I'm building a PC and deciding between a fast 1TB NVMe SSD, such as the Lexar NM790 or Samsung 990 EVO Plus, and a slower 2TB option like the Kingston NV3 at roughly the same price. I'm mainly planning to learn coding and 3D modeling as hobbies. Would choosing the slower drive noticeably affect software development, modeling, or rendering performance, or would the extra storage be more valuable?
4 Answers
That makes sense. Since I’m only getting into coding and 3D modeling as hobbies, I probably won’t benefit much from the fastest SSD, so having 2TB of usable space may be the better choice.
I’d lean toward the 2TB drive if you expect to install lots of software, games, assets, and project files. Just check the exact specifications before buying, since some budget NVMe models use QLC flash or have weaker sustained-write performance. A reasonably priced TLC-based 2TB SSD can be a better long-term balance than a very fast 1TB model.
The faster drive only really pulls ahead in sustained, storage-heavy workloads, such as moving huge files or repeatedly loading very large projects. Even then, the difference is usually a shorter wait rather than a major improvement while working. For rendering, the CPU or GPU—and the amount of VRAM and system memory—matter far more than SSD speed.
For beginner or hobbyist coding and 3D modeling, you probably won’t notice much difference between modern NVMe SSDs. SSD speed mainly affects things like booting, launching programs, loading projects, and transferring large files. Once your IDE or 3D software is running, CPU, GPU, and RAM have a much larger impact on performance.
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