Question Worth it to upgrade to an M.2 drive on my Z97M OC Formula?

[Fun Guy]

Right now I'm running a 256GB Crucial CT256MX100SSD1.

Thinking about a Samsung 850 EVO in 500GB or 1TB.

MB is the ASRock Z97M OC Formula.

Or, instead of the M.2, would an ATA SSD be just as fast, and cheaper?

 

[Fun Guy]

In case an M.2 drive is not any faster due to the Gen 2 socket, I was looking at regular 2.5" SSDs, and came up with these 5 - anyone have experience with any of these?

Are you a human?

www.newegg.com

 

[UsandThem]

A PCIe M.2 SSD would be faster than a SATA SSD (like your current one or a Samsung 850 EVO).

However, your M.2 slot is limited to Gen 2 x2. Current motherboards have a Gen 3 x4 M.2 slot. To see how this will limit the speed of the drive, you can look at the post here where someone posted the difference: https://www.dslreports.com/forum/r31882576-SSD-speeds-nvme-on-PCIE-Gen3-x4-vs-Gen2-x2-vs-SATA3

That said, since PCIe SSDs are priced almost the same as SATA SSDs (2.5" and M.2), you might as well get a PCIe version as it will be faster, and you can move and utilize the speed whenever you upgrade to a new build.

 

[UsandThem]

Some good budget NVMe drives are:

https://smile.amazon.com/Silicon-Power-Gen3x4-000MB-SU001TBP34A80M28AB/dp/B07L6GF81L
https://smile.amazon.com/HP-EX950-Internal-5MS23AA-ABC/dp/B07MZDXQ6C
https://smile.amazon.com/CORSAIR-FORCE-MP510-960GB-Storage/dp/B07HR78FQ5

 

[Fun Guy]

You said PCIe, but the examples you give plug into the M.2 slot, correct? Wouldn't the Gen2 socket limit throughput?

I'm very much behind the times, so I am a little confused here, sorry...

 

[UsandThem]

You said PCIe, but the examples you give plug into the M.2 slot, correct?

M.2 slots can support both PCIe SSDs (NVMe) and SATA. Sometimes they might only support one or the other, but most of the time they support both.

Wouldn't the Gen2 socket limit throughput?

Yes it will. I gave you the link in my first reply to show what to expect for speeds since your slot is Gen 2 x2. Despite the NVMe drive being limited due to having an older gen M.2 slot, it will still outperform a SATA SSD. That said, unless you need more space, or your current SSD is developing problems, you really don't need to upgrade your current SSD right now. It's still way faster than a traditional spinning hard drive. You can always upgrade to a faster drive when you upgrade your CPU and motherboard.

 

[jhansman]

FWIW, my Samsung 970 Pro NVMe benched at approx. 3x what my 850 EVO SATA drives could do, which is why it is my boot drive and home for a few critical applications. All else lives on the EVOs. I rebuilt my entire system with that one upgrade (and a Ryzen CPU) in mind, and it has been worth every penny spent. My only regret is not getting the 1TB 970 Pro.