Samsung 980 500GB
The Samsung 980 PCIe nVME SSD is one of the best in its class. It comes in the 2280 M.2 form factor and in several sizes, but the 500GB model best matches price to performance. With 3500MB/s read and 3000MB/s write speeds, it's more than capable of working with most machines.
Samsung is a staple when it comes to high-performance SSDs, and the Samsung 980 PCIe M.2 SSD is a brilliant storage drive. It’s currently the cheapest that it’s ever been, and this Prime Day deal is perfect for those looking to either build a new computer or upgrade their internal storage. The Samsung 980 comes in several different capacities, but the 500GB model is now under $30, making it an absolute steal.
Why should you buy the Samsung 980?
I spend most of my time in a workshop fixing and upgrading computers, and Samsung is the brand that stands out to me for its high-quality SSDs. Known for exceptional performance, Samsung’s SSDs usually come at the cost of a higher price than the competition. However, with the 500GB variant now only $30, there’s no reason not to have one of these in your system (as long as your device supports it).
The Samsung 980 is a high-performance SSD that uses the PCIe 3.0 protocol for 4x speeds. Its form factor means it can even fit M.2 SSD slots, including those in modern laptops, though some tiny computers, such as the Steam Deck, won’t natively support it due to the length. PCIe 4.0 drives — like Samsung’s own 990 Pro — are out there and a fair amount quicker than the 980. For most people, the PCIe 3.0 limitations won’t be felt in day-to-day tasks or even gaming most of the time.
The read and write speeds are rather impressive at 3500 and 3000 MB/s, respectively. This is around six times faster than a traditional SATA 3 SSD. You will notice an improvement in speed over the aforementioned SSD type in day-to-day tasks, but you’ll really feel extra zip in-game loading times, file transfers, and video editing from the drive.
500GB is plenty of space for a boot drive for most people, and with a lot of machines in 2023, you could even add another, larger drive for more space down the line. The 1TB model — at under $50 — is a great deal too, but the 63% off on the 500GB model makes it one of our favorite storage deals and a big recommendation to those looking for speedy storage without breaking the bank.