For gaming and everyday Windows use with your Ryzen 7 9800X3D, a Gen 4 SSD like the Samsung 990 PRO or WD SN850X is still the sweet spot. While Gen 5 drives like the Crucial T705 offer higher theoretical speeds, the real-world gaming benefit is currently minimal, often less than 10% faster, and sometimes even negligible. Gen 5 SSDs also generate significantly more heat and often require robust heatsinks or active cooling to prevent thermal throttling, which can severely reduce performance. Your X870E board's heatsinks might suffice, but it's a consideration. Some motherboards may also share PCIe lanes with the GPU when a Gen 5 SSD is installed, potentially impacting GPU performance. For a cheaper "fast enough" Gen 4 drive, consider the Crucial T500 or WD Black SN7100. They offer excellent performance for gaming at a better value.

Tbh I totally agree with the point about Gen 4 being the sweet spot for the 9800X3D because ngl Gen 5 is still basically in that 'early adopter' phase where things get way too hot for comfort. If you're building a beastly gaming rig you want reliability over some theoretical benchmark numbers you'll never actually feel during a loading screen and honestly the last thing you want is your OS drive thermal throttling or worse. I’ve been running the SK Hynix Platinum P41 for a while and it’s arguably one of the most stable and efficient drives on the market right now plus it runs way cooler than most of the Gen 4 competition. Another sleeper pick is the Lexar NM790 which is super fast for gaming but way more affordable and stays chill even without a massive active cooler. I’d definitely go with one of those for the peace of mind because having a drive fail or act up just isn't worth the extra fraction of a second in load time you might get from a Gen 5 drive that basically doubles as a space heater inside your case.

Like someone mentioned, sticking with Gen 4 is definitely the smart move for a gaming rig! I totally agree that chasing Gen 5 right now is basically just paying for a space heater inside your case without actually feeling any difference when you are jumping into a match. Honestly, I have spent way too many years chasing benchmark numbers, but my experience lately has been all about that consistent performance. I ended up putting the Solidigm P44 Pro 2TB NVMe SSD in my latest build and it is absolutely amazing! Most people forget that Solidigm is basically the old Intel storage division, so their firmware is rock solid. Compared to the big names like Samsung, I have found it stays way cooler during long sessions while keeping Windows feeling super snappy. If you want another sleeper pick, the Kingston FURY Renegade 2TB PCIe 4.0 NVMe SSD is also a total beast. It uses a very mature controller that just doesnt quit. You really dont need Gen 5 for the 9800X3D... that CPU is so fast on its own that a top-tier Gen 4 drive like these will feel identical to anything faster but without the extra heat and cost!

Samsung 990 EVO is OK.

Building on the earlier suggestion, I really think reliability is the biggest factor when youre setting up a beast like the 9800X3D. I went through a phase where I was obsessed with having the highest numbers in every benchmark, but it just led to weird stability issues and extra heat that made me nervous. The one I got for my current setup has been rock solid for months now and I am super satisfied with it. No random hitches or slow downs, it just works perfectly every time I hit the power button. Funny enough, while I was building this thing, I got so distracted by the cable management that I spent an entire Saturday afternoon just routing wires. I wanted it to look like one of those pro builds even though my case doesnt even have a window. My brother came over and saw me using tweezers to tuck away a tiny fan header cable and just laughed at me for being so extra. I guess once youve been building PCs for twenty years you get a bit picky about things people wont even see. Anyway, as long as your drive stays cool and doesnt give you any errors, you are gonna be happy.