Best 2TB PCIe 3.0 QLC SSDs
There are 7 2TB PCIe 3.0 QLC SSDs compared here. The fastest is the Intel INTEL® SSD 670P SERIES at 3500 MB/s read at 2TB, and the highest-rated for endurance is the Corsair MP400 NVMe (1600 TBW). Sequential reads across the group span 1800–3500 MB/s at 2TB.
Why this configuration
A 2TB PCIe 3.0 QLC SSD is an affordable NVMe step up from SATA. Gen3 is roughly six times SATA's throughput yet often costs little more, making it the easy default for a first NVMe drive or a laptop that only supports Gen3. Note the QLC NAND: treat this as capacity-first — excellent for storing and reading big libraries, less ideal as a constantly-rewritten scratch disk.
2TB is the current default for people who'd rather not think about free space for a while.
Usually chosen for: budget builders, laptop upgraders and anyone leaving SATA behind.
Good fit: read-heavy storage — media libraries and game installs you rarely rewrite.
Look elsewhere for: heavy sustained writes or a video-editing scratch disk.
Ranked list
Speeds on this page are the manufacturer's 2TB ratings where published (7 of 7 drives), not the family headline figure. 1 of the 7 are rated slower at 2TB than at their fastest capacity. Rated writes at 2TB run 1700–3000 MB/s.
| # | Model | Tier | Controller | Read MB/s (at 2TB) | TBW | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Intel ® SSD 670P SERIES 500GB, 1TB, 2TB | Mid-range | Silicon Motion SM2265 (Dual Core 3 | 3500 | 740 | Find on Amazon |
| 2 | Corsair MP400 NVMe 1TB, 2TB, 4TB, 8TB | Mid-range | Phison PS5012-E12S (TSMC 12nm, 8-C | 3480 | 1600 | Find on Amazon |
| 3 | Silicon Power UD70 500GB, 1TB, 2TB | Mid-range | PHISON E12 PS5012-E12S-32 (2-Core | 3400 | 530 | Find on Amazon |
| 4 | Sabrent ROCKET Q 1TB, 2TB, 4TB, 8TB | Mid-range | Phison PS5012-E12S (TSMC 12nm, 8-C | 3200 | 940 | Find on Amazon |
| 5 | Intel ® SSD 665P SERIES 1TB, 2TB | Value | Silicon Motion SM2263EN (2-Core, 4 | 2000 | 600 | Find on Amazon |
| 6 | Intel ® SSD 660P SERIES 500GB, 1TB, 2TB | Value | Silicon Motion SM2263EN (2-Core, 4 | 1800 | 400 | Find on Amazon |
| 7 | Kingston NV1 500GB, 1TB, 2TB | — | — | 2100 | 480 | Find on Amazon |
The parts, explained
2TB is today's sweet spot for large game libraries and creative work.
PCIe 3.0 x4 reaches about 3,500 MB/s — plenty for everyday use and gaming, and cheaper than Gen4.
QLC NAND stores more per cell for a lower price per terabyte, but sustained writes and rated endurance are lower, so it suits read-heavy storage.
Common questions
Is QLC reliable at 2TB?
QLC is fine for typical and read-heavy use; just expect a lower rated endurance (TBW) than a comparable TLC drive, and slower writes once the SLC cache fills.