SSD prices per TB
& in-store stock.

NVMe SSDs plug into an M.2 slot and run over PCIe at 3,000 to over 14,000 MB/s. SATA SSDs (2.5" or M.2 SATA) top out around 550 MB/s and suit older systems. Check which M.2 slots your motherboard or laptop has.

PCIe 5.0 drives reach about 14 GB/s in sequential transfers, which shows in large file copies. Games load about as fast as on PCIe 4.0, and Gen5 drives run hotter, so they usually need a heatsink. PCIe 4.0 is the value sweet spot.

An M.2 PCIe 4.0 NVMe SSD from 250 GB to 8 TB, 2230 to 22110 long; Sony recommends 5,500 MB/s or faster and a heatsink (up to 11.25 mm tall in total). Use the PCIe 4.0 and heatsink filters.

Terabytes written: how much data the maker guarantees you can write during the warranty. Consumer drives are rated at a few hundred TBW per terabyte of capacity, more than most users ever write.

A DRAM cache keeps performance steady under heavy random writes. DRAM-less drives borrow a little system memory (HMB) and are fine for games and everyday use.