[SOLVED] Single Hard Drive Replacement Laptop - SATA SSD or NVMe SSD?

[ShangWang]

Hi all,

My MQ04ABF100 Toshiba SATA 1TB HDD on the Acer Nitro 5 AN515-53 seems to be failing and I am planning on getting a new hard drive sometime.

Right now I am debating on two options at a budget price:

Samsung 870 EVO 250GB SATA 2.5" Internal SSD Hard Drive (MZ-77E250B/AM) [Canada Version]: Amazon.ca: Computers & Tablets $57.99 250GB SATA

Or

WD_Black SN750 500GB NVMe Internal Gaming SSD - Gen3 PCIe, M.2 2280, 3D NAND - WDS500G3X0C: Amazon.ca: Computers & Tablets

Planning on buying the new and used $69.74 500GB PCIe

I read that NVMe requires a heatsink for longevity if your motherboard doesn't support it, I don't think the AN515-53 does. Do I really need a heatsink if I wanted to use the NVMe for a long time?

Having an SSD will already increase my performance, but if I wanted to have it for 5+ years, which drive should I get? I hardly have any files other than one game a time downloaded so I don't really care much for space.

Is it worth it to buy the NVMe at a used price or generally is it not worth the risk at all? Would the SATA SSD be better for reliability and life?

 

[geofelt]

First of all, the difference in performance between a sata ssd and a pcie ssd is not as great as benchmarks would lead you to believe.
The difference between a ssd and a HDD is HUGE.
Sequential benchmarks at high queue depths look impressive.
But, we do things mostly one at a time, and most of that is small random i/o.

I have used the samsung ssd migration app to convert the hard drive on every laptop I own or have come across.
You can download the app and instructions here:

Tool & Software Download | Samsung Semiconductor Global

Download various software related to your product, including Samsung Magician, designed for use with Samsung's memory products, and find related information.

www.samsung.com

The ssd needs to hold the used portion of the C drive plus some for expansion.

If your laptop has an available m.2 port, I would use that.
Today, there is not much difference between 2.5" and m.2 devices of the same capacity.
Do not worry about m.2 heat. Heat does build up under sustained sequential processing.
Say 30 seconds for a virus scan.
But the device monitors it's temperature and will slow down a bit if necessary.

On brands, Samsung is the go to brand so far as I am concerned.
Here is a report from puget systems on reliability:

What is the most reliable hardware in our Puget Systems workstations?

Here at Puget Systems, our goal is not only to provide the fastest workstations possible, but the most reliable as well. As a part of our constant drive to offer only the highest quality components possible, we track and regularly review the failure rates for each part we carry. Today, we want...

www.pugetsystems.com

I would not buy a used or off brand ssd if I could avoid it.
Dealing with a suspect ssd is just not what you want to sign up for.

 

[Bob.B]

Hi all,

My MQ04ABF100 Toshiba SATA 1TB HDD on the Acer Nitro 5 AN515-53 seems to be failing and I am planning on getting a new hard drive sometime.

Right now I am debating on two options at a budget price:

Samsung 870 EVO 250GB SATA 2.5" Internal SSD Hard Drive (MZ-77E250B/AM) [Canada Version]: Amazon.ca: Computers & Tablets $57.99 250GB SATA

Or

WD_Black SN750 500GB NVMe Internal Gaming SSD - Gen3 PCIe, M.2 2280, 3D NAND - WDS500G3X0C: Amazon.ca: Computers & Tablets

Planning on buying the new and used $69.74 500GB PCIe

I read that NVMe requires a heatsink for longevity if your motherboard doesn't support it, I don't think the AN515-53 does. Do I really need a heatsink if I wanted to use the NVMe for a long time?

Having an SSD will already increase my performance, but if I wanted to have it for 5+ years, which drive should I get? I hardly have any files other than one game a time downloaded so I don't really care much for space.

Is it worth it to buy the NVMe at a used price or generally is it not worth the risk at all? Would the SATA SSD be better for reliability and life?

Get a 2.5 quality ssd 500GB.
Clone old hdd to new ssd.
Straight swap.

Do it quick before your hdd decides to croak.

 

[USAFRet]

Is it worth it to buy the NVMe at a used price

A used drive?
Not a chance.

If new NVMe is out of your budget, SATA III SSD.
For a games machine, you'll not notice any difference.

 

[ShangWang]

A used drive?
Not a chance.

If new NVMe is out of your budget, SATA III SSD.
For a games machine, you'll not notice any difference.

Thanks, I probably will get the SATA SSD.
Although now I have a HDD that appears to have errors but doesn't show it on any scan I do.
Is there any place I can sell it?

 

[USAFRet]

Thanks, I probably will get the SATA SSD.
Although now I have a HDD that appears to have errors but doesn't show it on any scan I do.
Is there any place I can sell it?

No.
And if the drive is acting up in any way, don't try to clone it.
Just do a clean install on the new SSD.

 

[ShangWang]

Get a 2.5 quality ssd 500GB.
Clone old hdd to new ssd.
Straight swap.

Do it quick before your hdd decides to croak.

Is settling for 250GB bad? I hardly ever store anything other than game files and occasional software.

 

[Bob.B]

Is settling for 250GB bad? I hardly ever store anything other than game files and occasional software.

Get a 500GB disk give yourself some wiggle room.
Ssd's work better when they have free space to move stuff around.