Are you looking to purchase the best SSD for your laptop or desktop? If, yes, then you have indeed come to the right place.
Also, if you have been losing data by using HDD, then it is the right time that you upgrade to Solid-State Drives.
SSD has been known to be more reliable as compared to mechanical drives. Besides this, they also increase the speed of the system and they also come up with a large storage capacity.
But, the fact is that there are several SSD drives available in the market each claiming to be the best which can at times make the customer quite confused.
Hence, to help out our users, we have come up with a list of the best SSD that you can purchase for your laptop/desktop in 2020 after putting in hours of research.
Moreover, we have also put in an exclusive buying guide such that you can bring home the right SSD tailor-made according to your requirements.
So, without wasting any more time, let us have a look at the list of the products.
Comparison Table
| Product Name | Item Weight | Warranty | Memory storage capacity | Sequential Read speed | Sequential Write Speed |
| 1) Kingston A400 | 59 Grams | 3 years | 240 GB | 500 MB/S | 450 MB/S |
| 2) Western Digital WDS480G2G0A | 32 grams | 3 years | 120 GB | 545 MB/S | 500 MB/S |
| 3) Crucial MX500 | 99.8 Grams | 5 years | 500 GB | 560 MB/S | 510 MB/S |
| 4) Western Digital Blue | 95 grams | 3 years (limited warranty) | 500 GB | 560 MB/S | 530 MB/S |
| 5) Samsung T5 | 49.9 grams | 3 years | 500 GB | 530 MB/S | 470 MB/S |
| 6) HP SSD S700 | 81.6 grams | 3 years | 120 GB | 550 MB/S | 480 MB/S |
| 7) Samsung 860 | 90.7 grams | 5 years | 250 GB | 550 MB/S | 520 MB/S |
Our Testing Process
First, we put in hours of research to shortlist the best SSD that is available in the market.
Further, we implement a strict benchmarking regimen such that proper product comparison can be done.
We also try to add on performance data from various NAND flash manufacturers such as Crucial, Intel, Samsung, SanDisk, and Toshiba.
We look into the performance aspect through several ways such as durability, read/write speed, brand value and we also pass the judgment based on bundled accessories, packaging and product specifications.
Product List
#1 Kingston A400 240 GB SSD
Sequential Write Speed : 450 MB/S | Sequential Read speed : 500 MB/S | Memory storage capacity : 240 GB | Warranty : 3 years | Weight : 59 grams
+ It is quite durable and reliable
+ Fast loading, Start-up, and file transfers
+ The product is available in multiple capacities
– Little bugs might be found with this product
Kingston A400 is without any doubt one of the best SSD that you can probably get in the market.
It can help to boost the responsiveness of your computer system through incredible loading, boot and transfer time when compared with mechanical hard drives.
Moreover, this product offers a read and write speed up to 500 MB/S and 450 MB/S respectively thanks to the latest gen controller that it is equipped with.
So, if you are looking for a faster system offering high performance, this SSD is all you need as it offers 10 times faster speed as compared to the traditional hard drive.
It is also equipped with flash memory and thus it is more durable and reliable than a hard drive.
Furthermore, it doesn’t consist of any moving parts and hence chances of failure of this product are quite slim as compared to the mechanical hard drive.
Also, Kingston A400 is available in various capacities ranging from 120 GB – 480 GB and thus you can select the one that fits into your requirement.
The best thing that we liked in this product is that is vibration and shock resistance which makes it ideal for laptops & computers.
Buy Now:
https://www.amazon.in/Kingston-SSDNow-Internal-SA400S37-240GIN/dp/B079TH8YZQ/
#2 Western Digital WDS480G2G0A 480 GB SSD
Sequential Write Speed : 500 MB/S | Sequential Read speed : 545 MB/S | Memory storage capacity : 120 GB | Warranty : 3 years | Weight : 32 grams
+ It offers High-speed performance
+ The product is power efficient
+ It is available at a low cost
– It is equipped with a thin mounting frame
Western Digital WDS480G2G0A comes with high reliability and performance such that all your daily computing activities get fulfilled at a very high speed.
The following product comes with WD F.I.T Lab testing and thus it is compatible with almost all kinds of PCs & Laptops.
With this product, you get a read speed of up to 545 MB/s and thus you can quickly launch apps, boot your system and open the files.
Besides this, it is also shock-resistant and thus it offers great compatibility.
It also comes along with a dashboard through which you can easily monitor all your storage.
The best part is that it comes with a warranty of 3 years and thus it is sure to last for a long period.
Furthermore, it is available at a very competitive price and thus you can get complete value for your investment.
Buy Now:
https://www.amazon.in/WDS120G2G0A-120GB-2-5-inch-Internal-Green/dp/B076XWDN6V/
#3 Crucial MX500 SSD
Sequential Write Speed : 510 MB/S | Sequential Read speed : 560 MB/S | Memory storage capacity : 500 GB | Warranty : 5 years | Weight : 99.8 grams
+ It offers a very easy installation
+ It can reboot your system in seconds
+ The product features 3D NAND technology
– It comes at a bit expensive price tag
With the help of Crucial MX500 SSD, the durability, speed, and efficiency of the computer system can be increased.
A data of up to 2 TB can be stored and thus you can save many music files, photos, and videos securely and comfortably.
Also, with the fast access to creations, media, and designs, you can share all the data at a very high speed.
Also, with this product, you can work through several applications and your system can be booted in just a few seconds.
A sequential read speed of up to 560 MB/S and a write speed of up to 510 MB/S is also offered on this product.
Furthermore, it features integrated power loss immunity and thus all your work would get preserved just in case power goes away for any reason.
Talking about safety, this SSD is equipped with hardware-based encryption that helps in keeping the data secure and safe from thieves and hackers.
It also features 3D NAND technology and thus it offers a high price-to-performance ratio.
Lastly, it has a very easy installation process and a warranty of 5 years is offered on this product.
Buy Now:
https://www.amazon.in/Crucial-MX500-500GB-2-5-inch-SSD/dp/B0786QNS9B/
#4 Western Digital Blue SSD
Sequential Write Speed : 530 MB/S | Sequential Read speed : 560 MB/S | Memory storage capacity : 500 GB | Warranty : 3 years | Weight : 95 grams
+ It can easily fit in into most laptops & computers
+ A free SSD dashboard is available
+ You can easily multitask with this product
– The product is a bit expensive compared to its competitors
Western Digital Blue SSD is available in 5 variants i.e. 250 GB, 500 GB, 1 TB, 2 TB and 4 GB.
The following product offers superior performance and enhanced reliability such that high-end computing can be performed.
Western Digital Blue SSD comes with a Maximum read operating speed of 3000 MB/s while the maximum write operating speed as 3800 MB/S.
It also comes with brand compatibility and Enhanced power-efficiency making it one of the best SSD to purchase in India.
Another important thing about this product is that it comes with Acronis software and Downloadable dashboard and thus it can easily fit into most laptops or computers.
Hence, WD Blue SSD is valid for gamers, PC Enthusiasts and creative professionals.
Lastly, a warranty of 3 years is also offered on this SSD.
Buy Now:
https://www.amazon.in/500GB-2-5-inch-Internal-Solid-WDS500G2B0A/dp/B073SBZ8YH/
#5 Samsung T5 Portable SSD
Sequential Write Speed : 470 MB/S | Sequential Read speed : 530 MB/S | Memory storage capacity : 500 GB | Warranty : 3 years | Weight : 49.9 grams
+ It is lightweight
+ The product is easy to carry
+ It offers high-speed transfer
– There can be at times unstable connections
Samsung T5 is another product on our list of the best SSD that you can purchase in 2020.
It offers a very high-speed data transfer and it comes with data protection.
Additionally, it is quite lightweight & compact and it weighs less than 51 grams.
Talking about the design, it has a metal exterior and it is available in two colors i.e. Black and Blue.
The following product also has a shock resistance structure and it is equipped with AES 256 bit hardware encryption.
Lastly, it offers fast transfer speed up to 540 MB/ S and comes along with intuitive software that helps in setting up the password and also getting the latest firmware updates.
Buy Now:
https://www.amazon.in/Samsung-500GB-Portable-Solid-State/dp/B074WZJ4MF/
#6 HP SSD S700
Sequential Write Speed : 480 MB/S | Sequential Read speed : 550 MB/S | Memory storage capacity : 120 GB | Warranty : 3 years | Weight : 81.6 grams
+ It is very portable and small
+ It offers a very high-speed transfer of data
+ The product is available in a very good design
– It comes with a DRAM-less design
If you want to increase the responsiveness and maximize the performance of your computer, then HP SSD S700 is all you need.
HP SSD S700 offers a writing speed of up to 480 MB/s while offers a Reading speed of up to 550MB/s.
It has four memory channels and it is equipped with DRAM cache such that stable and fast performance can be achieved.
HP SSD S700 also doesn’t contain any moving parts which can slow down or wear out the system.
This product also enables faster load times and downloads for MMOs, First-person shooters, and many other games.
It also supports Self-monitoring, NANDXtend ECC and reporting technology such that error correction performance can be improved for better durability and reliability.
Another important feature that you get with this SSD is the Write Acceleration technology that helps to increase the performance of the device.
It is also capable of making the data a lot more secure by protecting against hacks and viruses.
Lastly, you can get a warranty of 3 years on this product and thus it is quite durable.
Buy Now:
https://www.amazon.in/HP-120GB-Internal-Solid-2DP97AA/product-reviews/B072MRL3BK/
#7 Samsung 860 EVO 250 GB Internal Solid-State Drive
Sequential Write Speed : 520 MB/S | Sequential Read speed : 550 MB/S | Memory storage capacity : 250 GB | Warranty : 5 years | Weight : 90.7 grams
+ It is quite easy to install
+ The product offers super-fast transfers
+ This SSD is quite lightweight
– It is a bit overpriced product
This is the last product on our list of the best SSD to purchase in 2020.
It comes with an algorithm based controller and features V-NAND technology and it has been designed especially for mainstream laptops & PCs.
This SSD is quite capable of performing with consistent speed even when you are multi-tasking or even in heavy loads.
It is also equipped with TurboWrite technology and thus offer a sequential write speed of up to 520 MB/s while sequential read speed of up to 550 MB/s.
Also, the drive can be managed quite efficiently thanks to the advance Drive Management feature that it possesses.
Additionally, several user-friendly tools are available that helps to monitor the health of the drive as well as keep the drive updated.
Lastly, this SSD is backed with a warranty of 5 years.
Buy Now:
https://www.amazon.in/Samsung-Internal-Solid-State-MZ-76E250BW/dp/B079DTMNWC/
Buying Guide for Solid-State Drives
In this buying guide, we will provide you with in-depth knowledge regarding the types of SSD, working of SSD, benefits associated with it and the things to keep in mind before purchasing a solid-state drive.
All these will help you to bring home the right product. Let us have a look.
How does a solid-state drive work?
Solid State drive makes use of semiconductor memory chips which is known as NAND. It is non-volatile and thus it can retain the charge even if it is not powered on.
Also, it doesn’t contain any spinning platters or moving parts and thus it is named as Solid State. Moreover, they rely on electrical charge for the binary source code.
The electrical charge reads 1 when it is charged while it reads 0 when it is not charged.
The NAND chips present in the SSD are organized in the form of a grid and it is often referred to as Block. Also, the rows present in the SSD are classified as pages.
All individual block sizes range in size up to 4 Mb. Also, no moving parts are present in SSDs and thus it is quite faster than HDDs.
Also, the data is erased only at the block level as it involves a lot of voltage which would cause a lot of stress to the cells that are present at the lower level.
Hence, overwrite commands are needed to copy the entire block contents and then erase that particular content and further data is written which is updated on a new page.
Besides this, SSDs make use of single-bit error correction and compression algorithms.
SSD also has to perform a lot of load balancing work and therefore they need a lot more sophisticated controller as compared to HDD.
Also, SSDs typically have about 8 or 4 channels. These are pipelines that assist in moving the data continuously. With the help of the controller, the data is further distributed simultaneously among many NAND chips.
One of the major benefits that you get with SSDs is the data transfer rate which is five times more as compared to hard drives.
What are the types of SSD?
In general, SSD are divided into four types which are:-
- 5 Inch SATA
2.5 Inch Serial Advanced Technology Attachment is one of the most common types of SSD that is available in the market.
They are similar in shape as compared to hard drives present in laptops and they can easily get connected on the same SATA interface and cables.
So, if you have a SATA connector that is spare and if you have a hard drive bay of 2.5 inches, then you can easily install the following type of SSD.
On the contrary, if you have a desktop that consists of a 3.5-inch hard drive, then a bay adapter can be used for the installation process of 2.5 inch SATA.
- SSD AIC
SSD AIC is another type of SSD that you can opt for and it is also quite fast as compared to SATA drives since it operates on PCI Express Bus.
AIC Drives can be plugged in directly on the slots present on the motherboard which is used commonly for RAID controllers or graphics cards.
Also, AIC Drives can be an option only for the desktop and an empty slot would be needed to house them.
Just in case you already have installed the graphics card on your desktop, then you would not be able to use AIC Drives.
However, there are several modern desktops available in the market these days that have access to an additional slot.
- 2 SSDs
M.2 SSDs are a perfect option for laptops since they come similar to RAM stick shape. However, you can also use these drives on some selected desktops as well.
Also, some motherboards have more than two M.2 slots available and thus the drives can be run in RAID.
Commonly, M.2 drives are available in 22 mm width and 80 mm length.
- 2 SSDs
U.2 SSDs are quite similar to look when compared with SATA hard drives but they work quite differently.
The following SSD sends the data through the speedy PCle interface and they make use of a different connector.
Also, U.2 drives are quite expensive as compared to M.2 drives. Besides this, they have a higher capacity as compared to other SSDs.
What are the advantages of solid-state drives?
SSDs are without any doubt one of the newest trends that you will find in data storage hardware and it is getting a lot common with time.
So, let us now look at the benefits that come with solid-state drives.
- Resistance and durability
SSDs are quite durable and resistant. For instance, if you drop your laptop on the ground and if an SSD is installed, then there is a high probability that the screen would break first and then the SSD.
This truly dictates the resistance and durability of SSD.
- Speed
With SSD, you get high transfer rates and it offers 10 times better performance compared to that of HDDs. This results in faster loading of application, boot times and great responsiveness of the system.
Talking about hosting, solid-state drives can efficiently help to boost your online presence and ensures that your website loads at a very fast speed. This ensures that top-notch user experience is provided.
Besides this, SSD is also known to be quite efficient and stable and thus the security of data that is stored in it is guaranteed.
- Portable
SSDs are equipped with lightweight components and thus they are quite portable. In addition, they are quite suitable if you travel regularly.
- Reliable and Efficient
The solid-state drive makes use of flash memory to store the data and thus they are quite efficient and suitable as compared to hard disk drives.
Also, they don’t come with any moving parts and thus they consume less power for functioning.
- Easy installation
Installing a solid-state drive is quite hassle-free and you don’t need any prior experience. Just a screwdriver can get the job efficiently done for you.
- Variety of Sizes
Solid State Drive is available in 1 inch, 1.8 inches, and 2.5-inch sizes respectively. Thus, with several useful characteristics, SSDs can quickly and efficiently replace the hard disk drives.
Hence, many PC owners are advised to use Solid State Drive as their primary drive for the most important programs and the operating system.
SSD Vs HDD
| SSD | HDD |
| It offers a very fast write speed. | It offers an average write speed. |
| SSD doesn’t have any moving parts. | Two or more moving parts are present in HDD. |
| It makes 0 DB noise. | It produces about 27 DB of noise. |
| It is a bit expensive as compared to HDD. | It is cheaper as compared to SSD. |
| The boot time of SSD is about 10-12 seconds. | The boot time of HDD is about 35- 45 seconds. |
| SSD are a lot more durable as compared to HDD. | HDD is less durable than SSD. |
| It comes with less power draw feature. | It comes with more power draw feature. |
What are the things to keep in mind before purchasing the best SSD in India?
- Storage capacity
If you are purchasing an SSD, then the first thing that you need to keep in mind is storage capacity.
In general, Solid-state drives are available in a wide range of varieties and they are differentiated based on the data that they can store.
There are some SSD available in the market that offers a space of 40 GBs while there are some SSD that is available in TBs.
So, it boils down to the amount of space requirement that you have and based upon that you can select an ideal product for you.
- Performance
If you want to look at the performance of a particular SSD, then you must understand its read and write speed as mentioned by the manufacturer.
Further, performance tests are carried out in large blocks of data and upon that read and write operations are carried out.
Based upon that, sequential read/write speed is determined.
- TRIM Support
TRIM Support is another feature that should be present in a solid-state drive.
With this feature, you will get a constant level of performance from SSD throughout the life cycle as it encourages selective file deletion.
Moreover, you won’t have to worry about anything as the SSD would never delete a file that is used more often or perhaps a file that can be used in the future.
It rather cleans up unnecessary files such that the system functions well and in the due course stays optimized.
- Random Transfer rate
The next feature that you should look in a solid-state drive is its Random Transfer rate.
It is the speed at which the data can be written/read at or from different random locations on the drive.
These are performed on small blocks of data as compared to sequential write/read speed where large blocks of data are taken into consideration.
Hence, it is a lot slower process as compared to Sequential data writing.
- ECC
ECC is an acronym that is used for error correction code. With the help of ECC, an SSD can efficiently protect itself from corrupting different files by running through certain codes that might be related to malware removal.
Hence, all the data in the SSD would remain protected in all situations and thus you won’t lose any data due to some unknown malware or virus.
So, if you are concerned about data safety, then it is important to look out for a product that comes with ECC enabled feature.
FAQs: Solid-State Drives
Q) What is the use of a Solid-state drive?
A solid-state drive is a data storage device that is quite similar to a hard disk drive.
It supports both writing and reading of data and perhaps stores the data in a permanent state even when the power supply is not present.
Also, internal SSD can be easily connected to a computer through SATA connections and standard IDE.
Q) What is the meaning of NGFF?
M.2 was formerly known as NGFF ( Next Generation Form Factor). It is a specification that is used for internally mounted connectors and expansion cards.
Q) How long does a Solid-state drive last?
A solid-state drive can easily last for 2-3 years. Furthermore, it can last even more but beyond this point, you should be completely prepared for occasional defects or failures.
Q) Can a solid-state drive wear out?
A flash solid-state drive can wear out but they don’t tend to fail in such a situation and the wear is quite manageable.
This arguably means that they don’t run through the same kind of risks that comes with HDDs.
Also, during their lifespan, they deliver a significant value depending on the data it can reproduce and write accurately.
Q) Are solid-state drives reliable?
Yes, solid-state drives are quite reliable as they are not equipped with any moving parts such as actuator arms.
Besides this, it can easily withstand vibration, accidental drops, extreme temperature, etc.
Q) How to figure out if my SSD is failing?
There are certain symptoms which denote that your SSD is failing.
Some symptoms are file cannot be read or written properly, observing frequent errors while the files being moved, system running slow especially when you access large files and active applications often crashing and freezing up.
Q) How to increase the Solid-state Drive lifespan?
To increase the lifespan of your Solid State Drive, you can try out the following:-
- Paging files needs to be tweaked in Windows.
- SSD should never be filled to its full capacity.
- The health of the solid-state drive should be regularly monitored.
- Rough use of the Swap space should be avoided.
- You should not run Defragmentation on SSD.
Q) How many times can I write in a solid-state drive?
You can write about 3,000 and 100,000 times in a solid-state drive during its lifetime.
Q) Is a Solid-state drive with 256 GB capacity enough?
The fact is that there is no limit to the data that you can store in a solid-state drive. But, an SSD with 256 GB capacity can be considered enough for the majority of people.
The first thing that you need to figure out is whether you want to have a dual-drive configuration or you completely want to replace your hard drive.
So, if you are opting for a complete replacement, then you should opt for an SSD with at least a capacity of 250 GB
On the other hand, if you want to use a dual-drive configuration, then an 80 GB SSD would be well suited for your purpose.
Q) Is an SSD better than HDD?
Yes, an SSD is far better than HDD as it doesn’t come with any moving parts and it offers great security.
Conclusion
In the present time, you can easily find a wide variety of Solid-state drives available on the internet.
In such a scenario, users can get a lot confused and thus to help them out we have come up with a list of the best SSD for Laptops & Desktop that you can purchase in 2020.
All the products that are mentioned on our list have its unique features and therefore you can select any of them based on the requirement that you might be having.
Lastly, our exclusive buying guide will help you in purchasing the right product.
So, if you want to raise any questions, then do let us know in the comment box below box and we would be happy to help you out.
