I'm building a new setup with an ROG Maximus XII Hero motherboard, and I'm considering getting a new M.2 SSD. My main question is whether I should invest in a Gen 5 SSD or if it would be better to stick with a Gen 4 SSD. Will my motherboard take full advantage of the Gen 5 speed, or would it be a waste? Thanks for any advice!
2 Answers
Z490 motherboards like yours are limited to PCIe Gen 3 when using 10th gen Intel processors. If you switch to an 11th gen chip, you'd only access Gen 4 speeds for the GPU, while the M.2 slots will stay at Gen 3. But honestly, this limitation has minimal impact on most real-world applications. If you can, consider a decent Gen 4 drive like the WD SN5000 or Hynix P41; it's a good investment without breaking the bank.
Can you explain that in simpler terms for someone who's not tech-savvy?
I'd recommend sticking with Gen 4. If the price difference is significant, you might even pick a Gen 3 drive since the performance gap is minimal unless you're loading huge AAA games constantly. Even then, the boost isn’t that noticeable in practical use.
Thanks! Is there much difference in performance between Gen 4 brands like WD, Samsung, and Crucial?
I found some options: WDS100T1X0M (Gen 5) or WDS100T4X0E (Gen 4). Any thoughts?