SSD or M2?

SebastianHELP · Oct 17, 2016

I'm done with mechanical drives causing noise, vibration and overall being annoying, so I decided to add an additional SSD or M2 and get rid of my HDD, though I don't know which one to get. I would like to know which, either the SSD or M2 is better for Price/Performance.
Or should I just invest in a Hard Drive enclosure (https://www.pccasegear.com/products/34819/orico-dual-bay-3-5in-usb-3-0-hard-drive-enclosure) and place it in a drawer beneath my PC? Thank you!

Hlsgsz · Oct 17, 2016

SebastianHELP :

M.2 SSDs are still SSDs, but you should get a 2.5" sata one and a quiet 5400RPM mechanical drive:
PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

Storage: Crucial MX300 275GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($69.95 @ SuperBiiz)
Storage: Western Digital Blue 4TB 3.5" 5400RPM Internal Hard Drive ($129.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $199.94
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2016-10-17 06:49 EDT-0400

Phillip Corcoran · Oct 17, 2016

you need to understand that "M.2" is also an SSD. What you mean is "should I get a SATA SSD or an M.2 SSD", not SSD or M.2 (they are both SSDs).

bicycle_repair_man · Oct 17, 2016

An M.2 SSD generally has higher IOPS, that's it. They're good for the OS and programs but unnecessary for much else.

What are you storing on your drives? What's your budget?

CountMike · Oct 17, 2016

Depends on your motherboard but ordinary SSD (SATA3) is going to be several times faster than any HDD anyway.
Hard drive enclosure is no good for SSD because you can't boot and run windows of it. Can be used as storage only.

xFeaRDom · Oct 17, 2016

As most M.2. Drives do not come with heatsinks, they can get quite hot, other than that, if connected via a m.2. port/PCI-E, they have higher performance, so if the heat does not bother you, or if you can configure your build to have a fan on the drive, then I would recommend that.

If you do not fancy going for an M.2. Drive, I would recommend something like the 850 Evo, as they're widely available and one of the most recommended SSDs, this is additional to the high performance of the drives.

The best configuration for a PC (In my opinion) Is the SSD/M.2. for OS and important software, and the HDD for less important and just storage in general.

But other than that:

SSD Benefits:
Cooler,
Still High Performance,
Cheaper.

M.2. Benefits:
Higher Performance,
Coming much more available,
M.2. Disadvantages:
Hotter due to no heatsinks (Unless you get one with a heatsink.

Overall, for performance, I would recommend an M.2. Drive, but it can be quite expensive for a 1TB or 500GB one, and SSDs are much cheaper.

SebastianHELP · Oct 17, 2016

CountMike :

I meant to put my current HDD thats causing noise within my case and place it in an enclosure that is isolated in a drawer.

SebastianHELP · Oct 17, 2016

bicycle_repair_man :

I don't have a particular budget, I'm going to store applications such as games.

ktolo · Oct 17, 2016

Performance M2. - M2's are great for size and performance. but they are Expensive still.. you pay for what you get.

A 1TB or 500GB Samsung 950EVO would do the trick. The upgrade over HDD is pretty substantial. Your system will feel a lot faster.

In my opinion it is one of the best upgrades you can make, replacing a HDD with a SSD.

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