[SOLVED] SATA SSD for games / data storage: to cache or not to cache?

[DeadnightWarrior]

Hi all,
I'd like to upgrade my 1Tb HDD to an equally sized SSD.
I have an M.2 NVME SSD as boot drive and but there are no more M.2 slots on my motherboard.
The SATA SSD will be used as a data / game storage: My Documents, Downloads, Pictures, Steam / Origin folders, etc.

Should I buy an SSD with DRAM cache (i.e. Crucial MX500) or not (i.e. Crucial BX500)?

I'm guessing any SSD should greatly outperform my current HDD, cache or not... Right? 🙄

 

[siaan312]

Get one with cache.

While a good ssd without cache can perform snappy sometimes, it sometimes will.. not.
especially as it gets more full.

 

[madmatt30]

I don't think dram cache is as important on a non-os drive personally,especially when the majority of content is game storage

The said out of those 2 definitely the mx500, it's simply a better drive full stop for not a lot more money.

 

[geofelt]

You are entirely correct, compared to a HDD,
A sata ssd will be some 40x faster in random I/O which is what is done most of the time.
A ssd will be some 4x faster in sequential operations.
You will be pleased. Repurpose the HDD as ecternal backup.

SSD makers select different specs to design their products.
There is little value in second guessing their selections.
Some include fast ram, caches, and some use slower nand chips.
On a high level, it does not matter, any ssd will beat any HDD, including 10,000rpm units.
To compare more detailed performance, use the anandtech bench comparison:
http://www.realhardtechx.com/index_archivos/Page362.htm
You select two candidate ssd devices to compare.
The more valid comparisons will be the single queue level comparisons.

I like the intel and samsung ssd devices. They make their own chips and controllers.
Look at the samsung 860 evo for better performance and 5 year warranty, compared to 3 years for the MX500.