I'm planning to build a rig using the Gigabyte B850 AORUS ELITE WIFI7 ICE ATX AM5 Motherboard, and I'm considering the WD_Black SN850X with a heatsink (2 TB M.2-2280 PCIe 4.0 X4 NVME SSD). I'm a bit concerned because I heard the motherboard might have a built-in heatsink or guard. Would it be better for me to get the SN850X without a heatsink instead? Also, since the motherboard has a PCIe 5.0 slot, should I consider getting a PCIe 5.0 SSD for the OS, or would the SN850X be sufficient for running my OS and general storage? Here's my current build if anyone has any upgrade or downgrade suggestions! [PCPartPicker Link].
2 Answers
Get a single large SSD, ideally at least 2TB. Unless you have specific needs, you won't really benefit from a PCIe 5.0 SSD; the added cost isn't justified for typical gaming and usage. A good Gen 4 SSD like the SN850X is perfect. And yes, for your motherboard, skip the heatsink version. It's likely that the built-in heatsink will do a better job!
Honestly, a PCIe 5.0 SSD won't make a noticeable difference in real-world usage. It's mostly about sequential speeds, which you won't feel much for typical OS tasks. The SN850X is more than capable for what you're doing! Just keep in mind your motherboard already has a built-in heatsink, so getting the SSD with its own heatsink is unnecessary and may not look as clean. Aesthetics matter too! Do you have a specific color scheme in mind?
Thanks for the quick answer! So, I take it I should just focus on getting a SSD without the extra heatsink, right?
Awesome, thanks! I was also thinking of partitioning the OS on the 2TB drive. Would that work well?