Recommended setup for new PC

Luci

Luci

Luci

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Sometime in the next few months I'm going to get a new PC, spending in the region of 2 to 2.5K and I want to get the best setup possible.

I have drives in my current PC but they are quite old and I'm happy to buy new ones but want to know what people would think the best setup is - for performance.

I am primarily a gamer, I don't photoshop, stream or edit.

So I'm thinking:

M.2 drive around 500GB for OS, software, pagefile and whatever current games I'm playing.
Storage drives, 2-4TB


or is a better option:

SSD around 250GB for OS, software, pagefile
M.2 drive around 250-500GB for games
Storage drives

Is there a 3rd option?

Thanks in advance.
 
Go for regular 2.5" SSD. M2's are for benchmarking and e-peens.

2.5" SSD for Windows
3.5" regular HD's are perfectly fine for most games, in fact only a couple of seconds difference in loading between platter and SSD. I believe BF2 and X-Plane/FS-X is worthwhile to install onto SSD.

You need to consider whether you want Freesync or G-Sync, as that locks you into ATI or Nvidia. Then decide on 16:9 or Ultra Wide, then screen size & resolution.
 
Thanks for the input.

Is there any scope for future proofing by going for an M.2? I'm thinking of my current PC which is actually just over 7 years old - it's had a few graphics card upgrades and doubled the RAM in that time but otherwise everything is the same - same CPU/mobo and drives and I spent around the same amount that time. I'm perfectly happy to go over and beyond what is needed now so I don't have to touch anything for years.

I've already considered the graphics angle, as I've just bought a new monitor to replace my also 7 year old U2410 - 24inch IPS 60hz Dell :) Very happy with the XB271HU I replaced it with.
 
I think a SSD is more future-proof than a M2 drive. With M2 you will be dependent on a new motherboard having a M2 socket. Just get yourself the largest SSD you can afford. Your monitor is a 1440p GSync monitor, so you should be looking at the GTX 1070 or 1080 graphics cards. You can use both monitors simultaneously too.
 
Luci said:
Is there any scope for future proofing by going for an M.2? I'm thinking of my current PC which is actually just over 7 years old - it's had a few graphics card upgrades and doubled the RAM in that time but otherwise everything is the same - same CPU/mobo and drives and I spent around the same amount that time. I'm perfectly happy to go over and beyond what is needed now so I don't have to touch anything for years.
Click to expand...
If you are budget-constrained, but still want to think of your next PC, you could get an M.2 plus an M.2 to SATA adapter. SATA is limited to 600MBps, whereas you can get PCIe drives going up to 2,000MBps, which is a pretty big difference. Make sure you get PCIe NVME and not mSATA!
 
Would ssd last longer than M.2?
I only ask as I have seen the temps on some M.2 running quite hot.
My evo 850 goes up to 30-32c max and some M.2 owners report temps of 70-80c.
 
rotor said:
If you are budget-constrained, but still want to think of your next PC, you could get an M.2 plus an M.2 to SATA adapter. SATA is limited to 600MBps, whereas you can get PCIe drives going up to 2,000MBps, which is a pretty big difference. Make sure you get PCIe NVME and not mSATA!
Click to expand...


Would you notice those speed differences under normal use, not with a stopwatch but whilst waiting and twiddling your thumbs?
 
Just buy a HDD and overclock it to the same speed as an SSD, thats what I DID not do as it's not possible.
Just kidding. Get a small 120 or 250GB SSD for your OS and a 1 or 2TB for all other manner of stuff and your good to go.
Best value for money I think.
 
yup I would recommend small SSD for OS, maybe games that are slow on a regular spinner HD, then large regular HD for games, videos, music.

Still use a 64GB SSD for Windows and about 24GB free on that.
 
500GB of SSD space is a good amount for OS and games nowadays. Games are getting bigger and it's typically the massive ones that take a long time to load from an HDD.

M.2 has the advantage of being convenient, no need for any cables. However actual real world storage speed has not moved much in the last 7 years, between my brand new Samsung SM951 NVME drive and my 6 year old Samsung 830 I found zero difference.

Here is the sort of thing I would suggest from a very quick browse of the store. Portable drive is for backups and can be stored offsite if you want to.
My basket at Overclockers UK:

Total: £349.87
(includes shipping: £9.90)



​

What drives do you have from your old setup? If they are decent capacity and still working well there isn't really a good reason to just stop using them.
 
Does any one remember the load time of games on the commodore 64 holy **** we have come a long way lol!
 
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