When it comes to read and write speeds for storage devices, faster is generally better. However, how fast you need your storage to be depends on your specific use case. For basic home and office use, mainstream read and write speeds are usually sufficient. For more demanding applications like gaming, video editing or running virtual machines, higher speeds are recommended. Let’s explore some common questions around read and write speeds.
What is considered a fast read and write speed?
For hard disk drives (HDDs), a read/write speed of around 100 MB/s is considered decent for mainstream use. For higher performance, speeds of 150-200 MB/s are good. Top of the line HDDs can reach 210-250 MB/s.
For solid state drives (SSDs), a fast read/write speed is typically considered to be around 500 MB/s or higher. Entry-level SSDs start around 250-500 MB/s, while high performance models can exceed 3500 MB/s.
How do read and write speeds impact performance?
Faster read/write speeds allow your storage device to access, write and retrieve data much quicker. This leads to snappier loading times for files, programs and games. It also improves overall workflow when transferring large files or batch editing media.
For typical office work, e-mail and web browsing, a minimum of 50-100 MB/s read/write speed is sufficient. For gaming and media production, 500 MB/s or higher is recommended.
What read and write speeds are ideal for gaming?
For gaming, an SSD with at least 500 MB/s sequential read/write speeds is recommended. This allows quick loading of game levels and texture data. For more demanding games, an SSD with read/write speeds of 2500-3500 MB/s will enable even faster load times.
Top choices for fast gaming SSDs include:
- Samsung 980 Pro – Up to 7000/5000 MB/s
- WD Black SN850 – Up to 7000/5300 MB/s
- Adata XPG Gammix S70 – Up to 7400/6400 MB/s
- Seagate FireCuda 530 – Up to 7300/6000 MB/s
While HDDs are cheaper, their max speed of around 200 MB/s makes SSDs the better choice for gaming.
What kind of read/write speed is best for 4K video editing?
For smooth 4K video editing, an SSD with 1500 MB/s or higher sustained read/write speeds is recommended. This allows fast rendering and previewing of high resolution video footage in editing software.
Some top choices for 4K video editing include:
- Samsung 980 Pro – Up to 7000/5000 MB/s
- WD Black SN850 – Up to 7000/5300 MB/s
- Gigabyte Aorus NVMe Gen4 SSD – Up to 7000/6800 MB/s
- Seagate FireCuda 530 – Up to 7300/6000 MB/s
For less demanding 1080p editing, an SSD with around 500 MB/s may suffice. But for flawless 4K editing, opt for the fastest SSD your budget allows.
How fast should an external SSD be?
For external SSDs used for storage and backups, 400-500 MB/s read/write speeds are common. This allows fast file transfers and backups over USB 3.2 Gen 2 which supports up to 10Gbps.
Some examples of fast external SSDs include:
- Samsung T7 Touch – Up to 1050/1000 MB/s
- WD My Passport SSD – Up to 1050/1000 MB/s
- SanDisk Extreme Pro Portable SSD – Up to 2000/2000 MB/s
- G-Technology G-Drive mobile SSD – Up to 560/500 MB/s
Higher speed models reaching 2000+ MB/s are also available but more expensive. For general external storage use, 500 MB/s is a good balance of speed and affordability.
What kind of read/write speed should my boot drive have?
For a boot drive, the most important consideration is random read/write speed rather than sequential speed. This determines how quickly the drive can access system files and load the OS and programs.
A boot SSD should have random read/write speeds of at least 200,000 IOPS (inputs/outputs per second) for optimal performance. Top choices include:
- Samsung 980 Pro – Up to 1,000,000/1,000,000 IOPS
- WD Black SN850 – Up to 1,000,000/710,000 IOPS
- Adata XPG Gammix S70 – Up to 740,000/700,000 IOPS
- Crucial P5 Plus – Up to 645,000/700,000 IOPS
While sequential speeds are less important for booting, a boot drive should still have at least 500 MB/s read/write to allow fast app/game loading once booted.
How much read/write speed do I need for a NAS or RAID setup?
For Network Attached Storage (NAS) devices and RAID drive arrays, the goal is maximum sequential read/write performance to handle multiple user access and heavy bandwidth. Look for HDDs or SSDs with sustained speeds of at least 150 MB/s or higher.
Some good choices include:
- WD Red Pro NAS HDD – Up to 260 MB/s
- Seagate IronWolf Pro NAS HDD – Up to 260 MB/s
- Samsung 870 QVO SATA SSD – Up to 560 MB/s
- WD Black SN850 NVMe SSD – Up to 7000 MB/s
For best performance in a RAID 0 array, choose an SSD over HDD. Also make sure your network infrastructure has bandwidth of at least 1 Gigabit (ideally 10 Gigabit) to avoid bottlenecks.
What read/write speeds are typical for SATA vs. NVMe SSDs?
SATA SSDs typically have maximum sequential read/write speeds of around 550 MB/s due to the limitations of the SATA interface. This makes them suitable for mainstream home/office use.
NVMe SSDs connected via PCIe can reach much faster speeds thanks to greater bandwidth. Entry-level NVMe drives start around 1500 MB/s while high-end models can exceed 7000 MB/s.
Here are some examples of SATA vs NVMe speeds:
| SSD Type | Read Speed | Write Speed |
|---|---|---|
| SATA SSD (2.5″) | Up to 550 MB/s | Up to 550 MB/s |
| NVMe SSD (M.2) | 1500 – 7000+ MB/s | 1000 – 7000+ MB/s |
For the highest sequential speeds, choose an NVMe SSD over SATA. But SATA SSDs can still outperform HDDs.
Are read and write speeds equal for SSDs?
SSD read and write speeds are typically advertised in sequential order – meaning reading/writing a large continuous file. In this scenario, read and write speeds should be similar for an SSD.
However, for random access of smaller files in different locations, read speeds are often higher than writes. This is because data can only be written to empty blocks, requiring more operations.
So while advertised sequential read/write speeds may be equal, real-world random performance often skews toward higher read speed for SSDs.
Should I get an SSD or HDD for my PC?
In most cases today, an SSD is recommended as the primary drive for your PC due to much faster speeds compared to HDDs. The two best uses for an SSD are:
- OS Drive – Installing your operating system and apps on an SSD results in much faster boot times and program launches.
- Gaming – Games load much faster from an SSD. HDD load times can feel unbearably long in comparison.
HDDs are cheaper per GB but are best reserved for bulk storage of media, documents and backups where speed is less important.
For a high performance gaming rig or workstation, use an SSD as the primary drive for OS/apps/games. Add a large HDD for backup storage if needed.
Should I buy SSDs in RAID 0 for increased speed?
RAID 0 can combine two or more SSDs into a single fast logical volume by striping data across them simultaneously. This can nearly double the read/write speed compared to a single SSD.
However, RAID 0 also increases risk – if one drive fails, all data is lost across the array. So RAID 0 is best reserved for non-critical data where maximum speed is the priority.
In many cases today, a single high speed NVMe SSD provides sufficient performance for most applications. But for those seeking extreme speeds, RAID 0 offers a high risk/reward option.
Can I increase SSD read/write speed by overprovisioning space?
Yes, overprovisioning your SSD – leaving spare capacity unallocated – can improve both read and write speeds to some extent. This allows the SSD controller to better manage wear leveling and garbage collection since there is extra spare area.
Most experts recommend leaving 10-20% of your SSD’s capacity unallocated. So for a 500GB SSD, only format and use 400-450GB. Just don’t overprovision too much or you’ll waste usable capacity.
Enable Trim support in your OS as well to notify the SSD when data can be safely deleted and blocks recycled.
Will PCIe 4.0 provide even faster SSD speeds compared to PCIe 3.0?
Yes, upgrading from an SSD using a PCIe 3.0 x4 connection to new PCIe 4.0 x4 SSD can nearly double sequential read/write speeds.
For example, the Samsung 980 Pro can reach up to:
- PCIe 3.0: 3500/3000 MB/s
- PCIe 4.0: 7000/5000 MB/s
To benefit from these speeds, you’ll need a newer AMD 500/600 series or Intel 11th/12th gen motherboard and CPU supporting PCIe 4.0 connectivity.
For many, PCIe 3.0 SSD speeds are still plenty. But PCIe 4.0 substantially raises the performance ceiling for cutting edge builds.
Do Thunderbolt 3 SSDs provide higher speed than other external SSDs?
Yes, Thunderbolt 3 SSDs can deliver significantly faster speeds than USB 3.2 Gen 2 SSDs when connected to a Thunderbolt 3 port.
For example, the Samsung X5 Thunderbolt 3 Portable SSD can reach up to 2800 MB/s read and 2300 MB/s write. This is over 2.5x faster than typical 10Gbps USB 3.2 Gen 2 drives.
Thunderbolt 3 provides up to 40Gbps bandwidth versus 10Gbps maximum on USB 3.2 Gen 2. This allows external SSDs to reach closer to their maximum internal speeds.
Just be sure your PC actually has a Thunderbolt 3 port rather than standard USB-C. Additionally, Thunderbolt 3 SSDs carry a price premium over USB 3.2 SSDs.
Conclusion
There is no single “good” read and write speed that covers all scenarios. Faster is generally better, but it depends on your budget and specific needs. For mainstream PC use, aim for a SATA SSD or entry level NVMe with at least 500MB/s speeds. For high performance gaming and workstations, choose the fastest Gen3 or Gen4 NVMe SSD your budget allows.
Make sure to match high speed SSDs with adequate USB 3.2, PCIe or Thunderbolt bandwidth to avoid bottlenecks. And use HDDs wisely – they are still great for bulk backup storage thanks to affordability per terabyte.