I'm currently eyeing the 9100 Pro, which is on sale for around $190. My motherboard supports PCIe 5.0, so I'm curious whether the extra cost for the 990 Pro—promising double the speed—is justifiable. For context, I mainly use my PC for gaming, occasional file transfers, and some 3D printing. Would I really notice the difference in speed between the two, or is it not worth it?
4 Answers
If you're mostly gaming and transferring files, a mid-range Gen 4 SSD would do the trick perfectly. The whole discussion about double the speed is really about theoretical maximums, which don't impact what most users experience. You'd be better off saving some cash.
I made the jump to a 2TB 9100 Pro, and I’m really satisfied. If I needed to upgrade storage again and wanted to stay within Gen 4, I’d likely consider the 990 Pro for its capacity options.
Honestly, I'd say just go for the cheaper 9100 Pro. For everyday gaming and general use, you probably won't notice a significant difference in performance. The ideal speeds look great on paper, but for typical tasks, they're not going to make your games run faster day-to-day.
Keep in mind that Gen 5 SSDs like the 990 Pro can get quite hot. If you're not doing heavy lifting, the 9100 Pro should serve you well without overheating issues. Unless you're using your PC like a power user, I doubt you’d feel the difference.
That's good to know! I was leaning toward investing more, but it makes sense to save.