5. Toshiba THNSNH512GCST

• Reviewed on: 23 May 13
• RRP: £380 inc VAT
• Rating:

The Toshiba THNSNH512GCST has some way to go before it becomes the go-to consumer choice. First in its marketing and retail availability, which are not quite in place yet; and in performance terms the Toshiba has a tougher job with stacked-up small file writes. In the 4kB read, and sequential reads, it puts in a marvellous show though.

4. Corsair Neutron GTX 240GB SSD

• Reviewed on: 20 May 13
• RRP: £190 inc VAT
• Rating:

The Corsair Neutron GX is a very strong candidate in this group, all the more surprising given the original and novel choice of controller technology. If low weight, long warranty and stellar write performance appeal, take a very close look at this recommended product.

3. Samsung 840 Pro 512GB

• Reviewed on: 22 May 13
• RRP: £370 inc VAT
• Rating:

There's little doubt that when working correctly the Samsung 840 Pro is one of the top consumer solid-state drives available today. Pricing is very competitive and the essential small-file IOPS performance is on the money too.

2. Crucial M500

• Reviewed on: 21 May 13
• RRP: £320 inc VAT
• Rating:

Crucial has returned to the hit list of must-have SSDs with its M500. Not because it’s the fastest but because it has great multi-platform PC support, a good balance of large- and small-file transfer speeds, and an attractive price without relying on slower performance three-layer cell (TLC) flash technology. And if it’s terabyte-class flash SATA storage you’re looking for, it’s currently the only player in town.

1. Plextor M5 Pro

• Reviewed on: 21 May 13
• RRP: £174 inc VAT
• Rating:

Performance and the quality assurance look to be right up near the top, yet the Plextor M5 Pro is about the cheapest high-performance drive in our recent group test group. With those worthy attributes, it deserves our Best Buy award from a talented group of overachievers.