The Best 2TB SSD For 2023

As the world increasingly moves towards digital storage, the demand for larger and faster SSDs has never been higher. The best 2TB SSD offers incredible speed and large capacities, making them ideal for gaming, video editing, and other resource-intensive tasks. With so many options on the market, it can be hard to know which one is right for you. Here is the list based on our findings.

SSD vs. HDD: Which is The Better?

This is a question that has been asked by many people who are looking to upgrade their computers. The answer is not as simple as one might think. Both have their pros and cons. HDDs are cheaper and have more storage capacity than SSDs, but they’re also slower and use more power. SSDs are more expensive and have less storage capacity than HDDs, but they’re also faster and use less power.

So, which is the better option for you? If you need lots of storage space and don’t care about speed, then an HDD is a good choice. If you need fast performance and don’t mind paying more, then an SSD is the way to go. You can take a look at our blog to get more information about the difference between them here.

Today’s Best 2TB SSD Deals

2.5 Inch SSD

1. Samsung T7 Shield Portable SSD

	Samsung T7 Touch
Capacity	2TB
Interface / Protocol	USB-C / USB 3.2 Gen 2
Included Cable (s)	USB Type-C to Type-C & USB Type-C to USB Type-A
Sequential Read	1,050 MBps
Sequential Write	1,000 MBps
Interface Controller	ASMedia ASM2362
NAND Controller	Samsung Pablo
Storage Media	Samsung 92L TLC
Default File System	exFAT
Security	AES 256-bit encryption
Warranty	3-Years
Pricing

Pros:

• Tiny and ultra-light
• 256-bit AES hardware encryption
• On-par speed for its class
• Discrete Type-A and Type-C USB cables

Cons:

• Three- rather than five-year warranty

Samsung’s T7 was introduced at CES 2020 and has been one of our favorite portable SSDs since. However, its lack of water or dust resistance rating has been its greatest weakness. The latest addition to Samsung’s SSD lineup, the T7 Shield, fixes that with IP65 protection and greater drop resistance.

When buying a 2.5 Inch external SSD, you want something that is easy to carry with you, has fast read and write speeds, and can also securely keep your data safe. The Samsung T7 Shield checks off all of those boxes.

2. Crucial MX500

	Crucial MX500
Capacity
Interface	6 Gbps SATA
Form Factor	2.5″ and M.2 2280
Controller	Silicon Motion SM2258
NAND	Micron 256Gb 64-layer 3D TLC
Encryption	AES 256-bit
Sequential Read	560 MB/s
Sequential Write	510 MB/s
4KB Random Read	95,000 IOPS
4KB Random Write	90,000 IOPS
Endurance	100 TBW, 180 TBW, 360 TBW, 700 TBW
Warranty	5 years

Pros:

• Great price per GB
• Huge storage capacity
• Excellent performance

Cons:

• Slightly slower write speeds than contemporaries

The Crucial MX500 uses Micron’s 256Gb 64L 3D TLC part and consequently returns to the standard drive capacities and overprovisioning ratios, instead of the unusual configurations caused by the 384Gb die capacity in the MX300’s 32L 3D TLC. The slightly lower usable capacities of the MX500 than the MX300 mean the new drives have slightly higher prices on a per-GB basis, but the MSRPs are still very competitive against current street prices for the competition.

3. Teamgroup EX2 2TB SSD

	Teamgroup EX2 2TB
Capacity	2000GB
Form Factor	2.5″ SATA
Interface / Protocol	SATA 6 Gbps / AHCI
Controller	Silicon Motion SM2258XT
DRAM	DRAMless
Memory	SanDisk 96L TLC
Sequential Read	550 MBps
Sequential Write	520 MBps
Security	AES 256-bit encryption
Endurance (TBW)	1,600 TB
Warranty	3-Years

Pros:

• Low-cost
• Responsive performance within the cache and fast to recover

Cons:

• Plastic casing
• 3-year warranty
• Lacks hardware-based AES 256-bit encryption
• Incredibly slow write speeds after the cache fills

Team Group’s EX2 is a low-cost SATA SSD that combines new and old hardware to create a budget-friendly option that delivers mixed signals. On the one hand, the BiCS4 96-layer TLC flash is typically more reliable than QLC, but on the other, the dated controller makes for inconsistent performance under mixed and write-heavy workloads.

Although the EX2 from Team Group may not be our first choice for upgrading our systems, it could be worth considering if you’re on a tight budget and don’t mind the trade-offs in performance. This SSD can be slower than the Crucial BX500 and even HDDs when it comes to sustained write speeds, but it may be a good option if you don’t write a lot of data to your drive and you can get it at a very low price.

M.2 SATA SSD

1. WD BLUE 3D NAND

Interface	SATA 3 6 Gbps
NAND Type	SanDisk BiCS3 3D 1024Gb 64-layer TLC 3D NAND
Controller	Marvell 88SS1074
Sequential Read	560 MB/s
Sequential Write	530 MB/s
Random Read	95 000 IOPS
Random Write	84 000 IOPS
Endurance	400TBW
Warranty	5 years

Pros:

• MLC-Like performance
• Aggressive endurance rating
• Low price point
• Bundled software suite

Cons:

• Some TLC consistency issues

The Blue 3D NAND M.2 from Western Digital is a SATA drive that is supremely compatible with you and all other users. It is great for a lot of devices since all desktops that are available feature SATA ports while most of the laptops around that can handle an SSD update right after purchase will need to have a SATA drive as well. Only a small number of laptops will be able to utilize the latest PCIe / NVMe drives.

Though updated and further improved, the designers of the Blue 3D SSD left the controller unchanged; as a result, this SSD still uses the same Marvel 88-SS-1074 as before. The four-channel controller features low-density parity check (LDPC) technology, which is necessary for error correction.

1. WD RED SA500

	WD RED SA500
Form Factor	7mm, 2.5” M.2
Interface	SATA 6.0Gbps
NAND	WD 3D NAND
Capacity	2TB
Sequential Read (128KB)	Up to 560MB/s
Sequential Write (128KB)	Up to 530MB/s
Random Read (4KB, QD32)	Up to 95K IOPS
Random Write (4KB, QD32)	Up to 85K IOPS
Endurance (TBW)	Up to 1300
Encryption support	AES 256-bit Encryption Engine
MTBF	2 million hours
Warranty	5-year limited

Pros:

• High-capacity, up to 4TB
• Power efficient
• Robust endurance
• Competitive performance
• 5-year warranty

Cons:

• SSD price-per-GB is high compared to HDD for NAS usage

Western Digital designed this drive using the SATA standard instead of NVMe PCIe because most CPUs and controllers in use in the NAS industry are SATA-based. This means that most NAS CPUs and controllers can’t physically or technically take advantage of NVMe, so WD purpose-built a SATA SSD for the NAS market. This drive offers two form factors: a standard 2.5″ drive with a 7mm z-height, and an M.2 2280. These form factors will fit in most modern NAS slots.

The WD Red SA500 SSD comes with a five-year warranty. It can be picked up at a good price for as little as $200 for the 2TB at the time of this blog.

M.2 NVME (PCIe) SSD

1. Seagate FireCuda 530

	Seagate Firecuda 530
Capacity	2TB
NAND Flash Memory	Micron 176L TLC NAND
Form Factor	M.2 2280-D2
Sequential Read (Max), 128KB	7300 MB/s
Sequential Write (Max), 128KB	6900 MB/s
Endurance	2,550 TBW
MTBF (Mean Time Between Failures)	1,800,000 hours
Rescue Data Recovery Services	3 Years
Warranty	5 Years Limited

Pros:

• All round great performance
• Excellent endurance ratings

Cons:

• Expensive
• Lacks AES 256-bit encryption

The Seagate FireCuda 530 2TB is a 2280 (80mm length) M.2 drive. It combines brand-new Micron 176-Layer TLC NAND with a Phison PS5018-E18 controller. Micron claims that its 176L TLC NAND is the best in the industry with a 30% smaller die size and a 35% improvement in read and write latency over its previous generation 96L NAND.

The 2TB FireCuda 530’s rated sequential read and write speed is 7300/6900 MB/s, and that’s pushing the limits of a PCIe 4.0 x4 interface. For users looking at the other capacities, the 4TB drive has the same rating while the smaller 1TB and 500GB drives are rated for 7300/6000 MB/s and 7000/3000 MB/s respectively. There are also two basic FireCuda 530 versions. One comes with a heatsink, and the other does not.

2. Crucial P3 Plus

Capacity	2TB
Sequential read	5000 MB/s
Sequential write	4,200 MB/s
Interface	PCIe 4.0 NVMe technology
NAND	Micron Advanced 3D NAND
Form factor	M.2 (2280)
Controller	Phison E21T
Warranty	5-Year limited

Pros:

• Available in capacities up to 4TB
• Low cost per gigabyte compared with other PCIe 4.0 SSDs
• Meets its rated sequential read and write speeds

Cons:

• Second-tier performance overall
• Extremely low TBW ratings

The Crucial P3 Plus is the first drive with Phison’s E21T controller and Micron’s new 176-layer QLC flash. Starting at just $54 for the 500GB capacity or $179 for 2TB, it’s poised to be an inexpensive PCIe 4.0 option across a spectrum of available capacities for PC use. Unlike many of the other SSDs at this price-performance point, the P3 Plus offers up to 4TB of storage. And despite its budget price, the drive offers compelling performance while still being quite efficient. It also has a full-fledged five-year warranty and Crucial’s software support.

3. Samsung 980 PRO

	Samsung 980 Pro
Interface/Form Factor	x4 PCIe 3.0/NVMe/M.2 2280
Storage Sizes	2 TB
Sequential Read	7,000 MB/s
Sequential Write	5,100 MB/s
4KB Random Read	1,000,000 IOPS
4KB Random Write	1,000,000 IOPS
Bus Type	PCIe 4.0 x4 NVMe 1.3c
Controller	Samsung Elpis
NAND Type	Samsung 128L 3D TLC
Power Consumption	7.2 W Maximum
TBW	1200 TBW
Warranty	5 years

Pros:

• Responsive PCIe Gen4 performance
• Sustained write speeds
• Hardware-based AES 256-bit encryption
• Aesthetically pleasing
• Software package
• 5-year warranty

Cons:

• Average endurance ratings
• Costly
• TurboWrite SLC cache not as large as competitors
• No 4TB option

Samsung’s 980 Pro 2TB is a powerful SSD that delivers some of the fastest performance we have seen. Although it is costly, Samsung’s 980 Pro 2TB is a solid pick for those looking for one of the best SSDs on the market. With its combination of the speedy PCIe 4.0 interface and a new controller and flash, the 980 Pro is set to redefine Samsung’s product lineup and perhaps the entire high-performance market. That isn’t too surprising given the drive’s rated speed of up to 7/5 GBps of sequential read/write throughput and 1 million IOPs.

SSD Setup: What You Need to Know?

If you’re looking to upgrade your computer’s storage, you may be wondering if you should get an SSD. Here’s what you need to know about SSDs and how to set them up. An SSD is a Solid State Drive, which means it has no moving parts. This makes it faster and more durable than a traditional hard drive. SSDs use less power, which can extend your battery life. And because they have no moving parts, they’re quieter and generate less heat. You’ll need a few things to set up an SSD, including an SSD enclosure or adapter, a screwdriver, and a SATA cable.

How Quickly Do You Need Your Storage to be?

One of the key determinants of how expensive a drive becomes is down to how fast it is – both for reading and writing files. This is what you’ll actually notice as you drag and drop files between drives, or transfer things off external memory, so it plays a big role in your usage.

You’ll want to work out what speeds will work for you, perhaps in comparison to what your computer or laptop’s current drive can manage, to get a sense of where to pitch yourself. Faster drives will be more expensive, but if you need the speed then it’s worth the investment.

SSD Storage: How Much Space Should You Leave?

If you’re using a solid-state drive (SSD) for storage, it’s important to leave some free space on the drive. This is because when an SSD is full, it can’t perform as well as when it has some free space. So how much free space should you leave on your SSD? Ideally, you should leave about 20% of your SSD’s capacity free. So, if you have a 128GB SSD, you should aim to use no more than 102 GB of storage space. This will help keep your SSD performing at its best.

FAQs

Can I have two SSD drives?

People have been asking if they can put more than one SSD in their computer and the answer is yes! You can put as many SSDs on your computer as you want, but you will need to make sure that your motherboard supports it. You will also need to make sure that you have enough room in your case to fit all of the SSDs.

What should be the ideal size of a mini SATA SSD for the computer of the user?

Ans: There is neither any ideal size nor any specified limit for the system of the user. The user should ask the expert. Then, based on the task and specifications of the user’s computer, it should be decided.

What are you happy to spend?

When it comes to your budget, you may find that you have more options if you’re willing to spend a bit more than £50 or $50. On the flip side, if you’re looking to spend less than that, you may be more constrained in your choices.

Conclusion

There are plenty of options out there if you’re in the market for the best 2TB SSD. A short list of alternative products above that we think is your great choices. If you have any thoughts or suggestions about our list, let Memoright know in the comments below!