Question M.2 vs SSD

[deva7666]

Hello!

I'm new to the forum so please bare with me. But I have a quick question: I'm looking to build my next PC and I've been hearing a lot about using M.2's as a good storage(? unsure of what to call it atm, words are escaping me) for using it to boot and run OS.

This is what I was thinking of using:
SAMSUNG 970 EVO PLUS M.2
with
MSI MPG Z390 GAMING PRO CARBON

Both links go out to the site newegg. I can provide alternate amazon links if that's needed!

Otherwise, just looking for general feedback on if this will work/if it's a good idea or should I look into an alternative? Thank you!

 

[Gam3r01]

M.2 is the form factor of the SSD, its just the size and connection it uses, much like a 3.5" SATA format.
The SSD itself you hear about when people say M.2 is an NVME drive.

NVME drives are substantially faster on paper and select applications compared to a standard SATA SSD. However, for the typical user who is not moving massive files on a regular basis (think video editing vs gaming here), the price is not generally worth it.

If you do something like video editing, an NVME drive is a decent investment, if you dont, just get a standard SATA SSD, you can get about 1TB of space for the same price as the drive you listed (860 EVO)

 

[WildCard999]

That NVMe M.2 is a fast SSD but for the price I'd probably get the Crucial MX500 M.2 500gb for the cheaper price and larger storage as with general use you wouldn't notice much of a difference.

 

[deva7666]

Thank you both for the information! Is more GB really needed if it's just the OS system and I plan to partition it so the rest(as in files/games/etc) would be on an HDD or SSD? (Still debating that one, too, since I've heard HDDs are better for file storage/lifespan)

 

[Gam3r01]

Samsung's SSD have a massively high level of endurance, around the 1000TB of data write range, meaning you would never even come close to using up all that endurance.

As for space itself, I recommend getting a cheap 1TB HDD for general storage, its great, its cheap, and it works.
However, I would certainly recommend a 500GB-1TB SSD over a 250GB NVME drive for a typical system. You would never notice the speed difference, but you would be able to keep some of your favorite games installed on it for faster load times.

 

[deva7666]

Thanks so much for all your wisdom and advice Gam3r01! I'll be swapping to the 500GB EVO you suggested for my OS and keep my HDD I was planning to get for storage.