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Quick Answer
The best SSD for a gaming PC in 2026 is a 2TB PCIe Gen4 NVMe drive like the WD Black SN770 or Samsung 980 Pro. Gen4 offers the ideal price-to-performance ratio for gaming, as Gen5 drives show no measurable improvement in game load times.
The SN770 offers 5,150 MB/s reads, excellent random performance, and outstanding value. Game load times are virtually identical to drives costing twice as much. No heatsink needed for most gaming builds.
Samsung's flagship offers 7,450 MB/s sequential reads and best-in-class random IOPS. Marginal real-world gaming benefit over the SN770, but excellent for content creation workflows alongside gaming.
A DRAMless Gen4 drive that delivers 3,500 MB/s reads. Game load times are within 1-2 seconds of premium drives. The best option when budget is tight and you need maximum capacity.
No. DirectStorage and GPU decompression are still in early adoption. Current game load times on Gen4 vs Gen5 SSDs differ by less than 1 second. Gen5 drives cost 40-60% more for zero gaming benefit in 2026. Save your money.
NVMe drives offer faster load times than SATA SSDs, typically 2-5 seconds quicker per load screen. At current prices, the gap between NVMe and SATA is small enough that NVMe is always the better choice for a primary drive.
Our Verdict
Get a 2TB WD Black SN770 for the best value in gaming storage. Skip Gen5 drives and save $70-120 AUD for zero gaming benefit. 2TB is the sweet spot for most gamers in 2026.