Question Need help deciding what SSD to buy.

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That_Tech_Guy_Again

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I am looking for a 2nd SSD, since the first one is almost full. The first one is a SATA SSD. I am looking for an M.2 SSD since the motherboard (B550M DS3H Revision 1.5) M.2 slot available.

I live in Australia, so use AUD currency when giving suggestions. I plan to built a NEW comptuer probalby near the end of this year or sometime next year. So i do NOT want to spend a lot on a new SSD. I was thinknig around $100-$2-- AUD (though maybe slightly more if necessary).

Also i would prefer a 2 Terabyte SSD over a 1 Terabyte SSD.

Here are some links to some SSD's i am considering.

This one i will probably NOT get. Though i might consider it for the NEW PC i will built within the next year or so. (Question - Is a heatsink for an SSD even necessary? - THe heatsink is the main reason i am even looking ath this SSD).



Samsung 970 Evo Plus. (This SSD uses PCIE 3.0 - Is there a substantial "noticeable" difference between PCIE 3.0 VS PCIE 4.0).


Samsung 980 Pro (This SSD uses PCIE 4.0).

If i left out any relevant / necessary information jsut ask for it and i will update this post. Thankyou for helping.
 
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Your motherboard specs below. One of the M.2 ports supports PCIe 4.0 if you are using Ryzen 3000 or 5000.

PCIe 4.0 is not a major deal, but you may as well get it considering prices have fallen lately.

Are you locked into Samsung? WD and Crucial and possibly others are plausible.

Do you intend to put Windows on this drive? Or is it just for storage?

I don't use heatsinks.............BUT I would if the relatively small cost enabled me to sleep better.

www.gigabyte.com

B550M DS3H (rev. 1.5) Specification | Motherboard - GIGABYTE Global

Lasting Quality from GIGABYTE.GIGABYTE Ultra Durable™ motherboards bring together a unique blend of features and technologies that offer users the absolute ultimate platform for...
www.gigabyte.com www.gigabyte.com


Storage Interface

1 x M.2 connector (M2A_CPU), integrated in the CPU, supporting Socket 3, M key, type 22110/2280 SSDs:

AMD Ryzen™ 5000 Series/3000 Series Processors support SATA and PCIe 4.0 x4/x2 SSDs

AMD Ryzen™ 5000 G-Series/4000 G-Series Processors support SATA and PCIe 3.0 x4/x2 SSDs



1 x M.2 connector (M2B_SB), integrated in the Chipset, supporting Socket 3, M key, type 2280 SSDs:

Supporting SATA and PCIe 3.0 x4/x2 SSDs



4 x SATA 6Gb/s connectors, integrated in the Chipset:

Support for RAID 0, RAID 1, and RAID 10
 
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That_Tech_Guy_Again said:
I have a Ryzen 5 3600. NVMe and M.2 is the same thing? I only have 1 M.2 slot available. Therefore it is NOT possible.
Click to expand...
No.

NVMe and M.2 are not the same thing.

M.2 is a form factor....like 2.5 inch drives or 3.5 inch drives or ATX motherboards.

Some M.2 ports will work with NVMe drives. Some will work with SATA drives. Some will work with both.

Your motherboard supposedly has 2 M.2 ports. If I read your spec sheet correctly, BOTH of your M.2 ports can accept either SATA or NVMe drives. But only 1 of the ports will support a PCIe 4.0 drive at its full speed...a 4.0 drive in the other M.2 port would run at 3.0 speed.
 
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Lafong said:
Your motherboard specs below. One of the M.2 ports supports PCIe 4.0 if you are using Ryzen 3000 or 5000.

PCIe 4.0 is not a major deal, but you may as well get it considering prices have fallen lately.

Are you locked into Samsung? WD and Crucial and possibly others are plausible.

Do you intend to put Windows on this drive? Or is it just for storage?

I don't use heatsinks.............BUT I would if the relatively small cost enabled me to sleep better.

www.gigabyte.com

B550M DS3H (rev. 1.5) Specification | Motherboard - GIGABYTE Global

Lasting Quality from GIGABYTE.GIGABYTE Ultra Durable™ motherboards bring together a unique blend of features and technologies that offer users the absolute ultimate platform for...
www.gigabyte.com www.gigabyte.com


Storage Interface

1 x M.2 connector (M2A_CPU), integrated in the CPU, supporting Socket 3, M key, type 22110/2280 SSDs:

AMD Ryzen™ 5000 Series/3000 Series Processors support SATA and PCIe 4.0 x4/x2 SSDs

AMD Ryzen™ 5000 G-Series/4000 G-Series Processors support SATA and PCIe 3.0 x4/x2 SSDs



1 x M.2 connector (M2B_SB), integrated in the Chipset, supporting Socket 3, M key, type 2280 SSDs:

Supporting SATA and PCIe 3.0 x4/x2 SSDs



4 x SATA 6Gb/s connectors, integrated in the Chipset:

Support for RAID 0, RAID 1, and RAID 10
Click to expand...
The price for the PCIE 4.0 is $235. The PCIE 3.0 is $179. The price for the SSD with the heatsink is $288.

The SSD with heatsink is NOT worth it, if the heatsink is NOT a substantial component. Maytbe when i build a NEW PC using the latest parts. Though NOT now.

There is a difference of approximately $50 between the PCIE 3.0 and the PCIE 4.0 therefore, i am NOT sure oif the extra $50 justifies the cost. If there is NOT a substantial improvement. I do NOT plan in placing the OS on the M.2 SSD since it would probably be too much work. The usage will be for games, old and new. Since i have A LOT of Steam gaems i have purchased and have NEVER gotten around to actually installing / playing them.

I also, plan to use the M.2 SSD for installing and using Unreal Enginge 5 and for programming C++ for game development. (I am currently studying "UNofficially" a beginner level C++ book that i downloaded online for free).

Though by the time i am able to make effective use of high end components, i will quite possibly have already built the NEW PC in approximately 1 year from now. Therefore, you should assess the component with the usage case being for mostly games, and MAYBE some tinkering in UNreal engine 5. The games will mostly be somewhat older games. Though i do plan on getting NEWER title games from within the last few years soon. I am not sure exactly which games yet. Just think Triple-A games.

As for Samsung. Not really. The Samsung SSD's were merely some of the first that i saw on Pcpartspicker. The Samsung SSD's appear to be the best in terms of specs for the cost.
 
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Lafong said:
No.

NVMe and M.2 are not the same thing.

M.2 is a form factor....like 2.5 inch drives or 3.5 inch drives or ATX motherboards.

Some M.2 ports will work with NVMe drives. Some will work with SATA drives. Some will work with both.

Your motherboard supposedly has 2 M.2 ports. If I read your spec sheet correctly, BOTH of your M.2 ports can accept either SATA or NVMe drives. But only 1 of the ports will support a PCIe 4.0 drive at its full speed...a 4.0 drive in the other M.2 port would run at 3.0 speed.
Click to expand...
That is quite confusing. Here is a video which shows the port i intend on using for the M.2 slot.

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nCBlA22kzWk&ab_channel=DavesTechway



Is the PCIE 4.0 slot identical to the GPU slot except smaller? Because i have a smaller GPU "type" slot just below the GPU. Though it is almost directly next to the GPU, and will problaby NOT fit if that is the case.
 
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If you are trying to save money, there is no over-riding reason to use M.2 at all. Nothing wrong with standard 2.5 inch SATA SSDs. The "advantage" of M.2 SATA versus 2.5 inch SATA would be the absence of cables.

If you are going to do a major rebuild next year, I'd try to ensure that any parts I bought this year could be transferred to next year's major rebuild.

Transferring Windows and the entire contents of one drive to another is typically not a major ordeal....if that interests you.
 
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That_Tech_Guy_Again said:
That is quite confusing. Here is a video which shows the port i intend on using for the M.2 slot.

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nCBlA22kzWk&ab_channel=DavesTechway



Is the PCIE 4.0 slot identical to the GPU slot except smaller? Because i have a smaller GPU "type" slot just below the GPU. Though it is almost directly next to the GPU, and will problaby NOT fit if that is the case.
Click to expand...

Do you have or can you download your motherboard manual?

M.2 drive ports are not identical to GPU slots.

See approximately 4'20 in your video.

M.2 ports are easy to overlook. When installed, the drive lays flat, directly on the motherboard, slightly smaller than a stick of gum. No cables. Not "upright" in a "slot" as normally understood.
 
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Lafong said:
If you are trying to save money, there is no over-riding reason to use M.2 at all. Nothing wrong with standard 2.5 inch SATA SSDs. The "advantage" of M.2 SATA versus 2.5 inch SATA would be the absence of cables.

If you are going to do a major rebuild next year, I'd try to ensure that any parts I bought this year could be transferred to next year's major rebuild.

Transferring Windows and the entire contents of one drive to another is typically not a major ordeal....if that interests you.
Click to expand...
I also plan on making this current PC a secondary backup PC. Therefore, i will NOT be swapping parts out. The two reasons i am considering M.2 is for speed, and because i do not ahve a second mounting bracket for a SATA 2.5 inch SSD. Though i am pretty sure i could find a mounting bracket somewhere. So the SSD having a fast load speed is mostly what i am looking for.
 
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That_Tech_Guy_Again said:
I also plan on making this current PC a secondary backup PC. Therefore, i will NOT be swapping parts out. The two reasons i am considering M.2 is for speed, and because i do not ahve a second mounting bracket for a SATA 2.5 inch SSD. Though i am pretty sure i could find a mounting bracket somewhere. So the SSD having a fast load speed is mostly what i am looking for.
Click to expand...


The M.2 form factor doesn't grant any speed advantages.

NVMe can, but you may be underwhelmed by the perceived differences between M.2 NVMe and M.2 SATA.

Or between PCIe 3.0 and PCIe 4.0.

I don't know your expectations or what would cause you to say "that wasn't worth it".

It may be that M.2 NVMe and M.2 SATA are virtually the same price in your location. I have no idea.
 
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Lafong said:
The M.2 form factor doesn't grant any speed advantages.

NVMe can, but you may be underwhelmed by the perceived differences between M.2 NVMe and M.2 SATA.

Or between PCIe 3.0 and PCIe 4.0.

I don't know your expectations or what would cause you to say "that wasn't worth it".

It may be that M.2 NVMe and M.2 SATA are virtually the same price in your location. I have no idea.
Click to expand...
I cannot remember exactly what SSD i currently ahve. Though it is similar to the Samsung 870 Evo.



Cache​

1024 MB

Form Factor​

2.5"

Interface​

SATA 6.0 Gb/s

NVME​

No


Will a NVMe SSD produce a noticeable result for speed compared to this? The frame of reference will mostly be for NEW Triple-A games initial booting of the game.https://au.pcpartpicker.com/product/3CmmP6/


The 2 Terabyte version of this SSD costs $199 which is approximately $20 more than the M.2 SSD.

 
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That_Tech_Guy_Again said:
I cannot remember exactly what SSD i currently ahve. Though it is similar to the Samsung 870 Evo.



Cache​

1024 MB

Form Factor​

2.5"

Interface​

SATA 6.0 Gb/s

NVME​

No


Will a NVMe SSD produce a noticeable result for speed compared to this? The frame of reference will mostly be for NEW Triple-A games initial booting of the game.https://au.pcpartpicker.com/product/3CmmP6/


The 2 Terabyte version of this SSD costs $199 which is approximately $20 more than the M.2 SSD.

Click to expand...

"Noticeable"..................

What would cause you to say a difference is "noticeable"?

Saving X seconds Y times a month would absolutely be noticeable...........for certain values of X and Y. Would that justify an expense of Z dollars?

There's tens of thousands of words written on the topic per Google search. I suspect those words have changed few minds.........confirmation bias being what it is.

Are you highly susceptible to benchmarks?

It's entirely a personal decision.

The bigger problem may well be your tendency (if any) to deal with your own second-guessing or buyer's remorse or analytical nature. If you have a high tendency, I'd assume you'd be more willing to pay money to avoid that sensation.
 
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Lafong said:
"Noticeable"..................

What would cause you to say a difference is "noticeable"?

Saving X seconds Y times a month would absolutely be noticeable...........for certain values of X and Y. Would that justify an expense of Z dollars?

There's tens of thousands of words written on the topic per Google search. I suspect those words have changed few minds.........confirmation bias being what it is.

Are you highly susceptible to benchmarks?

It's entirely a personal decision.

The bigger problem may well be your tendency (if any) to deal with your own second-guessing or buyer's remorse or analytical nature. If you have a high tendency, I'd assume you'd be more willing to pay money to avoid that sensation.
Click to expand...
I would just state, that if there is a reduction of more than 5 seconds, then it is classified as "noticeable". When compared to the current SSD that i am currently using.

I have never been bothered by benchmarks.


I am thinking i will probably go with the $179 SSD and jsut buy the much more expensive SSD with the heatsink when i build the NEW PC. Since i am going to save up to buy an 7900 XTX for the NEW PC.
 
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That_Tech_Guy_Again said:
I have a Ryzen 5 3600. NVMe and M.2 is the same thing? I only have 1 M.2 slot available. Therefore it is NOT possible.
Click to expand...
The M2 slot is just a miniature version of a x4 PCI-E slot. You can get add-on cards that plug into a PCI-E slot that will give you extra M2 slots should you ever need more SSD's, for example:

As for the drives I would get a 2TB Samsung 970 Evo. The 2TB version is quite affordable these days and it's a quality drive. I find it highly unlikely you are doing anything that would cause you to notice the difference between a PCI-E 3.0 drive and PCI-E 4.0. If you were building a new high end system then a newer top end drive may have value years into the future. However it's not an area I would prioritise for spending if I was on a budget.

That_Tech_Guy_Again said:
There is a difference of approximately $50 between the PCIE 3.0 and the PCIE 4.0 therefore, i am NOT sure oif the extra $50 justifies the cost. If there is NOT a substantial improvement. I do NOT plan in placing the OS on the M.2 SSD since it would probably be too much work. The usage will be for games, old and new. Since i have A LOT of Steam gaems i have purchased and have NEVER gotten around to actually installing / playing them.
Click to expand...
To be clear there is no perceivable difference in game loading times between a PCI-E 3.0 drive and a PCI-E 4.0 drive. In fact there is no real benefit at all in game loading times beyond a SATA SSD. The reason for this is because the API's games use to access storage were designed for Hard Drives. Microsoft's Direct Storage API will change this as it has been designed to take advantage of the high sequential read speeds of modern NVME drives. However it still supports PCI-E 3.0 and no triple A games currently available on PC use it, this is something that is unlikely to change quickly.

That_Tech_Guy_Again said:
This one i will probably NOT get. Though i might consider it for the NEW PC i will built within the next year or so. (Question - Is a heatsink for an SSD even necessary? - THe heatsink is the main reason i am even looking ath this SSD).
Click to expand...
From my experience heatsinks are necessary for NVME drive's as they can run extremely hot without them, however motherboards often come with them.
 
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That_Tech_Guy_Again said:
I would just state, that if there is a reduction of more than 5 seconds, then it is classified as "noticeable". When compared to the current SSD that i am currently using.

I have never been bothered by benchmarks.
Click to expand...
Actual use, on a timer...

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4YoRKQy-UO4

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4DKLA7w9eeA

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GQ9LyNXpsOo



From HDD to SSD, huge difference.
Between the various flavors of SSD? Not so much.
 
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That_Tech_Guy_Again said:
I am looking for a 2nd SSD, since the first one is almost full. The first one is a SATA SSD. I am looking for an M.2 SSD since the motherboard (B550M DS3H Revision 1.5) M.2 slot available.

I live in Australia, so use AUD currency when giving suggestions. I plan to built a NEW comptuer probalby near the end of this year or sometime next year. So i do NOT want to spend a lot on a new SSD. I was thinknig around $100-$2-- AUD (though maybe slightly more if necessary).

Also i would prefer a 2 Terabyte SSD over a 1 Terabyte SSD.

Here are some links to some SSD's i am considering.

This one i will probably NOT get. Though i might consider it for the NEW PC i will built within the next year or so. (Question - Is a heatsink for an SSD even necessary? - THe heatsink is the main reason i am even looking ath this SSD).



Samsung 970 Evo Plus. (This SSD uses PCIE 3.0 - Is there a substantial "noticeable" difference between PCIE 3.0 VS PCIE 4.0).


Samsung 980 Pro (This SSD uses PCIE 4.0).

If i left out any relevant / necessary information jsut ask for it and i will update this post. Thankyou for helping.
Click to expand...
@That_Tech_Guy_Again ..... I really don't mean to be a wet blanket, mate, but have you done much research on some of the latest Samsung NVMe M.2 model lines? The 980 Pro line, for example, has received a lot of negative reports from some poor buggers who've installed these SSDs. If you care to see it, I've got a listing here [found today] that shows which Samsung NVMe SSDs are experiencing serious issues and, even more illuminating, the "updates" that Samsung is throwing at these problems.

If you've noticed, the price of some of the latest Samsung NVMe M.2 SSDs have fallen. I'm glad that I discovered this information because, like yourself, I was just about to pull the trigger on one of their newer NVMe M.2 SSDs ... but, to answer your question about the 970 EVO Plus versus the 980 Pro line - the 970 EVO Plus does not show up on that list! In other words, I'm not here to bash Samsung. I'm just another budget conscious bloke in a similar position regarding which NVMe M.2 SSD to choose. Hope this helps.
 
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MC Freak said:
@That_Tech_Guy_Again ..... I really don't mean to be a wet blanket, mate, but have you done much research on some of the latest Samsung NVMe M.2 model lines? The 980 Pro line, for example, has received a lot of negative reports from some poor buggers who've installed these SSDs. If you care to see it, I've got a listing here [found today] that shows which Samsung NVMe SSDs are experiencing serious issues and, even more illuminating, the "updates" that Samsung is throwing at these problems.

If you've noticed, the price of some of the latest Samsung NVMe M.2 SSDs have fallen. I'm glad that I discovered this information because, like yourself, I was just about to pull the trigger on one of their newer NVMe M.2 SSDs ... but, to answer your question about the 970 EVO Plus versus the 980 Pro line - the 970 EVO Plus does not show up on that list! In other words, I'm not here to bash Samsung. I'm just another budget conscious bloke in a similar position regarding which NVMe M.2 SSD to choose. Hope this helps.
Click to expand...
And I have a 980 Pro, with zero issues...😉
Using it as we speak.

The "problems" are not universal.
 
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Post 16 - the one linked to three different YT videos - is pretty interesting, but, as ever, it depends on what your personal "real world" entails, right? All of the subjects in the "Does a Faster SSD Matter for Gamers" were clearly game-centric, which was as advertised.

However, the second subject in this blind test, David Gauthier, hit the nail on the head for folks like me. At roughly the 3:25 mark, he explained that he would expect to experience a meaningful difference when using the different SSDs for tasks like "...video editing or transferring..."

Once again, the videos were pretty compelling, if you're primarily a gamer ... but I'd really like to see the same sort of comparison done when lots of large files transfers are the primary focus of a given PC system.

Just a thought...
 
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MC Freak said:
Once again, the videos were pretty compelling, if you're primarily a gamer ... but I'd really like to see the same sort of comparison done when lots of large files transfers are the primary focus of a given PC system.
Click to expand...
As always, performance depends on the slowest device in the chain.

If you're making a larrge data transfer between 2x PCIe 4.0 drives, it will go much much faster than between 2x SATA III SSDs.

But, that same data transfer Between a PCIe 4.0 and SATA III SSDs will be dictated by the SATA drive.
 
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MC Freak said:
At roughly the 3:25 mark, he explained that he would expect to experience a meaningful difference when using the different SSDs for tasks like "...video editing or transferring..."
Click to expand...
And for video editing, especially in the final render, I see zero difference between the various SSD types.

A few months ago I did a timed test of rendering videos of various sizes. 1 min, 5, 10...
Time to render was the same across PCIe 4.0, PCIe 3.0, and SATA III SSDs.

The rest of the system, CPU/RAM/GPU, does not feed the drives fast enough for the SSD type to matter.
 
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Found my video rendering numbers...

Corel Video Studio 2020.
Source video, 3840x2160 .mp4
2x 5 minute segments

Exported as MPEG-4, .mp4 file type.
Resulting in a single 10 minute video.

Full system specs in Viper in my Sig (only 32GB at the time)

136WL16.jpg
 
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