Am I losing performance using a Crucial MX500 SATA SSD on an old Gigabyte GA-H61M-DS2 (Rev 4.0) Motherboard?

[LukeIsLoveLukeIsLife]

Hello! I would just like to ask a simple question about compatibility and limitations when buying an SSD for an old motherboard.

 

My current PC uses old parts, and some of them were used or second-hand, so that should say a lot about my budget. 

I will list the specs here just in case you have other suggestions regarding the PC and to my use of it:

- i7-3770

- Gigabyte GA-H61M-DS2 (Rev 4.0)

- 8x1GB and 4x1GB of 1333mhz memory (12GB total)

- GTX 1650Super 4GB

- Toshiba DT01ACA050 500GB SATA 6.0Gb/s

 

This is the current (and only) storage that I am using:

 

It felt really slow now, like booting it up takes a good 3-4 minutes to get into desktop with everything fully loaded and functional. I am also running out of space for it since I have lots of stuff stored.

Because of that, I wanted to upgrade to an SSD because I've heard that SSD > HDD by a lot. I have set my eyes on the Crucial MX500 500GB

 

 

This SSD is within my budget, and after researching, seems to be one of the best budget but good SSDs. When I was looking at it, I got curious that it said SATA 6gb/s and thought that maybe compatibility might be an issue since the motherboard I have is really old, and that the motherboard also lists that it supports only up to 3Gb/s.

 

 

My questions are:

- Will the SSD be compatible with my Motherboard? (if no, then please disregard the following questions)

- Will it be noticeably faster than my HDD?

- Will I lose on performance and value because of the limit of my Motherboard?

- If the SSD is not compatible, or if there are other suggestions, what are my options?

 

I mainly do gaming, but I also have online classes. I am also into light photo editing and video editing and as well as (maybe) light game development. For now, my budget is restricted to not buying an entirely new PC so these are the parts that I can work with. Thanks in advance for your help!

[RONOTHAN##]

1.) Yes, it will be compatible.

2.) Yes, by a lot

3.) Yes, but not noticeably. You don't buy an SSD for raw file transfers (I mean you do, but that's not why an SSD feels so good), you buy it because of the random performance that an OS needs to performer well. It will be limited, but only barely, and will still outperform a HDD greatly.

 

Tl;Dr: Buy an SSD. If you care enough you can buy an HBA to bring the speed up to SATA 6Gbps, but it's not the biggest deal.

[LukeIsLoveLukeIsLife]

Just now, RONOTHAN## said:

1.) Yes, it will be compatible.

2.) Yes, by a lot

3.) Yes, but not noticeably. You don't buy an SSD for raw file transfers (I mean you do, but that's not why an SSD feels so good), you buy it because of the random performance that an OS needs to performer well. It will be limited, but only barely, and will still outperform a HDD greatly.

 

Tl;Dr: Buy an SSD. If you care enough you can buy an HBA to bring the speed up to SATA 6Gbps, but it's not the biggest deal.

I'm sorry for asking, but what is an HBA?

[BondiBlue]

Just get the SSD. It won't reach full speeds, but SATA II is still very fast. Upgrading to an SSD will make a massive improvement to the speed of the system. 

[RONOTHAN##]

Just now, LukeIsLoveLukeIsLife said:

I'm sorry for asking, but what is an HBA?

Host Bus Adapter. It's basically a PCIe card that adds a bunch of SATA ports to a motherboard. They're big with the NAS/Data Hoarder crowd. You can buy one that has SATA 6Gbps connectors and chipsets on board, and then have the full speed. You'll probably end up spending $30+ for the cheapest cards you can find, and that will basically be useless to you when you eventually upgrade, which is why I'm not advising you do that.

[LukeIsLoveLukeIsLife]

8 minutes ago, RONOTHAN## said:

Host Bus Adapter. It's basically a PCIe card that adds a bunch of SATA ports to a motherboard. They're big with the NAS/Data Hoarder crowd. You can buy one that has SATA 6Gbps connectors and chipsets on board, and then have the full speed. You'll probably end up spending $30+ for the cheapest cards you can find, and that will basically be useless to you when you eventually upgrade, which is why I'm not advising you do that.

Ah, okay. Thanks! You've been a great help!

[LukeIsLoveLukeIsLife]

10 minutes ago, BondiBlue said:

Just get the SSD. It won't reach full speeds, but SATA II is still very fast. Upgrading to an SSD will make a massive improvement to the speed of the system. 

Thanks! You helped in making this decision Thank you!