Which NVMe SSD is best for gaming laptops in 2024?

Quick question - do you happen to know if your laptop has a single-sided or double-sided SSD slot?? I've seen way too many people jam a thick drive into a slim chassis and literally crack the motherboard or cause huge heat issues. Safety-first, seriously... check your clearance before buying stuff like the WD Black SN850X 2TB NVMe SSD or the Lexar NM790 2TB PCIe Gen4 cuz fitment matters for cooling!!

Honestly, I wouldn't spend $200 on a drive. I tried the Samsung 990 Pro 2TB NVMe SSD and it ran way too hot in my laptop, basically thermal throttling within minutes... so frustrating. For a budget-friendly 2TB option that actually stays cool, I definitely recommend the Lexar NM790 2TB PCIe Gen4 NVMe SSD. It's usually under $130, uses less power, and feels just as fast for gaming load times tbh!

Hmm, I've had a different experience when it comes to high-end drives in laptops. Not to disagree with the previous post, but I highkey think the heat issues are sometimes a bit exaggerated if you pick the right hardware! Respectfully, I'd consider another option like the SK hynix Platinum P41 2TB PCIe NVMe Gen4 M.2 2280 SSD.

Seriously, I've swapped so many drives in my rigs and the P41 is literally a beast for efficiency. It hits those top-tier Gen4 speeds but stays wayyy cooler than the Samsung drives in tight spaces. If you're worried about throttling, another solid tip is to grab a thin copper shim or heat spreader if your laptop doesn't have one built-in. But honestly, the Crucial T500 2TB PCIe Gen4 NVMe M.2 SSD is also a fantastic alternative that balances power and thermals perfectly. Both are killer 2TB options that won't turn your laptop into an oven lol. gl with the upgrade!

Honestly, be careful with high-end Gen4 drives in laptops because the heat is real. I had issues where my speed literally plummeted during long sessions... definitely consider a DRAM-less drive like the Lexar one mentioned earlier or a Teamgroup, they stay way cooler without sacrificing much performance for gaming!!

You might want to be careful about jumping straight into the fastest drives. I'm always worried about heat build-up in a laptop since there's basically zero airflow in those tiny cases. Before you decide between brands like Samsung or WD, I would suggest checking a couple things. Samsung usually has a reputation for being the fastest, but WD is sometimes seen as better for sustained temps in tight spaces. Couple questions to help narrow it down:

• What's the exact model of your laptop?
• Are you looking for the absolute fastest speeds or is reliability your main priority? Make sure to look at your internal clearance too. I've heard some brands have thicker chips that dont fit well in thin laptops. Id hate for you to spend a bunch of money on a drive that just throttles anyway because the laptop case is too tight. Just being cautious tbh... better safe than sorry with expensive hardware.