportunity to get the tech you need or wanted it might still be on sale.

But not every sale is really a bargain. Do you really want to spend $3,899 on an RTX 4090 card? Sure, it's the fastest GPU currently on the market, but it's also usually in the $1,800 range and it's about to be replaced by an RTX 5090 / 5080 within the next couple of months. How about a Cyber Monday deal on a mushy, non-mechanical keyboard when you can get a mechanical one for around the same price?

To help you find computer hardware deals that you can really sink your teeth into, we're highlighting a few of our favorites -- those that you can still get -- below.

Cyber Monday Computer Hardware Deals Still Available: Quick Links

• Samsung 990 EVO Plus 4TB SSD for $239 @ Amazon
• Dell S3222DGM Monitor (32-inch, 165 Hz) now $199 @ Dell
• Alienware 34-inch QD-OLED Monitor now $644 @ Dell
• Samsung 49-inch Odyssey OLED G9 now $949 @ Amazon
• Cooler Master MK770 Keyboard now $69 @ Amazon
• ThinkPad X1 Carbon (Core Ultra 5 / 16GB / 512GB) now $999 @ Lenovo
• AMD Ryzen 7 5700X3D CPU now $196 @Amazon
• MSI Spatium M482 2TB for $89 @ MSI
• Samsung 990 Evo 2TB for $119 @Newegg
• Newegg: up to 54% off SSDs
• Best Buy: Up to $100 off SSDs
• Best Buy: Up to $180 off hard drives

Favorite Cyber Monday Computer Hardware Deals

For more savings, see our lists of Newegg promo codes and Best Buy coupons.

Dell XPS 13 (9350) “Lunar Lake” laptop scores $400 discount, falls to $999

Dell's XPS family of laptops has always been a favorite here at Tom's Hardware. The XPS 13 has always offered a compelling balance of performance and features in a thin and light chassis.

Intel's latest take on that formula is the XPS 13 (9350), which uses Intel's Core Ultra 2 "Lunar Lake" processors as its heart and soul. Dell is currently running a sale on the XPS 13 (9350) configured with a Core Ultra 7 256V processor, 16GB of LPDDR5X, a 512GB SSD, and a 13.4-inch FHD+ (1920 x 1200) 120 Hz display. The laptop normally costs $1,399 but is currently on sale for $400 off, bringing the price down to $999.

When we reviewed the XPS 13 (9530) in October, we praised the minimalist design and incredibly long battery life (17+ hours). However, we did knock the machine because it did not have the performance chops to keep up with its Qualcomm Snapdragon X Elite counterpart. The Snapdragon X Elite version also eked out another two hours of battery life.

However, with this new discount, the XPS 13 (9350) makes a better case for itself thanks to its value proposition. In addition, you get x86 compatibility, which has been a challenge for the XPS 13 (9345).

We should note that the $999 price applies to the Graphite and Platinum colors for the XPS 13 (9350), which is nice. However, you'll need to act fast if you want to hop on this deal: Dell says the promotion only lasts for the next two days (though Cyber Monday).

Read our review of the Dell XPS 13 (9350) here.

This 32-inch, Dell gaming monitor is our top pick and now it's just $199

The Dell S3222DGM tops our list of the best gaming monitors overall, because it offers the best combination of performance, image quality and build quality. This 32-inch, curved display outputs at 165 Hz, and works with FreeSync and G-Sync adaptive sync standards. So, if you're playing a game at up to 165 fps, you won't see any tearing or ghosting.

It also has a very immersive, 1800R curve and a sharp, 2560 x 1440 resolution. Sure, you could buy a 4K gaming monitor, but those cost a lot more and most people don't have graphics cards that can give you high fps and special effects at 4K. Right now, the S3222DGM is just $199 at Best Buy, which is down from its $329 regular price and matches its all-time low.

The Dell S3222DGM isn't just sharp and smooth, it's also colorful. Thanks to its VA panel, it delivers a contrast ratio that's a full 3,718:1 where most monitors, which have IPS panels, are closer to the 1000:1 range. The more contrast, the more colors appear to pop.

I just bought one of these laptops. Now it starts at $999.

I've been reviewing laptops for 17 years now and my favorite productivity laptop, over the course of many generations, is the Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon. I bought a Carbon (6th Gen) back in 2018 and, last month, I bought a new one: a 12th Gen X1 Carbon. The old one was still going strong, but I wanted more RAM and better performance after six years.

What I love about the X1 Carbon is how it makes me a better performer. The keyboard is snappy and a joy to type on with its deep travel, curved key caps and snappy feedback. The soft-touch palmrest gently cradles my wrists while i work. And I never have to even lift my hands off of the home row to move my cursor, because I can use the TrackPoint pointing stick. If you don't like the nub, there's a touchpad (but try the nub; you'll like it, honest).

Now, you can get the X1 Carbon (Gen 12) base configuration, which comes with a Core Ultra 5 CPU, 16GB of RAM, a 512GB SSD and a 1920 x 1200, non-touch screen for just $999 at Lenovo.com

That config should be fine for a lot of people, but I wanted a ton of RAM when I bought mine so I used Lenovo.com's Build Your PC feature to increase the amount of RAM in my unit to 64GB and make the CPU a Core Ultra 7 165U (required if you want the 64GB RAM option).

I saved some money on my build by going with a tiny, 256GB SSD and opting for Ubuntu Linux instead of Windows. Then, after I bought the laptop, I swapped in a 2TB SSD and installed Windows 11 Pro, which I bought product key for for just $12. There's no way to upgrade the RAM after you buy an X1 Carbon so better to be stingy on the SSD and get as much RAM as you think you'll ever need.

Today, you can get the same config I bought -- with 64GB, a Core Ultra 7 165U, a 1920 x 1200 non-touch display, Ubuntu Linux and a 256GB SSD for $1,611.50. If you want a 1TB SSD and Windows 11 Home preloaded, the price goes to $1,935.

You can also save money by configuring your X1 Carbon with 32GB of RAM instead of 64GB. For most people, 32GB is fine. But I like to run virtual machines in windows on my computer so I need that extra memory.

The Arc A770 16GB is the best GPU right now for 1080p gaming, and it is now at all-time low pricing

If you're looking for a budget gaming GPU deal, we want to keep the price close to $200, and we generally recommend against 8GB cards these days. The A770 16GB has reached an all-time low of just $229 now, probably in advance of the Arc B580 arriving in a few weeks. But the A770 provides plenty of memory and decent performance, and it's a great fit for 1080p gaming.

Arc Alchemist really seems to come into its own with 16GB of VRAM — there are a lot of games where it ends up being noticeably faster than the A750, primarily due to the added memory. It's also roughly on par with AMD's RX 6650 XT, but with twice the VRAM for the same price, and it's about 10% faster overall than Nvidia's older RTX 3060 12GB, which still costs $269.

Intel's drivers have come a long way over the past couple of years, and you also get good AV1 encoding support. There are still occasional quirks, but showstopping bugs are very rare these days. It's probably a good idea to see what the next-gen Arc B580 has to offer, but if you don't want to wait and need an affordable card right now, the A770 fits the bill.

The best typing keyboard at any price is just $69

How much do I love the Cooler Master MK770? It has 98 keys so I love it 98x more than most other keyboards. This compact, 96-percent keyboard has everything a typist could want. It uses Kailh Box White V2 switches, the best clicky switches you can buy, and combines them with a gasket mount to get the best key feel I've ever experienced.

I've been typing on computer keyboards for more than 40 years. I'm extremely picky and, for many years, I would only use an IBM Model M keyboard because of its snappy, "buckling spring" switches. The Kailh Box White V2 switches are even better, because they have slightly less travel and are easier on your fingers, while providing plenty of tactile feedback and the perfect clicky sound.

The gasket mounting that holds the switches in place is rubberized so that when you hit the keys hard -- bottoming out -- you don't feel like you're slamming your finger tips into a rock. There's a little give there.

I've tried keyboards that cost more than $300, none of them feels this good. And today, the MK770 in either Gray or Macaron colors (shown above) is just $69 at Amazon. Just be sure to select the "soft click white" switches not the "linear red" switches when you buy.

This keyboard is more than just a typist's dream. The MK770 also supports both wired and wireless connectivity. It can connect via USB-C and has three Bluetooth profiles, along with a 2.4-GHz dongle that you can stow in the bottom. So, if you have a laptop, a desktop and a Raspberry Pi, you can toggle between them with a simple key combination.

The MK770 also has a volume dial. It doesn't have media keys but you can always do what I do and remap the numpad keys to be media keys. It also has RGB and the ability to set macros using its custom software (or any other software you want).

4TB SSDs, Starting at $0.05 per GB

There's plenty of savings on 4TB SSDs, which are the ideal size. We've been tracking the sales and the best deals start at just $0.05 per GB. The cheapest drive is the Silicon Power UD90 for $189 but we recommend the Samsung 990 Evo Plus ($249) as the best balance between price and performance.

Charge and power nine devices from your desk or couch with Anker's $35 100W charging station

If you frequently find yourself in need of USB ports or three-prong outlets to power your tech life (and who doesn't), you should consider picking up Anker's 9-in-1 A91C6 Charging Station / surge protector while it's still on sale for just $35 (40% off).

It features three power sockets, four USB-C ports (100W max), and two USB-A ports (12W max). It even has a slim power plug so you can connect it behind your couch or in other tight spaces.

There are certainly similar devices from no-name brands that cost a little less. But do you want to trust your expensive devices (and possibly your home) to a dodgy power tower to save a few bucks? I've owned dozens of Anker products over the years and the quality is usually quite good, as is the customer service. Once when a USB charger I owned for about a year was recalled, they emailed me and told me to throw it away and they shipped me a new one.

And when one of the wheel motor in one company's robovacs died on me under warranty, the company asked me to send a video, then responded within hours by giving me a full refund and telling me a new model was coming out in about a month. It's that kind of experience that makes Anker's devices easy to recommend -- especially when they're on a great sale like this power strip.

TP-Link Archer GE800 tri-band Wi-Fi 7 router is $399 (or less) at Amazon

Amazon’s excellent promotion on the TP-Link Archer GE800 Wi-Fi 7 router has been extended through Cyber Monday. Amazon is selling the Archer GE800 for just $399, which is a generous 33% discount off the MSRP. When I reviewed the GE800 back in September, its street price was closer to $470.

There’s also an additional discount available if you have an Amazon Prime Visa credit card — the Archer GE800 qualifies for 15 percent in cashback instead of the usual 5 percent that you get with the Amazon Prime Visa. So that would mean an extra $60 off the $399 price, making this deal even hotter.

I found the Archer GE800 to deliver outstanding performance across all three bands (2.4 GHz, 5 GHz, and 6 GHz). Although the Asus ZenWiFi BQ16 Pro has since surpassed it in outright 6 GHz speed, the Archer GE800 delivered an impressive 2,730 Mbps at close range, falling to 1,980 Mbps at 25 feet. The router was no slouch in 5 GHz performance either, surpassing 1,800 Mbps at 6 feet with iPerf3.

For gamers especially, wired connectivity is just as much of a priority as wireless performance. TP-Link includes two 10 Gbps ports on the Archer GE800, one of which is for your high-speed ISP connection, while the other is for LAN. You’ll also find four 2.5 Gbps LAN ports, a single SFP+ port, and a USB 3.0 port. There’s even an internal fan to keep all the electronics cool when your network is hopping with traffic (although I did find it to get annoyingly loud at times).

You can read our full review of the TP-Link Archer GE800 here.

Asus ROG Zephyrus G14 laptop hits a low $1,199, packs a Ryzen 9 8945HS CPU and RTX 4060 GPU

If you're looking for a thin and light premium laptop and want to do some light gaming on the side, you might want to look at the Asus ROG Zephyrus G14. As its name implies, this is a 14-inch class laptop, and in this case, it's a 2880 x 1800 OLED panel with a 120 Hz refresh rate (which also happens to be Dolby Vision certified).

This laptop usually sells for $1,599, but Best Buy currently offers the ROG Zephyrus G14 for a low $1,199, a $400 savings. We tested the ROG Zephyrus G14 earlier this year, albeit in a higher-spec configuration with 32GB of LLPDDR5x memory and a 90-watt GeForce RTX 4070 discrete GPU.

The configuration currently on sale offers the same AMD Ryzen 9 8945HS processor and 1TB SSD but cuts the memory in half to 16GB and includes a 90-watt RTX 4060 GPU. The system features a lightweight aluminum CNC chassis, which weighs just 3.31 pounds and is 0.63 inches thin.

There's a customizable "slash" that goes diagonally across the laptop's lid and is lit by white LEDs. There's also a healthy assortment of ports, including USB 4 (Type-C), USB 3.2 (Type-C), two USB 3.2 (Type-A), HDMI 2.1, a microSD reader, and a 3.5mm headphone jack. Wi-Fi duties are handled by a MediaTek Wi-Fi 6E adapter (Bluetooth 5.3 included), and there's a 72 WHr battery onboard to power everything.

We praised the ROG Zephyrus G14 for its compact design, punchy OLED display, and commendable audio system. However, we didn't care for the added bloatware and the battery life could be better. At the $2,000 price point of our review unit, the ROG Zephyrus G14 didn't "wow" us at the $1,199 price point, it's a much more compelling option for people wanting a compact gaming rig that can also double as a productivity workhorse.

Check out our review of the Asus ROG Zephyrus G14 here.

This Lenovo Legion 5i laptop with an RTX 4060 and a 165 Hz 2560 x 1600 screen is just $879 at Walmart

You normally have to make major sacrifices to score a good gaming laptop under $1,000, like a sub-par screen, cramped SSD, or anemic graphics. But that's not the case with this $879 Lenovo Legion 5i deal from Walmart. It packs a 16:10 165 Hz screen, Intel Core i7-13650HX, Nvidia RTX 4060 graphics, 16GB of RAM, and a 1TB SSD. You even get a free copy of Assassin's Creed Shadows (when it arrives in 2025) with the purchase.

From what I see, the primary downsides of this laptop are that it's a bit bulky, at just over 5 pounds. And I wouldn't expect battery life to be great when Walmart is claiming just 5 hours. There's also no mention of variable refresh, so if you want a tear-free gaming experience, you'll have to connect to an external monitor.

Save $10 on a Huanuo Dual Monitor Stand, now $49 at Amazon

Nearly all of us use multiple monitors now and rather than use the included stands, we inevitably use third-party stands as they offer stability and manoeuvrability.

I say nearly all of us has multiple monitors because I have only one, and I use the single arm version of the Huanuo stand. The arms are heavy duty, capable of holding 13-32 inch monitors with a max load of 19.8 pounds. Rather than screwing into your desk, the C-Clamp can grip desks between 0.59 and 3.54 inches in thickness (1.49 - 9CM). Or you can use the grommet hole to drill through your desk. I use the C-Clamp and it has been solid for nearly two years, and that is with an IKEA desk.

The monitor arms have standard VESA 75x75 and 100x100 attachment points, and move freely to give you the most comfortable position. You've got 15.75 inches (40CM) of height, and 17.32 inches (44CM) of extension to bring the screen closer to you. Each screen can be tilted +35 and -50 degrees, and rotated 360 degrees. Swivelling the monitors 180 degrees means that connections on the monitor back are a breeze. Just spin the monitor out and make the connection, then put it back.

Lastly, cable management. Two monitors means twice the cables! But the monitor arms have cable management as standard, so you can hide the mess

Khadas Mind Intel Core i5-1340P mini PC Drops to $549 on Amazon

If you want a small form factor PC, based around an Intel chip, then the Khadas Mind is a great choice and now you can save $250 off the normal price. The Khadas Mind is a striking machine. Made from milled aluminum, it has no sharp corners, and looks delightful in space grey. We reviewed the Premium model, with an Intel Core-i7 1360P and 32GB of DDR5 RAM, and it performed exceptionally well while staying cool. Our only issues with it were the original retail price, and that it uses M.2 2230 NVMe drives. But now the price has been dropped, and 2230 drives are much more common, we consider this a good deal for those wanting power in a small package.

For $550 you get the aforementioned Intel Core i5-1340P, 16GB of LPDDR5 and 512GB of PCIe 4 based NVMe storage. There is access to add an addtional NVMe storage device via a magnetic hatch on the bottom of the case. Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 5.3 provides connectivity, and you have two USB 3 ports, two USB type-C and a single HDMI port providing upto 4K output.

If you need more ports, then the Khadas Mind Dock bring more HDMI ports, USB 3 and Gigabit Ethernet. You can also purchase an external GPU dock, the Khadas Mind Graphics which adds an RTX 4060 Ti that connects via the Khadas Mind Link connector, found on the bottom of the Khadas Mind. We reviewed the Khadas Mind Graphics in mid 2024, and found it to be a potent, if expensive add-on.

AMD's gaming-specialized Ryzen 7 5700X3D is the best upgrade for AM4 systems and it's now cheaper than ever

If you're looking to upgrade an AM4 system focused on gaming, you won't find a faster gaming CPU than the Ryzen 7 5700X3D — it's the fastest gaming chip in the ~$200 price range, bar none. For Black Friday, you can find this surprisingly potent chip for $196, well below its $250 MSRP.

The Ryzen 7 5700X3D replaces the Ryzen 7 5800X3D, which was slightly faster but is no longer available. The 5700X3D has always been the far better deal, though: The 5700X3D has the same number of cores for 35% less cash while delivering 91% of the gaming performance of the expensive 5800X3D, a win for value gamers that brings AMD's vaunted game-boosting 3D V-Cache tech to a new lower price point.

As you can see below, this chip handily beats all comers in gaming at its price range, and it drops right into existing socket AM4 motherboards dating back to the 300 series, which debuted in 2017. Thus, it makes a great high-performance drop-in upgrade for Ryzen owners on the AM4 platform. You also won't have to worry about buying new RAM or other additives if upgrading. However, the chip doesn't support the newer PCIe 5.0 or DDR5 interfaces.

Like all of AMD's gaming-optimized X3D chips, the Zen 3-powered 5700X3D doesn't deliver as much horsepower in heavy productivity applications as standard CPUs. However, with eight cores and 16 threads operating at a 3.0 GHz base and 4.1 GHz boost, there's plenty of gas in the tank for its low price point. In our album above, you can see how it fared in single- and multi-threaded workloads.

If you're building a PC, you need a power supply for it and, if possible, you want one that's 80+ Gold certified for power efficiency. And it has to be from a name brand. In general, if you're building a budget system with a budget GPU, you need 600 to 650W of power. A mid-range system can get by with 750W and a high-end system should have 850W or more.

Fortunately, there are a lot of PSU deals right now. Here are a few of our favorites.

2TB of high-speed SSD for only $89? That'll do.

Probably the best 2TB SSD deal you'll find today is MSI's Spatium M482 2TB for just $89. It uses a combination of the Phison E27T controller and Kioxia TLC NAND to deliver sequential reads and writes of 7,300 and 6,400 MB/s respectively. That's plenty of performance for a drive this cheap.

You can build a 1080p Gaming Rig for $700

With all of the sales on CPUs, GPUs and storage, you can easily build a gaming PC that's capable of 1080p gaming for just around $700. In fact, here's a parts list we put together to do just that.

The real key to this list is the Intel Arc A770 GPU, which goes for just $229 and yet has enough power to get through our 1080p Ultra gaming tests with a full 76.9 fps.

That's a lot of performance for very little money.

RTX 4070 for just $499

If you want a mid-range card that's capable of really strong 1080p and solid 2K gaming, Nvidia's RTX 4070 fits the bill. Now, you can get a dual-fan Zotac RTX 4070 card for just $499, which is a really great deal.

If you really want an RTX 4090, this is the way to get it

With the RTX 5090 and 5080 cards likely to arrive in January and with prices on the current-gen skyrocketing, this is a terrible time to buy an RTX 4090 card. We've seen the cards going for well above MSRP and often closer to $2,300 or even $3,700.

However, if you want a desktop with top-of-the-line graphics, you can get good value for the money by purchasing this Alienware Aurora R16 desktop that has an RTX 4090 inside. For $3,700, you get flagship specs to surround the 4090, including a Core i9-14900KF CPU, a 4TB SSD, a 1,000-watt PSU and 64GB of RAM.

Logitech's pretty aurora collection is finally worth buying

Logitech's white and pastel Aurora collection is pretty, comfortable, and lightweight, but it's also pretty expensive — it just wasn't worth the premium price when it first came out two years ago. But I still like it a lot — it's got a great aesthetic (and one that's different from your typical gamer aesthetic, without being too... overly pink), and the peripherals have held up in the past two years I've been using them.

And now the headset and keyboard are finally on enough of a sale that it's worth taking a look at the collection.

The Logitech G735 is a wireless over-ear headset with a white padded leatherette headband and interchangeable leatherette earpads and a detachable boom microphone. It features 40mm dynamic drivers with a frequency response range of 20 - 20,000 Hz (the standard range for human hearing) and connects to your PC via 2.4GHz, Bluetooth, or wired connection. It also offers simultaneous wireless connectivity, meaning you can mix the audio from both your PC and a Bluetooth device (such as your phone) without having to switch between the two.

The G715 Wireless is a wireless TKL keyboard that comes with clicky, tactile, or linear switches, interchangeable faceplates, and a whimsical cloud wrist rest that's surprisingly comfortable. It features dedicated media keys and a media roller, and it's a pretty durable keyboard, if a bit hollow-sounding. Both the headset and the keyboard feature pretty pink and blue pastel lighting effects that add to the overall aesthetic (these are, of course, customizable and can be changed to whatever you desire).

Read my full reviews here: Logitech G735 Review and Logitech G715 Wireless Review

— Sarah

This sale will literally blow you away

If you build PCs or just have a desktop PC, you know that it gets full of dust after awhile. That's why so many people buy canned air to blow the dust out. But canned air gets used up after a while and it's terrible for the environment.

A better choice -- and a great gift -- is the KiCA Jet Fan 2, a rechargeable blower you can use to remove dust from any surface, including the inside of your PC. It's so powerful that -- supposedly -- you can even use it to blow light snow off of a car.

The one caution we have here is that fast-moving air can generate static electricity so don't aim it directly at your PC. Instead shoot it at the empty areas of your case and hold (or tape) your case fan blades still so they don't rotate faster than they are designed to go if you blow it on them. The KiCA Jet Fan 2 is now just $56, reduced from $89.

You can still grab this glass mouse pad at an incredible 50% discount

If you've been thinking of switching to a glass mouse pad, this is your sign — you can now grab the Skypad Glass 3.0 mouse pad in XL (400 x 500 mm) for just $54.50 at Amazon, which is 50% off the retail price of $109.

The Skypad Glass 3.0 mouse pad features a micro-etched glass surface that works with most modern optical sensors and is smooth and ultra low-friction for a speedy but precise gaming experience. It's also easy to clean — just a simple slab of glass — so it's a great way to tidy up your desk (let's face it, regular mouse pads — even the hybrid hard surface ones — get pretty unsanitary pretty quickly).

You can read my full review here: Skypad Mousepad 3.0 Review

— Sarah

Future-proof your PC with Wi-Fi 7 for just $59 (40% off)

Sure, Wi-Fi 7 is just starting to gain traction. But even if you don't have a Wi-Fi 7 router yet, if you're looking to upgrade your PC's wireless connectivity anyway, you might as well future-proof your purchase -- especially when you can do so with the WiFi 7 BE9300 PCIe expansion card from TP-Link at its all-time low price of just $59.99.

This is a PCIe expansion card, so it's for desktops only. USB-based Wi-Fi adapters currently top out at Wi-Fi 6E (and this 6E USB adapter from TP-Link is also on sale for $49). But for desktop users with a spare PCIe slot, this card promises speeds up to 5750 Mbps on the faster 6 GHz band, and multiple features to reduce lag.

Of course, you'll also need a Wi-Fi 7 router to take advantage of all these features but the card is of course also backward compatible with older Wi-Fi routers. Just note that this adapter doesn't support Windows 10. But then again, Microsoft won't be supporting Windows 10 for much longer anyway.

Up your streaming game for just $43.49

The easiest way to up your streaming game, whether it's for Twitch or work meetings or chatting with friends and family, is to invest in a standalone USB microphone. Logitech's Yeti Orb is our favorite budget-friendly option, because it sounds great and retails for just $59.99 — and right now it's 28% off at Amazon, coming in at just $43 (was $59).

The Yeti Orb is a simple, ball-shaped condenser microphone with a cardioid polar pattern (great for one voice), and an easy-to-use, plug-and-play design. It comes with its own sturdy tripod stand and can be mounted at two different angles depending on where you want to position it (it can also be mounted on a boom arm or third-party stand — both attachments are standard). It connects to your PC via USB-C and features a customizable light-up logo with a hood so you can see the color even if it's facing away from you. 

This is a great-sounding plug-and-play mic that produces warm, full vocals and picks up your voice even if it's not right next to your mouth. It records audio at 24-bit / 48 kHz and while it doesn't do the best job of keeping background noise at bay on its own, you can use Logitech's Blue Vo!ce software to adjust your vocals and turn on noise cancelation. 

You can read my full review of the Yeti Orb here. 

— Sarah

Grab one of the best (and brightest) mics for just $85

Speaking of great mics, you can still grab HyperX's fantastic QuadCast S on sale for just $85 at HyperX's website if you use code FLASH15 to get an extra 15% discount. This standalone USB microphone features four selectable polar patterns, a headphone jack for direct, zero-latency monitoring, and an awesome tap-to-mute feature, plus lots of pretty lighting (too much, some might argue). 

The original HyperX QuadCast is also on sale, for $83, but it's not part of the extra 15% off deal. Both mics record audio at 16-bit / 48 kHz, offer cardioid, omnidirectional, bidirectional, and stereo polar patterns, and connect to your PC via USB. 

Read our HyperX QuadCast S review here, and our HyperX QuadCast review here.

— Sarah

The posts below this are from Cyber Monday and most of those deals are now expired. We checked all the links that are higher on the page, but the posts below this could be outdated.

How to Tell a Deal From a Dud

We're checking deals around the clock to find the best options and keep this page up to date. We constantly comb through the best deals across multiple retailers, selecting the best based on in-depth knowledge gained from our thorough reviews, extensive benchmarks, and comprehensive historical price analysis, and keep an updated list here. We've checked all the best deals below to ensure they provide valuable savings and notable discounts.

If you see a product on sale and it's one we haven't covered, we recommend checking the price history and other vendors' prices on sites such as PCPartPicker and, for Amazon shoppers, CamelCamelCamel to see a product's price history. This will give you an idea of the average price and whether or not the current offer is an actual deal.

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Best Deals on PC Cases, Motherboards, RAM, PSUs, and Coolers

Below we have a shortlist of the best PC Case, Motherboard, RAM, PSU, and Cooling deals we've found, but we have much more expansive lists in these articles:

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Also, you can join the Tom's Hardware deals Discord for up-to-the-minute hardware deals.

Ever-popular for their pre-built gaming PCs and potent laptops, Dell often commands premium price tags, notably on its Alienware gaming line-up. We track deals on Dell and Alienware systems from multiple retailers, so make sure to keep checking this page for updates.

Dell's Alienware brand has been synonymous with gaming over the years. High-spec gaming machines from the Aurora lineup, and now the Area-51 relaunch, use top-tier hardware like the RTX 5090 graphics card from Nvidia, the most powerful consumer GPU available, and newer-generation CPUs for peak performance.

We use our in-depth knowledge, gained from thorough reviews, expansive benchmarks, and extensive historical pricing analysis, to help us pick the best deals for you to choose from. We keep that constantly updated list below.

Best Dell and Alienware Deals: Quick Links

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Builders often don't pay enough attention to the plethora of case options available. Or they push the decision off until the end of the component-choosing process. But if you care at all about cooling or how your system looks, I'd advise considering your case options early when planning your build.

The best PC case for you will dictate the system's size, shape, and looks, and what fits inside. The PC case is also a major factor in how quiet your system will be (or how noisy it can get) under load, thanks to any included fans, plus materials like metal mesh or glass panels. These aspects also hugely impact the cooling potential of your rig.

If you want a compact, space-saving PC, consider one of the best Mini-ITX cases to minimize your PC’s footprint on your desk. Or you can go big and get a chassis like Corsair's Obsidian 9000D or Be Quiet's Dark Base Pro 901, to house a massive workstation or gaming rig with acres of expansion possibilities. But really, you don't need a massive case these days to house the best high-end components.

Please check out our Computex 2026 coverage, where we met with several vendors with upcoming chassis, including Cooler Master, NZXT, Hyte, and others.

We've also started fan testing at Tom's and have published our first Best PC Case Fans article covering several recent PC fans including some from Noctua, Arctic, Phanteks, and more. Find out which fans perform best for your needs, be it quiet operation, high-performance, or RGBs, we have you covered and expanding testing testing more fans as we speak.

Below, we’ve selected the best PC cases we've tested, from the dozens of models we've reviewed in recent years. So long as you check to make sure the parts you want to use will fit in it and you like how it looks, one of the cases below should keep you and your PC parts happy for years to come.

Best PC Cases

The Best PC Cases You Can Buy Today

Best-Looking PC Case

We aren't sure who asked for a PC case that mixed mid-century modern design (wooden slats and all) and high airflow, but we sure are glad that Fractal Design answered with the excellent North mid-tower. Available with either a mesh side (as we tested) or tempered glass, and in white with chrome accents on the IO and feet, or black with some seriously pretty brass, this is arguably the prettiest PC case ever produced, period.

And thanks to its pair of 140mm fans and an included side bracket (for the mesh model) that can hold another pair of 140mm fans (not included), the North has excellent thermals as well. Just note that it can get noisy when delivering those temps. The glass side panel may help a bit on the noise front, but likely at the cost of at least some thermal performance.

If you don't like the case's looks, then the company's Meshify 2 Compact (below), is probably a better option for you. But if you're after a case that matches the pretty furniture in your living room, has lots of room for storage, and won't break the bank at $130, nothing else comes close to the North. We hope Fractal's bold move inspires other case makers to try something different.

Read: Fractal Design North Review

Best Budget ATX Gaming Case

Lian Li's Lancool 207 ATX PC case delivers a lot, including some unique features, for just $80 – or $85 if you want the white model. It ships with four fans (two RGB and two uniquely blowing directly on your GPU) and a whole lot of mesh, so airflow shouldn't be a concern. There's also space for large graphics cards and a pair of SATA drives, which should be enough for most of us in this modern M.2 world. Cable routing is also well-designed, making building and cleaning up the interior easier.

The sideways-mounted power supply setup is a unique design choice that mostly works well, but does limit your ability to use large power supplies (160mm in length or less). Aside from that, the only thing I don't like about this case is it's one of the few new models we have tested in 2024 that doesn't support rear-connector motherboards. If that's a feature you need, check out the also-excellent Phanteks XT Pro Ultra.

Read: Hands-on with Lian Li's Lancool 207 PC case: Rethinking ATX on a budget

Best Budget Back-Connect ATX Case

Not long ago, a PC case with four 140mm RGB fans and a tempered glass side panel would have cost well north of $100. But Phanteks manages to deliver that, plus support for high-end components and emerging rear-connector motherboards, in a choice of black or white, for just $80. It's a great case for builders looking to put together a gaming rig with great cooling, who want to spend most of their money on core components like the graphics card and CPU.

The four included RGB fans deliver lots of airflow, and with some tweaking of settings in your BIOS or software, they can also run reasonably quietly. And when I installed an MSI Project Zero motherboard in the case, all the holes lined up perfectly and there was enough room for cable slack. SATA drive support is also good for a mainstream case, with a 3.5-inch drive cage and up to five 2.5-inch drives supported.

It's clear that Phanteks had to cut some corners to keep the costs down (there's a even a stepped-down XP Pro model with a single fan that has an MSRP of just $50). There are no grommets around the cable holes, and only two top USB ports (one USB-C and one USB-A). But for just $80, the Phanteks XT Pro Ultra delivers great airflow, lots of RGB, and support for modern features and high-end hardware. There are better cases out there if you're willing to spend significantly more than $100. But in its price range, Phanteks XT Pro Ultra is hands-down the best option for most gamers and system builders.

Read: Phanteks XT Pro Ultra PC case: Modern budget case delivers lots of airflow and RGB

Best PC Case With a Screen

Lian Li’s Lancool 207 already has a spot on this list for its sub-$100 base model, which features four fans for great thermal performance. But the Lancool 207 Digital adds a six-inch, 1,600 x 720 display up front that is nice and bright, without adding much to the cost of what was already a great case. So at around $105 at this writing, the 207 Digital is easy to recommend as the best PC case with a screen.

Our testing showed the 207 Digital delivers great thermal performance, even though it lacks an exhaust fan. The two fans on the bottom help cool your GPU while gaming, keeping its fans running at a lower RPM, which helps with overall system noise. An included anti-sag GPU bracket makes sure that your graphics card doesn’t put undue stress on your PCIe slot. We also found the screen to be bright, crisp, and versatile since it can display system stats via Lian Li’s software, or function as a secondary screen in your OS of choice, displaying literally whatever you like. If you’re after a case with a screen – especially if you still prioritize cooling performance and don’t want to pay more than typical mid-range case prices, the Lancool 207 Digital should be on your (very) short list.

Read: Lian Li Lancool 207 Digital review

Best Mainstream Airflow-Focused Case

With just two of the company's F120Q Airflow case fans behind a skeletal frame with a perforated front panel, the NZXT H7 Flow manages to deliver excellent temperature and noise level numbers in our testing, beating or competing well against pricier chassis with more fans and glass panels. It's also a pleasure to build in, with good cable management and a $130 MSRP that's quite reasonable in this era of seemingly ever-increasing prices.

The primary missing feature here, which will feel refreshing for many builders, is the lack of any RGB to light up your system. That, combined with the boxy look and perforated front means this case isn't the prettiest on our list, but it can certainly look good with some tasteful lighting delivered via your components, extra fans or a light strip. And if you don't like the look of the fully vented front and you aren't that concerned about keeping your temps a low as they can go, the non-Flow H7 model has a solid front, but with everything else we loved about the H7 Flow.

Read: NZXT H7 Flow review

Best Performance-Focused ATX Case

Lian Li's excellent Lancool 217 borrows from its Lancool 216 and Lancool 207, while adding some tasteful wood trim. It also sports five fans, with two massive 170 mm spinners up front and dedicated GPU intake fans above the PSU chamber to help chill today's best graphics cards. With all that airflow and a mesh front, the Lancool 217 is tough to beat in its $125 price range.

The 217 was also a pleasure to build in, thanks to a fused front-panel connector block, ample cable routing, and a GPU support bracket. Back-connector motherboards are also supported for an ultra-clean build, and depending on how you configure it, there's support for up to five SATA drives.

The only real negative about this case for me is that its front-panel ports are on the bottom of the case (on the side near the front), which doesn't seem convenient for a case that's likely to live on the floor (it's roughly 20 inches tall and deep).

Read: Lian Li Lancool 217 hands-on

Best Colorful PC Case

Hyte’s X50 is in an aesthetic realm all its own, with its rounded design and several striking colors: purple, pink (as tested), green, red, black, or white. The build quality of the X50 is second to none, with higher-quality construction than its competitors. At $159.99 in the United States, it’s also not super expensive, although keep in mind the case ships without any fans. If you want to add color-matched fans, Hyte sells a four-pack for $49.99, or $10 less for white or black fans. And there is no RGB here (although Hyte also sells magnetic light strips), should you want to add those as well.

While it isn’t cheap (and indeed it feels premium), for those looking for a softer case design, or just something more colorful than most builds, the X50 is easy to recommend. It’s not the best performer, but our testing didn’t kick up any red flags when it comes to cooling. If temps are a concern, you can add more than the four fans we used for testing (the case supports 10), which would likely help keep things running even cooler.

Read: Hyte X50 review

Best Case for Rear-Connector Motherboards

Corsair's 2500D airflow doesn't stand out much as a general Micro ATX case. But as a case specifically for rear-connector motherboards, it's the best I've tested so far. And if you're after a case for a full-size ATX build, the company also sells a 6500D Airflow for $199. These cases get the basics right, like cutout placement (although a PSU support strip right above the bottom cutout is annoying). But more importantly, due to their dual-chamber design, they provide enough room for the large amount of cable slack that results from plugging nearly everything in behind the motherboard, instead of up front. The other cases I've tested with these rear-connector boards don't have nearly enough space behind the motherboard. For even more room for cables on the 2500D, you can opt for a smaller SFX power supply. But of course, that generally costs extra.

I do find the basic presentation of the 2500D a bit drab, but adding the $69 wood accent panels morphs the 2500D from a plain bulky box to something I enjoy looing at. That's not going to be worth the extra expense for everyone, but because the panels are accessories, you don't have to decide whether you want them or not until after you own the case. And you are spoiled for choice, as the company offers panels in silver aluminum and four wood varieties. Other accessories include a vertical GPU mounting kit and a front panel to turn the 2500D into the 2500X.

Read: Hands-on with Corsair's 2500D Airflow case

Best Design-Focused Mini-ITX Case

The substantial size and substantial cooling needs of today's components – particularly graphics cards like Nvidia's RTX 4090 – have made several compact cases from the past few years effectively obsolete. But at just 10.4 liters of volume, the Mini-ITX Fractal Design Terra case has enough room for most big GPUs, while delivering attractively thanks to an aluminum exterior with some attractive wood on the front.

It doesn't have as wide of an appeal as its ATX North cousin, since you'll be far more limited in your component and airflow options with the Terra. But if you don't need to pack in the absolute most powerful CPU (cooling clearance is particularly cramped) and you don't need several storage drives, the Terra is compact, practical, and stunning – especially if you want a respite from PC gaming's typical RGB and aggressive designs. The Terra's flip-up doors and adjustable spine also make this case surprisingly easy to build considering it's so compact. Just know you'll need to bring a modular SFX PSU, because you'll need all the spare interanal space you can get with this case.

Read: Fractal Design Terra Hands On

Best Premium

The Cooler Master Cosmos Alpha stands out as a premium full-tower case, thanks to the refined, modern design, massive internal space, and the modularity of its design. You can move fan mounts and use fans of different sizes, and slide the motherboard tray to adjust layouts to fit high-end hardware. Supporting up to four radiators, 12 fans, and a wide variety of motherboard sizes, the Alpha has loads of cooling potential. It also has plenty of room for cable management and modern front-panel connectivity with multiple USB Type-A and Type-C ports (3.2 Gen 2x2 20 Gbps). Premium touches such as the aluminum frame, signature handles, and a hinged smoked-glass panel round out its flagship aesthetic.

The case is heavy and requires a lot of space, plus the 2.5/3.5-inch drive capacity feels limited for the size. But these are minor complaints for a case that excels in flexibility, cooling, and long-term usability. The combination of thoughtful design, build quality, and extensive hardware support makes the Cosmos Alpha the best choice for enthusiasts seeking a high-end, long-lasting, premium tower for large motherboards and powerful hardware.

Read: Cooler Master Cosmos Alpha Hands-on

Best Large "Fish Tank" PC case

NZXT’s 2025 H9 Flow has a sleek design, without RGB bling. It's spacious inside, with lots of room to work with on both sides of the case. The main chamber supports the largest GPUs on the market and dual 420 mm radiators, while the back has extra space for cable storage.

Liquid cooling enthusiasts will be pleased to know the H9 Flow supports two 420mm radiators, along with its angled intake fans, for the best possible temperatures. And storage fans will appreciate the support for up to six SATA drives – the most we’ve seen on a mainstream case in quite a while. The H9 Flow brings a lot to the table in terms of features and support, and it doesn't lean too heavily on your bank account, selling for $169 when we wrote this.

Read: NZXT H9 Flow (2025)

Best Case for High-End Rigs and Workstations

Fractal's Meshify 2 is well-thought-out and versatile, delivering an enjoyable building experience. Whether you use this case as a system where you just want to deliver copious amounts of airflow and expansion space, a workstation with a cadre of hard drives, a server, or high-end custom liquid cooling, the Meshify 2 can accommodate your build. Its thermal and acoustic performance is also in line with what we'd expect from a mesh front. All this cobined earns this case a rare five-star rating.

The only thing to consider before hitting the buy button is whether you really need the space for storage or cooling parts, or should you buy a smaller chassis and save some money and sapce?

Read: Fractal Design Meshify 2 Review

Also tested

Not every case we test earns a spot on our best list. Whether it be for a lack of features, high price, poor performance, or something else, the cases below aren't the best we've tested. But the best PC case for you has to be something you like to look at. So the cases we've tested below may be worth considering, especially if you find them on sale.

Cougar Airface Eco:

Cougar’s oddly named Airface Eco case features a decent all-around design, support for large GPUs in vertical orientation, a modular IO panel, and a built-in GPU holder. It also sports a distinctive front face with large holes, but doesn't otherwise stand out in terms of features or price. You can read more in our full Cougar Airface Eco review.

Be Quiet Dark Base 701:

Be Quiet’s Dark Base 701 is a high-quality. customizable case that offers one-touch fan and lighting controls from the top panel, and it performed well in our tests. It supports vertical GPU mounting, ample SATA storage, and custom liquid cooling reservoirs.

Read: Be Quiet Dark Base 701 review

Montech Air 903 Max:

This case doesn't do anything new when it comes to design or features. But with large motherboard support, good airflow thanks to four include fans, and a $75 price, there isn’t a whole lot to complain about.

Read: Montech Air 903 Max review

APNX V1:

This case combines angled front fans and optional wood accents, delivering good thermal performance and a reasonable price. But its looks aren't for everyone, and its screwed-down panels feel a little dated.

Read: APNX review

Be Quiet Light Base 900 DX: This case's solid build quality and attractive aesthetics are paired with the somewhat unique feature of having three different layout options. Thermal performance is middle of the road, which is to say while it might not be the best, it will be good enough for 97% of users looking to build a PC for gaming or mixed use. While there are multiple fan hubs, you'll have to supply you own fans.

Read: Be Quiet Light Base 900 DX review

MSI MEG Prospect 700R:

At aropund $380, the MEG Prospect 700R from MSI delivers a lot of features, like a top-mounted touchscreen for supporting various functions. Hinged doors make getting inside the case easy, and it is one of a limited number of chassis that allow fancy PSUs to show their displays.

But the case would be much easier to recommend if it didn't cost so much. In particular, it should include a GPU support bracket for horizontal mounts and a PCIe riser cable for vertical mounting, considering its nearly $400 asking price.

Quick PC Case Shopping Tips

MORE: Best PC Cases

MORE: Best Mini-ITX Cases

We have you covered on every possible front, with the best 4K gaming monitors, the best ultrawide gaming monitors, and even the best portable monitors. While those guides focus on specific segments of the monitor market, we'll try to pick the best from each here. Think of it as the "best of the best."

The best thing about having numerous options for consumers is that you can choose the ideal monitor for your specific gaming needs. When seeking the best gaming monitor for your rig, different panel types are vying for your eyeballs — IPS, TN, VA, and even OLED — each with pros and cons.

Of course, you can't forget about screen size and aspect ratio, which affect your views, desk space, and, again, bank account. And we haven't even discussed bonuses, like speakers, RGB, or port selection. With so many options available to gamers, some helpful guidance is necessary to make the best possible choice.

On a positive note, the gaming monitor space is quickly becoming inundated with OLED panel technology, which is definitely encouraging. Not only do OLED panels offer the best possible color output, responsiveness, and black levels, but prices are quickly falling, making them a more attractive purchase for discerning gamers. As OLEDs become more affordable, even more people will be able ot take advantage of these benefits. If you’d like more detailed information on the panel technology, be sure to check out our best OLED gaming monitor guide.

Based on all these criteria, our top pick is the Asus ROG Swift PG27AQDP. This 27-inch QHD monitor offers a compelling balance of resolution, performance, and price — it's also among the best OLED gaming monitors on the market. In addition to the ROG Swift PG27AQDP, below is a list of the best gaming monitors currently available based on our in-house tests.

The Quick List

Best Gaming Monitors in 2026

Best Overall / Best OLED Gaming Monitor

The Asus ROG Swift PG27AQDP is the new king of the hill when it comes to high-performance OLED gaming monitors. The ROG Swift PG27AQDP has the same 2560 x 1440 resolution as our previous favorite, the Alienware AW2725DF, but boasts a maximum refresh rate of 480 Hz (instead of 360 Hz).

Our instrumented testing showed a brightness of 400 nits in SDR content and 1,300 nits in HDR content. Calibration was also stellar straight out of the box, while contrast and overall color reproduction were excellent (as expected from a modern OLED panel). Excellent video processing and tons of gaming-centric features make the ROG Swift PG27AQDP a must-have for discerning gamers.

Among the OLED competition, the PG27AQDP was tied for first place in response time (just two milliseconds), while it registered just 15 ms for the input lag test. That put it in second place behind its larger brother, the PG32UCDP. However, it's hard to live up to the PG32UCDP's 11-millisecond showing, and 15 ms is nothing to scoff at (and the PG32UCDP also had an advantage by running the test at FHD instead of QHD).

We had no trouble playing games like Doom Eternal at 340 fps at QHD resolution with a GeForce RTX 4090 on the PG27AQDP. However, we didn't have enough computing muscle to reach the monitor's upper 480 fps limit, although perhaps a GeForce RTX 5090 could get the job done.

Just be aware that the ROG Swift PG27AQDP has an MSRP of $999, which is a few hundred bucks pricier than its closest competition, the $600 Alienware AW2524HF. However, that price premium is warranted, given its performance and features.

More: Asus ROG Swift PG27AQDP Gaming Monitor Review

Best Ultra-High Refresh Rate Monitor

The Alienware AW2524HF plants its flag in the ground as the successor to the world's first 500Hz gaming monitor, the AW2524H. The AW2524HF includes most of the superlatives that made its predecessor such a standout monitor, but comes with a lower price tag due to the lack of the Nvidia G-Sync module and a backlight strobe. However, while the AW2524H hit the market with an $800+ price tag, the AW2524HF debuted at $650.

Though 360 Hz displays are commonplace today, Dell's new entry ensures no frame tears or motion blur when using flagship graphics cards capable of pushing 400+ frames per second. In addition to its outright speed, the AW2524HF commands a 2ms advantage in control lag over its 360 Hz peers. It was only surpassed by the AW2524H. While casual gamers won't notice the difference in gameplay, it immediately impacted our hands-on testing. Competitive gamers will also notice the difference when online matches become intense.