Most content creators today are constantly in a bid to ace their game by switching to faster and more efficient systems. With that said, you need to be equipped with the right kind of peripherals so that you can do everyday tasks like editing and rendering without any hassle. For the record, one such peripheral is the SSD which can alter your performance drastically.
In case you didn’t know, an SSD or a solid-state drive is a solid-state storage device that is part of the secondary storage in a computing system. It mainly works on flash memory. You could argue that HDDs are also an option. But the speed you get with an SSD is 5 to 10 times greater than that with an HDD, aka the hard disk drive.
With that out of the way, now if you are clueless about which SSD to buy for yourself, I got you covered. Check out my recommendations for the top picks for SSDs, both external and internal. Without any ado, let’s dive in….
Best SSDs you should check out for content creation
7. SanDisk Extreme PRO (Best Portable SSD For Content Creators)
SanDisk is known for bringing the best devices onto the market and this SSD fits in perfectly with the reputation. For the record, It is available in three storage capacities namely 500 GB, 1 TB, and 2 TB. It is worth mentioning that the previous version of the SanDisk PRO is cheaper in price and the transfer rate is only 1050 MB per second.
Now, the successor model boasts an excellent speed of 2000 MB per second, so according to me, the new price is quite justified. Also, I should mention that this SSD can go with a Type-C or USB port making it versatile. Now, it offers great usability owing to its compatibility with smartphones, gaming consoles, tablets, etc.
Furthermore, the design of the device is simple yet understated and it has a strong build quality. The body is made of aluminum, and it helps to avoid any heating issues. SanDisk Extreme PRO is quite user-friendly, and quite compact making it portable and easier to carry
2. Crucial X6 Portable SSD (Best External SSD for Content Creators)
This external SSD is probably one of the best you can find in the market that speaks for excellent performance. Right off the bat, it is compatible with both laptops and desktops. The maximum speed it can offer is a whopping 540 MB per second. If you want to get the best out of it, consider using it with a USB-3 port. The design is simple and appealing, and the quality of the build is exceptionally robust. One useful advantage is that you don’t require an external power source to work with this SSD.
With that said, Crucial X6 comes in four different varying storage sizes namely 500 GB, 1 TB, 2 TB, and 4 TB. According to me, it is a great choice for content creators as it works amazingly well for video editing. Besides, its gaming performance is also quite worth the mention. The X8 version of this SSD is known for its outstanding speed of about 1050 MB per second. However, the X6 model can suffice greatly for great video editing.
3. Samsung T7 Portable SSD
It’s no secret that Samsung is renowned for producing some amazing stuff when it comes to technology. Owing to that, it has launched this portable external SSD that has set unique standards of design. The look is unique and gives an aesthetic appeal to the user, to say the least. Samsung T7 is available in three storage sizes namely 500 GB, 1 TB, and 2 TB. According to my testing, It reports outstanding performance with speeds as high as 1050 MB per second.
For the record, It is quite compatible with a Type-C port. However, you can further ace the speed by pairing it with the correct USB version. For instance, a USB 3.2 2nd generation can effectively increase the speed to a great extent.
Similarly, using a USB 3.0 will fail to offer that high a speed. With that said, it can overcome heating issues and offers privacy with password security. Although it is quite expensive, still you can consider this for all your content creation needs as it is built to last for years.
4. Samsung 980 Pro (Best Gen 4 NVMe for Content Creators)
Samsung 980 Pro NVMe SSDs are available in four different variants (250GB, 500GB, 1TB, 2TB).
Samsung 980 Pro NVMe SSDs include Samsung 128 Layer 3D Triple-Layer Cell NAND and Samsung Elpis controller. Hence, it serves with an effective Read speed of up to 7000 MB/s and write speed of up to 5000 MB/s. The interface of the NVMe SSD is PCIe 4×4. and the protocol is NVMe 1.3c
Samsung 980 Pro NVMe SSDs include LPDDR4 1GB DRAM (Cache Memory) which helps the SSD to maintain the effective R/W speed for longer runs. Write Endurance of the NVMe SSD is 600 TBW (Terabytes Written) which indicates a good lifespan of the SSD
Download Samsung Magician Software to have a routine health check-up for the Samsung 980 Pro NVMe SSD.
Samsung 980 Pro comes with a 5 Years of warranty.
5. Samsung 970 EVO Plus (Best Gen 3 NVMe for Content Creators)
The maximum read/write speed of Samsung 970 EVO Plus is 3500 and 3300 MB/s.
I am a big fan of the Samsung 970 EVO Plus SSD. This is the reason why I am adding it here in the first place. This SSD uses the PCIe 3.0 interface to provide you with the maximum value for money.
It is highly popular because it suits most of the users in different categories. Whether you are a gamer or a normal laptop user, you can always buy and use Samsung 970 EVO Plus for your system upgrade. It offers a perfect balance between those expensive high-speed PCIe 4.0 SSDs and the slower SATA drives.
The Samsung 970 EVO Plus comes in the category of consumer NVMe. It uses the DRAM and SLC cache for faster random and sequential read-write speeds. Powered by Samsung TurboWrite technology, you get excellent write features that you may not see in any other SSD out there. The price is a little bit higher as compared to the other PCIe 3.0 NVMe SSDs but it completely justifies that amount with an amazing performance under all environments.
If we talk about endurance, the 2TB variant has a 1,200 TBW rating. The 1TB variant has 600, 500GB has 300, and 250GB variant has 150 TBW rating.
Samsung’s own TLC 3D V-NAND is used here with 96/92 layers. Samsung’s Phoenix controller is powering up this SSD. It has five cores and 8 channels. With all these balanced features, the Samsung 970 EVO Plus becomes one of the leading NVMe SSDs. This is the reason why I always suggest it to all the people who can afford it.
6. Crucial P5 (NVMe SSD for Content Creation)
When talking about speed, this internal SSD would beat almost every competitor on this list. With a maximum speed of as much as 3400 MB per second, it works in the NVMe format. However, with Crucial P5, there’s one prerequisite. Your system must be compatible to work with a PCIe NVMe SSD to reap the best results. It is available in storage capacities of 250 GB, 500 GB, 1 TB, and 2 TB.
Do note that, one issue with NVMe SSDs is that they are more expensive than the SATA ones. However, you can compromise on the size of the drive if you are working with a tight budget.
7. Samsung 860 EVO
When comparing the top internal SSDs that money can buy you in 2023, this popular piece from Samsung is something I couldn’t ignore. To kick things off, it has an amazing performance and is especially perfect for content creators owing to the great video editing it offers.
It can efficiently improve the rendering by a long shot. Also, the 860 EVO uses the SATA interface. It offers read/write speeds as high as 550 MB per second. In case you’re curious, there are quite a few storage options available for you to pick from.
For the record, the installation and setup process is quite convenient. However, the only drawback is that it is quite pricey, just like any other Samsung SSDs. With that said, let me assure you that the performance is worth every penny you spend on this.
8. Kingston A400
This internal SSD works well with both laptops and desktops. For starters, it is available in the SATA interface. However, it has outstanding performance which can match up to that of the top SSDs in the market. It allows for running video editing software efficiently, with no hiccups. Kinston A400 comes in various storage sizes like 120 GB, 240 GB, 480 GB, 960 GB, and 2 TB.
Now, it comes in two versions, the typical 2.5” version, and the M.2 version. In case you’re wondering, the latter is slightly expensive. So if you have a restricted budget, you can go for the 2.5” version. One issue with the traditional version is that it is larger in dimensions and has more weight as compared to the M.2 version.
Why do you need an SSD for content creation?
In case are into content creation, you would agree that video and photo editing consumes a major part of your daily job if that’s what you do for a living. For tasks like these, it is essential to have an SSD that can match the speed you want to work with. Faster SSDs offer more usability and convenience to do such tasks smoothly.
It’s a no-brainer that you will naturally prefer rendering or editing videos with a fast-paced SSD to a relatively slow one that causes unnecessary lags and jitters. With that said, a faster SSD will lead to less rendering time. So, I would certainly recommend you to pick a considerably responsive and efficient SSD if you don’t want to run around in frustration ‘cause of the slow performance issues.
Which SSD should you buy: internal or external?
The simple answer to this is that it all depends on your’s preferences and requirements. If you are a professional gamer or content creator and want to focus on getting excellent performance from your SSD, an external SSD would be better. It delivers outstanding performance with great speed. So, video editing can be done extremely fast.
On the other hand, if you don’t need that fast an SSD and can do with one that has considerable speed and performance, an internal SSD would be more than enough for you. According to my best knowledge, internal SSDs are best for content creators who need to edit their content on a regular basis. So make your choice based on how you plan to use your SSD.
Factors to consider while buying an SSD
Right off the bat, it is critical to ensure that the SSD you are purchasing has the technology that can give you sufficient speed and performance. First things first, Check which protocol it uses, SATA or NVMe.
I would strongly recommend you consider one with NVMe format since such SSDs when coupled with the bandwidth of PCIe result in outstanding performance output. Most of us tend to think that all SSDs with the M.2 version work on the NVMe technology. However, this is not true. Some with the M.2 version may also use the SATA technology. So, it’s necessary to research thoroughly the technologies and protocols the SSD works with.
Last but certainly not least, the most obvious factors you need to check are the speed, storage capacity, and warranty (if any). Owing to that, the price is also the most crucial determinant for deciding which SSD suits best with your budget.
End Note
In a nutshell, you must be familiar with the fact that an ideal SSD can result in an enhanced performance experience. Every content creator wants a system that allows running programs with the ease of efficiency to edit media content. With that out of the way, it is up to you to pick one wisely. That’s all for the day, thanks for reading…