MERGED QUESTION
Question from dunkirkman : "Which M.2 SSD should I use for my OS?"
dunkirkman :
Hey guys what is faster, NVMe or m.2. I know some are the same but they can be different.
Here's my setup:
https://pcpartpicker.com/user/MatteusLebs/saved/BLxhqs
I'm going to use that 860 for installing games but which m.2 or NVMe should I use for the OS? Please make sure it is compatible with my motherboard. Thanks guy!!
USAFRet :
Samsung 960 or 970 EVO.
Whatever size your budget dictates.
why_wolf :
M.2 is the connection port it can either be PCIe or SATA. NVMe is a type of SSD memory control that runs at via PCIe connection as opposed to SATA III. PCIe is faster than SATA III. However for the average user you'd be hard pressed to tell the difference between the two.
Frankly any M.2 NVMe drive will be fine. Samsung are the best but not by much and you'd have an even harder time telling the difference between a Samsung EVO and a Western Digital Black m.2 NVMe.
Fresh, virgin install of windows on Sata3 ssd takes @8 seconds from boot to internet access. Same system on NVMe ssd takes @7 seconds to boot to internet. Compared to a hdd boot of @1+ minutes, the actual differences between NVMe and Sata3 become seriously moot. Smaller files will load so fast, you'd be seriously hard pressed with a stopwatch to tell the difference. It's on the larger files that things start getting more obvious, but you'd still have to know exactly how long both took to have a realistic comparison. In real life, the only viable answer is 'stupid fast' compared to a hdd. It takes in-depth benchmarks to show any results, and many of them are rated in nano/milli seconds.
Faster? Not really a question at ssd speeds, whether Sata3 or NVMe. The real question is performance vrs price. You can opt for the more expensive Samsung line which is a few % better, basically the 'bar' that everyone else strives to beat, or Crucial MX500, which is the current performance value king. Side by side, it'd be impossible for a human being to observe any differences, that takes a computer generated speed benchmark. And with today's advancements in reliability, any decent new ssd will last longer than most pc's. 10-15 years usable life on average.
So what's the best ssd? Any decent ssd that fits your budget and size requirements and plugs into wherever you need it to.