How to choose an SSD for a new build

[TimmW]

I little help with a light gaming machine build for a graphic artist, would be greatly appreciated.

ASUS Z170 Pro Gaming/AURA LGA 1151 Intel Z170 HDMI SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.1 USB 3.0 ATX Motherboards - Intel . Picked this board because it has on-board graphics that will do the job.

Probably, the Intel Core i5-6500 6MB Skylake Quad-Core 3.2 GHz LGA 1151 65W, Desktop Processor Intel.

I have read the information on this site and others about SSD's. I am now completely confused. I have built a couple of light gaming machines over the years.

What I need is an SSD recommendation. Thinking from 120 GB to 240 GB. Dependability supersedes all other considerations.

I simply want a M.2 SSD that I can run the OS (Windows 10) and Corel graphics programs. File storage will be on other drives.

The only game played on this machine occasionally, is solitaire.

Shopping for this single piece is driving me to the brink. The prices are all over the place and I do not understand the technical complexities. Nor have the need to learn for a single build.

It has been recommended that a small SSD would be worth the expense and added trouble, if for no other reason than reaction time and speed of program response. That seems completely reasonable and a worthy suggestion.

Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated. Thanks.

 

[Dark Lord of Tech]

Get a Samsung.

 

[USAFRet]

Samsung 850 EVO 250GB. Either m.2 or 2.5" SATA.
This gets the OS and applications.

 

[TimmW]

Perfect. Thank you both.

 

[Aeacus]

I suggest Samsung SM951 NVMe PCIe M.2 256GB (MZVPV256HDGL-00000) over the Samsung 850 EVO series.

Comparison:
Samsung SM951 NVMe PCIe M.2 256GB vs 850 Evo 250GB
Userbenchmark Effective SSD Speed: 197% vs 95.4%
Samsung SM951 NVMe PCIe M.2 256GB - 4th / 798
Samsung 850 Evo 250GB - 36th / 798

You can use that site to compare different SSDs and their specs.

 

[TimmW]

Since I am in this deep on this discussion.
Is there any advantage to the PCIe M.2 256GB configuration V. the mSATA verticle or the 2.5" stand alone unit?

I have room in the case for anything I want. Is there an advantage to having it on the "board" or any preference?

 

[USAFRet]

Since I am in this deep on this discussion.
Is there any advantage to the PCIe M.2 256GB configuration V. the mSATA verticle or the 2.5" stand alone unit?

I have room in the case for anything I want. Is there an advantage to having it on the "board" or any preference?

m.2 or SATA is the physical interface.
NVMe or SATA is the data interface.

m.2 can be had with either NVMe (PCI-e) interface, or SATA interface.

The NVMe is significantly faster than SATA.
A SATA m.2 is the same speed as a regular 2.5" SATA drive. Still fast, but not as fast as NVMe.

 

[Aeacus]

If you missed it, then here's the comparison link again,
link: http://ssd.userbenchmark.com/Compare/Samsung-SM951-NVMe-PCIe-M2-256GB-vs-Samsung-850-Evo-250GB/m30950vs2977

Click on it and you'll be directed to a comparsion site between the two drives. From there you can see the differences between the M.2 drive and the standard 2.5" drive.

To put it short: M.2 drive is 106% faster than 2.5" drive.

 

[USAFRet]

If the budget fits, and the motherboard supports...get an NVMe drive.
But don't sacrifice size for NVMe over SATA.

For instance, don't get a 128GB NVMe vs a 250GB SATA drive.

 

[TimmW]

Since I am in this deep on this discussion.
Is there any advantage to the PCIe M.2 256GB configuration V. the mSATA verticle or the 2.5" stand alone unit?

I have room in the case for anything I want. Is there an advantage to having it on the "board" or any preference?

m.2 or SATA is the physical interface.
NVMe or SATA is the data interface.

m.2 can be had with either NVMe (PCI-e) interface, or SATA interface.

The NVMe is significantly faster than SATA.
A SATA m.2 is the same speed as a regular 2.5" SATA drive. Still fast, but not as fast as NVMe.

Perfect. Simple as that.
So where it sits in the box is irrelevant. It is the interface speed.

 

[TimmW]

If you missed it, then here's the comparison link again,
link: http://ssd.userbenchmark.com/Compare/Samsung-SM951-NVMe-PCIe-M2-256GB-vs-Samsung-850-Evo-250GB/m30950vs2977

Click on it and you'll be directed to a comparsion site between the two drives. From there you can see the differences between the M.2 drive and the standard 2.5" drive.

To put it short: M.2 drive is 106% faster than 2.5" drive.

I got it, but was not understanding why.
I lot of these articles and "sales reviews" forget that some of us need the basics first.

I will most likely go with the M.2. Not my dime but the savings from the home build allows for a lot of upgrades. I am just the free labor.
This is what the board says it has;
1 x M.2 Socket 3, with M Key, type 2242/2260/2280/22110 storage devices support (both SATA & PCIE mode)

Hopefully, this build will last as well as the last.

 

[USAFRet]

Right. And the "m.2" terminology muddies the waters.
Not all m.2 is the same.

My 4 year old Z77 motherboard supports an m.2 drive.
A SATA m.2 drive. Which is no faster, and sucks up 1 or 2 regular SATA ports.

Someone unknowning might only see "m.2" and think automagically 2x faster. Which only comes with NVMe (PCIE). Which won't work on this board.

 

[TimmW]

Right. And the "m.2" terminology muddies the waters.
Not all m.2 is the same.

My 4 year old Z77 motherboard supports an m.2 drive.
A SATA m.2 drive. Which is no faster, and sucks up 1 or 2 regular SATA ports.

Someone unknowning might only see "m.2" and think automagically 2x faster. Which only comes with NVMe (PCIE). Which won't work on this board.

It seems like I am building at the right time for technology. This board / build should keep us going for a few years.
I was not even going for the SSD when I started this project but the neighbor works as a server tech and jumped in with great enthusiasm.
Anything to stop the "complaining" about 3.7 seconds of boot time will greatly improve my life😉 Not sure what all that extra time will buy each day but there it is.

 

[USAFRet]

"Now" is (almost) always the right time...

But yes, that box will last several years.

 

[Aeacus]

I got it, but was not understanding why.
I lot of these articles and "sales reviews" forget that some of us need the basics first.

I will most likely go with the M.2. Not my dime but the savings from the home build allows for a lot of upgrades. I am just the free labor.
This is what the board says it has;
1 x M.2 Socket 3, with M Key, type 2242/2260/2280/22110 storage devices support (both SATA & PCIE mode)

Hopefully, this build will last as well as the last.

Explanation what the board is saying:
M.2 Socket (gen) 3 = speeds up to 32 Gb/s (4 GB/s)
M key = can insert only storage device which has M key edge connector
type 2242/2260/2280/22110 = that is the supported storage device dimensions, e.g. 2280 means 22mm wide, 80mm long
SATA & PCIE mode = you can either use your M.2 drive in SATA mode (speed is the same as regular 2.5" drive has: 6.0 Gb/s (750 MB/s), while disabling 1 SATA port) or PCI-E mode (getting up to the 32 Gb/s (4 GB/s) speed)

 

[TimmW]

I got it, but was not understanding why.
I lot of these articles and "sales reviews" forget that some of us need the basics first.

I will most likely go with the M.2. Not my dime but the savings from the home build allows for a lot of upgrades. I am just the free labor.
This is what the board says it has;
1 x M.2 Socket 3, with M Key, type 2242/2260/2280/22110 storage devices support (both SATA & PCIE mode)

Hopefully, this build will last as well as the last.

Explanation what the board is saying:
M.2 Socket (gen) 3 = speeds up to 32 Gb/s (4 GB/s)
M key = can insert only storage device which has M key edge connector
type 2242/2260/2280/22110 = that is the supported storage device dimensions, e.g. 2280 means 22mm wide, 80mm long
SATA & PCIE mode = you can either use your M.2 drive in SATA mode (speed is the same as regular 2.5" drive has: 6.0 Gb/s (750 MB/s), while disabling 1 SATA port) or PCI-E mode (getting up to the 32 Gb/s (4 GB/s) speed)

That was unbelievably helpful. Thank you.
See, when broken down with simple explanations, this is not even complicated.
With luck, the PCI-E technology will last for a couple of years before they upgrade to something else.

 

[USAFRet]

That was unbelievably helpful. Thank you.
See, when broken down with simple explanations, this is not even complicated.
With luck, the PCI-E technology will last for a couple of years before they upgrade to something else.

Now you get to go spread the word...:lol:

 

[TimmW]

That was unbelievably helpful. Thank you.
See, when broken down with simple explanations, this is not even complicated.
With luck, the PCI-E technology will last for a couple of years before they upgrade to something else.

Now you get to go spread the word...:lol:

That I have been doing for many years. This is only the second time I have posted, I can usually find my answers in other threads pretty fast.
I usually recommend you guys for reviews and problem solving, and will gladly continue to do so.

 

[Deleted member 217926]

If the budget fits, and the motherboard supports...get an NVMe drive.
But don't sacrifice size for NVMe over SATA.

For instance, don't get a 128GB NVMe vs a 250GB SATA drive.

^ Totally agree.

Here is my 512GB Samsung 950 Pro ( M2, NVMe ) vs my 500GB Samsung 840 Evo ( SATA ) as an example of how much faster NVMe can be. But don't sacrifice space for speed.

 

[SR TEE]

Intel just released a new M.2 called the 600 series. They are TLC drives that are high capacity and are PCI Express 3.0x4 at a lower price than anything else. I personally prefer MLC drives because they tend to be more reliable with my data transfers and tend to have less errors, but there are exceptions to that depending on the brand and model you buy. You can get an Intel 600 series 512GB drive off NE for roughly 190.