[SOLVED] Optimal Storage Options

jpkang

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Hello,

It has been a long time since I have had a question as I don't upgrade my computer often. I recently acquired an RTX 3070 and Corsair HX750 to upgrade my PC. But while putting it together, I made the huge mistake in mixing the PSU cables and sadly I shorted all my HDDs and SSD. After troubleshooting all my drives, I think it is safe to say the PCB is dead or maybe the diode is shorted, but cannot verify until I open it up which I am lacking the screwdrivers for. TLDR: Need new hard drives.

I have been out of the PC building for a long time, I know about M.2 drives and how much faster they are compared to SSDs. So my questions is what is the best configuration for the optimal use of the drives. I am both a gamer and a video editor, so I tend to use a lot of the load for those two activities.

I thought about getting a small M.2 just for bootable and a regular SSD for games/applications. But from googling and checking this forum, it might just be better to get 1x M.2 for bootable, games/applications and either an SSD or HDD for files and videos.

In terms of budget, I know I don't want to spend too much, but I also don't want to have to upgrade again in the next 7 years or so. Maybe max $300 CAD.

Any pointers would help, thanks in advance!

My Current Build:
Mobo: MSI Z370-A Pro
CPU: Intel Core i7 -8700K
RAM: G.Skill Ripjaws DDR4-3600 32 GB
GPU: EVGA RTX 3070 XC3 Black
PSU: Corsair HX750
Case: Antec Three hundred two Mid Tower
 
Solution
Depends how much storage you need. 500GB M.2 SSDs are pretty reasonably priced at the moment, but I would recommend 1TB at least if you want it to last that long. Applications aren't getting any smaller.

2-4TB SATA SSDs are a great storage option, though hard drives are still cheaper.

$70 CAD 512GB

https://ca.pcpartpicker.com/product...2-2280-nvme-solid-state-drive-ssdpeknw512g8x1

$150 CAD each 1TB
NVMe M.2
https://ca.pcpartpicker.com/product...b-m2-2280-nvme-solid-state-drive-mz-v8v1t0bam
2.5" SATA
https://ca.pcpartpicker.com/product/yzfhP6/samsung-860-evo-1tb-25-solid-state-drive-mz-76e1t0bam

2TB M.2...

Eximo

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Depends how much storage you need. 500GB M.2 SSDs are pretty reasonably priced at the moment, but I would recommend 1TB at least if you want it to last that long. Applications aren't getting any smaller.

2-4TB SATA SSDs are a great storage option, though hard drives are still cheaper.

$70 CAD 512GB

https://ca.pcpartpicker.com/product...2-2280-nvme-solid-state-drive-ssdpeknw512g8x1

$150 CAD each 1TB
NVMe M.2
https://ca.pcpartpicker.com/product...b-m2-2280-nvme-solid-state-drive-mz-v8v1t0bam
2.5" SATA
https://ca.pcpartpicker.com/product/yzfhP6/samsung-860-evo-1tb-25-solid-state-drive-mz-76e1t0bam

2TB M.2

https://ca.pcpartpicker.com/product...b-m2-2280-nvme-solid-state-drive-mz-v7s2t0bam
 
Solution

jpkang

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I was thinking 1 TB M.2 might be decent future proof. And then another 4TB HDD which was like $80 for me like 5 years ago. So sad prices are so high now.

Worst time to have a failure.
 

Eximo

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Still, plenty of 4TB models for $100-120 CAD, which would pair well the 1TB Samsung and still be under $300.

Sadly, most of those are probably SMR, and would be rather slow. So something like a 4TB WD Black will set you back $170, you would want to look up each drive and see if they are SMR, or if there are any controversial articles regarding them. Lot of brands have been caught doing that lately.
 

jpkang

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Sadly, most of those are probably SMR, and would be rather slow. So something like a 4TB WD Black will set you back $170, you would want to look up each drive and see if they are SMR, or if there are any controversial articles regarding them. Lot of brands have been caught doing that lately.

What is SMR?
 

Eximo

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Shingled Magnetic Recording. It is a way to cram more data onto a platter, but has the downside that data can't be easily re-written, since each layer overlaps the previous one. This is disastrous for certain applications like raid arrays, but also means poor performance when things need to be moved around on the drive.