Storage might not be flashy, but it plays a huge role in your everyday experience. Whether you're loading into games, installing software, or booting up your system—fast and reliable storage is what makes your PC feel fast.

This guide will help you choose the right type of storage for your next build or upgrade without wasting money on overkill features.

🔍 What Types of Storage Are There?

In 2025, your main choices boil down to:

1. NVMe SSD (M.2 Form Factor)

Fastest option, with read/write speeds from 3,000MB/s up to 14,000MB/s

Tiny, stick-like form factor that connects directly to the motherboard

Ideal for Windows, games, creative software, and overall responsiveness

2. SATA SSD (2.5-inch Form Factor)

Still much faster than hard drives (up to ~550MB/s), but slower than NVMe

Budget-friendly and great for game libraries or secondary drives

3. HDD (Hard Disk Drive)

Mechanical, slower (100–200MB/s), but high capacity and cheap

Best used for media storage, backups, or rarely accessed files

⚠️ Pro tip: Don’t use an HDD as your main drive in 2025. An NVMe SSD is a must for modern gaming and OS performance.

💾 How Much Storage Do I Need for Gaming?

Here’s a good baseline for gamers and creators:

512GB NVMe – Bare minimum; can fill up fast with modern AAA titles

1TB NVMe – Sweet spot for most gamers; room for OS + 5–10 games

2TB NVMe – Ideal for larger libraries, especially if you play big titles (like Warzone, Starfield, Hogwarts Legacy)

+ SATA SSD or HDD – Great for extra game storage, media, or backups

🎮 Many AAA games are now over 100GB each. If you play more than 2–3 at a time, go for at least 1TB.

⚙️ What to Look for in an NVMe SSD

🚀 Speed (Read/Write)

Gen 3 NVMe – 3,000–3,500 MB/s (older but still solid for gaming)

Gen 4 NVMe – 5,000–7,000 MB/s (widely supported, fast)

Gen 5 NVMe – 10,000–14,000 MB/s (cutting-edge, needs motherboard support)

🧠 In real-world gaming, the jump from Gen 3 to Gen 5 isn’t night and day—but it’s noticeable when transferring files or loading massive open-world games.

🔥 Heatsinks

Some high-speed drives get hot. If your motherboard doesn't include M.2 heatsinks, consider buying an SSD with one pre-installed.

🧱 DRAM Cache

SSDs with DRAM are faster and more consistent under heavy loads.

DRAM-less SSDs are cheaper but may slow down during large transfers.

📦 What About Game Load Times?

Switching from an HDD to an SSD can cut load times in half or better.

But here’s the thing: between Gen 3, 4, and 5 NVMe SSDs, gaming performance is mostly the same. You’ll see marginal gains in texture streaming or open-world games, but it’s not a huge FPS boost.

✅ Your priority should be capacity and reliability over max speed—unless you're also doing video editing or transferring massive files.

🔌 Compatibility Checklist

Before buying a drive, make sure:

Your motherboard supports M.2 NVMe (most do in 2025)

You have an open M.2 slot with PCIe Gen 4 or 5 support (if going high-end)

Your case or board has clearance for a heatsink, if applicable

SATA SSDs and HDDs use standard power and data cables and fit in most mid-tower and larger cases.

💰 How Much Should I Spend?

Here’s what you can expect in 2025:

Gen 3 NVMe

1TB

£50–£70

Budget gaming, OS drive

Gen 4 NVMe

1TB

£70–£90

Fast load times, most popular choice

Gen 5 NVMe

1TB

£100–£140

Cutting-edge speed, future-proofing

SATA SSD

1TB

£45–£60

Cheap game storage, bare minimum for OS drive

HDD

2TB+

£40–£60

Mass storage, media, backups

🧠 Final Thoughts

Use an NVMe SSD as your boot and game drive—even Gen 3 is fine for most gamers.

Add SATA SSDs or HDDs if you need extra storage for media or backups.

Gen 5 drives are cool but not essential unless you're a power user or want max performance in everything.

Still Unsure What Storage Setup is Best?

If you’re not sure whether to go Gen 4 or Gen 5—or need help optimizing your storage for a new build—reach out on my contact page. I’ll help you pick the right drives for your needs and budget.