I'm looking to upgrade the storage on my MSI Raider GE68 HX 13V since I have an empty slot that supports both Gen 4 and Gen 5 PCIe SSDs. I initially planned for a 2TB SSD, but I can only find a 2TB Gen 4 option right now. Alternatively, I could go for a 1TB Gen 5 model. The Gen 4 has a read speed of up to 7400 MBps compared to 11000 MBps for Gen 5, which is higher than my current 1TB SSD at 5000 MBps. My main question is: how much does the read speed really benefit gaming? If the difference is minimal, I'd rather have the extra storage, but I'm also aware that 1TB would still double my current capacity.
4 Answers
In my experience, even Gen 4 and SATA SSDs are perfect for gaming and general productivity. I have a mix of Gen 4 NVMe and SATA drives, and honestly, I can’t tell which is which when I'm playing games. Don’t stress too much about going Gen 5 for now.
Honestly, when it comes to gaming, the difference in read speeds is almost negligible. Sure, there might be a measurable difference, but you probably won't notice it during actual gameplay. Most gamers will find that the experience remains pretty similar. So if storage is a priority for you, go for the 2TB Gen 4 SSD instead!
Exactly! Most games just don’t utilize those insane speeds yet. You're better off with having more storage.
You really won’t see any significant difference with Gen 5 right now, especially since most titles don't push the limits of what Gen 4 can offer. Plus, Gen 5 SSDs can run hotter and tend to be pricier. I’d stick with Gen 4 and keep your wallet happy!
Totally agree. The high-end specs don’t always translate to a better gaming experience.
Seriously, SSDs are so fast these days; you’ll hardly feel the difference in real-world usage.
Yeah, I’ve seen some reports that even SATA SSDs handle gaming just fine. So spending extra on Gen 5 just for a slight speed bump seems unnecessary.