We can complain all we want about games like Modern Warfare hogging up disk space, but regardless, the days of getting by with a 256GB SSD are mostly gone. Even a 512GB SSD might not cut it, depending on how many games and programs you have installed. Fortunately, SSD pricing is on a downswing, and you can score a very fast XPG Gammix S7 2TB SSD right now for just $204.99 on Newegg.
This is actually not the least expensive 2TB SSD on Newegg—Mushkin's 2.5-inch Enhanced RAW 2TB SSD is on sale for $180.99. However, the XPG drive is an M.2 form factor SSD with an NVMe interface, meaning it pipes data through the PCI Express bus. And it's one of the faster NVMe models too, outside of a spattering of PCIe 4.0 drives.
Specifically, it is rated to deliver sequential read speeds of up to 3,500MB/s and sequential writes of up to 3,000MB/s. Granted, there is not much to be gained from an NVMe SSD over a SATA model for gaming alone, but that could change if developers fully embrace faster SSD speeds. There is reason to be optimistic—both next-gen game consoles are using NVMe storage, with Sony and Microsoft hyping the virtual elimination of game loads and in-game transitions. So, we'll see.
Outside of gaming, the kind of speed offered by the XPG Gammix S7 can benefit OS boot and game load speeds, as well as large file transfers and a boost in certain productivity applications. Regardless, it's tough to pass this one for the money, whether or not you're in need of a new SSD.
Newegg lists the retail price at $299.99. While this drive does not normally sell for that price, it does go for $239.99 on Best Buy, so you're at least saving $35 with this deal.
