Linux rookie trying to choose SSD for a laptop
 

I am fine with 500GB or higher

Which brand/model would other Linux users recommend?

Samsung?
Toshiba?
Crucial?

SATA or NVMe? Assuming SATA, I've been using Samsung EVO and they seem pretty reliable.

There is some question if a ssd will work well. There are some systems that were made well before any ssd's were available and they tend to have some crash issues.

However your choice is maybe price versus performance. The WD black's were on sale a while ago. You can look at the reviews for any product. Intel tends to be a choice too.

The pro Samsung's tend to be top rated.

Samsung EVO / pro is what I use, eBay or whereever, and get the biggest one you can afford. 860 EVO have been good to me. though i am sure they've gotten better sense I got mine.

If SATA, then anything recent from any major manufacturer will have the ability to saturate a SATA bus, so it really doesn't matter what you go with as far as performance. So go with whatever you get the best price on.

If NVMe, then it's a whole different ballgame. Phison E12 drives generally give the best bang for the buck at this moment (Silicon Power P34A80, MyDigialSSD BPX Pro, Corsair MP510), but there's lots of other great values to be had (Adata SX8200 when on sale).

Yup. Samsung Evo is a pretty good choice, SATA as well. especially for a newbie. Good price, reliable SSD's, "safe" interface.

I have experience with the two. Great quality hands down!!!