Question Best 4TB NVMe Options For Large File Transfers

[hopkins802]

Hi all,

I'm currently trying to pick a 4TB NVMe for my video editing suite. I'll be using it in a USB 4 enclosure, since I'm using a Mac Studio. I know that the latest and greatest 4TB NVMe drives have read and write speeds far exceeding what I'll be able to get in my USB 4 enclosure, which will top out around 3.5-3.8 GB/s. However, I need the 4TB of storage and the latest drives seem to do best for sustained writes and reads.

I'm currently debating between the 990 Pro, SN850X due to their similar price point right now.

I haven't been able to find any tests online that shows a couple of things.

1.) How do to write speeds change when the drive is 3TB full?

2.) If I'm writing around 2TB of footage to the drive, which drive will the cache / DRAM fill up first and I start to see a significant drop in speed?

Thanks!
Dan

 

[USAFRet]

Drive speed matters very little for video editing.

In a comparison between PCIe 4.0, 3.0, and SATA III SSD, I found zero difference. The RAM/CPU/GPU makes FAR more differene. The drive is basically just loafing, waiting for some data to write.

Smaller file size and time than yours, but this...

 

[hopkins802]

Drive speed matters very little for video editing.

In a comparison between PCIe 4.0, 3.0, and SATA III SSD, I found zero difference. The RAM/CPU/GPU makes FAR more differene. The drive is basically just loafing, waiting for some data to write.

Smaller file size and time than yours, but this...

My post isn't about editing, it's about file transfers. More specifically, offloading large amounts of footage to this 4TB NVMe from other fast sources, hence the question about write speeds.

 

[USAFRet]

My post isn't about editing, it's about file transfers. More specifically, offloading large amounts of footage to this 4TB NVMe from other fast sources, hence the question about write speeds.

OK then. You mentioned 'video editing suite', so thats where I went.

It would be hard to go wrong with either Samsung or Crucial.

Remember, though...transfer speed is dependent on the slowest device in the chain.

A 4TB 990 on each end will only go as fast as the USB interface allows.

AS far as specifics for your questions....again, the interface comes into play. If the target drive is not being able to be written to at its fastesst native speed because of USB, there is no point where it 'slows down'.

 

[hopkins802]

OK then. You mentioned 'video editing suite', so thats where I went.

It would be hard to go wrong with either Samsung or Crucial.

Remember, though...transfer speed is dependent on the slowest device in the chain.

A 4TB 990 on each end will only go as fast as the USB interface allows.

AS far as specifics for your questions....again, the interface comes into play. If the target drive is not being able to be written to at its fastesst native speed because of USB, there is no point where it 'slows down'.

Thanks. I fully understand this. There will be multiple NVMe drives writing to this one drive simultaneously, which will saturate the write speed due to the USB 4 enclosure speed cap.

Back to the original reason behind this post - DRAM / Cache size and recovery. I'm trying to find out if anyone has any knowledge on this regarding the 990 Pro or WD SN850x (not Crucial P3), because this is what important when it comes to large file transfers. Sure, both drives have insane peak speeds, but what about when that DRAM or Cache fills up? And how large is that on these 4TB drives? I could just order both and try for myself with real world transfers, but I was curious if anyone already knew the answer.

 

[masterviper]

Thanks. I fully understand this. There will be multiple NVMe drives writing to this one drive simultaneously, which will saturate the write speed due to the USB 4 enclosure speed cap.

Back to the original reason behind this post - DRAM / Cache size and recovery. I'm trying to find out if anyone has any knowledge on this regarding the 990 Pro or WD SN850x (not Crucial P3), because this is what important when it comes to large file transfers. Sure, both drives have insane peak speeds, but what about when that DRAM or Cache fills up? And how large is that on these 4TB drives? I could just order both and try for myself with real world transfers, but I was curious if anyone already knew the answer.

transferring 1.8TB from WD SN770 2TB inside an Asus ROG NVME Enclosure to a WD 850X 4TB NVME inside a PCIE 4x4 slot on my Asus PN53 Mini PC was fine. I didnt see any issues or significant slow down of speeds. Both drives have DRAM Caching and are TLC and the 4TB is a Double sided NVME.