Best 128 GB & 120 GB Solid State Drive For The Money

Report Data Collected On: 1/Jan/2019

There was an era when Solid State Drives were so expensive that a normal computer user doesn’t even think about to buy it. But the time has changed now, and from past five years the price tags are constantly dropping and you can see the huge performance difference year after year.   

Now the price’s cut to the half and the performance bar raised to the double. Having an SSD in our computer or laptop isn’t just the upgrade now. But it becomes a basics hardware, as speed matter the most in future.

These days, buying an SSD over the Hard Drive is the best thing what you can do to your computer, only if having the limited storage isn’t that much of deal for you. I know you can buy a 2TB drive at a price of 120GB SSD, but what we can say over the 40 times performance difference.

In case you don’t know, buying an SSD isn’t that simple as it looks like. There are numbers of factors which can decide the actual performance of a solid-state drive, where missing a one can lead you to the worst purchase.

But still, this article has comparing data graphs under this storage category, list of specifications to look for, and some great opinions to make a best out of your purchase.




Why use a 120GB or 128GB Solid State Drive?

Actually, 120 or 128 GB is enough for your computer, not for the storage but for the performance. And yes its true, people use small SSDs only for their OS drive (like the C: drive) and store all their data into some other Disk Drives, like using some extra internal or external Hard Disk Drive for all the extra data.

An operating system only takes about 30-40 GB where you still left with about 60+ GB of storage, which is enough for the one who only surfs the internet or handles the light office work.

And if you still stuck in the HDD Era then buying a 128GB drive is I think a good start for you;

Using an SSD only for boot volume like for C: drive can open your computer in under 10-20 seconds, where a normal HDD need minutes. And the reason why I’m highlighting the performance too much is that all your softwares and games are processed from the storage drive of your computer (mainly where they all are stored or installed).

If the storage is slow, your CPU, GPU and RAM won’t really do much.

Let’s See The Top SSD’s List

In 2018, SSDs prices go up’s and down and manufacture’s branding confusing name for all their products which really won’t help a bit while choosing a perfect solid-state drive for our desktop or laptop computer.

But the good news is, now you really don’t have to worry about a single thing because I already did all the product price and performance comparisons stuff for you and made the Top SSDs Graph Chart by looking over 150+ different drive, which is currently available in the market.

Yes! 150+, only under this 120GB and 128GB Storage category. It took me months to collect the data to compare SSDs but at the end it worth it all.

And those who still are new to SSDs, then don’t get confused by seeing the other 3 variants of the Solid-State Drive (which are M.2, mSATA, PCIe), other than the normal 2.5 Inch Drive.

Not like the HDD, there are 4 different types of SSDs are available in the market. All are useful in their own perspective but the thing what makes those SSDs being unlike from each other is its own different physical form factor and the connection interface. Just to adjust, anywhere it can possible.

If you just wanted to buy an SSD to replace your old hard disk drive or you needed it for your new decent computer, then you can go for 2.5-inch SSD (which uses the same interface what a normal hard disk drive does) or an M.2 SSD (only if your new motherboard supports it), and that will work great for you.

How to Buy A Perfect SSD (Solid State Drive) For Laptop & Desktop Computer?

From the last 2 decades, everything in the computer world has become faster and faster every day. People are constantly upgrading their computers and laptops from time to time to get the full performance out from their computer system… Read More

Or for performance, just look mainly for the maximum Random Read/Write Speed & Sequential Read/Write Speed under your budget because your system’s whole data processing performance will be going to depend on that.




So, lets starts with;

#Best 128GB & 120GB 2.5 Inch SSDs Available In the Market


3rd 2.5 Inch – PNY CS1311 SSD7CS1311-120-RB

  • Form Factor: 2.5 inches, 7mm
  • Interface: SATA-III 6Gb/s; backward compatible with SATA-II 3Gb/s
  • Max Sequential Read/Write Speed: 550 MB Per Second / 510 MB Per Second
  • Max Random Read/Write Speed: 86,000 IOPS / 90,000 IOPS
  • Warranty/support: 3 Years Limited Warranty
  • Endurance {Terabytes Written/lifespan}: N/A
  • Price: 49.99$ {Check Current Price}

Short Review: This SSD is known to boost the performance and maintain the operations at higher speed. The read and write performance of this SSD is also remarkable with maintaining up to 550 MB/s sequential read and 510 MB/s sequential write speeds.

You can upgrade your personal computers and laptop using this SSD and feel the difference in the super-fast OS boot times and maintaining speedy applications loads very efficiently. The upside of this SSD is that it is available at a budget-friendly price, but the downside of the SSD is that it does not come with a warranty.

Known for its budget-friendly price that does not burn a hole in your pocket, this SSD is very powerful and has a great power management tool in place to help you working at higher workloads and using demanding applications without compromising on your work.

This feature available in this range is most sought after. This SSD also comes with a feature that protects the SSD from overheating and maintains an ambient temperature for the SSD to work smoothly without any problems.

The results of this SSD are excellent and is one of the most popular and most high in demand SSD in the market. This SSD from the popular brand PNY is weighed to be 45.4 g and the height of the SSD is 32 millimeters. The width is 11.8 centimeters and the overall dimensions of the SSD are 13.3 x 11.8 x 3.2 cm

In my Opinion;

From past few months, this was a perfect budget drive for any desktop and laptop, and was worth every bit of penny you spend. But recently the “Samsung 860 EVO MZ-76E250B/AM” 250GB variant has a huge price drop and by spending 8 more dollars you can get the double amount of storage capacity over this outdated drive.

Here’s link for the “860 EVO” Review:  Top Best 240GB, 250GB & 256GB SSD (2.5 Inch/mSATA/M.2/PCIe) – Monthly Updated

PNY CS1311 120GB 2.5” SATA III Internal Solid State Drive (SSD) - (SSD7CS1311-120-RB)

Click on link to check out the current price of “PNY CS1311 SSD7CS1311-120-RB“: @Amazon US ($49.99), @Amazon UK (£44.94)@Amazon IND (₹5,379.96)@Best Buy ($64.99) @Walmart ($62.99)@Newegg ($59.99).


2nd 2.5 Inch  Samsung 850 EVO MZ-75E120B/AM

  • Form Factor: 2.5 inches, 9.5mm
  • Interface: SATA 6 Gb/s Interface, compatible with SATA 3 Gb/s & SATA 1.5 Gb/s interface
  • Max Sequential Read/Write Speed: 540 MB Per Second / 520 MB Per Second
  • Max Random Read/Write Speed: 94,000 IOPS / 88,000 IOPS
  • Warranty/support: 5 Years Limited Warranty
  • Endurance {Terabytes Written/lifespan}: 75 TBW
  • Price: 93.90$ {Check Current Price}

Short Review: This SSD is also a variant of the Samsung 850 series. It is known for its reliability, endurance, energy efficiency and mind-boggling storage capacity. This SSD is made of TurboWrite Technology which ensures higher performance and faster read and writes performance for your PC. It also contains a feature which is called the Rapid Mode which boosts the performance to two times data processing speeds.

The Rapid mode is a feature, which when activated reduces any blockage or bottleneck in performance by utilizing computer’s unused cache memory storage for better and more effective performance. Hence because of this feature, this SSD is best for high demanding applications like gaming, data analysis, sound and graphic design, etc.

Another ground-breaking feature of this SSD is the Thermal Monitoring and Encryption for Data Security. An AES 256-bit security compliant hardware is used by Samsung 850 EVO MZ-75E120B/AM to encrypt your data that secures it from any unwanted access, keeping your data safe.

This security management solution is most sought after in SSDs. There is another feature that comes along with it, that is the temperature monitoring with the help of throttle temperature reduction. This throttle feature reduces the temperature of the SSD when it works on demanding applications for longer hours to protect your SSD from overheating and boosting overall performance.

This SSD comes with multiple form factors to suit any needs. The 2.5 inches of size SSD is designed to fit laptops or personal computers, but there is another form factor available that is the SATA-based M.2 and mSATA is best for ultra-slim mobile computing.

In my Opinion;

This drive is 2nd according to the other compared drives, as under this 120 & 128 GB Storage category. But this year, Samsung discontinued making upgraded 120GB drives because in the new 860 EVO Series the first variant starts from 250GB. Which is for only 57.99$. So, why pay more when you can get the double of storage with 10% better performance.

Here’s link for the “860 EVO” Review:  Top Best 240GB, 250GB & 256GB SSD (2.5 Inch/mSATA/M.2/PCIe) – Monthly Updated

Samsung 860 EVO 250GB 2.5 Inch SATA III Internal SSD (MZ-76E250B/AM)

Click on link to check out the current price of “Samsung 850 EVO MZ-75E120B/AM“: @Amazon US ($126.50), @Amazon UK (£79.30)@Amazon IND (₹10,340.00), @BestBuy (N/A), @Walmart (N/A), @Newegg ($93.99).


1st 2.5 Inch – SAMSUNG 850 PRO MZ-7KE128BW

  • Form Factor: 2.5 inches, 7mm
  • Interface: SATA 6Gb/s Interface, compatible with SATA 3Gb/s & SATA 1.5Gb/s interface
  • Max Sequential Read/Write Speed: 550 MB Per Second / 470 MB Per Second
  • Max Random Read/Write Speed: 100,000 IOPS / 90,000 IOPS
  • Warranty/support: 10 Years Limited Warranty
  • Endurance {Terabytes Written/lifespan}: 150 TBW
  • Price: 275.99$ {Check Current Price}

Short Review: This Internal Solid State Drive for Desktop or Laptop PC is 2.5 inches in measurement. A compact and efficient SSD, it is the best product in the market for this category, with remarkable results.

The storage of SAMSUNG 850 PRO MZ-7KE128BW SSD has been redefined because it is the world’s first drive which is based on 32 layer 3D VNAND flash. This revolutionary SSD based on 3D VNAND Flash makes it more efficient, more reliable, with better power management efficiency and very effective and brilliant read and write performance.

This flash provides two times the speed, endurance and density of the conventional flash that is used in SSDs. This SSD is known for its power management, efficiency, storage, energy efficiency and endurance. The 3D VNAND Technology boosts read and write performance of the SSD for both sequential and random workloads.

This SSD lasts longer and works for a very long time in a productive manner owing to its energy efficiency. This SSD consumes the least power when it is in full use and still, delivers class-leading performance.

It consumes only 2 MW in its ultra-less power state. This SSD also comes with a Dynamic Thermal Guard Protection that protects your SSD from overheating and any damages to the SSD if you work for longer hours on high demanding applications.

This Dynamic Thermal Guard protects your PC from overheating due to its throttle feature which reduces the temperature of your SSD and yet maintaining the responsiveness and results that you would expect. This SSD also safeguards precious data without sacrificing on performance.

In my Opinion;

Again, like the 2nd drive of our list (850 EVO), this one is also the waste of money. For 107$, you can actually buy “SAMSUNG 860 PRO MZ-76P256BW – 256GB”, which ranks first in our “Top Best 240GB, 250GB & 256GB SSD (2.5 Inch/mSATA/M.2/PCIe) – Monthly Updated” article.

Samsung 850 PRO - 256GB - 2.5-Inch SATA III Internal SSD (MZ-7KE256BW)

Click on link to check out the current price of “Samsung 850 PRO MZ-7KE128BW“: @Amazon US ($275.99), @Amazon UK (£179.30)@Amazon IND (₹21,388.96),   @BestBuy (N/A), @Walmart (N/A)@Newegg ($278.25).


#Best 128GB & 120GB mSATA SSDs Available In the Market


2nd mSATA – Kingston MS200 SMS200S3/120G

  • Form Factor: mSATA
  • Interface: SATA Rev. 3.0 (6Gb/s), SATA Rev. 2.0 (3Gb/s), SATA Rev. 1.0 (1.5Gb/s)
  • Max Sequential Read/Write Speed: 550 MB Per Second / 520 MB Per Second
  • Max Random Read/Write Speed: 86,000 IOPS / 48,000 IOPS
  • Warranty/support: 3 Years Limited Warranty
  • Endurance {Terabytes Written/lifespan}: 337 TBW
  • Price: 79.06$ {Check Current Price}

Short Review: The Solid State Drive by Kingston is best for Personal Computers and laptops and maintains an ultra-high processing speed and performance. This SSD is available at a low cost and boosts the performance of the SSD in a cost-effective manner. It has a dual-drive option which is used to provide a lot of storage capacity in the SSD for better performance results.

This high storage capacity SSD makes for an ideal pick for system builders and OEMs. The form factor of this SSD is really small when compared to the traditional 2.5 inches Solid State Drive. In fact, as per the measurements, this SSD is 8 times smaller than the conventional and traditional size SSD drives. This feature about this SSD makes it an ideal pick for Ultra-book, Tablets, notebooks, etc., owing to its small size and compatibility. This SSD does not have any mobbing parts and has only a PCB based design.

This SSD from Kingston is known for its high performance and higher reliability. Another thing about this SSD is that it comes with a three-year warranty and free lifetime technical support if you encounter any problems.

This 120 GB SSD has the NAND Flash-based Technology that reduces the consumption of electricity and also provides resistance from shocks. This SSD supports a feature called TRIM that maintains maximum performance and high compatibility with varied Operating systems of the personal computer. This SSD also supports Intel’s SRT with combines the storage capacity benefits of the HDD and the high performance of SSD for a dual configuration in one SSD.

In my Opinion;

Don’t blame me, but not everyone in the list is buying worthy. Again you can get a better deal @ 82.99$ for 250GB in our “Top Best 240GB, 250GB & 256GB SSD (2.5 Inch/mSATA/M.2/PCIe) – Monthly Updated” article.

Kingston Digital 120GB SSDNow mS200 mSATA (6Gbps) Solid State Drive for Notebooks Tablets and Ultrabooks SMS200S3/120G

Click on link to check out the current price of “Kingston MS200 SMS200S3/120G“: @Amazon US ($79.06), @Amazon UK (£65.12), @Amazon IND (₹9,488.96),  @BestBuy (N/A), @Walmart (N/A), @Newegg ($278.25).


1st mSATA – Samsung 850 EVO MZ-M5E120BW

  • Form Factor: mSATA
  • Interface: SATA 6 Gb/s Interface, compatible with SATA 3 Gb/s & SATA 1.5 Gb/s interface
  • Max Sequential Read/Write Speed: 540 MB Per Second / 520 MB Per Second
  • Max Random Read/Write Speed: 95,000 IOPS / 88,000 IOPS
  • Warranty/support: 5 Years Limited Warranty
  • Endurance {Terabytes Written/lifespan}: 75TBW
  • Price: 109.95$ {Check Current Price}

Short Review: This is a famous SSD in the budget-friendly category. It tops the category of 120 GB SSD. This SSD comes with a user-friendly feature of 30 days return money back guarantee if you find any problems with the product or are not satisfied with the product due to any reasons.

This SSD is optimized to provide you the best computing performance. This high computing performance and performing at highest data processing speeds is made possible because of the VNAND Technology that ensures a smooth performance and excellent read and writes performance to boost and maintain effective processing and delivering brilliant results. This SSD is most popular for ultra-slim mobile computing and works best with it.

This Solid State Drive is also encrypted to provide security management solutions to protect the data and prevent the SSD from any unwarranted access. It consists of a self-encrypting drive that is of 512 MB with TCG Opal Encryption. A light mSATA SSD, it works best for increasing the read and write performance of the SSD, both for sequential and random workloads.

Just like other SSDs of the Samsung series, this SSD also comes with Thermal monitoring and protection. The temperature levels of the SSD are constantly monitored and kept at an ambient level using the throttle feature of the thermal monitoring and protection technology. This throttle feature ensures there is no overheating of the SSD and ensures a smooth and faster working of the SSD when it is working on higher applications and higher workloads.

In my Opinion;

“SAMSUNG 860 EVO MZ-M6E250BW @82.99$”, who ranks top in our Top Best 240GB, 250GB & 256GB SSD (2.5 Inch/mSATA/M.2/PCIe) – Monthly Updated article is a better deal as compared to this outdated drive.

[DISCONTINUED] Samsung 850 EVO - 120GB - mSATA Internal SSD (MZ-M5E120BW)

Click on link to check out the current price of “Samsung 850 EVO MZ-M5E120BW“: @Amazon US ($119.97), @Amazon UK (£132.28)@Amazon IND (₹13,092.00)@BestBuy (N/A),  @Walmart (N/A), @Newegg ($109.95).


#Best 128GB & 120GB M.2 SSDs Available In the Market


2nd M.2 – Corsair Force MP500 F120GBMP500

  • Form Factor: M.2 80mm
  • Interface: PCIe Gen 3.0 x4
  • Max Sequential Read/Write Speed: 3000 MB Per Second / 2400 MB Per Second
  • Max Random Read/Write Speed: 150,000 IOPS / 90,000 IOPS
  • Warranty/support: 3 Years Limited Warranty
  • Price: 99.95$ {Check Current Price}

Short Review: This SSD from the sought-after Corsair series is known for its high-performance delivery. The SSD is also known for quick system boot-ups and the data processing speeds of this SSD is unbelievable. One thing that this SSD is known for is the high speed and higher performance. With this kind of a speed, you can access all your data files, load files and launch files at a speed that is 6 times faster than the SATA3 6GBps Solid State Drive.

This SSD is available in all configurations from 120 GB to 240 GB to 480 GB and is compatible with all models. The SS is compatible with all Operating systems that are used in the market ranging from Microsoft Windows to Linux, and also Mac OS X. There are no special drivers required or any administrative rights required to use this SSD.

This SSD has additional protection in it which increases the life of the SSD and provides higher performance and reliability. This SSD also has additional features like error bit protection and an improved data retention.

And this SSD is also supported by the state of the art NAND Technology which is known to boost the performance of the SSD by manifolds, at the same time ensuring higher data processing speeds and better reliability. This Corsair SSD not only boosts bandwidth to provide higher speeds but also enables a new level of performance in a compact form factor. The SSD also contains a feature of Static and dynamic wear leveling that makes the SSD last longer and improves the reliability.

In my Opinion;

The SSDs are outdated, recently not a single new SSD released under 128GB storage. The reason is the decline in cost per GB manufacturing. So, just skip this one and let’s see the next one is worthy or not.

Corsair Force Series MP500 120GB M.2 NVMe PCIe Gen. 3 x4 SSD

Click on link to check out the current price of “Corsair Force MP500 F120GBMP500“: @Amazon US ($99.95), @Amazon UK (£59.99)@Amazon IND (₹12465),   @BestBuy (N/A), @Walmart (N/A), @Newegg ($119.99).


1st M.2 – Samsung SM961 MZVPW128HEGM
Samsung SM961 128GB (NVMe) MZVPW128HEGM-00000 MZ-VPW1280 Gen3 M.2 80mm PCIe 3.0 x4 128G SSD with free 2.5" SSD cable

  • Form Factor: M.2 80mm
  • Interface: PCI Express 3.0 x4 (NVMe)
  • Max Sequential Read/Write Speed: 3100 MB Per Second / 710 MB Per Second
  • Max Random Read/Write Speed: 330,000 IOPS / 170,000 IOPS
  • Warranty/support: 3 Years Limited Warranty
  • Price: 78.95$ {Check Current Price}

Short Review: This SSD from Samsung comes in a tiny form factor which makes it an ideal pick for Ultra-books, laptops, notebooks and tablets. The standard of high performance and data processing speeds are maintained at optimum levels with the next generation PCIe technology.

This SSD contains of Polaris controller that maintains greater reliability and maintains the performance of the SSD at greater speeds. The class-leading NAND Technology is present in this SSD that provides speedy read and write performances.

This technology offers a speed of 3100 MB/sec read operations speed and 700 MB/sec write operations speed. This SSD is also encrypted and has an end to end data protection to provide protection to your data and keeping it secure from any unwarranted access. This feature is highly sought after among users these days.

The SSD is also RoHS compliant and Halogen-free complaint and also supports TRIM commands to maintain better compatibility and higher performance levels.

Samsung SM961 128GB (NVMe) MZVPW128HEGM-00000 MZ-VPW1280 Gen3 M.2 80mm PCIe 3.0 x4 128G SSD with free 2.5" SSD cable

The premium performance of this SSD is maintained owing to the PCIe Generation that it supports which has an interface of 3.0 8Gb/s. It also consists of up to 4 Lanes M.2 Interface. This SSD supports NVMe Support and has a single-sided design.

It provides higher performances and speeds in a cost-effective manner as it comes at a pocket-friendly price. Apart from that, one other great thing about this SSD is that it comes with a 2-year warranty, which is something all customers look for in a good product.

In my Opinion;

Here again “SAMSUNG 970 EVO MZ-V7E250BW @87.99$”, who ranks top in our “Top Best 240GB, 250GB & 256GB SSD (2.5 Inch/mSATA/M.2/PCIe) – Monthly Updated” article is a better deal as compared to this outdated drive.

Samsung SM961 128GB (NVMe) MZVPW128HEGM-00000 MZ-VPW1280 Gen3 M.2 80mm PCIe 3.0 x4 128G SSD with free 2.5" SSD cable

Click on link to check out the current price of “Samsung SM961 MZVPW128HEGM“: @Amazon US ($78.95), @Amazon UK (N/A), @Amazon IND (N/A), @BestBuy (N/A), @Walmart (N/A), @Newegg ($129.95).


#Best 128GB & 120GB PCIe SSDs Available In the Market

Not a single PCIe drive I found worthful in the market. They all are just waste of money. But still, you can use any super-fast M.2 SSD on any PCIe X4/X8/X16 Slot by using an adaptor.

First, you need to screw the M.2 Card into the adaptor and then plug the PCIe card on the motherboard. And that’s’ it, here’s your PCIe M.2 SSD.

M.2 to PCIe Adapter – Single/Dual/Quad/DIMM.2/RAID

M.2 adapters are specially designed to allow the computers to support M.2 devices which lack the M.2 slot. But you need to double check before choosing it as it comes in two compatibility variables the first one is the length while the second is the Key… Read more


*And that’s our top 7 list of the best 128GB & 120GB (2.5/mSATA/M.2/PCIe) SSD what you can get for your desktop or laptop computer. Stay tuned for more! – So, what will you pick, if you wanted one for yourself? Let me know in the comments below:

Happy Shopping!!!






2 COMMENTS

  1. Plextor PX-128M8PeG M8P M.2 SSD.

    Random Read (IOPS) up to 120.000
    Random Write (IOPS) up to 130.000
    It’s written behind the box after you bought it. Or check their official website.
    256gb is 210.000 \ 230.000 IOPS, 512gb is 260\250 and 1TB is 280\240.

  2. Price may be a massive issue tho’. over $1 per GB may be a pretty steep value for client storage. SSD costs have continuing to drop to the purpose wherever a great deal of individuals square measure moving removed from the SSD for OS and HDD for knowledge model and square measure simply shopping for 500+GB SSDs to carry everything.

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