Using M.2 SSD instead of SATA SSD

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ameyer75

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May 17, 2017
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Hey all. I've trolled the forum but haven't quite found an answer to this question. Currently, I'm using a Samsung 850 EVO (500GB) with a Barracuda 4TB HDD. I store my OS and most programs/games I regularly use on my SSD, while storing large games and backup data to the HDD.

I'm considering buying a M.2 SSD (970 EVO, MX500, something of the like) to put my OS and NOTHING else on, the logic being that I separate my OS from everything else, thus minimizing issues with it. Is this reasoning sound? Also, will the real world load times be worth purchasing the M.2 drive over the SATA?

Thanks!
 
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justin.m.beauvais
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justin.m.beauvais

justin.m.beauvais

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Actually, this is pretty much what I do. I've got a 250 GB MX 300 that I have Windows and my normal programs on (chrome, office, etc.) and I just had to reload Windows on it. Having all of my other data on my 500 GB and 2 TB drives meant that I was back up and running in virtually no time at all. It works really well.

As for load times between SATA and M.2, you aren't going to notice a whole lot of difference. On paper the speed difference is significant, but in the real world you'll only see a second or so difference in boot times. It takes longer to put in your password than the difference you'd see.
 
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ameyer75

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I'm not going to lie, it's really nice to know I'm not crazy for wanting to do something like this. Do you notice a difference in load times having all of your data stored on separate drives?
 
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justin.m.beauvais

justin.m.beauvais

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My only benchmarks are Fallout 4 and No Man's Sky as I've run them both from the SSD and HDD. My advice would be to keep your 850 EVO as a game drive. There isn't so much a difference in load times having them on a separate drive, but putting them on a mechanical drive made loading times noticeably longer.

So, if I were you, I'd put your OS and browser (+ productivity stuff) on the smaller faster SSD, load the bulk of your game library on the SSD (or just games you just want to load fast), and use your mechanical drive for things that aren't speed sensitive. You'll see your best results with that configuration.
 
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CaptainCretin

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Some people have been reporting issues with M2 based boot drives after the latest Win10 fail-date; the drives were not being recognised as boot devices after the reboot.

Not sure if the issue has been resolved since I first read about it a couple of weeks ago, but there wasnt a common factor in hardware that anyone could pick out from the reports.
 
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justin.m.beauvais

justin.m.beauvais

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Yeah, that was an issue with Toshiba and Intel SSDs, it has been resolved since then. Microsoft fixed their patch a few days ago.
 
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ameyer75

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JayzTwoCents just posted a video on this. He was noticing issues with an 850 EVO. A bios update fixed it, but I'll definitely keep it in mind.

It's really just difficult for me not to want to at least try, since SSD prices have dropped so much over the past 6 months. Thanks for all of your help dudes. I'm marking a solution on this and calling it closed.
 
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