Recommendations for SATA 2.5" SSD

[johnno124]

Hi all, so with my latest loss of a hard drive, i am in need of new storage for my build. 

I am looking to get a 2TB SATA SSD (Can't fit any more M.2 until i upgrade my motherboard in a couple months.). Looking to spend around $200AUD. What do people recommend.

 

Thank

[tkitch]

I know the aussie tax is real, so....

 

See what available?  And then google it and find out if it has a DRAM Cache.  

As long as a drive has a DRAM Cache + Decent warranty?  It's more than fine!

[johnno124]

28 minutes ago, tkitch said:

I know the aussie tax is real, so....

 

See what available?  And then google it and find out if it has a DRAM Cache.  

As long as a drive has a DRAM Cache + Decent warranty?  It's more than fine!

is that the most important things? DRAM Cache. is there anything else i should look for?

[tkitch]

10 minutes ago, johnno124 said:

is that the most important things? DRAM Cache. is there anything else i should look for?

that, and as long as there's a decent warranty on the drive, you're fine.

 

reasoning:
SATA is "SLOW" for a SSD.  The 600MB speed cap of SATA 3 is /nothing/ to any SSD today.  So, that's not a concern you need to worry about.  DRAM Cache and Warranty will be the two most important factors after that.

[mariushm]

I'm of the opinion that you don't need DRAM cache on a sata drive, read and write speeds are not that high as to get a performance boost from presence of dram. Even on a nvme drive, the benefits are minimal, because HMB is often enough.

 

It's not important at all. DRAM cache is basically a small memory chip that the controller can use to be able to quickly access information about where data is located in the flash memory chips. That information is normally stored in flash memory on drives without DRAM, drives with DRAM copy that table into the RAM chip at boot and then use the faster DRAM to lookup where data is located. So a SSD with DRAM will feel a bit snappier if you use with programs that access lots and lots of files very quickly (databases, video editing with lots of videos and audio tracks at the same time etc etc)... otherwise it doesn't really help, doesn't get you faster write speeds or longer endurance.  

 

 

I would say get a 2 TB M.2 nvme drive and retire your 240 GB WD Green or that 250 GB samsung 850 evo  .. move the contents to your other drives, pull it out, put your new m.2 in.

 

Optionally, you could get a cheap m.2 to pci-e x1 adapter card to run the 240 GB drive in a x1 slot (the x4 may be disabled if you have both m.2 drives full) - it will be limited to pci-e 2.0 x1 speeds (less than 500 MB/s) but it's not like a 240 GB SSD is close to that fast in the first place 

Examples of adapters:  https://www.amazon.com/s?k=m.2+to+pci-e+x1+adapter+card&crid=17CAJO8P3V0BV&sprefix=m.2+to+pci-e+x1+adapter+car%2Caps%2C227&ref=nb_sb_noss_2

 

WD SN580 is cheap at $120 : https://pcpartpicker.com/product/266NnQ/western-digital-blue-sn580-2-tb-m2-2280-pcie-40-x4-nvme-solid-state-drive-wds200t3b0e

 

Oh, in your Australia is $189 : https://au.pcpartpicker.com/product/266NnQ/western-digital-blue-sn580-2-tb-m2-2280-pcie-40-x4-nvme-solid-state-drive-wds200t3b0e

 

No DRAM cache, but can borrow up to 200 MB of ram through HMB and runs at 4.15 GB/s reads and writes and has 900 TBW of endurance.

 

At 210$ you have WD SN770 : https://au.pcpartpicker.com/product/4KRYcf/western-digital-2-tb-m2-2280-nvme-solid-state-drive-wds200t3x0e

 

5.1 GB/s reads, 4.8 GB/s writes, 1200 TB endurance a bit over your budget but more future proof (it's pci-e 4.0 drive, will work at 3.0 speeds as well)

No DRAM cache, but can use 64 MB from your computer ram through HMB. 

 

 

Kingston NV2 could be an option, but note that there's a version with TLC, and one with QLC... no idea what you get.

 

It's $171 : https://au.pcpartpicker.com/product/3QXJ7P/kingston-nv2-2-tb-m2-2280-pcie-40-x4-nvme-solid-state-drive-snv2s2000g

 

Both TLC and QLC versions are rated for around 640 TB of endurance but speeds are lower ( around 3.5 GB/s reads, 2.8 GB/s writes)

 

Strictly for storage and for games, Crucial P3 Plus is not that bad but it uses QLC so it has less endurance (around 440 TB vs 900 TB for the SN580) .. if you just put movies or music or a few games, you're not gonna burn through that 440 TB that fast.

 

It's 185$ : https://au.pcpartpicker.com/product/yGZ9TW/crucial-p3-plus-2-tb-m2-2280-nvme-solid-state-drive-ct2000p3pssd8

 

 

edit: on your motherboard, it seems the pci-e x16 slot with x4 lanes is not disabled if you use 2nd m.2 connector, but it shares lanes with the x1 slots, so if you don't use the x1 slots you could get a M.2 to pci-e x4 adapter card :  https://www.amazon.com/s?k=m.2+to+pci-e+x4+adapter+card&crid=2VWM5AXAUXL7N&sprefix=m.2+to+pci-e+x1+adapter+card%2Caps%2C497&ref=nb_sb_noss_2

 

There's versions with two slots, one for nvme m.2 (connects m.2 drive to the 4 pci-e lanes) and one slot for m.2 sata drives (you use a sata cable between the drive and the sata port on your mobo)

 

[BiG StroOnZ]

I think the 2TB Crucial MX500 is the best you can do for that price and DRAM Cache requirement:

 

Crucial MX500 2TB 2.5" Internal SSD | Solid State Drives | CT2000MX500SSD1 (centrecom.com.au)

$205 AUD with Free Shipping.

[johnno124]

3 hours ago, mariushm said:

I'm of the opinion that you don't need DRAM cache on a sata drive, read and write speeds are not that high as to get a performance boost from presence of dram. Even on a nvme drive, the benefits are minimal, because HMB is often enough.

 

It's not important at all. DRAM cache is basically a small memory chip that the controller can use to be able to quickly access information about where data is located in the flash memory chips. That information is normally stored in flash memory on drives without DRAM, drives with DRAM copy that table into the RAM chip at boot and then use the faster DRAM to lookup where data is located. So a SSD with DRAM will feel a bit snappier if you use with programs that access lots and lots of files very quickly (databases, video editing with lots of videos and audio tracks at the same time etc etc)... otherwise it doesn't really help, doesn't get you faster write speeds or longer endurance.  

 

 

I would say get a 2 TB M.2 nvme drive and retire your 240 GB WD Green or that 250 GB samsung 850 evo  .. move the contents to your other drives, pull it out, put your new m.2 in.

 

Optionally, you could get a cheap m.2 to pci-e x1 adapter card to run the 240 GB drive in a x1 slot (the x4 may be disabled if you have both m.2 drives full) - it will be limited to pci-e 2.0 x1 speeds (less than 500 MB/s) but it's not like a 240 GB SSD is close to that fast in the first place 

Examples of adapters:  https://www.amazon.com/s?k=m.2+to+pci-e+x1+adapter+card&crid=17CAJO8P3V0BV&sprefix=m.2+to+pci-e+x1+adapter+car%2Caps%2C227&ref=nb_sb_noss_2

 

WD SN580 is cheap at $120 : https://pcpartpicker.com/product/266NnQ/western-digital-blue-sn580-2-tb-m2-2280-pcie-40-x4-nvme-solid-state-drive-wds200t3b0e

 

Oh, in your Australia is $189 : https://au.pcpartpicker.com/product/266NnQ/western-digital-blue-sn580-2-tb-m2-2280-pcie-40-x4-nvme-solid-state-drive-wds200t3b0e

 

No DRAM cache, but can borrow up to 200 MB of ram through HMB and runs at 4.15 GB/s reads and writes and has 900 TBW of endurance.

 

At 210$ you have WD SN770 : https://au.pcpartpicker.com/product/4KRYcf/western-digital-2-tb-m2-2280-nvme-solid-state-drive-wds200t3x0e

 

5.1 GB/s reads, 4.8 GB/s writes, 1200 TB endurance a bit over your budget but more future proof (it's pci-e 4.0 drive, will work at 3.0 speeds as well)

No DRAM cache, but can use 64 MB from your computer ram through HMB. 

 

 

Kingston NV2 could be an option, but note that there's a version with TLC, and one with QLC... no idea what you get.

 

It's $171 : https://au.pcpartpicker.com/product/3QXJ7P/kingston-nv2-2-tb-m2-2280-pcie-40-x4-nvme-solid-state-drive-snv2s2000g

 

Both TLC and QLC versions are rated for around 640 TB of endurance but speeds are lower ( around 3.5 GB/s reads, 2.8 GB/s writes)

 

Strictly for storage and for games, Crucial P3 Plus is not that bad but it uses QLC so it has less endurance (around 440 TB vs 900 TB for the SN580) .. if you just put movies or music or a few games, you're not gonna burn through that 440 TB that fast.

 

It's 185$ : https://au.pcpartpicker.com/product/yGZ9TW/crucial-p3-plus-2-tb-m2-2280-nvme-solid-state-drive-ct2000p3pssd8

 

 

edit: on your motherboard, it seems the pci-e x16 slot with x4 lanes is not disabled if you use 2nd m.2 connector, but it shares lanes with the x1 slots, so if you don't use the x1 slots you could get a M.2 to pci-e x4 adapter card :  https://www.amazon.com/s?k=m.2+to+pci-e+x4+adapter+card&crid=2VWM5AXAUXL7N&sprefix=m.2+to+pci-e+x1+adapter+card%2Caps%2C497&ref=nb_sb_noss_2

 

There's versions with two slots, one for nvme m.2 (connects m.2 drive to the 4 pci-e lanes) and one slot for m.2 sata drives (you use a sata cable between the drive and the sata port on your mobo)

 

Thanks for the info. Unfortunately my 2nd M.2 x16 (x4 wired) slot is now blocked by my GPU (STRIX 4070ti) and the other currently has a M.2 Card in it for the 970 Evo. the 1x slot is used by my wifi card, and my motherboard only has the 1 m.2 slot. Also the 250GB samsung SSD is a Sata and is currently my Boot drive. I am going to be upgrading my MB/CPU/RAM in the next few months so that will allow me to get some more M.2 storage, at this point im just looking at something to tide me over until then, at which point it will be relegated to mainly storage, allowing me to retire my WD Blue HDD. (that i dropped and is running along like nothing happened lol)

[mariushm]

Really, it's not worth it. Why buy now a high capacity SATA SSD when you can buy the nvme directly? 

 

If you're gonna buy another SSD later, just buy a 4-6 TB hard drive instead, as you're gonna have to replace those 1 TB and 2 TB drives at some point either way. 

 

Get the nvme ssd. You can use Macrium Reflect or some other software to clone the 250 GB Samsung boot SSD to the new drive - if you want, you can create a 500 GB partition for the operating system and another partition for the rest, but you can just leave it as a single 2 TB partition - the drives don't have to be the same size, the software can clone different size drives. 

 

Then you can just put your  2 TB nvme drive into the main m.2 x4 slot, and move the 250 GB sata drive into an adapter board or just not use it, and change the boot order in BIOS to boot from your new SSD. 

 

You have options for that blocked pci-e connector ... you can get right angle pci-e riser cables and use a regular or low profile M.2 to pci-e adapter card in the riser cable.

Example of right angle cable (select the -TL versions)  : https://www.ebay.com/itm/285820882935

 

You can also convert your M.2 SATA drives to regular SATA using adapter boards, though it's debatable if it's worth spending 5-10$ on an adapter board.

Here's examples : https://www.ebay.com/itm/305361124833  or  https://www.ebay.com/itm/334482951052 or https://www.ebay.com/itm/123442738470   (they're really basic, it's just the connectors and a voltage regulator to convert 5v to 3.3v the M.2 drives use. 

 

If you insist on sata, then you could just go with something like Silicon Power A55 at AUD 162  : https://au.pcpartpicker.com/product/DZkj4D/silicon-power-a55-2-tb-25-solid-state-drive-sp002tbss3a55s25

 

WD Red Plus (nas grade, CMR) is about the same price (AUD 168) but you get 4 TB : https://au.pcpartpicker.com/product/xBstt6/western-digital-red-plus-4-tb-35-5400-rpm-internal-hard-drive-wd40efpx

 

 

 

[ToboRobot]

I don't mind having a SATA SSD in my computer even though I have NVME drives, as it is simply a backup and I don't want any spinning drives in my system. 

I have the cheap WD Blue drives in a couple systems as a backup drive for my NVME drives which have OS/games.  No need to make things complex.

[LloydLynx]

The Crucial MX500 is the go to SATA SSD nowadays. It has DRAM cache, it's proven reliable, and it's a good price. Samsung has gone down hill with firmware issues and using their household name to raise prices.

[RokinAmerica]

Agree with Lloyd, MX500 is my go-to Sata SSD for my systems. 

[kokosnh]

The 2TB and 4TB Samsung 870 evo is a no ( at least not the older ones on 128l TLC nand, the nand fails in them all the time ).

the kc600 and mx500 are good sata tlc dram ssd ( for sata ssd you want dram, but also want good controller and tlc nand )

for m.2 nvme dram is good to have ( but you want good controller and good tlc nand in them)

 

as for the problem 

9 hours ago, johnno124 said:

Unfortunately my 2nd M.2 x16 (x4 wired) slot is now blocked by my GPU (STRIX 4070ti)

You mean pcie slot, or m.2 slot?

What mobo model is it?

 

 

 

[johnno124]

4 hours ago, kokosnh said:

The 2TB and 4TB Samsung 870 evo is a no ( at least not the older ones on 128l TLC nand, the nand fails in them all the time ).

the kc600 and mx500 are good sata tlc dram ssd ( for sata ssd you want dram, but also want good controller and tlc nand )

for m.2 nvme dram is good to have ( but you want good controller and good tlc nand in them)

 

as for the problem 

You mean pcie slot, or m.2 slot?

What mobo model is it?

 

 

 

apologies yes meant the PCI-e Slot. Is an ASUS ROG Strix B350-F

 

[kokosnh]

18 hours ago, johnno124 said:

STRIX 4070ti

Is a 3.15 slot wide card, are you shure IT books whole slot second PCIe x16 slot? 

Do you have pictures with your GPU in ? Howuch space is there,