Best Gen 4 NVMe SSDs in May 2026

22 Gen 4 NVMe SSDs ranked by price per terabyte. Real Amazon prices, sustained speeds, controllers, TBW endurance. Updated May 14, 2026.

22SSDs ranked
$59.50Cheapest $/TB
7,450Top read MB/s
May 14Last update

Best value

TeamGroup MP44L 2TB
Cheapest per terabyte at $59.50/TB. 5,000 MB/s read without DRAM (HMB-based).
$119 · $59.50/TB
View on Amazon →

Top speed

Lexar NM790 4TB
7,400 MB/s sequential read — the fastest in this category. $67.25/TB.
$269 · $67.25/TB
View on Amazon →

Best balanced

Silicon Power US75 2TB
Solid all-rounder: 7,000 MB/s, $62.50/TB, 4.4/5 customer rating, 1,200 TBW endurance.
$125 · $62.50/TB
View on Amazon →

This page ranks every Gen 4 NVMe SSD we track by price per terabyte — the metric that actually matters during the 2026 NAND shortage. All 22 drives are PCIe 4.0 x4 M.2 2280 form factor unless noted, with current Amazon US prices verified weekly.

Sequential read speeds for Gen 4 drives top out at 7,450 MB/s, but for most users (gaming, productivity, OS drive duty) the difference between a $200 mid-tier Gen 4 drive and a $400 flagship is imperceptible. Gen 4 bandwidth advantages emerge primarily in sustained sequential workloads: 8K video editing, AI dataset operations, large file transfers.

Use the table below to spot the best value picks (lowest $/TB), the top-rated drives (★ customer rating), and high-endurance options (TBW column) — most Gen 4 drives offer 600 to 2,400 TBW depending on capacity, with all major brands providing 5-year warranties.

ProductPrice$/TBReadWriteTBWRating
TeamGroup MP44L 2TB★ Best $119 $59.50/TB 5,000 MB/s 4,500 MB/s 1,200 TBW ★ 4.4 Buy →
Silicon Power US75 2TB $125 $62.50/TB 7,000 MB/s 6,500 MB/s 1,200 TBW ★ 4.4 Buy →
Lexar NM790 4TB $269 $67.25/TB 7,400 MB/s 6,500 MB/s 3,000 TBW ★ 4.4 Buy →
Lexar EQ790 2TB $135 $67.50/TB 7,000 MB/s 6,000 MB/s 1,200 TBW ★ 4.3 Buy →
WD Blue SN5000 2TB $139 $69.50/TB 5,500 MB/s 5,000 MB/s 900 TBW ★ 4.4 Buy →
TeamGroup MP44 4TB $279 $69.75/TB 7,400 MB/s 6,000 MB/s 3,000 TBW ★ 4.4 Buy →
Lexar NM790 2TB $149 $74.50/TB 7,400 MB/s 6,500 MB/s 1,500 TBW ★ 4.5 Buy →
Crucial P310 4TB $299 $74.75/TB 7,100 MB/s 6,000 MB/s 1,760 TBW ★ 4.4 Buy →
Crucial P310 2TB $155 $77.50/TB 7,100 MB/s 6,000 MB/s 880 TBW ★ 4.4 Buy →
Corsair MP600 Elite 2TB $155 $77.50/TB 7,000 MB/s 6,500 MB/s 1,200 TBW ★ 4.5 Buy →
WD_BLACK SN7100 4TB $319 $79.75/TB 7,000 MB/s 6,700 MB/s 2,400 TBW ★ 4.6 Buy →
WD_BLACK SN7100 2TB $165 $82.50/TB 7,250 MB/s 6,900 MB/s 1,200 TBW ★ 4.6 Buy →
WD Blue SN5100 1TB $89 $89.00/TB 6,600 MB/s 5,400 MB/s 600 TBW ★ 4.5 Buy →
WD_BLACK SN850X 4TB $359 $89.75/TB 7,300 MB/s 6,600 MB/s 2,400 TBW ★ 4.7 Buy →
Crucial T500 2TB $189 $94.50/TB 7,400 MB/s 7,000 MB/s 1,200 TBW ★ 4.6 Buy →
Samsung 990 PRO 4TB $389 $97.25/TB 7,450 MB/s 6,900 MB/s 2,400 TBW ★ 4.7 Buy →
WD_BLACK SN850X 2TB $199 $99.50/TB 7,300 MB/s 6,600 MB/s 1,200 TBW ★ 4.8 Buy →
WD_BLACK SN850X 8TB $829 $103.62/TB 7,300 MB/s 6,600 MB/s 4,800 TBW ★ 4.6 Buy →
Samsung 990 PRO 2TB $219 $109.50/TB 7,450 MB/s 6,900 MB/s 1,200 TBW ★ 4.7 Buy →
Crucial T500 1TB $115 $115.00/TB 7,300 MB/s 6,800 MB/s 600 TBW ★ 4.6 Buy →
WD_BLACK SN850X 1TB $119 $119.00/TB 7,300 MB/s 6,300 MB/s 600 TBW ★ 4.7 Buy →
Samsung 990 PRO 1TB $135 $135.00/TB 7,450 MB/s 6,900 MB/s 600 TBW ★ 4.7 Buy →

How we ranked these Gen 4 SSDs

We track Gen 4 drives that have meaningful availability on Amazon.com and at least 100 customer reviews. Pricing is updated weekly. The primary ranking is by price per terabyte, calculated as (Amazon listing price) ÷ (drive capacity in TB).

Speed specifications come from manufacturer datasheets and are verified against PCPartPicker and TechPowerUp's SSD database. Controllers are reported as the official chip name (Phison E26, Samsung Pascal, SMI SM2508, etc.). Customer rating is the Amazon aggregate score across all reviews on the product listing.

Frequently asked questions

What is the cheapest Gen 4 NVMe SSD in May 2026?

The TeamGroup MP44L 2TB is the cheapest Gen 4 SSD on a per-TB basis at $59.50/TB (current price $119). Note that SSD prices during the 2026 NAND shortage change weekly — verify pricing on Amazon before purchasing.

What's the fastest Gen 4 NVMe SSD?

The fastest Gen 4 SSD on this list is the Samsung 990 PRO 4TB at 7,450 MB/s sequential read. For sequential write performance, check the Write column — speeds vary significantly between controllers.

Is Gen 4 worth the cost in 2026?

It depends on your workload. For most users in 2026, Gen 4 NVMe is the price-performance sweet spot. Gen 4 SSDs deliver 7,000+ MB/s sequential reads at significantly lower $/TB than Gen 5 alternatives. Unless you specifically need Gen 5's higher sustained bandwidth for 8K video or AI workloads, Gen 4 is the smarter pick.