How to Choose the Best External SSD?

If you are going to purchase a new SSD, then before buying, you should consider what factors you need to look for in a new SSD. We will tell you about this in today’s article, which will help you decide which SSD to take.

So today, all your doubts about purchasing the best SSD will be cleared by some important factors explained in this article.

Don’t be confused anymore about which SSD you should purchase. Just remember these parameters while purchasing a new SSD card for your laptop/PC.

1. Determining the Right Capacity

First of all, you decide before installing any SSD how many GBs or how much TB capacity of SSD you need. GB means gigabytes, and TB means terabytes. SSDs are available in capacities ranging from 128GB to 15-20TB. But it matters what your plan is and why you are buying an SSD.

Numerous users want to switch from HDD to SSD because they find HDDs too slow now. The operating system can be installed on the SSD while the remaining data is stored on the HDD, which means keeping it on the original hard disk.

2. Impact on Performance

Switching from HDD to SDD will improve performance and make it faster. For users who want to upgrade from HDD to SSD, it is suggested to take at least an M.2 NVMe SSD and install the operating system, all applications, games, etc. on it to have a smooth and peaceful computing experience.

When you purchase a 128GB, 240GB, or 250GB SSD and start using it by installing applications, the available space will gradually decrease, leaving only 10-20GB remaining. After that, your computer will start slowing down again. Proper space should be available in the system drive for it to run properly. Therefore, we recommend taking at least 500GB. For those whose purpose is solely to use it as a storage device, they can take any storage limit they want.

3. Understanding SSD Interfaces

Before buying an SSD, you should also know about the interface, i.e., what interface your SSD has. First, understand, why were are talking about the SSD interface. This is because many laptops and systems have SSDs with different interfaces. Commonly, you will find SSDs with two interfaces: one is SATA, and the other is NVMe.

In most older machines, you will find these, while in newer machines, you may find M.2 or PCIe. Apart from these, there is another interface that you may not have heard much about, called Serial Attached SCSI, which is also available. But still, if by mistake it is present in any user’s laptop or system, then you should check it once. Here are the steps on how you can check it.

How to Check Your System’s Interface?

To check your system’s interface on Windows 10 or 11, follow these steps.

Step 1: Go to the Start button, then Settings, then System, followed by Storage.

Step 2: In this, you will find Advanced Storage, click on it and select the Disks & Volumes option.

Step 3: Then click on the Properties button present next to your drive.

Step 4: Here, you will know whether you are using NVMe, IDE or SATA.

4. Choosing the Right Brand

Another important factor is the brand. Many users wonder which brand’s SSD is the best and reliable. Some brands offer a lot at a low price, but their hardware quality is poor, meaning your SSD will wear out quickly. While some brands may seem expensive, they offer good hardware quality, which will last long. You should choose a good brand with good quality.

5. Considering the Form Factor

You should consider the form factor of the SSD. The form factor is a technical term used to define the shape and size of an object. SSDs come in a 2.5-inch size, and another form factor is M.2. You should know about these because when you open your system to change the SSD, you will already know. Most people upgrading from HDD to SSD will have a 2.5-inch one installed because they were using SATA earlier.

6. Speed Matters

Speed is crucial because we are purchasing SSDs for speed. We consider factors like read and write speed. The higher the read and write speed of an SSD, the snappier it will be. This speed varies from 500 MBPS to 5 GBPS. Based on your tasks and budget, you can choose an SSD with a specific speed.

If you are gaming or rendering, you will need higher speeds. Even the lowest read and write speed of around 400-500 MBPS will provide better results than an HDD.

7. Price Considerations

Finally, let’s talk about the price point. If the first five points we told you about are final, then you are left with only the price to consider. Choose the one with the lower price that fulfils the above five points. Research is important because sometimes spending a little more can get you a better option.

Always research the price as well. If you consider these seven things while buying an SSD, you will be able to purchase a good one without any problem and run your computer smoothly.

Bonus: Avoid Cheap Brands

Do not prefer any cheap brand or anything that lasts only a year or two because you are going to store a lot of data on that SSD. To see this, you can search on Google for the best brands. Top brands like Samsung, Crucial, Corsair, or WD are reliable and fulfil the criteria you require.

Considering factors such as capacity, interface, brand, form factor, speed, and price is important when upgrading to an SSD. Selecting a trustworthy brand over inexpensive alternatives will result in a dependable and durable investment. A high-quality SSD will result in a noticeable improvement in performance and a more seamless computing experience.