What is the best all-around SSD for a laptop upgrade?

Question

Hey everyone! I am finally looking to breathe some new life into my Dell XPS 15 (9500). I have been using it for about three years now, and the original drive is nearly full and feels like it is starting to slow down during heavy tasks.

I mainly use this laptop for photo editing in Lightroom and some occasional video work, so I am looking for a solid 2TB NVMe M.2 drive to replace the stock one. I have been looking at options like the Samsung 990 Pro and the WD Black SN850X, but I am worried about whether those high-end Gen 4 speeds are actually noticeable for daily use or if they will just make my laptop run too hot. My budget is around $150, but I am willing to stretch it slightly if the reliability is worth it.

I am specifically looking for something that hits the sweet spot of:

Fast read and write speeds for large file transfers

Good power efficiency to help with battery life

Reasonable temperatures since it is a pretty thin chassis

I am a bit overwhelmed by all the benchmarks online and would love some real-world advice from people who have done similar upgrades. Between the big names like Samsung, Western Digital, and maybe Crucial, which one is actually the best all-around SSD for a laptop upgrade right now?

CinnamonCatalyst · Accepted Answer

Id actually go against the grain here, tbh. The Lexar NM790 2TB PCIe Gen4 NVMe SSD is usually cheaper than premium drives and famously efficient, so it wont kill your battery.

CloudCaper · Answer

I totally agree with the first reply about the SK hynix, its a beast for battery life. Tbh, one thing to keep in mind is that the XPS 9500 actually uses PCIe Gen 3. If you go out and buy a Samsung 990 Pro 2TB NVMe PCIe 4.0 or the Western Digital WD_BLACK SN850X 2TB NVMe PCIe 4.0, you are kinda paying for speed that your laptop literally cannot use. Itll just cap out at Gen 3 speeds anyway. For your Lightroom work, having a DRAM cache is pretty important for handling big catalogs and exports without stuttering. I would look at something like the Samsung 970 EVO Plus 2TB NVMe PCIe 3.0. It is basically the gold standard for that generation and very reliable. It hits that sweet spot of performance without the extra heat that Gen 4 drives bring, and honestly, you wont notice a difference in daily tasks compared to the newer expensive stuff.

MarshmallowMara · Answer

Honestly, for a thin laptop like the XPS, id be careful with the top-tier Gen 4 drives. They can get really hot under load. I personally recommend the SK hynix Gold P31 2TB NVMe SSD for upgrades like this. Its basically the king of power efficiency and runs much cooler than the 990 Pro. You wont really feel the speed gap in Lightroom, but your battery life will definitely stay better.