[SOLVED] What M.2 SSD should i choose?

ButifulDog

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So i recently got a couple of upgrades to my pc. And now i am only missing extra storage and id prefer to get a m.2 ssd.
But i dont know much about them and dont know which ones i should stay away from. Also I should mention that i am looking to get one for around 50-80 euros.
My pc specs:
Asus prime b450M-A motherboard
AMD Ryzen 5 2600X
Gtx1650
16gb T-force vulcan z ddr4 3000mhz ram
1tb western digital hdd (Its a very old hdd)
 
Solution
This is something you are looking for.
One of the best M.2 SSD's out there.
You choose the capacity, but dont go below 240GB even you want to store only windows on it.
If you're only using the m.2 for storage then I would pick up a SATA m.2 drive...it'll be plenty fast and cheaper than NVME drives.

If you're only going to have one drive for your whole system then the NVME 3.0 drives make sense as there are plenty of inexpensive drives from companies like Sabrent, WD, Crucial, and Intel. I would look online and find one with a good balance between price and warranty. There's no real reason to consider any NVME 4 drives unless you do a lot of large file transfers as the price is too high.
 
I like the samsung and Intel ssd devices for quality.
m.2 is a size format, not a speed spec.
m.2 comes in both sata and pcie flavors.
pcie allows faster sequential processing.
But 90% of your activity will be small random I/O and all ssd devices are close in performance there.
Since your motherboard support both, you can pick any ssd you want.

What WILL benefit you most will be to replace your HDD with a ssd.
The easy way to do this would be to buy a 1tb samsung ssd and use their ssd migration app to move your C drive to the ssd.
Here is a link to the app and instructions:
A normal 1tb 2.5" Samsung EVO or QVO will be about $110.
On a budget, that would be much better than any combination that uses a HDD.

Repurpose the HDD as a usb connected external backup device.
 

ButifulDog

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Ok so now I am a little bit confused. Of course I'd love to have a very fast boot and just a very fast ssd in general like the samsung that has been recommended, but i also need storage space on a budget. So now I am wondering if i should maybe get a 1tb samsung EVO ssd or a 500gb samsung m.2 ssd and maybe upgrade my hdd some time later.
 
What is your budget?
A 1tb 2.5" samsung 870 QVO is $105
https://www.newegg.com/samsung-1tb-870-qvo-series/p/N82E16820147781?quicklink=true
1tb 2.5$ 870 EVO is $115
https://www.newegg.com/samsung-1tb-870-evo-series/p/N82E16820147793?quicklink=true
A 1tb Samsung m.2 sata 860 EVO is $130
https://www.newegg.com/samsung-860-evo-series-1tb/p/N82E16820147678?quicklink=true
A 1tb Samsung pcie 4.0 980 M.2 is $130
https://www.newegg.com/samsung-1tb-980/p/N82E16820147804
If you can handle the $25 difference, go for the 980, it is as good as it gets.

But, in normal operations, you will be hard pressed to detect any performance difference.
The difference from a HDD will be huge.

As to boot times, do not boot.
Use sleep to ram(no hibernate)
Your pc and monitor will enter a low power state and sleep/boot will be a handful of seconds.
 

ButifulDog

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So there is quite a big issue here. On newegg most of these are around the same. But i live in Lithuania so I cant find these products for that price. To compare the 1tb 980 is around 200euros. And my budget is 100 euros max

Edit: So ive been looking around and have found a site that can get it to Lithuania from America for around 20 bucks. So i would be looking for something around 80-90$
 
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Ok so I've found a couple of options and i just need some help picking the right one for me.
https://www.newegg.com/samsung-860-evo-series-1tb/p/N82E16820147678?quicklink=true
And also ive found one a little more expensive https://www.skytech.lt/vpn1001tbm28...0-ssd-1tb-pcie-nvme-34503000mbs-p-431878.html
The value pf a pcie ssd is in sequential processing.
Like loading games or windows.
Here is a video of HDD vs. sata vs pcie m.2.
View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V3AMz-xZ2VM

The reality is that m.2 pcie is minimally different, the big gain comes from a HDD to a ssd of any type.
If budget is an issue, go with the cheaper 1tb drive.
If budget is not an issue, and you want the best, a fast m.2 pcie ssd will save you half a second on a 30 second load.
Why so little difference?
One reason is that a ssd is so fast that the cpu processing time becomes relevant.

Here is an amusing video of users trying to tell which pc has the sata, nvmegen3 or nvme gen 4 ssd installed:
View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4DKLA7w9eeA
 
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You could go with cheaper drives for just gaming but be careful with endurance. (basically, an indicator/estimate of how long the drive will last)
Of the two you listed, I would take the patriot. The high TBW (endurance) should ensure at least a few years of heavy usage. Most likely more.

I was actually looking at this one myself. https://www.amazon.com/Patriot-Viper-VP4100-2280-PCIe/dp/B07W44ZH71/ref=sr_1_5
Possible upgrade for now PLUS being able to move it to your next computer build is always a plus.
 
Here is an amusing video of users trying to tell which pc has the sata, nvmegen3 or nvme gen 4 ssd installed:
View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4DKLA7w9eeA

I found that video hilarious!
It didn't seem like they took the testing seriously. (one guy basically admitted that he's stoned during testing)

Not sure about these guys, but I would've definitely been able to tell the difference - as long as everything else is exactely the same. However, there's so many variables involved that it's difficult to even test. Of three duplicate systems one can just decide to check for updates in the background because 'reasons'.

There go your test numbers!
 
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logainofhades

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You could go with cheaper drives for just gaming but be careful with endurance. (basically, an indicator/estimate of how long the drive will last)
Of the two you listed, I would take the patriot. The high TBW (endurance) should ensure at least a few years of heavy usage. Most likely more.

I was actually looking at this one myself. https://www.amazon.com/Patriot-Viper-VP4100-2280-PCIe/dp/B07W44ZH71/ref=sr_1_5
Possible upgrade for now PLUS being able to move it to your next computer build is always a plus.

I have had my 660p for 2yrs and my endurance hasn't really dropped at all. Gaming system, you are reading more than writing, so the endurance factor doesn't really matter much.
 
True.
If you want to use the same drive for 5+ years then it matters more than if you regularly swap out components every 2-3 years. That's more a question for the OP, I guess.
Some people install new games, uninstall, and reinstall regularly. Although not nearly as much usage as a db drive, per se, the TBW does add up.

My initial 500GB WDS500G2X0C NVMe had controller issues within 5 months of purchase. After working with support, they sent me a new one that I've been on for more than a year now and it still shows 100% life remaining. I've definitely put it through its paces. It almost makes me think that they keep 'known good' drives as replacements for those select few who go up through the tiers of support properly. (okay, I'll take off my tin foil hat now) :LOL:
 
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ButifulDog

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Ok so I've realised that an m.2 ssd is fast but expensive, and a sata ssd is still definetly not slow and its hard to know the difference between them.
I think i will just go with a 1tb Samsung 870 Evo ssd.
Thanks for all of your help!
 
Ok so I've realised that an m.2 ssd is fast but expensive, and a sata ssd is still definetly not slow and its hard to know the difference between them.
I think i will just go with a 1tb Samsung 870 Evo ssd.
Thanks for all of your help!

M.2 is the form factor (the connector type) not the bus transport mechanism.
You can get a SATA drive that hooks up to the classic 7-pin SATA connector OR get a SATA M.2 drive that used the M.2 connector (which is the same connector an NVMe M.2 drive will use). Your board can use either.
 
Ok so I've realised that an m.2 ssd is fast but expensive, and a sata ssd is still definetly not slow and its hard to know the difference between them.
I think i will just go with a 1tb Samsung 870 Evo ssd.
Thanks for all of your help!
People confuse m.2 with performance.
M.2 is a size specification. About like a stick of gum.
It is handy because it fits in a slot on the motherboard and does not need sata power or data cables.
m.2 comes in both sata and pcie flavors. Pcie being faster in sequential benchmark
In random I/O which is done some 90% of the time, the performance is the same.

1tb Samsung 870 evo is a good pick.