What SSD to get for gaming library

[code99]

I've been making up a list of components for my upcoming gaming rig.

 

So far i have already bought a GPU (RTX 2080) and a 2k monitor.

 

Ive decided upon the motherboard, cpu (ryzen 7, 3rd gen), ram, psu, etc. ... except for the SSD.

 

I already have 2 SSDs and one HDD but I need one more high capacity SSD. 

 

I was going to buy the intel 660p 1TB series but thought of asking for a second opinion ...

 

 

This SSD will be used only for games and maybe some 4k movies which I will be accessing over wifi from my 4k tv.

What would you recommend for this task without breaking the bank too much? Is the Intel 660p worth it?

[Geoff35674567]

11 minutes ago, code99 said:

for games and maybe some 4k movies

These are the only things i would use intel 660p for.

[Juular]

14 minutes ago, code99 said:

Is the Intel 660p worth it?

No, either go for some decent SATA SSD if you want to save money (Crucial MX500, WD Blue 3D among others) or almost any other NVMe SSD except Intel and Crucial. Where are you from ? And what PSU you've decided on btw ?

[Princess Luna]

The 660p would be excellent for it and there's no better value for a NVME drive... although that great value usually only really shows up at 2TB.

[code99]

45 minutes ago, Juular said:

No, either go for some decent SATA SSD if you want to save money (Crucial MX500, WD Blue 3D among others) or almost any other NVMe SSD except Intel and Crucial. Where are you from ? And what PSU you've decided on btw ?

Well, any specific reason as to why NOT to get that ssd? So far i've only heard good things about it ...

 

Im from Europe, Romania. 

As for my PSU of choice, Seasonic PRIME Ultra, 80+ Platinum, 750 W

[The_Geek]

Intel NVMe's have about 1/2 the R/W speeds as compared to other brands.

If you have access to Amazon, do a comparison, Intel SSD's and NVMe's are cheaper but for a reason.

Also when thinking of buying SSD/NVMe's take into consideration the warranties different manufacturers offer.

[Alex Ushigome]

Idk about the reliability or speeds, but everybody who says to get a cheaper SATA SSD, nVME drives are cheaper in some places. Idk about the OP, but in Australia SATA is only like $10 cheaper.

[Juular]

48 minutes ago, code99 said:

Well, any specific reason as to why NOT to get that ssd? So far i've only heard good things about it ...

Because they're really have no place for now, they cost the same as some way faster NVMe TLC drives while having rather slow speeds, especially sustained write speed which is terrible (100MB\s after SLC buffer are exhausted). No idea what's available in Romania, it's easier to say what definitely not to get : Intel 600\660\665p (760p are good), Crucial P1, ADATA SX6000\SX6000 Lite (Pro are good), Kingston A1000 (A2000 are good), Lexar NM500\520\600\610, HP EX900 (920\950 are good), Mushkin Helix, Patriot Scorch. Well, ones of the best are ADATA SX8200 Pro, Corsair MP510, Sabrent Rocket, Inland Premium, Team MP34, Mushkin Pilot, WD SN500\750, HP EX950, Samsung 970 Evo\Pro. All these are NVMes, i don't know much about SATA SSDs, can only recommend Crucial MX500, WD Blue 3D and Samsung 860 Evo as universally good choices, still good for anything if they're considerably cheaper than NVMe.

[code99]

@Juular

 

I know about the SLC buffer and I know once that gets used up the speed plummets.

However, this is a drive where I put games that I play. I doubt that the buffer will be a problem when im playing.

I assume it will be a problem when im installing games or moving movies there but not during play? 

 

Am i wrong? Maybe i dont know how that buffer works ... 

 

 

[Juular]

14 minutes ago, code99 said:

However, this is a drive where I put games that I play. I doubt that the buffer will be a problem when im playing.

It'll be a problem if you decide to drop some big stuff there at once, like aforementioned games and 4k movies. When it's empty it has pretty generous buffer (about 200GB IIRC) but it's much smaller the more full it gets, my 80% full 1TB drive has about 10GB buffer right now. It's true for any SSD but other SSDs have much higher write speeds out of SLC buffer, including most SATA ones. If you can grab QLC SSD for like 20$ cheaper than good TLC NVMe then i'd say it worth it, otherwise not.

I mean, it doesn't affect read speeds (which ain't stellar either but better than on SATA) tho so if you're very patient then why not.

[code99]

1 minute ago, Juular said:

 

I mean, it doesn't affect read speeds tho so if you're very patient then why not.

This right here is why i will probably still get that ssd.

 

I dont mind the lower write speeds. Even when the buffer runs out I bet it will be faster than an HDD and thats good enough.

 

I would obviously prefer not to have this buffer issue but for example the Samsung 970 EVO 1TB drive is slightly more than double the price of the intel offering. I dont feel like that is worth it, especially since i dont value write speeds as high as read speeds.

[Juular]

Just now, code99 said:

I dont mind the lower write speeds. Even when the buffer runs out I bet it will be faster than an HDD and thats good enough.

No it's not, it's 100 MB\s.

[code99]

2 minutes ago, Juular said:

No it's not, it's 100 MB\s.

Well its faster than my piece of crap HDD lol

 

I just did a test and my HDD caps out at 50mb/s. Dunno why. Its a 7200 RPM drive, i guess its just crap (its old tho)

 

What are hdd speeds these days anyway?

[Juular]

Just now, code99 said:

I just did a test and my HDD caps out at 50mb/s.

That's some ancient HDD right there.

Quote

What are hdd speeds these days anyway?

About 150-200MB\s.

[Lady Fitzgerald]

I prefer the Samsung 860 Pros for use in a computer that gets frequent or heavy usage and the 860 EVOs for use in computers that are more gently or less frequently used. I've had excellent luck with both the 850 and 860 Pros and EVOS (and I literally have dozens of them). I do not recommend the Samsung QVOs, though. QLC just isn't ready for prime time yet. they are at the stage of development as the TLC were when they first came out.

 

For people who are on a budget (not a condemnation; we've all been there), I recommend the Crucial MX500 series. I've never owned one but they do have an excellent reputation.

[code99]

@Juular

 

I've ended up getting an Adata XPG SX8200 Pro 1TB since i found a decent discount on it.

 

From my research it looks to be a decent drive.

[Tan3l6]

3 hours ago, code99 said:

@Juular

 

I've ended up getting an Adata XPG SX8200 Pro 1TB since i found a decent discount on it.

 

From my research it looks to be a decent drive.

More than decent - rivaling Samsung 970 plus even. And costs much less.

[Kilrah]

Yup, got them in 2 machines, they work great. Even get better speeds/responsiveness than with the previous 860 Evo.