How-to guides and tech explainers about storage.
For PC gaming, 2TB is the practical minimum for a multi-game library in 2026. PS5 and Xbox Series X ship with 1TB but fill up fast — a 2TB upgrade is worth doing. Nintendo Switch 2 users should grab a 256GB–1TB microSD Express card.
NVMe SSDs are faster than SATA SSDs in almost every scenario, and in 2026 they cost about the same. Buy NVMe unless your device only has a 2.5-inch SATA bay — such as an older laptop or desktop with no M.2 slot — or you’re replacing a drive in a NAS that specifically requires SATA.
DRAM cache is a small amount of fast RAM built into an SSD that helps the drive find data quickly, especially during sustained writes and mixed workloads. For gamers and everyday users, modern DRAM-less SSDs using HMB (Host Memory Buffer) are nearly as fast and cost less.
TLC NAND is better for most people — higher sustained write speeds and longer lifespan. QLC is fine for read-heavy workloads like media libraries and backup drives where you rarely write large amounts of data.
