I'm choosing between a 1TB Kingston NV3 for €159 and a 1TB WD_BLACK SN7100 for €189. The SN7100 is better on paper, with TLC NAND, higher speeds, and a higher endurance rating, but my current laptop only supports PCIe Gen 3, so both drives would be limited to similar speeds for now.
I mainly want to install games on the drive and play them directly from it. I'm considering the more expensive TLC model because I'd like to keep the SSD for as long as possible and move it into a future laptop that supports PCIe Gen 4, where its higher performance could matter more. I also expect to fill most of the 1TB capacity.
The Kingston is rated for 320TBW, while the WD drive is rated for 600TBW. I doubt I'll ever write enough data to reach either limit, especially since I won't constantly move large files. However, I've heard that QLC drives can slow down or wear faster when they're nearly full.
For this use case—mostly storing and playing games—is the TLC SN7100 worth the extra €30, or would the two drives perform and last about the same in practice?
3 Answers
For a gaming drive, the Kingston should be perfectly adequate, especially while it’s installed in a PCIe Gen 3 laptop. The 320TBW rating sounds low, but it would still require roughly 90GB of writes every day for ten years to reach that figure, which is far beyond normal game storage and usage.
TLC mainly helps with sustained write performance and with maintaining speed when the drive is nearly full. If you can leave some free space on the Kingston, you’re unlikely to notice a meaningful difference. The SN7100 is still a reasonable choice if the extra €30 buys you peace of mind or future Gen 4 performance, but endurance probably shouldn’t be the deciding factor.
Before deciding, it may be worth checking other locally available options. A Patriot P400 Lite could be cheaper, and the WD drive is notably power-efficient, which can be useful in a laptop. Also confirm that the laptop has a standard M.2 2280 slot rather than a shorter 2230 slot; the Lenovo Legion 5 should generally use 2280, but checking the exact model is still wise.
Since this drive will only hold games, QLC is generally fine. Game loading is mostly read-heavy, and the drive’s write endurance is unlikely to be a practical limitation. TLC would make more sense for an operating-system drive or workloads involving frequent, long transfers.
I’m not convinced the operating system automatically requires TLC. The main advantages are sustained writes and performance when the drive is nearly full; normal OS use alone doesn’t make QLC unsuitable.
It’s a Lenovo Legion 5, and the other suitable options available from local Slovak retailers are either more expensive or difficult to find. I’ll still verify the exact drive size before buying.