SSD configuration question

sebna

sebna

sebna

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Joined
2 Nov 2007
Posts
134
Hi All,

I am refreshing my gameing platform by replacing the old one ;) and have a question about SSDs.

I currently have SanDisk Extreme PRO 240GB which I absolutely adore. With new build I am adding PM951 512GB.

Which would you think be better for OS and which for Steam?

Keep in mind this is PM and not SM 951. PM has 1700mb reads but 5xx writes so similar writes to normal SATA SSDs. PM has also some rather underwhelming 4k and random reads / writes performance (worse then 850 Pro but similar to Extreme PRO I think)

So I am wondering if not better keep my OS on my trusty SanDisk which excels in quick access times and so on and to use fast read speeds on PM for Steam and loading games.

But it is hard to find reviews of PM951 so it is hard to say which is really better for OS of the two I have.

BTW PM951 512GB is such a steal! It costs same as 850 evo and kills it on performance level and no cables mess :) (the performance is only good on 512gb model BTW)

Cheers
 
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I would do what you have said.

Keep the SanDisk SSD as your OS drive and then the PM as a games drive or anything else you need to store on it.
 
Hi ED209,

Thanks for your opinion. Probably that is what I am going to do. I will try to find some more tests but worst case scenario I can run my own tests ;) and compare.

But it actually suites me better to have 512GB acting purely as a storage rather then sharing its workload with OS requests.

If anybody has anything to add please do so.

Cheers
 
I'm planning a similar setup with an SM951 M.2 and an old trusted SATA 7200rpm drive. I'd have thought it better to stick the OS on the M.2 drive for a quicker boot and overall performance no?
 
In your case it is no brainer. In my it is a different story as I am choosing between two SSDs.

One (PM951) has faster peak performance while other (Sand Disk Extreme Pro) has better usable performance if you can say so so it is better suited for a OS drive most likely but as there is very little tests of PM951 (none done by pro reviewers) it is really hard to tell.

If I can be bothered I will do my own comparison tests and I guess I will have an answer.
 
Yes massively. If I would be going for SM instead of PM then choice would be simple as SM is overall and in each category (or most) much better then any SATA connected SSD.

So with SM951 it would be my OS drive and my SanDisk storage for games.

But TBH at this stage I do not think SM951 is worth the price when you can get PM951 so cheap (especially as your 2nd SSD). Which does not mean I would not go for it if I could hahaha but lets face it you will not see much real word benefit from using SM951 over fast SATA SSD not to mention PM951... still it is lovely piece of SSD to have :)

EDIT: I mean in your situation when SM951 is to be your first and only SSD then I think it is great choice. Pricey but you get what you pay for. I would not go for PM951 in your situation because it is very uneven SSD in its performance which does not provide best results with OS workload. If not SM951 I would prefer SanDisk Extreme PRO for OS (as I believe it is best suited Sata connected SSD on the market for the job - hence why I bought it over 850 PRO). If this would be your 2nd SSD then maybe PM951 could be a better option from performance / value perspective? Who knows.

Cheers
 
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Understood. Thanks for your explanation. I'll get the SM951 for now (wish I could afford the 512gb!) and maybe in a years time I'll get a second SSD. My Hero Alpha has U.2 ports so will wait for that to become a bit more mainstream and cheaper.
 
I also will be running mine from Hero Alpha :) I should get last delivery tomorrow bar the 1080 so the building should begin :). Will be fun.

Good luck
 
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