What should I look for when buying an SSD?

Check that the form factor fits your machine, pick a sensible capacity, and buy on price per TB for value. Most spec-sheet details like gen 5 speed matter far less than people think. A good mid-range NVMe at a low price per TB suits almost everyone.

What SSD specs actually matter?

Form factor and interface compatibility come first, then capacity and price per TB. Beyond that, most specs are minor for everyday use. Gen 5 speed, DRAM and NAND type only matter for specific heavy workloads, not general computing.

Do I need the fastest SSD?

Almost never. A mid-range gen 4 NVMe feels identical to a top-tier gen 5 drive in everyday use, for much less money. Buy the speed you will actually notice and put the savings into capacity.

How Do You Choose an SSD? A Simple Checklist

Published: August 27, 2026

Live answer · Amazon.com

Pulling live prices…

Live data across PricePerGig listings. Prices may change; Updated every few hours.

📊 As of 28 September 2026, the typical SSD on Amazon.co.uk is £305/TB or £0.305/GB across the 2,387 live listings we track, with the widest choice of drives priced around £134/TB or £0.134/GB. The best deals on Amazon.co.uk start from about £140 for 1TB (£140/TB), £228 for 2TB (£114/TB) and £430 for 4TB (£107/TB). The current best value is 4TB at roughly £107 per TB.

Sourced from real discussions on r/buildapc and r/NewMaxx, cross-checked against live PricePerGig listings.

Shopping for an SSD and drowning in jargon about gen 5, DRAM and NAND types? Let me hand you a simple checklist instead.

A few things genuinely matter. Most of the spec sheet does not.

Form factor, capacity, price per TB, and then a couple of specs only if you have a heavy workload. That is really it.

The table above shows the live SSD prices on your marketplace, which settles the value question for you.

1. Does it fit your machine?

Start here, because the wrong shape simply will not work.

Many laptops and desktops take an M.2 NVMe stick. Most modern boards have a slot.
Older or budget machines may only take a 2.5 inch SATA SSD.

Check which slot you have first. We explain the difference in SATA vs NVMe SSD.

2. Capacity, sized for your use

Pick enough space, with a little room to grow.

1TB is a sensible minimum these days, 2TB is comfortable, and larger if you store a lot of big files. For where the line sits on giant drives, see is it worth buying a large SSD.

3. Price per TB, the value compass

This is the number that matters most.

Sort the live table above by price per TB and a good value drive jumps out. It lets you compare drives fairly regardless of capacity or brand.

A mid-range NVMe at a low price per TB is the sweet spot for almost everyone.

4. The specs that only sometimes matter

Here is where people overspend, so keep perspective.

Gen 5 speed: usually a waste. A good gen 4 feels identical day to day for much less.
DRAM: a DRAM-less drive is fine for everyday use, see what is a DRAM-less SSD.
NAND type: QLC versus TLC is a minor value trade-off, covered in QLC vs TLC.

These only swing the decision for heavy sustained workloads. For general use, do not pay premiums chasing them.

5. Back it up anyway

An SSD is fast, but it is not a backup.

SSDs can fail suddenly, so keep important data in more than one place with a copy offsite. The speed is for working, the backup is for safety.

The bottom line

Choosing an SSD is simple once you ignore the noise. Make sure the form factor fits, pick a sensible capacity, buy on the best price per TB, and only worry about gen 5, DRAM or NAND type if you have a genuinely heavy workload.

Run that checklist, let the live price per TB table above find the value, and you will get a great SSD without overpaying for specs you will never feel. Then back it up and your set.