Need Advice on SSDs

[WaitforAmpere?]

My main SSD is a 256GB M.2 NVME SSD, which im generally happy about but it doesn't have anywhere near the space for modern games.

However, it's also the only m.2 slot I have. So my only options to expand are SATA SSDs.

My first question, can SATA SSDs do similar job to NVME in terms of loading assets in-game. In Baldur's Gate 3, when i play in HDD the gpu doesn't even get utilised, and fluctuates at 60%-70% usage, contributing to stutter-fest.

Would SATA SSD fulfill that role?

2nd question, if the answer to previous question is a yes, can you recommend some good 500GB-1TB SATA SSDs that has decent feature-set like DRAM cache?

[Bigbenirv]

7 minutes ago, WaitforAmpere? said:

Would SATA SSD fulfill that role?

Absolutely, it should not make too much of a difference, the only thing I'd say is nowadays you can get high capacity NVMe SSDs that are *VERY* competitive in price per GB vs their SATA counterparts... I would suggest at least exploring to simply upgrade your NVMe and doing a fresh windows install. 

12 minutes ago, WaitforAmpere? said:

2nd question, if the answer to previous question is a yes, can you recommend some good 500GB-1TB SATA SSDs that has decent feature-set like DRAM cache?

If you're still looking to get a SATA SSD for the sake of convenience, the forum has a pretty comprehensive tier list so you can find one that matches your budget, capacity and performance expectations: 

 

[Poinkachu]

58 minutes ago, WaitforAmpere? said:

My main SSD is a 256GB M.2 NVME SSD, which im generally happy about but it doesn't have anywhere near the space for modern games.

However, it's also the only m.2 slot I have. So my only options to expand are SATA SSDs.

My first question, can SATA SSDs do similar job to NVME in terms of loading assets in-game. In Baldur's Gate 3, when i play in HDD the gpu doesn't even get utilised, and fluctuates at 60%-70% usage, contributing to stutter-fest.

Would SATA SSD fulfill that role?

2nd question, if the answer to previous question is a yes, can you recommend some good 500GB-1TB SATA SSDs that has decent feature-set like DRAM cache?

1. The difference in loading time between nvme & sata ssd most often miniscule and hard to perceive.
There's lots of test video in youtube, including the one that LTT made long time ago.

2. There's always the Samsung route.

And yes, as the person above me have mentioned, check the SSD tier list.

It's old and somewhat outdated, but it can give you general idea about which one in that list (that still exist in the market) doesn't have dram cache.

For models not in that list, i'm afraid you'll have to look for info either through googling, checking the brand&model spec page, or asking the manufacturer's sales representative.

 

But honestly, I've used SSD without Dram for game install before I changed to a Samsung 870 Evo. And I can't notice the diff.

On my laptop I install games into NVME, and I can't notice the speed diff with my desktop (on SATA SSD). Maybe can if I use stopwatch, but at that point I'd be playing "Where's Waldo" instead of immersing into the game world. :x