I've been hearing mixed opinions from friends about whether I should invest in a more expensive SSD for my budget gaming build. I'm currently considering a Crucial P3 Plus 1 TB M.2 NVMe SSD priced around $60, but I'm curious to know how it stacks up against higher-end options costing $120 or more. Since I have a separate PC for work and will only use this build for gaming, can someone explain the real benefits of spending more on an SSD? Here's my build if you're interested in giving feedback: https://pcpartpicker.com/list/npTNh7
5 Answers
For your type of build, almost any SSD will work perfectly! If you want to save costs, consider alternatives like the Team Group MP33, which is also a solid performer. The only real reason to get a pricier SSD is if you want to avoid any potential micro-stuttering during play.
I'd recommend considering SSDs with DRAM, especially for your OS. They provide smoother performance during installations, downloads, and general use. Just make sure to avoid lower-end models that could be less reliable.
While fancy drives tend to last longer and may perform better, they aren't essential right now, especially for casual gaming. If you're not much into quick load times, go for a cheaper option and put your money into other parts of your build that would give you a noticeable difference.
For gaming, you really don’t need to splurge. Any SSD will do just fine, even SATA ones, unless you're dealing with hefty file transfers. The main advantage of pricier SSDs is their sequential read/write speeds, which matter mostly for big files, not gaming. Check out some benchmarks if you want to see this in action!
If you're purely gaming, then a high-end SSD might just save you a few seconds on load times at best. Even budget-friendly QLC SSDs can last a long time under typical gaming conditions, so save your cash for something else unless you're doing heavy multitasking.
Totally agree! Honestly, if you're not doing intense workloads, a budget SSD will perform just fine.
I hear you, but recent updates have shown that SATA can lag behind NVMe in some games. A decent NVMe drive like your Crucial P3 Plus should serve you well without breaking the bank.