{
  "id": 14486482,
  "title": "Everyone told me to buy a SATA SSD in 2026, but paying more for an NVMe drive still made more sense",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/14/everyone-told-me-to-buy-a-sata-ssd-in-2026-but-paying-more-for-an",
  "topic": "tech",
  "section": "Tech",
  "published": "2026-10-14T16:00:18.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "XDA Developers",
    "slug": "xda-developers",
    "url": "https://www.xda-developers.com/paying-more-for-nvme-ssd-instead-of-sata-in-2026-still-makes-more-sense/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "In 2026, store shelves display a wide array of advice suggesting SATA SSDs are a better option for storage expansion compared to NVMe drives, primarily due to the soaring cost of NVMe drives. While it's true that using a secondary NVMe drive can stretch your budget, especially if your operating system and popular games already reside on a primary NVMe drive, the current market has transformed and artificial intelligence memory shortages haven't made the storage shopping experience any easier. The writer, after deciding to expand their storage drives, found that while a SATA SSD was indeed cheaper, it didn't offer much of a price difference. Regardless of the choice, paying a premium for an NVMe drive still offered more value than opting for a SATA SSD. The writer's initial assumption was that the extra cost for an NVMe drive wouldn't be utilized as they didn't anticipate needing the speed. However, the price disparity wasn't as significant as initially anticipated. A decent 1TB SATA SSD costs around $150 to $190, similar to the price of a reliable Gen4 1TB NVMe SSD from renowned brands like Kingston, Western Digital, and Samsung. This modest price difference translates to an impressive improvement in sequential read speeds, up to 7,000 MB/s from roughly 550 MB/s. The writer was not comparing a decent SATA drive to a bargain NVMe model but opted for a reputable Gen4 SSD with TLC NAND, reasonable endurance rating, and performance that wouldn't falter during sustained transfers. While it might seem excessive to opt for an NVMe drive considering the limited performance impact on gaming, the writer found that moving large volumes of data and installing large games demanded faster transfer speeds. Additionally, having an available M.2 slot on their motherboard made the NVMe drive a logical choice. The writer emphasizes that while SATA drives remain a viable option for those with no spare M.2 slots, the flexibility and future-proofing offered by an NVMe drive justify the additional cost. With storage being a long-term investment, paying a slightly higher price upfront ensures that users have enough options for the future, preventing potential regrets and frustrations down the line.",
  "summary": "I paid a little more, but I'll do it again",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}