Samsung 960 Evo $150-$465

SAMSUNG is the go-to company for high-end SSDs, but it’s also our recommendation for the mid-range. The 960 Evo mixes a lot of the same magic as the 960 Pro, but at a lower price. The big difference is the type of NAND used: The 960 Pro uses MLC (Multi-Level Cell) flash, while the Evo uses TLC (Triple-Level Cell). They’re both 3D NAND architectures, but the Pro manages to squeeze more into the same space, which is why it’s available in larger capacities—512GB–2TB, while the Evo ships at 250GB–1TB.

Performance-wise, there is a difference between the Pro and Evo, but it isn’t huge— sustained reads and writes of 3,200MB/s and 1,800MB/s aren’t too far off the Pro. In fact, there are benchmarks that can see the Evo ahead of the Pro. It’s worth noting that the 960 Pro does have a five-year warranty (or 800TB written), while the 960 Evo only has a three-year warranty (or 400TB written).