How an NVMe SSD will improve your gaming experience
While the best SSD for a PC depends on what you’re using it for, there’s only one answer to which is best choice for gaming – it’s an NVMe SSD.
While SATA SSDs are good choices for many gamers, NVMe drives are the best gaming SSDs because they are up to five times faster at transferring data to and from the CPU.
Faster game loading
One of the most noticeable benefits of using an NVMe SSD for gaming is faster load times. This is because NVMe SSDs can read and write data much faster than other types of storage. With an NVMe SSD, you’ll notice that games can load textures, assets, and other data more quickly.
This can be a huge improvement for gamers, especially those who play open-world or large map games. For example, Red Dead Redemption 2 can load in under a minute on an NVMe SSD, compared to several minutes on an HDD.
Reduced stuttering and frame drops
NVMe SSDs can also help to reduce stuttering and frame drops in games. Loading data more quickly and efficiently means that the game doesn’t have to wait for assets to load before it can render the next frame.
This can be a big improvement for gamers who play competitively or want a high-quality visual experience. Games like Cyberpunk 2077 can run more smoothly and with fewer dropped frames on an NVMe SSD.
Improved overall gaming performance
In addition to speeding up load times and reducing stuttering, NVMe SSDs can also improve overall gaming performance.
The reduced amount of time that the CPU has to wait for data from storage results in higher frame rates, smoother gameplay, and reduced input lag.
Other benefits
In addition to the benefits listed above, NVMe gaming SSDs also offer other advantages for PC users. These include:
- Faster boot times
- Faster application loading times
- Faster file transfer speeds
- More reliable performance
How to choose a gaming NVMe SSD
If you’re looking to upgrade to an NVMe SSD for gaming, there are a few things you should keep in mind.
- First, make sure your motherboard supports NVMe SSDs. Most modern motherboards do, but it’s always a good idea to check your motherboard's manual to be sure. If you’re unsure whether you can upgrade to an NVMe, use the Crucial System Scanner for 100% guaranteed compatibility.
- Second, consider the capacity of the SSD. If you have a large game library, you’ll need an SSD with a large capacity. However, if you only play a few games at a time, you can get away with a smaller SSD.
- Finally, consider the price of the SSD. NVMe SSDs are more expensive than traditional SATA SSDs, but prices have been coming down in recent years.
Final thoughts on gaming PC solid state drives
If you’re looking for a way to improve your gaming experience, upgrading to an NVMe PC solid state drive is one of the best investments you can make.
The Crucial T700 and T705 are our advanced gaming SSDs. Using the latest Gen5 SSD technology, the T700 is designed to run today’s (and tomorrow’s) AAA games and is available in500GB to 2TB capacities, with or without a heatsink.
Other NVMe gaming SSDs include the Crucial T500, P5 Plus, P3 Plus, P3, and the P310 2230.
Frequently asked questions
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What’s the difference between a gaming SSD and gaming hard drive?
‘Hard drive’ is a common way to refer to two distinctly different technologies. While some people might ask, “What is the best hard drive for gaming,” this technically only refers to older hard disk drives (HDDs).
Newer computer storage – either SATA or NVMe solid state drives (SSDs) – are much better for gaming, as they use flash technology instead of ‘hard technology’ like spinning platters and moving data heads.
For more information on HDDs vs. SSDs, be sure and check out our article ‘SDD vs. HDD: Know the Difference’.
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What’s the best hard drive for gaming?
When it comes to gaming – especially the big AAA titles like Cyberpunk 2077 and Red Dead Redemption 2 – fastest is best. The more quickly data is passed from storage into RAM, the more quickly the player can experience it.
NVMe SSDs offer faster read and write speeds than SATA SSDs and significantly faster performance than traditional hard disk drives (HDDs). This leads to faster game loading, reduced stuttering and frame drops, and improved overall gaming performance.
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What about gaming on an external SSD?
Using an external SSD for gaming is definitely possible, especially as portable SSD speeds have increased over the years. As long as your gaming external hard drive can move the data into RAM fast enough, you won’t experience any issues.