Best Internal Ssd for Video Editing – Choosing any of the SSDs we recommend will improve your video editing workflow. In particular, the M.2 NVMe SSDs offer faster, smaller, and more efficient storage to meet the needs of heavier video editing workflows. Having enough storage is also important.
If you want the optimal storage setup, the key takeaway is this: a four SSD storage setup is king. Primary and secondary drives should be ultra-fast NVMe SSDs, to run your programs and store project files.
ROUND UP
The other 2 drives are allocated for the scratch disc and long term storage. Each drive is fast and does a specific job. This will remove all bottlenecks and give you the fastest video editing storage setup possible.
1.SAMSUNG 980 PRO
Features
- Next-level SSD performance: Unleash the power of the Samsung 980 PRO PCIe 4.0 NVMe SSD for next-level computing. 980 PRO delivers 2x the data transfer rate of PCIe 3.0, while maintaining compatibility with PCIe 3.0.
- Maximum Speed: Get read speeds up to 7,000 MB s with 980 PRO and push the limits of what SSDs can do. Powered by a new Elpsis controller designed to harmonize the flash memory components and the interface for superior speed – with a PCIe 4.0 interface that’s 2x faster than PCIe 3.0 SSDs and 12x faster than Samsung SATA SSDs – every component of this NVMe SSD is manufactured by Samsung for performance that lasts.
- A winning combination: Designed for hardcore gamers and tech-savvy users, the 980 PRO offers high-performance bandwidth and throughput for heavy-duty applications in gaming, graphics, data analytics, and more. It's fast at loading games, so you can play more and wait less.
- Efficient M.2 SSD: The 980 PRO comes in a compact M.2 2280 form factor, which can be easily plugged into desktops and laptops. Due to its size and thus optimized power efficiency, it’s ideal for building high-performance computing systems.
- Reliable thermal control: High-performance SSDs usually require high-performance thermal control. To ensure stable performance, the 980 PRO uses nickel coating to help manage the controller's heat level and a heat spreader label to deliver effective thermal control of the NAND chip.
2.ADATA
Features
- Ultra-Fast PCIe NVMe Gen3x4 Interface
- Sequential read/write speed up to 3500/3000 MB/s, Performance may vary based on system hardware & configuration
- Ideal for intense 3D animation, rendering, video and photo editing, and other intense applications
- 5 year PCIe M. 2 2280 is not compatible with SATA M. 2 2280, Please check your system spec before purchasing
- Interface: PCIe NVMe Gen3x4. Please check your motherboard manual and make sure your motherboard's M. 2 slot supports PCIe NVMe or M Key with NVMe. This SSD is not compatible with Mac. Additional parts may be required to use on Mac system.
3.XPG SX8200 Pro
Features
- Sequential reads/writes performance up to 3500/3000MB/s *Performances differ by capacities and other variables
- SSD Interface: M.2 2280 PCIe NVMe M-Key *Please check your system for drive compatibility
- RAM Latency: CL16-20-20
- 2 oz copper for better cooling
- Warranty: SSD: 5 Year ; Memory RAM: Limited Lifetime
4.Sabrent Rocket
Features
- M.2 PCIe Gen3 x 4 Interface.
- PCIe 3.1 Compliant / NVMe 1.3 Compliant.
- Power Management Support for APST / ASPM / L1.2.
- Supports SMART and TRIM commands. Supports ONFi 2.3, ONFi 3.0, ONFi 3.2 and ONFi 4.0 interface.
- All Sabrent SSDs come with FREE Sabrent Acronis True Image for Sabrent Software for easy Cloning. For those who require a specific sector size to clone their existing SSDs: A newly released Sabrent utility enables users to re-format the Rocket drive and choose the sector size of their liking, either 512-bytes or 4K bytes.
5.Seagate Firecuda 520
Features
- Performance internal Solid State Drive: 2TB, 1TB, 500GB
- Maximum sequential read and write speeds up to 5000MB/s and 4400MB/s
- Mtbf of 1.8M hours and TBW of up to 2800TB, plus 3-year Rescue Service
- Ideal for high-performance gaming PCs and creative Pro workstations
- Migrate and clone data from old drives with ease using our free Seagate DiscWizard software tool
6.Crucial P5 1TB
Features
- Innovative 3D NAND and cutting-edge controller technology with read/write performance up to 3400/3000MB/s and random read/write 390K/500K IOPS, pushing the limits of PCIe Gen 3 NVMe for tech enthusiasts, professional designers, and serious gamers
- Capable of enhancing data security and management with rapid, full-drive encryption, helping protect your data without performance degradation
- Optimize performance and durability with dynamic write acceleration, error correction, and adaptive thermal protection
- Operating systems open almost instantly, apps launch in seconds, and games load before you’re ready to spawn
- Backed by a limited 5-year warranty or up to the max endurance rating of 600TBW
7.Patriot Viper VPR100
Features
- 1TB High Performance SSD, Solid State Drive; for desktop PC builds; due to product height not compatible with laptops.
- Phison E12 Series Controller; 2280 M.2 PCIe Gen3 x 4, NVMe 1.3
- Features an external thermal sensor, vicious heatshield design, RGB APP sync up
- Sequential (ATTO): up to 3,300MB/s Read & up to 2,900MB/s Write (RGB unsync); 4K Aligned Random Write: up to 650K IOPs (RGB unsync)
- Backed by Patriot’s award-winning, build quality, and 3-year warranty; O/S Supported: Windows 7*/8.0*/8.1/10
8.Corsair Vengeance LPX
Features
- Hand-sorted memory chips ensure high performance with generous Overclocking headroom. SPD Speed-2133MHz
- Vengeance LPX is optimized for wide compatibility with the latest Intel and AMD DDR4 motherboards.
- A low-profile height of just 34mm ensures that vengeance LPX even fits in most small-form-factor builds.
- A high-performance PCB guarantees strong signal quality and stability for superior Overclocking ability.
- A solid aluminum heatspreader efficiently dissipates heat from each module so that they consistently run at high clock speeds.
- Supports Intel XMP 2.0 for simple one-setting installation and setup.
- Available in multiple colors to match the style of your system.
9.Western Digital
Features
- Boost your system's performance with next-gen NVMe SSDs
- Over 4 times faster than our SATA SSDs
- Western Digital designed controller and firmware for optimized performance
- Western Digital SSD dashboard constantly monitors the health of your SSD
- NVMe drive not compatible with SATA interface
10.Kingston 500GB A2000
Features
- Nvme PCIe performance at a fraction of the cost
- Supports a full-security Suite (TCG Opal, xts-aes 256-bit, edrive)
- Ideal for Ultrabook's and small form Factor PC (SFF PC) systems
- Upgrade your PC with upto 1TB
Best Internal Ssd for Video Editing – BUYER’S GUIDE
Interface:
M.2 is most commonly referred to as the interface and/or slot. But there’s more to it than that. M.2 also describes the SSDs form factor. In addition, M.2 dictates the keying that allows the SSD to fit onto a motherboard.
Form Factor:
The most common size for M.2 SSDs is 22mm wide. However, lengths differ ranging from 80mm (M.2 Type-2280), and 60mm (M.2 Type-2260), and the shortest 42mm (M.2 Type-2242). The difference in size due to different computers have smaller surface area around the motherboard. You should know your available space before you choose.
Storage capacity isn’t defined by length. However, longer SSDs have more space to house memory grids. Due to the size and space of M.2 SSDs, most max out at 1TB.
You want to make sure you know what interface or connections your motherboard supports, in order to choose the right type of M.2 SSD. M.2 SSDs, depending on the type, are made to work on SATA or PCIe bus. PCIe is faster.
Bus Type:
M.2 SSD sticks, no matter what the length, are not equal. The bus type is the key specification you need to know to make sure you have compatibility. This is absolutely vital.
M.2 drives first came with SATA bus types. And you can still find SATA M.2 drives today in M.2 form factor/shape. Most M.2 slots will accept them and they are quite common.
If you are looking for higher-level speed and performance, PCIe gen 2.0 bus type is the preferred option. The latest M.2 drives support PCIe x4 which is 4 lanes of bandwidth. But if you want the most performance from M.2 PCIe, you want to look for an NVMe SSD.
SSD interface Types:
If you opt for an SSD and want the fastest workflow possible, we should understand the different interfaces used to connect SSDs. It’s important to know SSDs come in a number of different form factors and different interface connection types. The most common are PCIe and SATA.
SATA, (Serial Advanced Technology Attachment) is an interface used in computing systems for connecting a variety of components such as storage and optical drives. There have been many versions of SATA over the years. However, the most commonly used nowadays is SATA 3.x.
PCIe, (Peripheral Component Interconnect Express) is an interface that can be used for connecting a variety of components, such as graphics cards and storage devices. There are quite a few generations of PCIe. Most SSDs nowadays comply with PCIe 3.0. However, some SSDs are starting to support PCIe 4.0.
Overall, both PCIe SSD and SATA SSD will give way faster storage than traditional SATA HDD.
What’s better for you will ultimately depend on the performance trade-off. For designers who need the fastest computer no matter what the cost, PCIe is the right choice. On the other hand, SATA based SSDs are perfect if you don’t want to pay a premium, but still need a good performance and latency attributes.
If you want the highest level performance out of your PCIe SSD, there’s one important attribute of the PCIe interface to note. Which is, different slot sizes provide varying amounts of bandwidth. Both the slot size and PCIe version will determine total bandwidth. PCIe interfaces are available in the following sizes: x4, x8, and x16.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why do I need an external SSD for video editing?
As mentioned above, the main reason for editing off of an external SSD would be that your internal SSD is full. As your internal storage is used for your operating system, applications, general documents, and other day-to-day content, it’s likely you may want to have a separate drive for your video editing space.
If you fill up your internal storage you most likely won’t want to go through and always have to clear more space just to copy the latest shoot footage, hence using an external SSD.
There usually isn’t a performance boost by editing from an external drive. Because they’re connected through methods usually no faster than the internal connection (whether m.2 or 2.5″ SATA), and the drives themselves are the same technology (either SATA or nVME).
As we’ll touch on more down below, you can’t just edit videos off of a regular spinning hard drive (HDD), as the read and write speeds aren’t nearly capable to keep up with modern video files. Solid-state devices don’t use spinning platters and as such can offer a much higher transfer rate.
Now that the read and write speed for external drives are fast enough, you can easily edit your videos directly from an SSD, whether internal or external. Everything you can do on internal drives you can now do on external drives without worrying about a difference in drive speed between the two.
WRAP UP
The fact that you are looking for an internal SSD for video editing tells me you get why SSDs are so important. In fact, not having a fast SSD means you won’t get optimal performance out of your other components like the CPU and RAM. And with video editing becoming more demanding on your computer, choosing the right SSD can dramatically improve your workflow.