[SOLVED] Help in choosing a 1TB-ish SSD for my motherboard ?

SizzlinJalapeno

Honorable
Jul 24, 2017
12
1
10,515
Hi,

I am using these forums to ask for a suggestion on which SSD to buy if I want my windows OS and some games and apps to be installed on it. I am looking around the 1TB storage, maybe more if theres a cheap deal. I would like to use both my HDD and my SSD as well.
My PC Setup is this:
Deepcool Kendomen ATX Mid Tower Case - Red
Intel Core i5 7600 Quad Core LGA 1151 3.5 GHz CPU Processor
MSI B250M GAMING PRO LGA 1151 Micro-ATX Motherboard
Corsair Vengeance LPX 16GB (2x 8GB) DDR4 2400MHz Memory Black
Seagate ST2000DM006 2TB BarraCuda 3.5" 7200RPM SATA3 Desktop Hard Drive
Corsair CX550M 550W 80 Plus Bronze Semi-Modular Power Supply
GALAX GeForce GTX 1060 EXOC 6GB Video Card

Windows 10 Home 32/64-bit USB Drive
I guess this link has an indication of my motherboard specs but I am not sure what to look for.
https://www.msi.com/Motherboard/B250M-GAMING-PRO/Specification

This is just a link from the local store I want to buy from:
https://us1.campaign-archive.com/?u=f8e354903e37d6d931ad8282f&id=9949ec1b80

I have tried searching if my motherboard has M.2 slot/drive, I saw that it does but I am not sure if it is NVMe or SATA or what they even mean.
 
Last edited:
Solution
If you have money, Samsung 870 Evo (1TB),
link: https://www.mwave.com.au/product/samsung-870-evo-1tb-25-sata-iii-6gbs-vnand-ssd-mz77e1t0bw-ac41599

But if you don't have that much, equally good (only a hair slower) but also cheaper, Crucial MX500 (1TB),
link: https://www.mwave.com.au/product/crucial-mx500-1tb-25-3d-nand-sata-iii-ssd-with-95mm-adapter-ac11048

I have both drives in use with my PCs.
Crucial MX500 is value king, offering almost same performance as the best (Samsung) but with a lot cheaper price.
Samsung 870 Evo is best in 2.5" SSDs. Very good performance and longevity, but also costs accordingly.

In the end, choice is between your wallet and bragging rights. In real world tasks, you can't tell a difference...

Aeacus

Titan
Ambassador
If you have money, Samsung 870 Evo (1TB),
link: https://www.mwave.com.au/product/samsung-870-evo-1tb-25-sata-iii-6gbs-vnand-ssd-mz77e1t0bw-ac41599

But if you don't have that much, equally good (only a hair slower) but also cheaper, Crucial MX500 (1TB),
link: https://www.mwave.com.au/product/crucial-mx500-1tb-25-3d-nand-sata-iii-ssd-with-95mm-adapter-ac11048

I have both drives in use with my PCs.
Crucial MX500 is value king, offering almost same performance as the best (Samsung) but with a lot cheaper price.
Samsung 870 Evo is best in 2.5" SSDs. Very good performance and longevity, but also costs accordingly.

In the end, choice is between your wallet and bragging rights. In real world tasks, you can't tell a difference between the two.
 
Solution

SizzlinJalapeno

Honorable
Jul 24, 2017
12
1
10,515
If you have money, Samsung 870 Evo (1TB),
link: https://www.mwave.com.au/product/samsung-870-evo-1tb-25-sata-iii-6gbs-vnand-ssd-mz77e1t0bw-ac41599

But if you don't have that much, equally good (only a hair slower) but also cheaper, Crucial MX500 (1TB),
link: https://www.mwave.com.au/product/crucial-mx500-1tb-25-3d-nand-sata-iii-ssd-with-95mm-adapter-ac11048

I have both drives in use with my PCs.
Crucial MX500 is value king, offering almost same performance as the best (Samsung) but with a lot cheaper price.
Samsung 870 Evo is best in 2.5" SSDs. Very good performance and longevity, but also costs accordingly.

In the end, choice is between your wallet and bragging rights. In real world tasks, you can't tell a difference between the two.

I assume you recommended these drives because they are compatible with my motherboard obviously, is it as simple as connecting the drive to the motherboard and maybe screwing it in as I have seen in a youtube clip?
 

Aeacus

Titan
Ambassador
because they are compatible with my motherboard obviously
Yes, they are. Actually all SATA drives, 2.5" or 3.5" are compatible with your MoBo.

is it as simple as connecting the drive to the motherboard and maybe screwing it in as I have seen in a youtube clip?
Yes. Just connect SATA data cable between the drive and MoBo, connect SATA power cable to drive and fasten drive in place with screws.
 

DeepCool_Phoenix

Official Forum Representative
Aug 10, 2021
20
1
15
I assume you recommended these drives because they are compatible with my motherboard obviously, is it as simple as connecting the drive to the motherboard and maybe screwing it in as I have seen in a youtube clip?
Given that you have a 7th gen intel chip, you should have an m.2 slot available. In which case, the best SSD for that is going to be the Samsung 970 Evo. Cheaper alternatives include the WD blue or a Silicon Power A80. M.2 drives do not need any wiring, they just go right to the motherboard
 

Aeacus

Titan
Ambassador
Given that you have a 7th gen intel chip, you should have an m.2 slot available.

Yes, OP has one M.2 SSD slot on his MoBo, but 2.5" SATA SSD is easier to install and also costs less than M.2 NVMe SSD. And upgrading from HDD, the 2.5" SATA SSD offers considerable boost in terms of lowering read/write times.

Btw, M.2 SSD slots can be found on much older gen MoBos. E.g in my Haswell build (full specs with pics in my sig), i have 4th gen i5-4590 with Z97 chipset MoBo and i have M.2 SSD slot there. I also have Samsung 980 (1TB) to go in there as well but i haven't had time to install it yet.

In which case, the best SSD for that is going to be the Samsung 970 Evo.

No.

970 Evo is somewhat old and even in the Samsung lineup, there are faster M.2 NVMe SSDs available. E.g 970 Evo Plus, which is successor of 970 Evo. But fastest Samsung drive would be 980 Pro. Still, in M.2 NVMe world, at current date, that isn't fastest. What is fastest, is Western Digital Black SN850.

M.2 drives do not need any wiring, they just go right to the motherboard

True. But if something should happen with the drive, e.g corrupt OS, and personal data is needed to get off from it, the 2nd PC must have one free M.2 SSD slot for data transfer. There are MoBos out there that have 2x M.2 SSD slots, but for the most part, they only have one and if it is occupied by 2nd PC's OS drive, data transfer/recovery can't be done.

No such issue with 2.5" SSD, since that drive can be plugged into any PC. Also, MoBos have 6-8 SATA ports on them, where it's rare that all are used up. Usually 2-3 are only used, leaving other ports free.
 

DeepCool_Phoenix

Official Forum Representative
Aug 10, 2021
20
1
15
Yes, OP has one M.2 SSD slot on his MoBo, but 2.5" SATA SSD is easier to install and also costs less than M.2 NVMe SSD. And upgrading from HDD, the 2.5" SATA SSD offers considerable boost in terms of lowering read/write times.

Btw, M.2 SSD slots can be found on much older gen MoBos. E.g in my Haswell build (full specs with pics in my sig), i have 4th gen i5-4590 with Z97 chipset MoBo and i have M.2 SSD slot there. I also have Samsung 980 (1TB) to go in there as well but i haven't had time to install it yet.



No.

970 Evo is somewhat old and even in the Samsung lineup, there are faster M.2 NVMe SSDs available. E.g 970 Evo Plus, which is successor of 970 Evo. But fastest Samsung drive would be 980 Pro. Still, in M.2 NVMe world, at current date, that isn't fastest. What is fastest, is Western Digital Black SN850.



True. But if something should happen with the drive, e.g corrupt OS, and personal data is needed to get off from it, the 2nd PC must have one free M.2 SSD slot for data transfer. There are MoBos out there that have 2x M.2 SSD slots, but for the most part, they only have one and if it is occupied by 2nd PC's OS drive, data transfer/recovery can't be done.

No such issue with 2.5" SSD, since that drive can be plugged into any PC. Also, MoBos have 6-8 SATA ports on them, where it's rare that all are used up. Usually 2-3 are only used, leaving other ports free.

I'd argue that m.2 drives are much quicker easier to install due to their simplicity and lack of cables, unless it is blocked by the gpu.

I'm well aware that m.2 was introduced with z97, and before that there was mSATA.

I shorthanded a bit here, i was referring to the 970 Evo Plus. The 980 pro would be a waste, as his board would not be able to take advantage of the gen 4 speed increase, so the best gen 3 drive is the 970 Evo Plus. In addition, I believe the random read/write of the 980 is better than the sn850, but the sn850 has higher maximum read/write, which is not as important when it comes to loading an OS.

Many boards do have multiple m.2 slots, but even if you don't an adapter is only $10. I'd hardly let this influence my decision for all the benefits that NVMe brings.
 

Aeacus

Titan
Ambassador
Many boards do have multiple m.2 slots, but even if you don't an adapter is only $10. I'd hardly let this influence my decision for all the benefits that NVMe brings.

That's you, but for others, buying PCI-E -> M.2 adapter card may not be something they want to do. Even i don't want to do that if i can help it.

M.2 NVMe yes, is faster than 2.5" SSD, but it is also more expensive and 2.5" SSD is fast enough for everyday use. Also, it's hard to tell a difference between M.2 NVMe and 2.5" SSD since both are fast. Difference comes into play when you're moving big files within a drive. But for everyday use, speed difference is hard to notice. Especially since the difference isn't so obvious between M.2 NVMe and 2.5" SSD as it is between 2.5" SSD and 3.5" HDD.
Without that noticeable increase in speed, many people doesn't want to pay the premium price of M.2 NVMe SSD.

That should never be a concern.

This is what backups are for.

Yes, but how many are backing up their data? Most people get their PC, install OS (if it isn't preinstalled), load games (or other entertainment) and start using the PC, without thinking to make backups.
 

DeepCool_Phoenix

Official Forum Representative
Aug 10, 2021
20
1
15
That's you, but for others, buying PCI-E -> M.2 adapter card may not be something they want to do. Even i don't want to do that if i can help it.

M.2 NVMe yes, is faster than 2.5" SSD, but it is also more expensive and 2.5" SSD is fast enough for everyday use. Also, it's hard to tell a difference between M.2 NVMe and 2.5" SSD since both are fast. Difference comes into play when you're moving big files within a drive. But for everyday use, speed difference is hard to notice. Especially since the difference isn't so obvious between M.2 NVMe and 2.5" SSD as it is between 2.5" SSD and 3.5" HDD.
Without that noticeable increase in speed, many people doesn't want to pay the premium price of M.2 NVMe SSD.



Yes, but how many are backing up their data? Most people get their PC, install OS (if it isn't preinstalled), load games (or other entertainment) and start using the PC, without thinking to make backups.
That is a fair stance. Do keep in mind though that not all m.2 SSDs are NVMe. There are SATA based m.2 SSDs that usually cost almost exactly the same as their 2.5" counterpart
 

Aeacus

Titan
Ambassador
There are SATA based m.2 SSDs that usually cost almost exactly the same as their 2.5" counterpart

Yes, there are, and only reason why to get M.2 ACHI SSD, is when you don't want to wire the drive, or don't have enough SATA ports free on your MoBo.

All-in-all, most people know that when talk is about M.2 SSD, it is NVMe. But yes, you need to be careful not to buy ACHI drive when you plan to get NVMe drive.
 

USAFRet

Titan
Moderator
That is a fair stance. Do keep in mind though that not all m.2 SSDs are NVMe. There are SATA based m.2 SSDs that usually cost almost exactly the same as their 2.5" counterpart
Parity between SATA drives of either format is not a problem.
860 EVO, for instance.


Currently, there is almost price parity between M.2 NVMe and SATA (2.5" or NVMe).
This is fairly recent. Before, there was a significant different.