Swapping a hard drive or an old SATA SSD for an NVMe drive is the single most noticeable upgrade you can make to a PC that already has a decent processor. Boot times drop to seconds, games load faster, and large file copies stop being a coffee break. The good news is that in 2026 a 1TB NVMe drive is firmly in impulse-purchase territory.
This guide explains what the acronyms on the box mean, how to check what your motherboard supports, and which drives in our catalogue fit each kind of build.
NVMe basics in plain language
M.2 is the shape, NVMe is the language
M.2 describes the gum-stick form factor that plugs straight into the motherboard. "2280" means 22 mm wide and 80 mm long, which is the size nearly every desktop board and most laptops accept. NVMe is the protocol the drive uses to talk to the CPU over PCIe lanes. Some M.2 drives are actually SATA drives in an M.2 shape, so always look for "NVMe" or "PCIe" in the product name.
Gen 3 vs Gen 4: does it matter?
A PCIe Gen 3 x4 drive tops out around 3,500 MB/s. A Gen 4 x4 drive can reach roughly double that. In day-to-day use (Windows, Office, browsing) the difference is hard to feel; in game installs, video editing and large transfers it is real. Gen 4 drives are backward compatible, so a Gen 4 drive in a Gen 3 slot still works, just at Gen 3 speed. If the price gap is small, buy Gen 4 and keep the drive for your next motherboard.
Capacity: 512GB, 1TB or more?
Windows plus a handful of apps comfortably fills 150 GB. Modern games are 60 to 150 GB each. For a boot drive in a work PC, 512GB is fine. For a gaming or creator PC, 1TB is the sensible minimum and leaves room for the drive's own cache to work well. Drives also slow down as they approach full, so buy a size you will not fill past about 80 percent.
Endurance (TBW) and DRAM-less designs
TBW (terabytes written) is the manufacturer's rated write endurance. Several drives below list it directly; for example the Fanxiang S500 Pro 512GB is rated 320TBW, which works out to writing the whole drive hundreds of times over. Many value NVMe drives are DRAM-less and use an SLC cache to stay quick in bursts. That is perfectly fine for consumer use; just expect sustained writes of very large files to slow once the cache fills.
Six NVMe drives compared
| Product | Key specs (from the listing) | Price (CAD) | Who it's for |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Kingston NV3 1TB M.2 2280 NVMe SSD, PCIe 4.0 Gen 4x4, SNV3S/1000G rated 4.6/5 by 14,000 buyers |
1TB, M.2 2280, PCIe 4.0 Gen 4x4, up to 6,000 MB/s | $330.99 | The default pick for most desktop upgrades: Gen 4 speed, 1TB, mainstream brand. |
|
Crucial P310 1TB M.2 2280 NVMe PCIe Gen4 Internal SSD rated 4.6/5 by 2,280 buyers |
1TB, M.2 2280, PCIe Gen4 NVMe | $397.99 | Buyers who want a well-known brand on a Gen 4 drive and plan to keep the PC for years. |
|
TEAMGROUP MP44L 1TB NVMe PCIe Gen 4x4 M.2 2280 SSD, SLC Cache, Up to 5000MB/s Read rated 4.6/5 by 878 buyers |
1TB, M.2 2280, PCIe Gen 4x4, SLC cache, up to 5,000 MB/s read | $360.99 | A value Gen 4 drive for mixed gaming and everyday use. |
|
Fikwot FX991 1TB M.2 2280 NVMe SSD, PCIe Gen 4x4, Read Up to 7100MB/s, for PS5 rated 4.6/5 by 2,800 buyers |
1TB, M.2 2280, PCIe Gen 4x4, read up to 7,100 MB/s, PS5-ready | $358.99 | Anyone chasing the fastest reads in this list, or filling a PS5 expansion slot. |
|
Fanxiang S500 Pro 512GB M.2 2280 NVMe SSD, PCIe Gen3x4, 3200MB/s, 320TBW rated 4.5/5 by 6,300 buyers |
512GB, M.2 2280, PCIe Gen3x4, 3,200 MB/s, 320TBW | $187.99 | Older Gen 3 motherboards and budget boot-drive upgrades. |
|
Patriot P300 512GB M.2 PCIe Gen 3 x4 SSD, Low-Power rated 4.5/5 by 5,400 buyers |
512GB, M.2, PCIe Gen 3 x4, low-power design | $169.99 | Laptops and small-form-factor PCs where heat and power draw matter more than peak speed. |
All six are the standard 2280 size. Prices are in Canadian dollars before HST.
Who each drive is for
- Kingston NV3 1TB M.2 2280 NVMe SSD, PCIe 4.0 Gen 4x4, SNV3S/1000G — The default pick for most desktop upgrades: Gen 4 speed, 1TB, mainstream brand.
- Crucial P310 1TB M.2 2280 NVMe PCIe Gen4 Internal SSD — Buyers who want a well-known brand on a Gen 4 drive and plan to keep the PC for years.
- TEAMGROUP MP44L 1TB NVMe PCIe Gen 4x4 M.2 2280 SSD, SLC Cache, Up to 5000MB/s Read — A value Gen 4 drive for mixed gaming and everyday use.
- Fikwot FX991 1TB M.2 2280 NVMe SSD, PCIe Gen 4x4, Read Up to 7100MB/s, for PS5 — Anyone chasing the fastest reads in this list, or filling a PS5 expansion slot.
- Fanxiang S500 Pro 512GB M.2 2280 NVMe SSD, PCIe Gen3x4, 3200MB/s, 320TBW — Older Gen 3 motherboards and budget boot-drive upgrades.
- Patriot P300 512GB M.2 PCIe Gen 3 x4 SSD, Low-Power — Laptops and small-form-factor PCs where heat and power draw matter more than peak speed.
Before you buy: a 7-point checklist
- Confirm the slot. Check your motherboard manual for an M.2 slot that supports NVMe/PCIe (not SATA-only) and note whether it is Gen 3 or Gen 4.
- Count the slots. Many boards share bandwidth between the second M.2 slot and some SATA ports; using one may disable the other.
- Size matters. Nearly everything here is 2280. Some ultrabooks need 2242 or 2230; measure before ordering.
- Heatsink clearance. If a drive ships with a heatsink and your board already has one, pick one or the other. Drives listed as PS5-ready often include a heatsink.
- Have a plan for your data. Cloning software from the drive maker, or a fresh Windows install on the new drive, both work; just back up first.
- Check for firmware tools. Brand utilities let you update firmware and monitor drive health.
- Budget for a screwdriver. M.2 drives are held by a single tiny screw or a plastic latch; a small Phillips head is usually all you need.
FAQs
Will a Gen 4 drive work in my Gen 3 motherboard?
Yes. PCIe is backward compatible. The drive simply runs at Gen 3 speeds until you move it to a Gen 4 board.
Can I use one of these in a PS5?
The PS5 requires a PCIe Gen 4 NVMe drive and recommends a heatsink. Drives whose listing says PS5-compatible, such as the Fikwot FX991, are the safe choice; check the listing for the heatsink.
Is 1TB enough for gaming?
For most people, yes. It holds Windows and roughly six to ten large modern games. Heavy collectors should consider a second drive later rather than overpaying today.
Do I need to install drivers?
Windows 10 and 11 include a standard NVMe driver. You only need the manufacturer's utility if you want health monitoring or firmware updates.
How do I move Windows to the new drive?
Install the new drive alongside the old one, clone with a free tool from the drive maker or a third party, then swap the boot order in BIOS. A clean install is the cleaner option if you have the time.
Ready to upgrade?
Browse the full Internal SSDs & Hard Drives collection at Nova Toronto Electronics. We ship Canada-wide from Milton, Ontario: flat $7.95 shipping, free on orders over $79, and every order is covered by our 30-day return policy. Prices are in Canadian dollars before HST, so what you see is what a Canadian pays — no surprise duties or currency conversion.