SATA v NVMe

[CreativeName6426]

Is there any practical benefit for a computer that I use primarily for gaming of NVMe vs SATA.

 

Other than the install speed of games, I couldn't care less about that. 

[Aaron_T]

Not according to LTT

 

 

[CreativeName6426]

Yeah, I saw that. I wanted an extra opinion though.

[Stu_Bear]

If you already own a sata SSD...I wouldn't buy NVMe unless you experience some lag/stutters that can't be explained away by current hardware and internet connection.

[Radium_Angel]

6 minutes ago, J4C0B 4W3S0M3 said:

NVMe vs SATA.

Not so you would notice.

[Arrogath]

4 minutes ago, J4C0B 4W3S0M3 said:

Is there any practical benefit for a computer that I use primarily for gaming of NVMe vs SATA.

 

Other than the install speed of games, I couldn't care less about that. 

when doing file management like backing up files, faster drives is a nice to have. You wont "feel" the difference too much, since the read/write delays aren't that different just raw speeds

[CreativeName6426]

Just now, Stu_Bear said:

If you already own a sata SSD...I wouldn't buy NVMe unless you experience some lag/stutters that can't be explained away by current hardware and internet connection.

Lol I already have it (it was a gift) and I do experience stutters but I never blamed it on my storage, more so on my DDR3 memory.

[IdlePX]

The only time I notice a difference is opening huge .xcf files, which feels two or three times as fast on a Corsair MP510 vs a Sandisk Ultra sata SSD. Oh, and boot up times.

 

 

[Stu_Bear]

Just now, J4C0B 4W3S0M3 said:

Lol I already have it (it was a gift) and I do experience stutters but I never blamed it on my storage, more so on my DDR3 memory.

if i was doing a new build...I'd only use NVMe....prices are too similar to sata to not take the leap.  That said I own a small NVMe cause i'm a computer nerd -and- it actually helps with one game I own.  

[Arrogath]

2 minutes ago, Stu_Bear said:

if i was doing a new build...I'd only use NVMe....prices are too similar to sata to not take the leap.  That said I own a small NVMe cause i'm a computer nerd -and- it actually helps with one game I own.  

I just used them for the transfer speeds when backing up, and I'm too lazy to have to route sata power cables

edit: I guess m.2 sata works for that too

[CreativeName6426]

2 minutes ago, Stu_Bear said:

if i was doing a new build...I'd only use NVMe....prices are too similar to sata to not take the leap.  That said I own a small NVMe cause i'm a computer nerd -and- it actually helps with one game I own.  

I am building a new computer, and it will be my main drive. It's 1TB, so I figured it should be my main drive. Is that a good idea? 

[Quickstrike]

I've seen some effect on load times on games built in unity (Kerball space program and Battletech)
Was it worth double the price? No.
Is it worth a 25% to 30% premium, might be. If you are strapped for cash, by all means use a SATA drive.

I think NVME will last longer but the jury is still out on this.

[Stu_Bear]

4 minutes ago, J4C0B 4W3S0M3 said:

I am building a new computer, and it will be my main drive. It's 1TB, so I figured it should be my main drive. Is that a good idea? 

How many drives are you planning on having?  I'm of the school of thought it's best to have at least 2...one small drive for OS and perishable apps...one drive for games/movies/photos/goat-porn.  OS are bound to fail on everyone...easier just to rebuild/reinstall a separate drive IMHO.  That and the fact 2 drives offer more bandwidth and by extension less wait times (contention).

[CreativeName6426]

3 minutes ago, Stu_Bear said:

How many drives are you planning on having?  I'm of the school of thought it's best to have at least 2...one small drive for OS and perishable apps...one drive for games/movies/photos/goat-porn.  OS are bound to fail on everyone...easier just to rebuild/reinstall a separate drive IMHO.

In my current computer, I have a 512GB SATA SSD, an I put everything on it. I used most of it up and so I put in a HDD as an expansion. The SSD was also my boot drive. I plan on using my new computer with just 1, 1TB, NVMe SSD. Are you saying that it was a waste to get one this large and I should use an HDD for my game library?

[Jurrunio]

I have both, no difference

[Oswin]

2 minutes ago, J4C0B 4W3S0M3 said:

In my current computer, I have a 512GB SATA SSD, an I put everything on it. I used most of it up and so I put in a HDD as an expansion. The SSD was also my boot drive. I plan on using my new computer with just 1, 1TB, NVMe SSD. Are you saying that it was a waste to get one this large and I should use an HDD for my game library?

depends on your budget really, SSDs just make programs more snappier to load, but if you want cheap and bulk storage then just go with the regular HDD

[Stu_Bear]

5 minutes ago, J4C0B 4W3S0M3 said:

In my current computer, I have a 512GB SATA SSD, an I put everything on it. I used most of it up and so I put in a HDD as an expansion. The SSD was also my boot drive. I plan on using my new computer with just 1, 1TB, NVMe SSD. Are you saying that it was a waste to get one this large and I should use an HDD for my game library?

Not a waste at all.  If it were me...I'd use the HDD as the boot drive in your old computer.  Take the sata SSD out of the old PC and use it as the boot drive of your new PC.  Then use the 1TB NVMe as your fast library for games/storage.  Also, point your swapfile at the NVMe for faster caching.  That's only my opinion...ymmv.

[CreativeName6426]

Just now, Stu_Bear said:

Not a waste at all.  If it were me...I'd use the HDD as the boot drive in your old computer.  Take the sata SSD out of the old PC and use it as the boot drive of your new PC.  Then use the 1TB NVMe as your fast library for games/storage.  That's only my opinion...ymmv.

I think what I'll do, thank you.

[Stu_Bear]

1 minute ago, J4C0B 4W3S0M3 said:

I think what I'll do, thank you.

Pointing your swapfile in your OS to read/write to the NVMe "might" help too...that's what I've done, but not sure if it's made a real impact...just food for thought.

[Guest]

Spinning hard disks have been around since the middle of the last century. Why anyone would want to put one in a PC build these days defies sense.

 

Stick to SSDs and/or NVMEs for everything.

 

Whether it's worth paying extra for NVME vs Sata SSD my opinion is yes because it's faster and not really that much more expensive.

[RejZoR]

M.2 format is only worth it from convenience point of view as it takes no extra space and doesn't need extra cables. And its sequential speeds can be higher which is usually very specific need. Other than that, if you get larger SATA drive for a lot less, go for it. Just having an SSD, doesn't matter what kind makes everything faster because of random access speeds, not because of insane sequential speeds. And even at that, SATA's 550MB's ain't that bad.

[sphbecker]

If the basic question is "will NVMe make my game run better?" then no, not really. SATA SSDs are fast enough for reasonable game load times, and storage has nearly no impact to gaming once you are fully loaded.

 

For me the big appeal to NVMe is that it is multi-threaded, not a simple queue like SATA. That means you could be installing a game in the background while doing other things without a big performance impact. I have set Steam to allow updating while games are running, have never seen any impact at all. I find that PC maintenance is SO much nicer on NVMe.

 

Given the current price difference, I say NVMe is the direction to go, unless you find a great deal on an SATA drive.

 

Also to the comments about M.2 being a nicer form factor, yes, for sure, but keep in mind that you can get SATA M.2 drives.