Mindovermaster Moderator Posted December 2, 2016 Moderator Share Posted December 2, 2016 I've been reading around, all different brands. What is the difference between SATA III and PCI-E? Is there a wide difference in the connector? M.2 and 2280? Which one is the best? There a better or worse, connector, brand, bandwith? I'm looking for a 120GB. I already have a 256GB Samsung 850 PRO. Good brands, $/GB ratio, brand reputation, speeds, etc. Looking to spend ~$80, cheaper the better. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
T3X4S Posted December 2, 2016 Share Posted December 2, 2016 3 hours ago, Mindovermaster said: I've been reading around, all different brands. What is the difference between SATA III and PCI-E? Is there a wide difference in the connector? M.2 and 2280? Which one is the best? There a better or worse, connector, brand, bandwith? I'm looking for a 120GB. I already have a 256GB Samsung 850 PRO. Good brands, $/GB ratio, brand reputation, speeds, etc. Looking to spend ~$80, cheaper the better. This might help. http://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2015/02/understanding-m-2-the-interface-that-will-speed-up-your-next-ssd/ But I dont know if anything exists in the price/size you are looking for - but I havent researched those specs. I have the Samsung 950 Pro 512GB and can tell you it is lightning fast. The 960 Pro are even faster - but neither come in anything smaller than 256GB. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
techbeck Posted December 2, 2016 Share Posted December 2, 2016 (edited) 2280 is the SSD length. Most common are m.2 2280 and m.2 2260. All have the same connector. http://www.computershopper.com/feature/2016-guide-the-best-m.2-solid-state-drives-tested T3X4S and Danielx64 2 Share Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ctebah Posted December 2, 2016 Share Posted December 2, 2016 If your motherboards supports it, and you can afford it, definitely go with the M.2. The speed (32Gbit) means you won't upgrade your drive for many, many years. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
techbeck Posted December 2, 2016 Share Posted December 2, 2016 3 hours ago, Mindovermaster said: I'm looking for a 120GB. I already have a 256GB Samsung 850 PRO. Good brands, $/GB ratio, brand reputation, speeds, etc. Looking to spend ~$80, cheaper the better. Personally, I wouldnt go for anything smaller than 250gb. For $30 more, you an go from 120 to 250. $80 for the 120, $110 for the 250. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
techbeck Posted December 2, 2016 Share Posted December 2, 2016 12 minutes ago, T3X4S said: I have the Samsung 950 Pro 512GB and can tell you it is lightning fast. The 960 Pro are even faster - but neither come in anything smaller than 256GB. I got a 1tb 960 in my work system. The thing screams. Never had problem with the Samsung's either. Fast/reliable. T3X4S 1 Share Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mindovermaster Moderator Posted December 2, 2016 Author Moderator Share Posted December 2, 2016 I had 3x (2x120 1x250) Samsung SSD's. All SATA III. Is there any of the M.2's to "stay away from"? I remember the 840 was bad because of the controller, or something... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
T3X4S Posted December 2, 2016 Share Posted December 2, 2016 6 minutes ago, Mindovermaster said: I had 3x (2x120 1x250) Samsung SSD's. All SATA III. Is there any of the M.2's to "stay away from"? I remember the 840 was bad because of the controller, or something... Honestly, I do not know of any with controller issues, or ones with bad chips, etc. It isnt because they are all good - but from a lack of research on my point. To be more helpful - I dont know of ones to stay away from - but when it comes to M.2 - I think the Samsung 960 Pro is the Rolls Royce. When it comes to slot based PCI-E (ones that have large cards) - the intel 750-series is very popular, and there is a new version - but they are pricey. I am a big fan of "you dance with the one that brought you" - so I stick with the brands that have treated me well in the past - hence, always getting Samsung drives. Sorry I cant be of more help. If I had to pick something - I have never been a fan of SanDisk stuff (their Extreme brand seems to be good) - I always avoid all of the AData stuff, and I think Western Digital is trying to get back into flash storage - I'll avoid them. Open Minded 1 Share Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mindovermaster Moderator Posted December 2, 2016 Author Moderator Share Posted December 2, 2016 This looks hopeful. No reviews yet, but i know Samsung does good.. http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820147593 I remember my old OCZ ones dying after a year or two.... Samsung still going strong. T3X4S 1 Share Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jim K Global Moderator Posted December 2, 2016 Global Moderator Share Posted December 2, 2016 19 minutes ago, Mindovermaster said: This looks hopeful. No reviews yet, but i know Samsung does good.. http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820147593 I remember my old OCZ ones dying after a year or two.... Samsung still going strong. Is your mobo the ASrock Z77 listed in your sig? If so ... you will not be able to boot with the NVMe (without a modded BIOS). You'll also need to get an adapter (another 25-50 bucks) so you can plug it into the PCIe slot. It is also over your stated price range ($80). This feels like deja vu ... haven't we already had a discussion about this (maybe it was someone else with the ASrock Extreme 3)? Anyway ... regarding manufactures ... just like every other product ... you'll get tons of different answers ... most are subjective with some objective reasoning. I would just get a standard SATA3 SSD drive and call it a day ... save the NVMe drives when you build a new system which has NVMe natively. Just my opinion. For the price you listed in your OP ... I think it would probably be hard to beat the following http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820178967 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tjarboe Posted December 2, 2016 Share Posted December 2, 2016 I have a m.2 500GB in my laptop, it has space for 4 more plus 2.5" drive, and the m.2 just screams. Well worth the money! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mindovermaster Moderator Posted December 2, 2016 Author Moderator Share Posted December 2, 2016 (edited) 23 minutes ago, jjkusaf said: Is your mobo the ASrock Z77 listed in your sig? If so ... you will not be able to boot with the NVMe (without a modded BIOS). You'll also need to get an adapter (another 25-50 bucks) so you can plug it into the PCIe slot. It is also over your stated price range ($80). This feels like deja vu ... haven't we already had a discussion about this (maybe it was someone else with the ASrock Extreme 3)? Anyway ... regarding manufactures ... just like every other product ... you'll get tons of different answers ... most are subjective with some objective reasoning. I would just get a standard SATA3 SSD drive and call it a day ... save the NVMe drives when you build a new system which has NVMe natively. Just my opinion. For the price you listed in your OP ... I think it would probably be hard to beat the following http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820178967 The board I am going to put it on is here: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128907 It has a M.2 slot under the motherboard. I don't think this is deja vu. This is the first time I considered M.2. Must've been someone else. Edit: I should be getting that board back from RMA tomorrow. First I need to test it. Make sure both RAM slots work this time round... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jim K Global Moderator Posted December 2, 2016 Global Moderator Share Posted December 2, 2016 2 minutes ago, Mindovermaster said: The board I am going to put it on is here: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128907 It has a M.2 slot under the motherboard. I don't think this is deja vu. This is the first time I considered M.2. Must've been someone else. aah. OK...in that case ... I believe the Samsung you linked to would make you very happy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+Fahim S. MVC Posted December 2, 2016 MVC Share Posted December 2, 2016 M2 is an interface that can be used for PCIe or SATA - you can tell whether an M2 SSD is SATA or PCIe depending on where the notches are (both on the board and on the card itself) . Not all motherboards are PCIe SSD compatible (to boot from, that is) but the speed different is considerable. The number (e.g. 2280) refers to the length. Most motherboard can only take a single length (look at where the fixing screw is). You can't go wrong with Intel, Samsung and Crucial as brands. I also have a few Kingston SSDs that have served me well, but I only bought them because they were cheap. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mindovermaster Moderator Posted December 2, 2016 Author Moderator Share Posted December 2, 2016 55 minutes ago, Fahim S. said: M2 is an interface that can be used for PCIe or SATA - you can tell whether an M2 SSD is SATA or PCIe depending on where the notches are (both on the board and on the card itself) . Not all motherboards are PCIe SSD compatible (to boot from, that is) but the speed different is considerable. The number (e.g. 2280) refers to the length. Most motherboard can only take a single length (look at where the fixing screw is). You can't go wrong with Intel, Samsung and Crucial as brands. I also have a few Kingston SSDs that have served me well, but I only bought them because they were cheap. OK, I just read what the M.2 port is on my new board. had to look up on gigabyte site for specifics. 1 x M.2 connector on the back of the motherboard (Socket 3, M key, type 2260/2280 SATA and PCIe x4/x2/x1 SSD support) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PsYcHoKiLLa Posted December 2, 2016 Share Posted December 2, 2016 Best ones to get are nvme, you can either mount it on the M.2 port on your mobo or you can also get PCI-E converter cards for them but check what bandwidth you would have on the slot because it vastly affects the possible speeds you'll get. X99 motherboards are best for them as it has more pipes. shockz 1 Share Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LittleFroggy Posted December 2, 2016 Share Posted December 2, 2016 12 hours ago, ctebah said: If your motherboards supports it, and you can afford it, definitely go with the M.2. The speed (32Gbit) means you won't upgrade your drive for many, many years. Ok. my new MSI has a 128GB M.2 SSD. So do they have the same issue of MTBF? or are these unlike their other 2.5 inch SSD? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jim K Global Moderator Posted December 2, 2016 Global Moderator Share Posted December 2, 2016 13 minutes ago, LittleFroggy said: Ok. my new MSI has a 128GB M.2 SSD. So do they have the same issue of MTBF? or are these unlike their other 2.5 inch SSD? What MTBF "issue?" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LittleFroggy Posted December 2, 2016 Share Posted December 2, 2016 5 hours ago, jjkusaf said: What MTBF "issue?" I think it means mean time between failure.. when it starts to fail. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John.D Posted December 2, 2016 Share Posted December 2, 2016 One thing you may have to watch is some M.2's if you use one can / will also disable up to 2 SATA ports on the mobo. Because they'll use the bandwidth of the ports. And I agree, dont bother with anything under 250 GB... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jim K Global Moderator Posted December 2, 2016 Global Moderator Share Posted December 2, 2016 48 minutes ago, LittleFroggy said: I think it means mean time between failure.. when it starts to fail. I know what MTBF is ... I was asking what is the issue with SSDs and MTBFs (particularly this question ... "So do they have the same issue of MTBF") . Because SSDs are as reliable, if not more so, than regular spinners. Only real downside to a SSD is that if it fails ... might as well kiss your data goodbye (whereas HDD's probably will start giving you warnings giving you time to backup). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LittleFroggy Posted December 2, 2016 Share Posted December 2, 2016 it appears that the system is stable. all the drives report normal. Question: I also have a 1TB 7200RPM HDD. Can I feasibly create a partition say, the size of my SSD (124GB). put the backup on the new partition on my HDD? it's almost full. I'm going to create a partition named Backup and use it to reinstall the OS as it is now. I'm having to get used to a dual drive system again. But a backup of my clean drive "AS-IS" and use onedrive for personal files. might be an enjoyable time with this. 2 minutes ago, jjkusaf said: I know what MTBF is ... I was asking what is the issue with SSDs and MTBFs (particularly this question ... "So do they have the same issue of MTBF") . Because SSDs are as reliable, if not more so, than regular spinners. Only real downside to a SSD is that if it fails ... might as well kiss your data goodbye (whereas HDD's probably will start giving you warnings giving you time to backup). I'm not very "versed" in SSD's. But I heard they do have a failure rate at some point Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jim K Global Moderator Posted December 2, 2016 Global Moderator Share Posted December 2, 2016 26 minutes ago, LittleFroggy said: I'm not very "versed" in SSD's. But I heard they do have a failure rate at some point Gotcha. You shouldn't fear. You're talking about 500+ Terabytes (even PB's) before the drive potentially fails due to the physical integrity of the cells. So ... you are looking at decades of use (obviously as with any electronic device things can fail sooner). Anyway ... TechReport did a nice little write-up testing the durability of SSDs a few years ago. http://techreport.com/review/27436/the-ssd-endurance-experiment-two-freaking-petabytes Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mindovermaster Moderator Posted December 3, 2016 Author Moderator Share Posted December 3, 2016 6 hours ago, John.D said: One thing you may have to watch is some M.2's if you use one can / will also disable up to 2 SATA ports on the mobo. Because they'll use the bandwidth of the ports. And I agree, dont bother with anything under 250 GB... AFAIK, that is only if you use SATA M.2's. I think PCI-E ones are on a different channel. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LittleFroggy Posted December 3, 2016 Share Posted December 3, 2016 18 hours ago, jjkusaf said: Gotcha. You shouldn't fear. You're talking about 500+ Terabytes (even PB's) before the drive potentially fails due to the physical integrity of the cells. So ... you are looking at decades of use (obviously as with any electronic device things can fail sooner). Anyway ... TechReport did a nice little write-up testing the durability of SSDs a few years ago. http://techreport.com/review/27436/the-ssd-endurance-experiment-two-freaking-petabytes so this is a question: will these M.2's replace or overtake SATA SSD's? they require less space and can improve capacity size eventually. I'd venture to say yes at some point. in laptops especially, since size and heat are more issues, M.2's are a better option But flipside is, they are exposed, with no protection a lot like Ram DIMM's. I'm asking from a heat and size perspective Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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