Best 1TB PCIe 5.0 DRAM-less SSDs
There are 7 1TB PCIe 5.0 DRAM-less SSDs compared here. The fastest is the Crucial P510 at 11000 MB/s read at 1TB. Sequential reads across the group span 10000–11000 MB/s at 1TB.
Why this configuration
A 1TB PCIe 5.0 DRAM-less SSD is a flagship configuration — about the fastest consumer storage you can buy today. Gen5 roughly doubles Gen4 sequential bandwidth, which shows up in large file copies, near-instant level loading and heavy content work; the trade-offs are more heat and a higher price.
1TB is the capacity most single-drive builds settle on.
Usually chosen for: enthusiasts, streamers and creators building a no-compromise rig — plus PS5 owners who want headroom.
Good fit: value builds and gaming where cost per gigabyte matters; enthusiasts and creators chasing peak sequential speed.
Look elsewhere for: databases, virtual machines and other sustained random-write workloads; small-form-factor or laptop builds with poor M.2 cooling.
Ranked list
Speeds on this page are the manufacturer's 1TB ratings where published (7 of 7 drives), not the family headline figure. Rated writes at 1TB run 7900–9600 MB/s.
| # | Model | Tier | Controller | Read MB/s (at 1TB) | TBW | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Crucial P510 1TB, 2TB | Mid-range | Phison E31T | 11000 | — | Check price on Amazon |
| 2 | Addlink G55 1TB, 2TB, 4TB | Mid-range | Phison E31T | 10300 | — | Check price on Amazon |
| 3 | Addlink G55H 1TB, 2TB, 4TB | Mid-range | Phison E31T | 10300 | — | Check price on Amazon |
| 4 | Corsair MP700 Elite 1TB, 2TB | Mid-range | Phison E31T | 10000 | — | Check price on Amazon |
| 5 | Kioxia Exceria G3 1TB, 2TB | Mid-range | Phison E31T | 10000 | — | Check price on Amazon |
| 6 | Kioxia Exceria Plus G4 1TB, 2TB | Mid-range | Phison E31T | 10000 | — | Check price on Amazon |
| 7 | TeamGroup NV10000 1TB, 2TB, 4TB | Mid-range | Phison E31T | 10000 | — | Check price on Amazon |
The parts, explained
1TB is the mainstream single-drive capacity.
PCIe 5.0 x4 pushes past 12,000 MB/s, though the quickest drives run hot and usually want a heatsink.
DRAM-less drives use the Host Memory Buffer (HMB) instead — cheaper, and fine for everyday use and gaming, with a small penalty under heavy random writes.
Common questions
Is a DRAM-less 1TB SSD good enough?
For gaming and everyday use, yes — HMB covers those workloads well. If you run sustained heavy random writes (databases, VMs), a drive with a DRAM cache stays more consistent.
Do I need a heatsink for a PCIe 5.0 drive?
Usually yes — Gen5 controllers run hot and can throttle without cooling. Many motherboards now ship with an M.2 heatsink that does the job.