Best PCIe 3.0 MLC SSDs
There are 18 PCIe 3.0 MLC SSDs compared here. The fastest is the Samsung 960 PRO M.2 at 3500 MB/s read, and the highest-rated for endurance is the Corsair NEUTRON NX500 (2793 TBW). Sequential reads across the group span 1900–3500 MB/s.
Why this configuration
A PCIe 3.0 MLC 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.
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 | TBW | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Samsung 960 PRO M.2 500GB, 1TB, 2TB | Top-tier | SAMSUNG POLARIS CONTROLLER (5-Core | 3500 | 1200 | Check price on Amazon |
| 2 |  Samsung PRO 970 M.2 500GB, 1TB | Top-tier | SAMSUNG PHOENIX CONTROLLER (5-Core | 3500 | 1200 | Find on Amazon |
| 3 |  Plextor M8PeY 128GB, 250GB, 500GB, 1TB | High-end | Marvell 88SS1093 | 2500 | 768 | Find on Amazon |
| 4 |  Plextor M8PeG 128GB, 250GB, 500GB, 1TB | High-end | Marvell 88SS1093 | 2500 | 768 | Find on Amazon |
| 5 |  Intel SSD 750 400GB, 800GB, 1.2TB | High-end | Intel CH29AE41AB0 | 2400 | 127.75 | Find on Amazon |
| 6 | High-end | Phison PS5007-E7 | 2200 | — | Find on Amazon | |
| 7 |  Samsung 950 PRO 250GB, 500GB | Mid-range | Samsung UBX | 2500 | 400 | Check price on Amazon |
| 8 |  Corsair NEUTRON NX500 400GB, 800GB, 1.6TB | Mid-range | Phison PS5007-E7 | 3000 | 2793 | Find on Amazon |
| 9 |  Kingston KC1000 250GB, 500GB, 960GB | Mid-range | Phison PS5007-E7 | 2700 | 1000 | Find on Amazon |
| 10 |  OCZ RD400 128GB, 250GB, 500GB | Mid-range | TOSHIBA TC56NCP070GSB (POSSIVELMEN | 2600 | 296 | Find on Amazon |
| 11 |  OCZ RD400 AIC 128GB, 250GB, 500GB, 1TB | Mid-range | TOSHIBA TC56NCP070GSB (POSSIVELMEN | 2600 | 592 | Find on Amazon |
| 12 |  Plextor M8PeGN 128GB, 250GB, 500GB, 1TB | Mid-range | Marvell 88SS1093 | 2500 | 768 | Find on Amazon |
| 13 |  Apacer Z280 128GB, 250GB, 500GB | Value | Phison PS5007-E7 | 2750 | 698 | Find on Amazon |
| 14 |  Patriot HELLFIRE 250GB, 500GB | Value | Phison PS5007-E7 | 2550 | 230 | Find on Amazon |
| 15 |  ADATA SX9000 250GB, 500GB, 1TB | — | Marvell 88SS1093 | 2800 | 1000 | Find on Amazon |
| 16 | — | Phison PS5007-E7 | 2800 | — | Find on Amazon | |
| 17 |  Zotac SONIX PCI-e 500GB | — | Phison's PS5007-E7 | 2600 | — | Find on Amazon |
| 18 |  ADATA XPG SX8000 128GB, 250GB, 500GB, 1TB | — | Silicon Motion SM2260 (Dual ARM Co | 1900 | 640 | Find on Amazon |
The parts, explained
PCIe 3.0 x4 reaches about 3,500 MB/s — plenty for everyday use and gaming, and cheaper than Gen4.
MLC NAND is older and costs more per gigabyte, but is very durable.