Samsung 500GB 850 EVO or 250GB 960 EVO

[volkgren]

I'm looking to buy either 500GB 850 EVO or 250GB 960 EVO.

I already have these, but of course need more space for new games I'll be playing:

1x 120GB Kingston V300 SSD
1x 240GB Kingston HyperX Savage SSD
2TB 7,200RPM HDD

Mobo has slot for 1x M.2(unused), case has 2 slots for 2.5" drive (used). So I would have to either leave the 120GB out or set it in the bottom of the case.

(Phanteks P400)
(MSI Z270M MORTAR)

I can't afford both, only one. What would you do?

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

Storage: Samsung - 960 EVO 250GB M.2-2280 Solid State Drive ($117.49 @ OutletPC)
Storage: Samsung - 850 EVO-Series 500GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($149.89 @ OutletPC)
Total: $267.38
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2017-10-30 20:15 EDT-0400

 

[vapour]

I will get 500, since you may not notice the diff between the two model...

 

[volkgren]

You know I think I have adapter for the 2.5" to 3.5". I will get the 500GB. It seems the better value, and later maybe prices will drop on NVMe/M.2.

Thanks.

 

[geofelt]

Since your need is for capacity, buy the 500gb unit.
You can hardly tell the difference in real app performance.
Long sequential runs like virus scans might be an exception.
You also have the option of a m.2 sata device which will be priced like the 850 evo.

To muddy the waters, I imagine that you have room available on the hard drive.
Look into using a 32gb optane device as a fast cache along with your hard drive.
I have not done this, and I understand that you need to follow install instructions carefully, but it would seem to be effective.

 

[volkgren]

I actually mostly use the HDD as a mass storage for Steam backups, and games I don't want to re-download (very slow internet, 6Mbps) for Origin and Ubisoft/Uplay.

But it is an idea. Thanks for verifying that I won't see much difference between the two mentioned. I'll look in to optane.

 

[Dugimodo]

The 850 evo is (or was I didn't check) available in M.2 I know because that's what I have as my main boot drive.

Games keep getting bigger so 500 makes more sense for games. I have the EVO plus another 500GB Crucial SSD and I still have trouble with my steam collection and started moving some onto a HDD to make space. I am actually considering going for a seagate SSHD hybrid for my secondary even though it's a backwards step in performance because it's much more cost effective.