Gen4 vs Gen5 SSD for gaming in the UK

Live SSD, NVMe, NAS and hard drive prices from Amazon.co.uk, ranked by price per terabyte.

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Quick answer

The cheapest option on Amazon.co.uk right now is the WD Blue SN5000 4TB SSD, M.2 2280 NVMe SSD, Read speeds up to 550 at £369.99 (£92.50/TB). For gaming, buy Gen4. A good Gen4 NVMe drive loads games as fast as a Gen5 one in practice, costs less and runs cooler, because games and DirectStorage do not use Gen5 bandwidth. Choose Gen5 only if you also do heavy file or content work. The live prices below show today's Gen4 and Gen5 options so you can weigh the premium.

As of 2 September 2026
Best price per TB
£92.50
Products tracked
18
Prices updated
15 minutes ago

Gen4 and Gen5 SSDs on Amazon.co.uk, by price per TB

ProductCapacityPrice£ / TBPrice DropBrandInterface
WD Blue SN5000 4TB SSD, M.2 2280 NVMe SSD, Read speeds up to 5500 MB/s, PCIe Gen4, nCache Technology, Free Acronis True Image data migration software, Internal solid state drive.4 TB£369.99£92.50-Western DigitalNVMe
Crucial P310 4TB PS5 SSD M.2 NVMe PCIe Gen4 with Heatsink, Up to 7100MB/s, Compatible with PlayStation 5, Desktop PC, Internal Solid State Drive - CT4000P310SSD5-014 TB£369.99£92.50-CrucialNVMe
Crucial P310 4TB SSD M.2 2280 NVMe PCIe Gen4, Up to 7,100MB/s, Laptop & Desktop (PC) Compatible, Internal Solid State Drive - CT4000P310SSD8014 TB£371.39£92.85-CrucialNVMe
Corsair MP600 CORE MINI 2TB M.2 NVMe PCIe x4 Gen4 2 SSD – M.2 2230 – Up to 5,000MB/sec Sequential Read – High-Density QLC NAND – Great for Steam Deck, ASUS ROG Ally, Microsoft Surface Pro – Black2 TB£187.95£93.98-CorsairNVMe
Ediloca EN705 SSD 2TB PCIe Gen4, NVMe M.2 2280, 3D NAND TLC, Up to 4800MB/s, Internal Solid State Drive, Dynamic SLC Cache, Compatible with PS5、Laptops and PC Desktops2 TB£189.99£95.00-EdilocaNVMe
Crucial P310 2TB PS5 SSD M.2 NVMe PCIe Gen4 with Heatsink, Up to 7100MB/s, Compatible with PlayStation 5, Desktop PC, Internal Solid State Drive - CT2000P310SSD5-012 TB£191.28£95.64-CrucialNVMe
Lexar NQ790 4TB, M.2 2280 PCIe Gen4x4 NVMe 1.4 Internal, Up to 7,000MB/s Read, Up to 6,000MB/s Write, High Performance for Intense Workloads, PS54 TB£387.99£97.00-LexarNVMe
fanxiang 2TB M.2 NVMe SSD with Heatsink, PCIe Gen4 PS5 SSD, Up to 4800MB/s2 TB£199.99£100.00-fanxiangNVMe
Lexar NQ790 4TB, M.2 2280 PCIe Gen4x4 NVMe 1.4 Internal, Up to 7,000MB/s Read, Up to 6,000MB/s Write, High Performance for Intense Workloads, PS54 TB£399.99£100.00-LexarNVMe
Corsair MP700 PRO SE with Air Cooler 2TB PCIe 5.0 x4 NVMe 2.0 M.2 SSD – M.2 2280 – Up to 14,000MB/sec Sequential Read – High-Density 3D TLC NAND – Black2 TB£212.02£106.01-CorsairNVMe
BIWIN Black Opal NV7400 4TB SSD, up to 7450MB/s Read Speed Gen4x4 NVMe M.2 2280, Internal PCIe 4.0 Solid State Drive for Gaming, PS5 Ready, Laptop and Desktop4 TB£429.99£107.50-BIWINNVMe
WD_BLACK SN7100 2TB NVMe SSD, M.2 2280, Read speeds up to 7250 MB/s, Write Speed up to 6,900 MB/s, Next Gen TLC 3D NAND, WD_BLACK DASHBOARD, Up to 1,200TBW, For Laptops, handheld gaming devices2 TB£215.06£107.53-SanDiskNVMe
Lexar NQ790 2TB SSD, M.2 2280 PCIe Gen4x4 NVMe 1.4 Internal SSD, Up to 7000MB/s Read, Up to 6000MB/s Write, High Performance Internal Solid State Drive for Intense Workloads, PS5 SSD2 TB£219.99£110.00-LexarNVMe
Lexar NM790 4TB SSD, M.2 2280 PCIe Gen4 NVMe SSD4 TB£439.99£110.00-LexarNVMe
Lexar EQ790 4TB SSD, M.2 2280 PCIe Gen4 NVMe SSD4 TB£439.99£110.00-LexarNVMe
WD_BLACK SN7100 1TB NVMe SSD, M.2 2280, Read speeds up to 7250 MB/s, Write Speed up to 6,900 MB/s, Next Gen TLC 3D NAND, WD_BLACK DASHBOARD, For Laptops, handheld gaming devices1 TB£112.96£112.96-SanDiskNVMe
WD_BLACK SN770M NVMe SSD 2TB (Up to 5,150MB/s, M.2 2230, PCIe Gen4, for Asus ROG Ally, Steam Deck, Microsoft Surface for Compatible Laptop Gaming Devices and laptops) POWERED BY SANDISK2 TB£228.11£114.06-SanDiskNVMe
WD_BLACK SN850X NVMe SSD 4TB (Up to 7,300 MB/s read speed, Up to 6,600 MB/s write speed, M.2 2280, PCIe Gen4, Gaming Storage Expansion, High Performance Internal solid state drive) POWERED BY SANDISK4 TB£474.76£118.69-SanDiskNVMe

The difference that matters

Gen4 NVMeGen5 NVMe
Peak read~7,000 MB/s12,000 to 14,500 MB/s
Gaming load timesExcellentExcellent (near-identical)
HeatLowHigh, needs cooling
PriceLowerHigher
Best forGaming, valueContent, file transfers

Choose Gen4 if / Choose Gen5 if

  • Choose Gen4 if you mainly game, want the best value, or run a PS5.
  • Choose Gen4 if your motherboard lacks a Gen5 M.2 slot.
  • Choose Gen5 if you edit video or move very large files regularly.
  • Choose Gen5 if you want maximum future-proof headroom and can cool it.

The verdict

For a gaming build, Gen4 wins on value and loses nothing you can feel. Gen5 is a genuine upgrade only for bandwidth-heavy work. Compare the live prices above: if the Gen5 premium is large, a Gen4 drive plus more capacity is the better buy.

Frequently asked questions

Is Gen5 faster than Gen4 for gaming?

On paper yes, in games barely. Gen5 doubles peak bandwidth, but games do not read that fast, so real load times are almost identical. The extra speed helps large file transfers, not gameplay.

Should I buy Gen4 or Gen5 for a gaming PC?

Gen4 for almost everyone. It is cheaper, cooler and just as fast in games. Buy Gen5 only if you edit video or move large files, or specifically want future-proof headroom.

Does Gen5 improve DirectStorage load times?

Not meaningfully over Gen4. DirectStorage is designed around fast NVMe in general; a quality Gen4 drive already meets its needs, and Gen5 adds little in real games.

Is a Gen5 SSD worth the extra cost for gaming?

Usually not. The price premium and extra heat buy speed you will not notice while playing. Put the saving toward more capacity or a better GPU.

Will Gen5 matter more in future games?

Possibly, but slowly. Consoles set the pace and they use Gen4-class speeds, so Gen4 will remain plenty for gaming for years. Buying Gen5 now is optional insurance, not a requirement.