The best SSDs for Starfield: NVMe, SATA & more

❘ Published: 2024-02-05T13:41:51

Bethesda / Crucial

Starfield demands quite a lot from your hardware if you are playing on a PC. To get the best performance it is recommended to use an SSD. We show you the options available so you can make the right choice.

Modern AAA video games tend to have some fairly significant system requirements to work at their best, and Starfield is no exception. Players enjoying exploring the galaxy on PC will find that having a high-quality SSD will enhance the experience.

When it comes to data transfer and loading times, SSD storage is absolutely the best option, but with so many different types and brands available, it can be difficult to pick which one is right for you.

To assist, we have covered our SSD recommendations for Starfield players, so you will know what will suit your setup as you comb through terms such as M.2, NVMe, and PCIe. Follow this guide and you can make the right choice.

1. Samsung 990 Pro: The fastest SSD for Starfield

Capacity: 1TB, 2TB
Form factor: M.2 2280 (PCI 4.0)
Max sequential read: 7450 MB/s
Max sequential write: 6900 MB/s

Buy the Samsung 990 Pro NVMe SSD at Amazon

When it comes to getting the fastest NVMe SSD you can use in most PCs, the Samsung 990 Pro tops the transfer speed charts. We reviewed the drive when it was released late last year, and it’s one of the fastest PCIe 4.0 NVME SSDs you can buy.

Just make sure that your PC supports the PCI 4.0 standard to make full use of all of the speeds on offer here. While the 990 Pro did have issues surrounding firmware, we have been assured by Samsung that the drive’s issues have not been resolved, and will not result in any further errant read or write wear. Thanks to its 5-year warranty, should you come across any issues with the drive in the future, you’re also protected by that, too.

We were able to transfer large files in seconds, and it should help you cut down those pesky loading times in Starfield massively. The best part? The drive has been significantly discounted since its launch, meaning that you can grab an absolute bargain. Coming in either 1TB or 2TB flavors, no matter your storage needs, you won’t be disappointed with the 990 Pro in any capacity.

2.WD_Black SN850X: The biggest SSD for Starfield

Capacity: 500GB, 1TB, 2TB, 4TB
Form factor: M.2 2280 (PCI 4.0)
Max sequential read: 7300 MB/s
Max sequential write: 6350 MB/s

Buy the WD_Black SN850X NVMe SSD at Amazon

The Western Digital WD_Black SN850X is an incredibly accomplished PCI 4.0 NVMe drive. While it might not offer speeds quite as blisteringly quick as the Samsung 990 Pro, it will still manage to help you run Starfield thanks to its speeds. The benefit of the SN950X above other options out there right now is that it also comes in a huge 4TB variant.

This means that you could also pack your entire Steam Library on there. With Starfield’s huge size, it’s likely that you’ll want to cram many more games than a single 1TB stick can muster. Let’s be real, having an external drive dangling off somewhere is hardly the most appealing thing either, so getting the largest capacity that you can currently afford is always the best option, and you can pick from several storage sizes here, meaning that it will suit almost any budget.

3. Crucial P3: The cheapest SSD for Starfield

Capacity: 500GB, 1TB, 2TB, 4TB
Form factor: M.2 2280 (PCI 3.0)
Max sequential read: 3500 MB/s
Max sequential write: 3000 MB/s

Buy the Crucial P3 NVMe SSD at Amazon

If you have an older PC, then you might not need to splash out on more expensive drives. With the prices of NVMe drives plummeting, you might be able to score yourself an absolute bargain on the Crucial P3, which will still manage to achieve impressive transfer speeds, which are way above anything that a hard drive could ever hope to achieve.

It should be noted that you can still use PCI 4.0 drives in 3.0 slots, but for the sake of not wasting your cash, this could be a cheaper upgrade than you might think. Manufacturers are racing to get rid of 3.0 drives as 4.0 stockpiles continue to rise, meaning that you can grab yourself a modest amount of storage here for not much money at all, and help improve your Starfield loading times massively in the process.

4. Samsung T7 Shield: The best portable SSD for Starfield

Samsung T7 Shield top-down shot on a desk

Capacity: 1TB, 2TB, 4TB
Form factor: 2.5-inch
Max sequential read: 986 MB/s
Max sequential write: 993 MB/s

Buy the Samsung T7 Shield Portable SSD at Amazon

If you’re not up to the taks of cracking open your PC in order to install a new SSD, you’re not out of options just yet. This USB 3.2 Gen 2-equipped drive can hook up to your PC, and be set up as an installation drive for Starfield. We’ve verified the transfer speeds in our full review.

It even offers faster speeds than installing our top option for SATA drive users, but comes with the added inconvenience of having it dangling off of your gaming PC or laptop at the same time. In our review of the drive, we praised its rugged nature, but just watch out for rapid dust accumulation. In our testing, the drive performed admirable, and will be an ideal drive for taking your installation across to multiple PC without needing to download all of Starfield again.

Still, its impressive transfer speeds mean that you will still be able to run Starfield from the drive reliably, and take it around with you.

5. Crucial MX500: The best SATA SSD for Starfield

Capacity: 250GB, 500GB, 1TB, 2TB, 4TB
Form factor: 2.5-inch SATA
Max sequential read: 560 MB/s
Max sequential write: 510 MB/s

Buy the Crucial MX500 SATA SSD at Amazon

If you find yourself lacking an NVMe slot, you’re not quite out of luck just yet. The Crucial MX500 is one of the best Starfield SATA SSDs you can get, simply because it’s still offered at around the same price as its NVMe brethren, and still offers a wide range of sizes to boot.

Sure, it might not be as fast as the swanky 990 Pro that we’ve listed up at the top, but it will still handily pound a tranditional HDD when it coemes to loading times and speeds. Just remember, that in order to hook this up to your PC, you will still need to provide the drive with SATA power and data from your power supply and motherboard. So, it’s not quite as straightforward as simply slotting in an NVMe SSD.

Looking for more Starfield content? Check out all of our coverage.

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