Been using Samsung Evo 850 and 870, both 1TB, for years, but today I got this beauty & finally went full M.2 for both Windows and mass storage for games and media. Freed up some cable clutter, too! No more sata power & data cables to worry about.
UnstableConstruction
NVMe is much faster than the SATA bus, so this is a great upgrade. You probably won’t notice the difference in a desktop, but I also appreciate how much cleaner it is.
Broad_Rabbit1764
4 TB is not mass storage anymore. HDD are still king for mass storage 🙂
niky45
my over ten years old, 2TB mechanical drive, is crying right now.
h1r0ll3r
I got a Crucial T700 for my boot drive and that is nice. However, I’m still clinging to my 10TB 3.5” for backup
Foreign_Spinach_4400
You got you os on it too right
MillBridge101
Storage fit for a king
PaP3s
I hope your mojo supports gen 4 speeds to take advantage of the 7100MB/s that drive delivers
YoungBlade1
Por que no los dos?
I’ve still got a couple of SATA SSDs in my system. They’re still great for holding games and miscellaneous files.
Unlike with HDDs, they don’t make any noise and they don’t lock up Explorer if they’ve gone to sleep, so it’s just free storage space with no downsides.
W0lf1ngt0n
Pro tip: use those sata drives for NAS. They are plenty fast for Network speeds, silent and low energy consuming
FunFact5000
I have been on m2 drives since I can’t remember. Many years I guess.
This_Guy_Fuggs
why though. i have my m.2 but i didnt uninstall my older sata ssd, i just throw stuff on there that is less of a priority to load quick.
Secure_Ad8837
4TB? That’s crazy. I have had 1TB for many years and haven’t used up even half of it.
_SeeDLinG_32
I did the same thing recently. 1tb for OS and files and software and stuff. 4tb for game library.
mrchicano209
Make sure the firmware is up to date on it. Apparently certain Samsung nvme drives have an issue that makes them not last as long unless you update the firmware.
I just added two more SSDs to my rig for a total of 4 lmao
ChadHartSays
When I was re-building my PC because of a new upgrade, I decided I was going to use both of my M.2 slots – one is on the front of the motherboard, on is on the back. I didn’t want to go through the hassle of accessing the rear of the board any time soon.
So this meant I now have 2TB NVME for my main drive and 2 TB NVME for my ‘games’ drive.
This is a big change as I had a 500 gig SATA and various external solutions like WD MyBooks and my NAS.
I moved my music collection back to my main drive and also my photo archives back to my main drive (still backed up on my NAS). I also moved my game collection off my NAS.
Huge QOL improvement. I now find myself listening to more of my old music collection and I’ve gotten back into photo editing.
If I could have afforded 2 4TB drives, I would have!
Vaniellis
I also got Samsung NVMEs, 1TB for OS and 4TB for data.
Careful though, I’ve been told that they can heat up, so it would a good idea to get a SSD cooler / radiator. Some motherboard come included with one.
opinionate_rooster
Thing is, it’s gonna collect dust. Gimme a SSD case please.
iworkisleep
Those sata ssd lives behind the motherboard, you won’t even see them. Extra 3-4 ports for storage. If you have plex, 4tb is like 256mb. Use those ports when you need them
Strattex
Genuine question, why would anybody still choose a new Sata SSD instead over M.2? Looks like they’re not even cheaper, actually more expensive?
art_fool_34
I have one 980 pro, and I’ve been eyeing additional storage like this 👀, not because I need it of course 😅
NA_0_10_never_forget
Honestly, I still prefer huge mechanical drives for mass storage. They feel more reliable to me, you don’t really need high speed for mass storage, and it’s cheap to have multiple huge drives, with multiple back-ups of everything.
andherBilla
There is a lot of data storage requirement that do not warrant a NVMe, however, SATA SSDs simply haven’t gotten bigger or cheaper, so it makes them completely useless now. If you run out of M.2 slots, you can simply add a PCIe card. Hopefully newer cases come with a extended M.2 mounting options beyond motherboard slots, because the GPUs are now, it’s bit difficult to use those cards.
MarkusRight
I love M.2 SSD’s but I still keep many games and emulator ROM’s on my sata SSD’s. Large M.2 SSD’s are still absurdly expensive and I only have one m.2 slot. Not much room for expansion besides more SATA SSD’s
Shadowarez
when it comes to mass storage in rigs i sell i always offer the client a cheaper option i buy tons of license’s from Primocache for the builds i use sata ssd’s (MLC,TLC,never QLC) to cache the HDD options getting a Nice WD Black 6TB or Seagate 8TB then making a 1TB Sata SSD act as a cache helped bridge this performace gap, iv even found ways to mitigate QLC shortfalls in systems that have 64gb+ of Ram.
Suspicious-Force2951
I keep my OS and system software on the nvme and everything else on 870 Evos. There’s a neglible difference in load times if all you’re using your rig for is gaming.
I also didn’t pick my mobo, came with the parts PC I bought for cheap, and it only has one nvme slot. I’d probably use another if it had two, but aside from cable management, sata is still absolutely fine.
Plus I’m a weirdo and like seeing the drives in their cages. Sounds silly because it is, but I find it aestheticlly pleasing.
No_River_8451
Bro, try many decades.
Individual-Match-798
And some are still on HDDs… Poor souls…
thepopeofkeke
The 990 runs a little hot tho. Keep an eye on it.
If you have a good heat sink it will be fine. The 980 is a little cheaper and runs cooler. Both are great drives. These are great for glacial users with monoblock ssd cooling.
PromotionPawn
I’ve got 2 NVMEs (2TB + 1TB) and 1 SATA (2TB) = 5TB total
Virtually no difference in game load time on SATA vs NVME (Windows OS of course on NVME)
Personally I think we’re at a point of diminishing returns FOR GAMING in terms of SSD vs NVME unless its for non-gaming tasks like constant large data transfer (video files, etc), even then I honestly think 550MBs is plenty fast.
SATA is already whisper quiet, but I agree that NVME is better for cable management and straight up speed.
But for the love of God, those that use OS on Hard Drives pls pls do yourself a favour and get SATA or NVME. Really think they’re only great for long term storage that’s not used everyday (old photos, videos, archived stuff).
31 Comments
Been using Samsung Evo 850 and 870, both 1TB, for years, but today I got this beauty & finally went full M.2 for both Windows and mass storage for games and media. Freed up some cable clutter, too! No more sata power & data cables to worry about.
NVMe is much faster than the SATA bus, so this is a great upgrade. You probably won’t notice the difference in a desktop, but I also appreciate how much cleaner it is.
4 TB is not mass storage anymore. HDD are still king for mass storage 🙂
my over ten years old, 2TB mechanical drive, is crying right now.
I got a Crucial T700 for my boot drive and that is nice. However, I’m still clinging to my 10TB 3.5” for backup
You got you os on it too right
Storage fit for a king
I hope your mojo supports gen 4 speeds to take advantage of the 7100MB/s that drive delivers
Por que no los dos?
I’ve still got a couple of SATA SSDs in my system. They’re still great for holding games and miscellaneous files.
Unlike with HDDs, they don’t make any noise and they don’t lock up Explorer if they’ve gone to sleep, so it’s just free storage space with no downsides.
Pro tip: use those sata drives for NAS. They are plenty fast for Network speeds, silent and low energy consuming
I have been on m2 drives since I can’t remember. Many years I guess.
why though. i have my m.2 but i didnt uninstall my older sata ssd, i just throw stuff on there that is less of a priority to load quick.
4TB? That’s crazy. I have had 1TB for many years and haven’t used up even half of it.
I did the same thing recently. 1tb for OS and files and software and stuff. 4tb for game library.
Make sure the firmware is up to date on it. Apparently certain Samsung nvme drives have an issue that makes them not last as long unless you update the firmware.
Source: https://www.pcgamer.com/critical-update-expected-this-month-to-fix-samsung-990-pros-unusually-rapid-decline/
I just added two more SSDs to my rig for a total of 4 lmao
When I was re-building my PC because of a new upgrade, I decided I was going to use both of my M.2 slots – one is on the front of the motherboard, on is on the back. I didn’t want to go through the hassle of accessing the rear of the board any time soon.
So this meant I now have 2TB NVME for my main drive and 2 TB NVME for my ‘games’ drive.
This is a big change as I had a 500 gig SATA and various external solutions like WD MyBooks and my NAS.
I moved my music collection back to my main drive and also my photo archives back to my main drive (still backed up on my NAS). I also moved my game collection off my NAS.
Huge QOL improvement. I now find myself listening to more of my old music collection and I’ve gotten back into photo editing.
If I could have afforded 2 4TB drives, I would have!
I also got Samsung NVMEs, 1TB for OS and 4TB for data.
Careful though, I’ve been told that they can heat up, so it would a good idea to get a SSD cooler / radiator. Some motherboard come included with one.
Thing is, it’s gonna collect dust. Gimme a SSD case please.
Those sata ssd lives behind the motherboard, you won’t even see them. Extra 3-4 ports for storage. If you have plex, 4tb is like 256mb. Use those ports when you need them
Genuine question, why would anybody still choose a new Sata SSD instead over M.2? Looks like they’re not even cheaper, actually more expensive?
I have one 980 pro, and I’ve been eyeing additional storage like this 👀, not because I need it of course 😅
Honestly, I still prefer huge mechanical drives for mass storage. They feel more reliable to me, you don’t really need high speed for mass storage, and it’s cheap to have multiple huge drives, with multiple back-ups of everything.
There is a lot of data storage requirement that do not warrant a NVMe, however, SATA SSDs simply haven’t gotten bigger or cheaper, so it makes them completely useless now. If you run out of M.2 slots, you can simply add a PCIe card. Hopefully newer cases come with a extended M.2 mounting options beyond motherboard slots, because the GPUs are now, it’s bit difficult to use those cards.
I love M.2 SSD’s but I still keep many games and emulator ROM’s on my sata SSD’s. Large M.2 SSD’s are still absurdly expensive and I only have one m.2 slot. Not much room for expansion besides more SATA SSD’s
when it comes to mass storage in rigs i sell i always offer the client a cheaper option i buy tons of license’s from Primocache for the builds i use sata ssd’s (MLC,TLC,never QLC) to cache the HDD options getting a Nice WD Black 6TB or Seagate 8TB then making a 1TB Sata SSD act as a cache helped bridge this performace gap, iv even found ways to mitigate QLC shortfalls in systems that have 64gb+ of Ram.
I keep my OS and system software on the nvme and everything else on 870 Evos. There’s a neglible difference in load times if all you’re using your rig for is gaming.
I also didn’t pick my mobo, came with the parts PC I bought for cheap, and it only has one nvme slot. I’d probably use another if it had two, but aside from cable management, sata is still absolutely fine.
Plus I’m a weirdo and like seeing the drives in their cages. Sounds silly because it is, but I find it aestheticlly pleasing.
Bro, try many decades.
And some are still on HDDs… Poor souls…
The 990 runs a little hot tho. Keep an eye on it.
If you have a good heat sink it will be fine. The 980 is a little cheaper and runs cooler. Both are great drives. These are great for glacial users with monoblock ssd cooling.
I’ve got 2 NVMEs (2TB + 1TB) and 1 SATA (2TB) = 5TB total
Virtually no difference in game load time on SATA vs NVME (Windows OS of course on NVME)
Personally I think we’re at a point of diminishing returns FOR GAMING in terms of SSD vs NVME unless its for non-gaming tasks like constant large data transfer (video files, etc), even then I honestly think 550MBs is plenty fast.
SATA is already whisper quiet, but I agree that NVME is better for cable management and straight up speed.
But for the love of God, those that use OS on Hard Drives pls pls do yourself a favour and get SATA or NVME. Really think they’re only great for long term storage that’s not used everyday (old photos, videos, archived stuff).