Hey everyone! I just upgraded from a 1080 to a 3080 and I'm now on the hunt for a solid 2TB NVMe SSD to replace my Samsung 850 EVO 500GB SSD. My motherboard is a Z370 Aorus Ultra Gaming 2.0, and I know it has two M.2 slots—one with a heatsink and one without, so I'm aiming for the one with the heatsink. I've heard from my brother that I need to be cautious about compatibility with speeds. I understand the 2280 form factor is what I need, but I'm a little confused about potential issues that could arise. A friend mentioned his NVMe affected his GPU's bus bandwidth. I'm not super techy, so if I'm using the wrong terms, sorry about that! My main use will be gaming, some OS operations, and possibly a bit of streaming or video editing in the future. I'd like to know what reliable brands you recommend, keeping in mind I'm looking to spend around £110 and prefer one with a decent warranty and good reviews. Also, will adding this SSD disable any of my SATA ports? I currently have a 4TB HDD too. Thanks for any advice!
3 Answers
Speed-wise, NVMe SSDs mainly shine in large file transfers rather than in gaming load times. As for your motherboard, it likely won't disable any SATA ports, but who knows about the GPU slowdown? A less expensive SSD might not even need a heatsink, which could avoid some compatibility issues. Just make sure to look for drives with 5-year warranties instead of 3. With your budget, you should have plenty of good options for a 2TB drive!
Most M.2 NVMe drives should work just fine with your setup. You can choose either Gen 3.0 or Gen 4.0 drives, as they are pretty similar in price these days. Regarding SATA ports, check your motherboard manual to be sure. As for brands, Samsung drives are usually solid, but they can be on the expensive side. Western Digital and Team Group are also good options without breaking the bank. Just keep in mind that faster SSD speeds aren't going to make much of a difference in gaming or boot times, they're more useful for moving large files around. Your budget seems perfect for a 2TB SSD, too!
You'll be good to go since your motherboard doesn't share lanes for the M.2 slots. Some reliable Gen3 drives to consider are the Kioxia Exceria G2 or TeamGroup MP33. If you plan on upgrading your motherboard later, a Gen4 drive like the Kioxia Exceria Plus G3 or WD Blue SN5000 would be smart. They’ll serve you well down the road!
Thanks for the tips! What do you think about Silicon Power? I might upgrade my whole rig next year.
Thanks for the insight! I have a WD HDD currently and have heard great things about their NVMe drives.