Best 500GB PCIe 3.0 TLC DRAM SSDs
There are 61 500GB PCIe 3.0 TLC DRAM SSDs compared here. The fastest is the Samsung EVO PLUS 970 M.2 at 3500 MB/s read at 500GB, and the highest-rated for endurance is the Corsair M.2 Force Series MP510 de (6820 TBW). Sequential reads across the group span 1500–3500 MB/s at 500GB.
Why this configuration
A 500GB PCIe 3.0 TLC DRAM 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: everyday all-rounder use, from OS drive to game library; workstation and creative loads that hammer random I/O.
Ranked list
The top 20 of 61 are listed. The full SSD catalogue filters on every spec.
Speeds on this page are the manufacturer's 500GB ratings where published (18 of 61 drives), not the family headline figure. 3 of the 61 are rated slower at 500GB than at their fastest capacity. Rated writes at 500GB run 950–3200 MB/s.
| # | Model | Tier | Controller | Read MB/s (at 500GB) | TBW | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Seagate IRONWOLF 510 250GB, 500GB, 960GB, 1.92TB | Top-tier | Phison PS5012-E12DC | 3150* | 3500 | Find on Amazon |
| 2 |  Samsung EVO PLUS 970 M.2 250GB, 500GB, 1TB, 2TB | High-end | SAMSUNG PHOENIX CONTROLLER (5-Core | 3500 | 1200 | Check price on Amazon |
| 3 |  Samsung EVO 970 M.2 250GB, 500GB, 1TB | High-end | SAMSUNG PHOENIX CONTROLLER (5-Core | 3400 | 600 | Check price on Amazon |
| 4 |  Samsung 960 EVO 250GB, 500GB, 1TB | High-end | Samsung Polaris Controller (5-Core | 3200 | 400 | Check price on Amazon |
| 5 |  Samsung PM981 250GB, 500GB, 1TB, 2TB | High-end | SAMSUNG PHOENIX CONTROLLER "S4LR02 | 3200* | — | Check price on Amazon |
| 6 |  ADATA XPG SX8100 500GB, 1TB, 2TB | High-end | Realtek RTS5762 (2-Core, 8-Canais, | 3500* | 1280 | Find on Amazon |
| 7 |  ADATA XPG SX8200 PRO 250GB, 500GB, 1TB, 2TB | High-end | SM2262ENG | Silicon Motion SM2262G | 3500* | 1280 | Find on Amazon |
| 8 |  ADATA XPG SX8800 PRO 500GB, 1TB | High-end | Realtek RTS5762 (2-Core, 8-Canais, | 3500* | 640 | Find on Amazon |
| 9 |  ADATA XPG GAMMIX S11 PRO 250GB, 500GB, 1TB, 2TB, 960GB | High-end | Silicon Motion SM2262EN (2-Core 62 | 3500* | 1280 | Find on Amazon |
| 10 |  Addlink X70 RGB 250GB, 500GB, 1TB, 2TB | High-end | Phison PS5012-E12 (4-Core, 8-Canai | 3500* | 2000 | Find on Amazon |
| 11 |  Addlink S70 250GB, 500GB, 1TB, 2TB | High-end | Phison PS5012-E12 (4-Core, 8-Canai | 3500* | 2000 | Find on Amazon |
| 12 |  Hikvision CRIUS HIKVISION E2000 250GB, 500GB, 1TB, 2TB | High-end | Phison PS5012-E12 | 3500* | 1280 | Find on Amazon |
| 13 |  Hikvision CRIUS HIKVISION C2000 PRO 250GB, 500GB, 1TB, 2TB | High-end | Phison PS5012-E12 / Silicon Motion | 3500* | 1280 | Find on Amazon |
| 14 |  Hikvision CRIUS HIKVISION C2000 250GB, 500GB, 1TB, 2TB | High-end | Phison PS5012-E12 | 3500* | 1280 | Find on Amazon |
| 15 |  HP EX950 500GB, 1TB, 2TB | High-end | Silicon Motion SM2263EN (2-Core, 4 | 3500* | 1300 | Find on Amazon |
| 16 |  Kingston KC2500 250GB, 500GB, 1TB, 2TB | High-end | Silicon Motion SM2262EN (2-Core 62 | 3500 | 1200 | Find on Amazon |
| 17 |  Mushkin PILOT-E 500GB, 1TB, 2TB | High-end | Silicon Motion SM2262EN (2-Core 62 | 3500 | 1300 | Find on Amazon |
| 18 |  PNY CS3030 250GB, 500GB, 1TB, 2TB | High-end | Phison PS5012-E12 | 3500 | 3115 | Find on Amazon |
| 19 |  SK Hynix GOLD P31 500GB, 1TB | High-end | SK hynix Cepheus | 3500 | 750 | Find on Amazon |
| 20 |  Corsair M.2 Force Series MP510 de 250GB, 500GB, 4TB, 960GB, 1.92TB | High-end | Phison PS5012-E12 (4-Core, 8-Canai | 3480* | 6820 | 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.
TLC NAND is the mainstream choice — a solid balance of endurance, speed and cost.
An onboard DRAM cache keeps the flash mapping table on the drive, holding random performance steady under sustained load.