Good NVMe SSD

[Suddenlay]

Hey guys ive been thinking about changing into NVMe SSD to change my OS to for optimization but im am not certain what drive would be optimal. Does anyone have a good idea for an NVMe SSD good for video editing and gaming with good speed.
My motherboard is a Asus ROG STRIX Z390-F GAMING
Thanks

 

[USAFRet]

Why is the Samsung 970 EVO not top on your shortlist?

 

[Barty1884]

Do you *need* an NVME boot drive opposed to a simple SATA drive?

For gaming, you're unlikely to see any difference whatsoever.
For video editing, I assume you'll still be rendering to a secondary drive? If so, the NVMe aspect isn't going to help out a great deal. I would expect capacity would be more of a benefit for, opposed to NVMe vs SATA.

If you're set on an NVMe drive, as USAFRet alluded to, a 970 EVO should be top of your list.

If I'm correct, then a 970 EVO is ~$78, ~$130 and ~$250 for 250GB, 500GB and 1TB respectively.
https://pcpartpicker.com/products/compare/dkHRsY,P4ZFf7,JLdxFT/

Whereas an 860 EVO (2.5") 1TB drive is ~$158.
OR
An MX500 1TB from Crucial, in an M.2 form-factor (still SATA based though) is $135
https://pcpartpicker.com/products/compare/yzfhP6,4Qw7YJ/

 

[Suddenlay]

Do you *need* an NVME boot drive opposed to a simple SATA drive?

For gaming, you're unlikely to see any difference whatsoever.
For video editing, I assume you'll still be rendering to a secondary drive? If so, the NVMe aspect isn't going to help out a great deal.

If you're set on an NVMe drive, as USAFRet alluded to, a 970 EVO should be top of your list.

Im currently running my OS system on a SSD, tho im running out of space on it. so im opting to upgrade, and move my OS and use my SSD for rendered videos
Just to be sure, will a 970 EVO fit my motherboard. Never used NVME before.

 

[Suddenlay]

Do you *need* an NVME boot drive opposed to a simple SATA drive?

For gaming, you're unlikely to see any difference whatsoever.
For video editing, I assume you'll still be rendering to a secondary drive? If so, the NVMe aspect isn't going to help out a great deal. I would expect capacity would be more of a benefit for, opposed to NVMe vs SATA.

If you're set on an NVMe drive, as USAFRet alluded to, a 970 EVO should be top of your list.

If I'm correct, then a 970 EVO is ~$78, ~$130 and ~$250 for 250GB, 500GB and 1TB respectively.
https://pcpartpicker.com/products/compare/dkHRsY,P4ZFf7,JLdxFT/

Whereas an 860 EVO (2.5") 1TB drive is ~$158.
OR
An MX500 1TB from Crucial, in an M.2 form-factor (still SATA based though) is $135
https://pcpartpicker.com/products/compare/yzfhP6,4Qw7YJ/

pim basically looking for the best solution to run my OS on.

 

[Barty1884]

If you're shooting for the "best", then the 970 EVO will be what you're looking for.

I was just pointing out the price differences in what you can get. For the budget-conscious, I'd imagine a 1TB SSD for ~$135 vs a 500GB 970EVO for a similar price would make a lot of sense.


Yes, your board will support an NVMe M.2 drive - Two of them, infact.

 

[terry4536]

I'm not sure that the Samsung 970 Evo NVMe SSD is going to be noticeably faster than the Samsung 860 Evo SSD either. I can't use the NVMe SSD without upgrading my system. So I don't have personal experience, but the Samsung 860 Evo already has pretty fast read/write speed.

So, I'm not sure they are worth the extra expense.

 

[mrgnex]

The 970 EVO is a very good drive. Look up some reviews for NVMe drives

 

[Suddenlay]

If you're shooting for the "best", then the 970 EVO will be what you're looking for.

I was just pointing out the price differences in what you can get. For the budget-conscious, I'd imagine a 1TB SSD for ~$135 vs a 500GB 970EVO for a similar price would make a lot of sense.


Yes, your board will support an NVMe M.2 drive - Two of them, infact.

Thanks mate. Well im doing a bouch of animations and video editing, so im actually maxed out on SSD on my pc, thats why im looking for at NVMe so i can keep my SSD, for as long as i can. SInce im runnign 4 harddrives and 4 SSD´s, so a NVMe is good since i can mount it on my board.

Thanks for the help my man. i'm grateful.

 

[USAFRet]

Thanks mate. Well im doing a bouch of animations and video editing, so im actually maxed out on SSD on my pc, thats why im looking for at NVMe so i can keep my SSD, for as long as i can. SInce im runnign 4 harddrives and 4 SSD´s, so a NVMe is good since i can mount it on my board.

Thanks for the help my man. i'm grateful.

You'll need to investigate the user manual, and see what if any SATA ports are disabled if you use that drive.

 

[Suddenlay]

Thanks mate. Well im doing a bouch of animations and video editing, so im actually maxed out on SSD on my pc, thats why im looking for at NVMe so i can keep my SSD, for as long as i can. SInce im runnign 4 harddrives and 4 SSD´s, so a NVMe is good since i can mount it on my board.

Thanks for the help my man. i'm grateful.

You'll need to investigate the user manual, and see what if any SATA ports are disabled if you use that drive.

why would i have to do that?

 

[Barty1884]

I assume you have an addon card for additional SATA ports? That board only has 6x SATA ports?

As for why you'd want to investigate:

*1 When the M.2_1 Socket 3 is operating in SATA mode, SATA port 2 will be disabled.

https://www.asus.com/Motherboards/ROG-STRIX-Z390-F-GAMING/specifications/

So, an NVMe drive is fine BUT, if you used a SATA-based M.2 in M.2_1 slot, you'd lose one of the 6 available SATA ports.
With 8x SATA drives connected (somehow), you'd lose one of the slots.

Not an issue with an NVMe drive..... Still curious how you have 8x drives connected though.

 

[Suddenlay]

I assume you have an addon card for additional SATA ports? That board only has 6x SATA ports?

As for why you'd want to investigate:

*1 When the M.2_1 Socket 3 is operating in SATA mode, SATA port 2 will be disabled.

https://www.asus.com/Motherboards/ROG-STRIX-Z390-F-GAMING/specifications/

So, an NVMe drive is fine BUT, if you used a SATA-based M.2 in M.2_1 slot, you'd lose one of the 6 available SATA ports.
With 8x SATA drives connected (somehow), you'd lose one of the slots.

Not an issue with an NVMe drive..... Still curious how you have 8x drives connected though.

oh im running 2 external drives. And im sitting with a 120gb ssd that ive been thinking about swapping due to the low capacity.
4x SSD
2x Harddrives
2x External harddrives through USB port. Not as fast but it works for when im working on videos at home and at school.

 

[Barty1884]

Then your only option is an NVMe/PCIe based drive anyway. You can populate either/or/both M.2 slots with NVMe drives without compromising any SATA ports.

Your max config is:
2x NVMe M.2 onboard
6x SATA drives
Yx External HDD/SSDs - where Y is the number of available USB ports.

 

[Suddenlay]

Then your only option is an NVMe/PCIe based drive anyway. You can populate either/or/both M.2 slots with NVMe drives without compromising any SATA ports.

Your max config is:
2x NVMe M.2 onboard
6x SATA drives
Yx External HDD/SSDs - where Y is the number of available USB ports.

Just to be sure. since i dont know much about NVMe. It is possible to put in a 970 EVO into my board without using any SATA Ports`?
And is it easy enough to install/mount?

 

[Barty1884]

Yes, NVMe drives WILL NOT stop the functionality of any SATA ports on that board.

Yes, they're pretty straightforward to mount:
https://youtu.be/NCIqZjo34rw?t=54

The standoff/screw might be pre-installed in the board, or it might be in separate packing in your motherboard box. Other than that, it's straightforward. There will be plenty of other videos, that's just the first one I found.

 

[Suddenlay]

Yes, NVMe drives WILL NOT stop the functionality of any SATA ports on that board.

Yes, they're pretty straightforward to mount:
https://youtu.be/NCIqZjo34rw?t=54

The standoff/screw might be pre-installed in the board, or it might be in separate packing in your motherboard box. Other than that, it's straightforward. There will be plenty of other videos, that's just the first one I found.

The Shield/standoff is already mounted. Does it matter which of the sockets i install it on?

 

[Barty1884]

For absolute optimal performance, you'll probably want to use the slot nearest the CPU. One is likely direct to the CPU, the other via the chipset which adds a bit of latency. I'd have to check out the manual to determine which is which though.

But, generally speaking no, it doesn't matter which M.2 you use.

 

[Suddenlay]

Yes, NVMe drives WILL NOT stop the functionality of any SATA ports on that board.

Yes, they're pretty straightforward to mount:
https://youtu.be/NCIqZjo34rw?t=54

The standoff/screw might be pre-installed in the board, or it might be in separate packing in your motherboard box. Other than that, it's straightforward. There will be plenty of other videos, that's just the first one I found.

For absolute optimal performance, you'll probably want to use the slot nearest the CPU. One is likely direct to the CPU, the other via the chipset which adds a bit of latency. I'd have to check out the manual to determine which is which though.

But, generally speaking no, it doesn't matter which M.2 you use.

I do have a mount directly under the CPU and then i have one under the GPU as for what i can tell. Tho only the one under the GPU has a shield covering it.

 

[Barty1884]

The shield/cover doesn't matter, really.

They'll be wired differently, one to the CPU and one to the chipset (I'm fairly confident on that), with the one physically closest to the CPU being the more likely to be a direct-wire to the CPU itself.

Personally, I'd mount there..... but either/or isn't going to matter much at all for your use case.

 

[Suddenlay]

The shield/cover doesn't matter, really.

They'll be wired differently, one to the CPU and one to the chipset (I'm fairly confident on that), with the one physically closest to the CPU being the more likely to be a direct-wire to the CPU itself.

Personally, I'd mount there..... but either/or isn't going to matter much at all for your use case.

Alright thanks mate. I do have a small problem tho. the screws that came with the board wasnt labeld so im not sure which screws are used for the sockets 3. YOu wouldnt happen to know what kind it is. Or where i can buy some so i use the correct screws? Thanks

 

[Barty1884]

Not 100% of their name.... but they're the smallest of the bunch.
They're tiny, with minimal length.

 

[Suddenlay]

Not 100% of their name.... but they're the smallest of the bunch.
They're tiny, with minimal length.

Do u know if its possible to buy the screws somewhere?

 

[Barty1884]

If it's just the screw you need (and not the standoff), apparently the official spec if "The correct screw size is 2.0 x 3mm (CM2x3-3.3)."

That's as per another contribution on this site, so cannot verify 100%.
http://www.tomshardware.com/answers/id-2930387/ssd-screw.html#17290517

You should be able to find them in hardware stores, but length could be a problem.


you can buy the screw + standoff online, but they're fairly expensive for what they are
https://www.amazon.com/GutsParker-M-2-Standoff-Screw-Drives/dp/B06XBG1783?tag=linus21-20

 

[Suddenlay]

If it's just the screw you need (and not the standoff), apparently the official spec if "The correct screw size is 2.0 x 3mm (CM2x3-3.3)."

That's as per another contribution on this site, so cannot verify 100%.
http://www.tomshardware.com/answers/id-2930387/ssd-screw.html#17290517

You should be able to find them in hardware stores, but length could be a problem.


you can buy the screw + standoff online, but they're fairly expensive for what they are
https://www.amazon.com/GutsParker-M-2-Standoff-Screw-Drives/dp/B06XBG1783?tag=linus21-20

Thank you very much. I will try and figure it out. Thanks for ur time!