I'm looking for a reliable 4TB NVMe SSD that has DRAM and is priced around $250. I primarily use it for gaming, so I'd appreciate suggestions that perform well under those conditions!
4 Answers
Doesn't DRAM or IOPS impact texture loading and stutter in gaming? I've heard it can really affect performance in some games!
Not really. Most reviews show that even cheaper SSDs provide similar loading times in games. The bottleneck usually lies with your CPU/RAM handling asset decompression, not just the SSD quality.
You might want to check out the WD_Black SN850X, the Crucial T500, or the Samsung 990 Pro—whichever is on sale! They should fit your budget and performance needs well.
For gaming, the difference in load times between lower-end Gen 3 and high-end Gen 5 NVMe drives isn't huge—usually less than 10%. What's more important is the endurance rating. For instance, the SN5000 4TB is a QLC drive with a rating of 1200TBW, whereas the GM7000 is a TLC drive rated for 3000TBW. If you're looking for reliability, consider those differences!
You can grab a 4TB Samsung 990 Pro on Amazon right now for about $270. I've bought a lot of these drives; they're fantastic and have had no significant issues with them!
Absolutely, it matters! Some games struggle without good DRAM. It helps with IOPS, which is crucial for a smooth experience, especially with games that load a lot of textures dynamically. Slower drives might cause noticeable texture loading issues during gameplay, which can really interrupt immersion.