What is the best Gen4 SSD for Ryzen 5000 series builds?

Question

I'm finally putting together my first real PC after saving up since last summer and I got a Ryzen 7 5800X because my friend said it was a good deal now but I am totally lost on the storage part. I keep seeing people talk about Gen4 SSDs and how they are faster for these newer CPUs but honestly I look at the numbers and my brain just shuts off. Like is 7000MB/s actually better than 3500 in a way I can actually feel when I'm playing?

Sorry if this is a really basic thing to ask but I'm just scared of buying something that doesnt fit or slows down the whole system. I was looking at some Samsung ones because I know the name but then I saw Western Digital and Crucial and Sabrent and now I'm just staring at a bunch of black rectangles on Amazon not knowing what to click. Everything looks the same but the prices are so different and I dont want to waste money on something that is overkill but I also dont want to be cheap and regret it later.

Here is what I am trying to stick to:

Budget: I have about $120 to $140 left for this part of the build

Size: I think I need at least 2TB if possible because games like CoD and Ark are just massive now

Use: Mostly just gaming and maybe some light video stuff for school

Reliability: I really dont want something that is gonna die on me in a year

Do I need one with those little metal covers on them? I think they are called heatsinks? My motherboard is an MSI B550 and it has like a flat metal piece over the slot already so I dont know if I should buy an SSD that has its own or if that would be bad or not fit under the motherboard cover. Also I live in a pretty small town so I am mostly ordering everything online so I cant really go talk to a pro in person. I just want something that is reliable and wont break after six months of me playing games. Is there a specific brand that works best with the Ryzen 5000 chips or does it not really matter which one I pick as long as it says Gen4? I am trying to get this all ordered by Friday so I can build it over the weekend...

KeyboardKhaos · Accepted Answer

I caught this post a bit late but honestly I am super satisfied with how Gen4 prices are looking right now. Since you mentioned doing video stuff for school, you will actually appreciate the sustained write speeds on a higher-end drive more than a pure gamer would. If you want to see the actual raw data and benchmarks for these things, definitely check out the SSD database over at TechPowerUp... it is a total lifesaver for comparing controllers and NAND types without getting lost in marketing fluff. For your $140 budget, these two have worked really well in builds I have worked on lately:

SK hynix Platinum P41 2TB PCIe Gen4 NVMe this is basically the gold standard for power efficiency and speed. it stays cool which is perfect for fitting under your motherboard cover.

Sabrent Rocket 4 Plus 2TB NVMe PCIe Gen4 uses the phison e18 controller which is very reliable and handles those massive game installs without breaking a sweat. Ngl the jump from 3500 to 7000MB/s isnt always noticeable just booting windows, but when you are moving massive game folders or scrubbing through video, you definitely feel the snappiness. If you use a site like PCPartPicker to track prices, you can usually snag these right in your range. Stick with the bare drives tho, no need to pay extra for a heatsink you wont use. You're gonna have a killer build once it is all put together.

UpdateRequired · Answer

Unfortunately I had issues with budget drives that were not as good as expected when handling large game installs. To stay under your $140 budget while maintaining reliability, I suggest the Crucial P5 Plus 2TB PCIe Gen4 NVMe.

includes dram for consistent speeds

fits under your motherboard heatsink

superior endurance for gaming Dont get caught up in the 7000MB/s hype tho; you wont feel the difference in daily gaming.

PaperPhoenix · Answer

Yo, congrats on the new build! honestly that 5800x is still a beast. for the ssd, you definitely dont want to waste cash on a version with a heatsink since your msi board already has one. it wont fit under that metal plate and you might actually mess up the thermal pads if you try to force it. make sure you stick to the plain versions to save some money too. here are two that I would suggest looking at:

Western Digital WD_BLACK SN850X 2TB NVMe SSD is super fast and usually fits your budget.

Samsung 980 PRO 2TB PCIe Gen4 NVMe M.2 SSD is a classic choice for long-term reliability. The speed difference between 3500 and 7000 is mostly for huge file transfers, but for games like ark, those faster loading times are really nice. just be careful with random cheap brands because they tend to fail early... stick to these and you should be fine.