
Best 500GB PCIe 3.0 DRAM SSDs
There are 80 500GB PCIe 3.0 DRAM SSDs in our database — each linked via an Amazon search on its part number. The fastest is the Samsung 960 PRO M.2 at 3500 MB/s read, and the highest-rated for endurance is the Corsair M.2 Force Series MP510 de (6820 TBW). Sequential reads across the group span 1500–3500 MB/s.
Why this configuration
A 500GB PCIe 3.0 DRAM SSD is an affordable NVMe step up from SATA. Gen3 is roughly six times SATA's throughput yet often costs little more, making it the easy default for a first NVMe drive or a laptop that only supports Gen3.
500GB is a sensible OS-plus-a-few-games size.
Usually chosen for: budget builders, laptop upgraders and anyone leaving SATA behind.
Good fit: workstation and creative loads that hammer random I/O.
Ranked list


Samsung PRO 970 M.2

Seagate IRONWOLF 510

Samsung EVO PLUS 970 M.2

Samsung EVO 970 M.2

Samsung 960 EVO

Samsung PM981

ADATA XPG SX8100

ADATA XPG SX8200 PRO

ADATA XPG SX8800 PRO

ADATA XPG GAMMIX S11 PRO

Addlink X70 RGB

Addlink S70

Hikvision CRIUS HIKVISION E2000

Hikvision CRIUS HIKVISION C2000 PRO

Hikvision CRIUS HIKVISION C2000

HP EX950

Kingston KC2500

Mushkin PILOT-E

PNY CS3030
The parts, explained
500GB is a comfortable OS-and-games starting point.
PCIe 3.0 x4 reaches about 3,500 MB/s — plenty for everyday use and gaming, and cheaper than Gen4.
An onboard DRAM cache keeps the flash mapping table on the drive, holding random performance steady under sustained load.
Common questions
How do the links to Amazon work here?
6 of the 80 drives listed have a direct product link; for the rest we link an Amazon search on the manufacturer part number, which lands on the right listing. We deliberately don't display stock or prices on this page — check both on Amazon, they change constantly.