Which Gen4 SSD works best with AMD Ryzen 5000 builds?

Question

Hey everyone, I am finally pulling the trigger on a much-needed storage upgrade for my current setup. I am currently running a Ryzen 7 5800X on an ASUS TUF Gaming B550-Plus motherboard, and while my old SATA SSD has served me well for a few years, I feel like I am leaving a lot of performance on the table by not utilizing the PCIe 4.0 capabilities of this specific platform. Since the 5000 series was really the first to make Gen4 mainstream for AMD, I want to make sure I am getting a drive that actually plays nice with the architecture.

I have been doing a lot of reading lately, but the market for Gen4 drives seems so saturated right now that it is getting hard to tell what is actually worth the money and what is just marketing fluff. I use my PC for a pretty even split between heavy gaming and some 4K video editing projects for my hobby channel. Because I am often moving large raw video files around, sustained write speeds are a huge priority for me. I am also a bit of a stickler for fast boot times and general system snappiness.

I have narrowed my search down to a few popular options, but I would love to hear from people who are actually running these on a similar Ryzen 5000 series build. Specifically, I have been looking at:

The Western Digital WD_BLACK SN850X

The Samsung 990 Pro

The Crucial T500

My main concern is the heat. I have heard that some of these high-end Gen4 drives can get pretty toasty during long workloads. My motherboard has a basic M.2 heatsink included, but I am wondering if that is enough or if I should specifically look for a drive that comes with its own beefy heatsink pre-installed. Also, I have seen some discussion about firmware issues with certain brands lately, which makes me a bit nervous about reliability.

I am really trying to find that sweet spot drive that offers great reliability without being complete overkill. For those of you who have made the jump to Gen4 on your AMD builds, which drive has given you the fewest headaches and the most consistent speeds?

NimbleNebula · Accepted Answer

Since you mentioned heavy 4K video editing, you really need to look at power efficiency and sustained IOPS rather than just peak burst speeds. If you want a drive that stays cool under pressure, the SK hynix Platinum P41 2TB NVMe Gen4 is probably your best bet. It is widely considered one of the most power-efficient Gen4 drives on the market. Better efficiency means less heat, so your motherboard's stock heatsink will be totally fine. Another great option is the Kingston KC3000 2TB PCIe 4.0 NVMe. It uses the Phison E18 controller which is a workhorse for those long video renders. Its usually a bit cheaper than the Samsung 990 Pro while offering basically identical performance. One practical tip: dont bother paying extra for a drive with a pre-installed heatsink since your ASUS TUF board already has one. Just make sure you peel the plastic film off the thermal pad under the motherboard's M.2 cover! Also, grab the latest AGESA bios update for that B550 board to ensure the best NVMe compatibility.

WanderlustWalrus · Answer

Just saw this today. While those premium drives are solid, I politely disagree with the need to overspend. For your build, the Lexar NM790 2TB NVMe PCIe Gen4 is a much better value. It uses the Maxio MAP1602 controller which is incredibly power efficient and runs way cooler than the competition. It hits those 7400MB/s targets without the high price tag or the firmware reliability concerns seen elsewhere.

PapayaPilgrim · Answer

tbh I would grab the Western Digital WD_BLACK SN850X 2TB NVMe Gen4. I have it in a similar setup and it runs cooler than the Samsung 990 Pro 2TB PCIe 4.0 NVMe. The Crucial T500 2TB PCIe Gen4 NVMe is a solid budget pick, but the WD handles sustained video work better. 990 Pro is fast but had firmware issues lately, so I went WD for peace of mind... definitely works fine with that TUF heatsink.