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Short on time? Our top pick is Samsung 990 PRO 1TB, Crucial T500 2TB NVMe SSD takes Best Gen4 Write Speed, while SanDisk Optimus GX 7100 1TB takes Best Efficient Gen4 NVMe.
- Best PCIe Gen4 NVMe SSD Samsung 990 PRO 1TB Check price
- Best Gen4 Write Speed Crucial T500 2TB NVMe SSD Check price
- Best Efficient Gen4 NVMe SanDisk Optimus GX 7100 1TB Check price
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The best PCIe Gen4 NVMe SSD for most people is a fast, efficient drive that works in both desktops and laptops. Gen4 is now the standard for new builds and upgrades, and the best drives are rated well above 7,000MB/s.
We picked six Gen4 NVMe drives covering top speed, writes, efficiency and value. We checked every listing on Amazon in October 2026 and used the specs the makers publish there. We do not list prices because Amazon prices change in real time; use the buttons to see the current price and availability. Scores are our editorial scores out of 10, not Amazon customer ratings.
Best PCIe Gen4 NVMe SSDs at a Glance
| Award | Drive | Read / Write | Best For | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Best PCIe Gen4 NVMe SSD | Samsung 990 PRO 1TB | 7,450 / 6,900MB/s | Top speed | 9.1/10 |
| Best Gen4 Write Speed | Crucial T500 2TB NVMe SSD | 7,400 / 7,000MB/s | Creators and big installs | 8.9/10 |
| Best Efficient Gen4 NVMe | SanDisk Optimus GX 7100 1TB | 7,250 / 6,900MB/s | Laptops and SFF PCs | 8.7/10 |
| Best Value Gen4 NVMe | Lexar NM790 1TB NVMe SSD | 7,400 / 6,500MB/s | Speed for less | 8.5/10 |
| Best Flexible Gen4 NVMe | Samsung 990 EVO Plus 1TB | 7,150 / 6,300MB/s | Gen4 x4 or Gen5 x2 | 8.3/10 |
| Best Budget Gen4 NVMe | Kingston NV3 1TB NVMe SSD | 6,000 / 4,000MB/s | Saving money | 8.1/10 |
Samsung SSD 990 PRO 1TB, PCIe 4.0 M.2 2280
Reads up to 7,450MB/s, near the top of PCIe 4.0, with a slim build Samsung says fits laptops meeting PCI-SIG D8.
Crucial T500 2TB PCIe Gen4 NVMe SSD, M.2 2280
One of the fastest Gen4 drives we checked, with reads up to 7,400MB/s and writes up to 7,000MB/s.
SanDisk Optimus GX 7100 1TB NVMe SSD, PCIe 4.0, M.2 2280
Reads up to 7,250MB/s with a power-efficient design SanDisk aims at battery life, sold by Amazon when we checked.
Lexar NM790 1TB NVMe SSD, PCIe Gen 4x4, M.2 2280
Reads up to 7,400MB/s and, per Lexar, uses up to 40% less power than DRAM-equipped Gen4 drives.
Samsung SSD 990 EVO Plus 1TB, PCIe 4.0 x4 / 5.0 x2, M.2 2280
Reads up to 7,150MB/s and runs on PCIe 4.0 x4 or 5.0 x2, with a nickel-coated controller aimed at battery life.
Kingston NV3 1TB M.2 2280 NVMe SSD, PCIe 4.0 Gen 4x4
Kingston markets the NV3 for high speed, low power storage, with reads up to 6,000MB/s and a 5-year warranty.
In-Depth Reviews
1. What Separates Gen4 NVMe Drives?
At the top end, Gen4 drives are close on sequential reads, so random performance, writes, efficiency and warranty decide the winner. Samsung quotes up to 1,400K random read IOPS for the 990 PRO 1TB, while Crucial rates the T500 2TB for up to 7,000MB/s writes.
2. Samsung 990 PRO 1TB: Best PCIe Gen4 NVMe SSD
The Samsung 990 PRO 1TB reads at up to 7,450MB/s and writes at up to 6,900MB/s, with up to 1,400K and 1,550K random IOPS. Samsung quotes up to 50% better performance per watt than the 980 PRO, uses its own nickel-coated controller for thermal control, and says the slim drive fits desktops and laptops that meet the PCI-SIG D8 standard.
3. Crucial T500 2TB NVMe SSD: Best Gen4 Write Speed
The Crucial T500 2TB reads at up to 7,400MB/s and writes at up to 7,000MB/s, with up to 1.18M and 1.44M random IOPS. Crucial says it installs in desktops, laptops and workstations with Gen4 M.2 slots and claims up to 16% faster game loads with DirectStorage.
4. SanDisk Optimus GX 7100 1TB: Best Efficient Gen4 NVMe
The SanDisk Optimus GX 7100 1TB reads at up to 7,250MB/s and writes at up to 6,900MB/s, with random speeds up to 1M and 1.4M IOPS. It uses 8th generation BiCS TLC NAND and nCache, and SanDisk describes a power-efficient architecture meant to help battery life.
5. Lexar NM790 1TB NVMe SSD: Best Value Gen4 NVMe
The Lexar NM790 1TB reads at up to 7,400MB/s and writes at up to 6,500MB/s, rated for 1,000TBW. Lexar says it uses up to 40% less power than DRAM cache-enabled PCIe Gen4 drives and relies on HMB 3.0 to borrow a slice of system memory as cache.
6. Samsung 990 EVO Plus 1TB: Best Flexible Gen4 NVMe
The Samsung 990 EVO Plus 1TB reads at up to 7,150MB/s and writes at up to 6,300MB/s. It works on PCIe 4.0 x4 and PCIe 5.0 x2, and Samsung says its nickel-coated controller lets it use less power, with laptops and battery life in mind. Intelligent TurboWrite 2.0 helps with large files.
7. Kingston NV3 1TB NVMe SSD: Best Budget Gen4 NVMe
The Kingston NV3 1TB reads at up to 6,000MB/s and writes at up to 4,000MB/s. Kingston pitches it as high speed, low power storage, includes Acronis cloning software for moving your old drive and backs it with a 5-year limited warranty.
How to Choose a PCIe Gen4 NVMe SSD
Use case
Gaming needs fast reads; content work benefits from faster writes.
Efficiency
For laptops, look at the SanDisk GX 7100 or Samsung 990 EVO Plus.
Cache
DRAM-less HMB drives like the Lexar NM790 are fine for most users.
Warranty
Kingston lists a 5-year limited warranty on the NV3.
Quick Setup Tips
- Check your laptop's manual: confirm the M.2 length, PCIe generation and whether there is a free second slot
- Back up first: copy anything important before you swap the boot drive
- Clone or reinstall: several picks include Acronis cloning software for moving your old drive
- Skip big heatsinks: most laptops have no room for a desktop heatsink; a thin label is fine
- Check the live price: use the buttons to see the current price on Amazon
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the best PCIe Gen4 NVMe SSD?
The Samsung 990 PRO 1TB, with reads up to 7,450MB/s and writes up to 6,900MB/s.
Which Gen4 NVMe has the fastest writes?
The Crucial T500 2TB, rated up to 7,000MB/s.
Is a Gen4 NVMe good for laptops?
Yes. The SanDisk GX 7100 and Samsung 990 EVO Plus both call out efficiency.
Does the 990 EVO Plus work in Gen5 slots?
Samsung lists support for PCIe 4.0 x4 and PCIe 5.0 x2.
Is a budget Gen4 NVMe enough for gaming?
Yes. The Kingston NV3 at 6,000MB/s is far faster than SATA.
The Bottom Line
The Samsung 990 PRO 1TB is the best PCIe Gen4 NVMe SSD. Pick the Crucial T500 2TB for writes, or the Lexar NM790 1TB for value.
