Best 500GB PCIe 3.0 AIC SSDs
There are 7 500GB PCIe 3.0 AIC SSDs compared here. The fastest is the Gigabyte AORUS RGB AIC NVMe SSD at 3480 MB/s read. Sequential reads across the group span 2500–3480 MB/s at 500GB.
Why this configuration
A 500GB PCIe 3.0 AIC 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.
500GB is a sensible OS-plus-a-few-games size.
Usually chosen for: budget builders, laptop upgraders and anyone leaving SATA behind.
Good fit: mainstream desktop and laptop builds.
Ranked list
| # | Model | Tier | Controller | Read MB/s (at 500GB) | TBW | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Gigabyte AORUS RGB AIC NVMe SSD 500GB, 1TB | High-end | Phison PS5012-E12 (4-Core, 8-Canai | 3480* | 1600 | Find on Amazon |
| 2 |  Plextor M9Y+ AIC 250GB, 500GB, 1TB | High-end | Marvell 88SS1092 (3-Core ARM Corte | 3400* | 640 | Find on Amazon |
| 3 |  Plextor M9Pe 250GB, 500GB, 1TB | High-end | Marvell 88SS1093 "Eldora" | 3200* | 640 | Find on Amazon |
| 4 |  Plextor M8PeY 128GB, 250GB, 500GB, 1TB | High-end | Marvell 88SS1093 | 2500* | 768 | Find on Amazon |
| 5 |  OCZ RD400 AIC 128GB, 250GB, 500GB, 1TB | Mid-range | TOSHIBA TC56NCP070GSB (POSSIVELMEN | 2600* | 592 | Find on Amazon |
| 6 | — | Phison PS5007-E7 | 2800* | — | Find on Amazon | |
| 7 |  Zotac SONIX PCI-e 500GB | — | Phison's PS5007-E7 | 2600* | — | Find on Amazon |
* family rating — the manufacturer does not publish a 500GB figure for this drive.
The parts, explained
500GB is a comfortable OS-and-games starting point.
PCIe 3.0 x4 reaches about 3,500 MB/s — plenty for everyday use and gaming, and cheaper than Gen4.
Add-in-card drives use a PCIe slot, often with a large heatsink.