I've built my computer about six years ago with a 500GB M.2 SSD and a 2TB HDD. Right now, my SSD is completely filled up, leaving me struggling with storage for games since I can only have two installed at a time without slowing down my OS. The HDD isn't cutting it either, especially for games like Battlefield 1, which take forever to load. So, I want to know whether I should just buy a SATA SSD for additional game storage, or should I invest in a new M.2 SSD? My motherboard only has one M.2 slot, which means I'd have to transfer my OS and everything to the new M.2 if I go that route. If the performance and cost difference isn't significant, I'd prefer the easier option, which I assume is the SATA drive, since I'm pretty busy at the moment.
5 Answers
If you're looking for simplicity, grab a SATA SSD! It’s user-friendly and should fit your needs well without the hassle of moving your OS.
You don’t necessarily have to move your OS to the new M.2 drive if you don’t want to. Both SATA SSDs and M.2 drives are similarly priced. So, you could just buy a new M.2 and keep your OS on the existing SSD if you're looking for the easier route.
Check out this video for more insight: https://youtu.be/gl8wXT8F3W4?si=sfnnN9aFtCrM8Wby
I recommend going for a new M.2 SSD. You can get a PCIe M.2 adapter too, which gives you more options in the future. Plus, sometimes an NVMe drive is cheaper than a decent SATA SSD!
Exactly! Although, how do I actually transfer my files over once I install the new SSD? And what about moving the OS?
Some games do care about SSD performance, but a lot of them don’t. For example, moving from a high-end NVMe M.2 to a SATA SSD might only add a second or two to load times in some games. So if you get a SATA SSD, you should be fine for most games without losing much performance. Just keep in mind that while sequential speeds are lower, random read/write speeds don't differ too much—it's not as drastic as you might think!
Got it! But why has my HDD become so slow recently? I used to play off it without issues, but now I'm looking at load times of 5-10 minutes for some games!
I see, but just to clarify, if I do opt for the new M.2 SSD, I’d need to move my OS from the current 500GB M.2 since I only have one slot. Is there a simple way to do that?