worth having 3 drives

[snakebitecola]

is it worth having a m2 with windows on it and then a 2,5" ssd and then a hdd or just have a 2,5" ssd and hdd?

 

[USAFRet]

is it worth having a m2 with windows on it and then a 2,5" ssd and then a hdd or just have a 2,5" ssd and hdd?

Used properly, multiple drives are no problem.

My current system:

Other people advocate for one, maybe two drives at most.

"worth" is only something you can determine.

 

[nobspls]

Nothing wrong with multiple drives. Here is my current strategy:
1. C: drive is my nvme m.2 SSD - 960 evo for the windows installlation 256GB
2. D: drive is my Sata SSD 860 evo for all my data and application 1TB
3. E: drive is my old sata SSD that I retired from some laptop, 500GB MX500 where I put my swapfile/pagefile and this where all the temporary data goes. I don't mind beating up the old drive and replacing it sooner or later

So this keeps my games loading fast, windows running quick, and minimizes the wear and tear on the better newer drives. I've also modified the windows registry to point the users folder to the D: drive.

This so if windows gets infected, gets a bad update, or whatever else, I need to restore the C: drive my Acronis backup image that I keep on the E: drive. Restoration is quick and easy.

 

[snakebitecola]

but is it better to have 1 deticated drive for Windows and the rest for games?

 

[USAFRet]

but is it better to have 1 deticated drive for Windows and the rest for games?

One drive for OS and all applications.
Other drives for other things. Games, docs, music, etc, etc...

 

[nikoskostantopoulow]

I really didn't see much difference by moving from SSD to M2 if that's what you're asking.

 

[snakebitecola]

yes that's what I meant

 

[nobspls]

If you benchmark your system, you can easily see the differene between nvme and sata. For example:
https://www.userbenchmark.com/UserRun/12394863

 

[nikoskostantopoulow]

Well ofc you can see it on benchmark but i was talking about real life.

 

[USAFRet]

If you benchmark your system, you can easily see the differene between nvme and sata. For example:
https://www.userbenchmark.com/UserRun/12394863

People don't use benchmarks, they use the PC. They use applications and games.

What is actually faster, in your personal use case?
And is it faster enough, to warrant twice the price per GB?

For some people yes, for some people, no.
A Ferrari benchmarks faster than a Corvette. But if all you do is drive to school or work, is that absolute top speed difference enough to warrant the extra price? Unless you go to the track, you'll never see it.

 

[nikoskostantopoulow]

OK what i'm saying is this:
If you need a new car buy a Ferrari.
But if you don't need a new car there is little reason to buy one.

 

[nobspls]

Well ofc you can see it on benchmark but i was talking about real life.

And what does real life mean? Only things you do qualify? If you don't look for it you won't see it use cases that applies to you? Well of course you will never see the benefit then.

 

[nobspls]

And the comparison between a regular car with a Ferrari is such a non-sequitur. You don't need to spend mega bucks to get nvme SSDs. The price difference between nvme and sata SSD is 10-25% or so. It is not the 10x price difference between a regular car and a Ferrari. If you got nvme on your motherboard, and there is an nvme SSD on sale, it is no brainer to go nvme when the opportunity is available for a cost effective upgrade.

Heck you can get 250GB nvme for as little as $45:
https://www.microcenter.com/product/503685/256gb-3d-nand-m2-2280-pcie-nvme-gen-3-x2--internal-solid-state-drive-(256g)

And the top end premium Samsung is only $88:
https://www.microcenter.com/product/506236/970-evo-250gb-mlc-nand-m2-2280-pcie-nvme-30-x4-internal-solid-state-drive

 

[USAFRet]

970 EVO 500GB
https://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820147690
$128

860 EVO 500GB
https://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820147674
$83

50% price diff. But yes, NVMe prices are falling. It seems faster than SATA III SSD prices.

And yes, you can get a second tier NVMe drive for cheap.

In any case, if the budget allows and needs require, then an NVMe drive might be a good choice.
But 'benchmarks' are not what people use. Especially results from userbenchmark.com.

And I didn't compare a "regular car" to the Ferrari.

 

[nobspls]

970 EVO 500GB
...
And I didn't compare a "regular car" to the Ferrari.

I know you did NOT. But this guy sure did trying make nonsensical exaggerations:

OK what i'm saying is this:
If you need a new car buy a Ferrari.
...

 

[USAFRet]

Back to the original quastion:

worth having 3 drives

is it worth having a m2 with windows on it and then a 2,5" ssd and then a hdd or just have a 2,5" ssd and hdd?

It can be, if you know why you're changing from regular SATA III to NVMe SSD and what you're getting out of it.

Don't just change because benchmarks show faster.

 

[mdd1963]

Folks with M.2 drives are not getting better gaming performance over folks with standard SATA SSDs....; perhaps games load in 29 seconds vs. 30, but, frame rates once game is loaded into VRAM are unchanged with faster storage.

That being said, 960/970 EVO (and competitors) prices are dropping, and, no reason not to get one if/when on sale....if price premium over SATA SSD is not too steep.

 

[nikoskostantopoulow]

Well ofc you can see it on benchmark but i was talking about real life.

And what does real life mean? Only things you do qualify? If you don't look for it you won't see it use cases that applies to you? Well of course you will never see the benefit then.

Well it means that if you take it for the windows loading time and for gaming you won't see much difference.
I am curious tho where do they make a difference besides benchmarks?