[SOLVED] Best M.2 Option

[jordow47]

I am upgrading parts for my PC, and want to invest into a basic M.2 to improve boot speeds. Currently i'm upgrading to:

CPU: Ryzen 7 2700X
MOBO: Aorus B450 Pro
RAM: 16GB Corsair Vengeance RGB 3200mHz

The B450 Pro has two slots for an M.2 drive, and im not sure whether either of them are drastically different, as im not up to speed with some of the finer, more advanced details of components. I am currently stuck between two M.2's and need some advice on which one is better, and also if it's okay as it's the smaller 80mm size (Type 2280).
Also, it's worth noting im on a fairly tight budget and aren't bothered about spending loads on an M.2, I also have plenty of other HDD space for other files. I will stick to the £40ish range if possible.

1. Gigabyte 256GB M.2-2280 NVMe PCIe SSD
2. Western Digital WDS240G2G0B WD 240 GB Internal SSD

Any help and advice is appreciated, thanks!

 

[Rhaemond]

NVMe will be better and faster in terms of performance, but pretty much if you're gonna go value for money, a regular ssd will do.

 

[Barty1884]

NVMe will be better and faster in terms of performance, but pretty much if you're gonna go value for money, a regular ssd will do.

Theoretical, and benchmarks for the most part, depending on workloads.


If you're looking for the cheaper route to go, a 2.5" SSD will yield a better "value" and it's unlikely you'd 'feel' a difference between it & an NVMe drive.

 

[jordow47]

Theoretical, and benchmarks for the most part, depending on workloads.


If you're looking for the cheaper route to go, a 2.5" SSD will yield a better "value" and it's unlikely you'd 'feel' a difference between it & an NVMe drive.

I do currently have an older SSD that I want to dedicate common use programs on, but I thought that an M.2 with a fair amount of space will increase boot speed significantly, and the two that I mentioned are roughly £30, would it really be better value to just get a new SSD?

Also, whilst I do want value, the main thing is performance and boot speeds, so it's balancing the two.

 

[Barty1884]

That;'s just it though.... While NVMe is definitely fast, in a blind taste test in general use (booting, game loads etc), the average user is going to be hard pressed to identify which is which.

That being said, when you look to ~250GB 2.5" SSDs anything "good" is in the 35-40 quid range. With that kind of money, I'd probably prioritize capacity (~500GB) for nominally more, albeit in a budget drive.
https://uk.pcpartpicker.com/products/compare/WGZ2FT,wqdxFT,8R66Mp/
I've used all those drives, along with 850 EVO's (2.5") and a 950 Pro (NVMe, albeit older) and I barely notice a difference between any in boot times. Now, obviously newer NVMe drives are faster than a 950 Pro, but cheap(ish) NVMe drives are comparable with that older drive.

Then, to give an alternative..... The Intel 660p's are a crazy good value for NVMe. They're not the fastest NVMe, nor would be the particularly great for large scale writes.... but 57quid nets you 512GB, and 1TB is <100.
https://uk.pcpartpicker.com/products/compare/6YtQzy,9nhKHx/