4TB NVMe SSDs for Big Game Libraries: Samsung 990 PRO, WD_BLACK SN850X, Crucial P3 Plus and Lexar NM790
Why a single 4TB SSD can be better than several small drives, the difference between premium and value 4TB drives, and four to compare.
Why a single 4TB SSD can be better than several small drives, the difference between premium and value 4TB drives, and four to compare.
Photo by Dmitry Nosachev / Wikimedia Commons / CC BY-SA 4.0
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Big games routinely take more than 100GB, and a library of them fills a 1TB drive fast. A 4TB NVMe SSD keeps your whole library installed, so you stop uninstalling and re-downloading games.
Premium vs value 4TB drives
- Premium drives (such as the Samsung 990 PRO 4TB and WD_BLACK SN850X 4TB) use DRAM caches and high-end controllers. They hold their speed better in long transfers and in heavy workloads.
- Value drives (such as the Crucial P3 Plus 4TB and Lexar NM790 4TB) skip some premium features to cost less. For game loading, the difference is usually small.
For a games drive, a value 4TB drive is often the better buy. Choose premium for your system drive or for heavy creative work.
What to check
- Free M.2 slot: and whether it shares lanes with SATA ports or the GPU slot.
- Heatsink: use the motherboard’s M.2 heatsink if there is one.
- PS5 use: if you also want the drive in a PS5, check Sony’s speed and size requirements, and use a heatsink.
Moving your library
Steam, the Xbox app, Battle.net and EA’s app can all move installed games to a new drive without re-downloading. Use each launcher’s move feature.
Bottom line
A 4TB value drive is a great home for a game library. Spend more on the drive Windows runs from.
Our picks: SSDs
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Affiliate links.As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. Links below go to Amazon; prices and availability change, so check Amazon for current pricing.Affiliate disclosure
Illustrative photos: Photo by Dmitry Nosachev / Wikimedia Commons / CC BY-SA 4.0