Best SSD for OS/Storage Drive Replacement- Z97

I DSM KILLA I

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Hey Everyone,

I have an MSI Z97M Gaming Motherboard with an i7-4790K CPU and 32GB RAM running at 2133Mhz. Graphics are a Gigabyte GTX 1070 and I have a 5TB SSHDD for video storage.

I currently have a 2.5" Samsung 850 Pro 128GB SATA SSD for OS and a 2.5" Samsung 850 EVO SATA SSD for Programs/Games. The 128GB is of course getting filled up quickly, but I have been managing fine for the last year or so. I have started using Premiere Pro, After Effects, and Photoshop to upload to YouTube. The problem I have is the rendering time of the video.

The best solution I could think of is to replace the OS drive or add a storage drive to render the video from to speed things up. I am however naive to which drive I should choose. My MB supports M.2 SATA or M.2 PCIe 2.0 x 2, which I know will give me either 6Gb/s or 10Gb/s respectively. I am not looking to do a system upgrade for at least another 3 years, but should I invest in a PCIe or SATA drive? The case is a HTPC case so space is limited, with the 2 current drive mounted in a PCI space bracket.

I only trust Samsung and I am looking at the following drives:
Samsung 860 EVO 500GB M.2 SATA SSD (Currently $135)
Samsung 960 EVO 500GB M.2 PCIe SSD (Currently $160)
Samsung 970 EVO 500GB M.2 PCIe SSD (Currently$190)
Samsung 860 EVO 1TB M.2 SATA SSD (Currently $220)

Any advice would be appreciated! I know for video editing, it is mostly down to the CPU, which the 4790K should be able to handle (Watercooled with a Corsair H70). The GPU and RM should also be fine. SO the only other component would be storage.

Thank you in advance!!
 
If you are worried about speed then you should only be considering M.2 SSDs with PCIe.

However, even with SATA it would take a lot to hit those bottlenecks. I use 860 in 2.5 factor and never had any issues. Mainly in gaming etc... but I also do video editing.

It really comes down to your budget and needs for space. I'd go with the 960 but thats just because it feels like a good price vs performance cost point to me.
 
you wouldn't notice any difference in performance between any of those models. just get the biggest Samsung SSD you can afford. if your motherboard only supports SATA versions of M.2 drives then there wouldn't be any difference in performance between those an a 2.5" SSD drive so keep that in mind too
 

I DSM KILLA I

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Well that is what I am questioning. Because my MB only supports PCIe 2.0 x 2, that severely limits the drives full speed potentials and I wonder in video editing if the 4Gb/s would be noticeable IRL.
 


I'm not talking about M.2 vs 2.5 Factor sizes... There is however a performance difference between SATA and PCIe compatible SSDs... This is what I'm talking about.
 


If thats the case with the PCI 2.0 then it almost really doesn't matter what form factor you go with. I'd just go with cheapest option at the storage size you prefer.

Only thing to consider is if you decide to later upgrade your system and you had the PCIe version, you wouldn't have to worry about upgrading in the future. But in either case. I don't think you will run into issues. I doubt you will be hitting the SATA bottleneck anyways.
 

I DSM KILLA I

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Yea the 2.5" and M.2 would be the same performance, but I have the space limitation, so I would lose my 128GB all together if I got a 2.5". The M.2 is what I'd like since it is out of the way. I guess the big question is whether SATA or PCIe 2.0 x2 is faster for the CPU to render videos. Since the PCIe 2.0 is controlled directly to the CPU, I am thinking that would be faster.
 


what i was saying is if the M.2 slot on your motherboard supports SATA only and not actually PCIe then there wouldn't be any difference in performance so might as well save money and get a 2.5 version
 


Yes in theory it would be faster but you have to consider what you have already being used in those lanes. I'm guessing you have a decent GPU? Maybe even other devices like audio card?

There has been reports of users with good GPUs saturated the PCI 2.0 lanes with the GPUs alone...

Honestly though. With your mobo. I think you are fine to go PCIe route. It takes A LOT to saturate PCI 2.0 and it was mostly an issue with older mobos that had fewer lanes.
 

I DSM KILLA I

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My understanding is that with any Z97 boards that the M.2 lanes are separate from the rest of the PCIe lanes on the board. If that isn't the case, my GTX 1070 is occupying the PCIe 3.0 lanes, and the only other device I have hooked into the PCIe is an Elgato HD60 Pro which is hooked into the PCIe 1x Lane.

Please correct me if this is wrong.
 
Thats actually a good point. You might be correct.

From my understanding it vary depending on the board but newer boards should be isolated and not shared.

This is a pretty decent read if you are interested.

https://www.pugetsystems.com/labs/articles/Z270-H270-Q270-Q250-B250---What-is-the-Difference-876/
 

I DSM KILLA I

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Now I am curious as I just stumbled across another possibility... My second PCIe 3.0 slot is empty, I don't plan on running any other GPU, so would I benefit more from sticking a PCIe 3.0 x4 into a riser card? I know this would split my lanes from x16 right now to x8/x8, but does my single GTX 1070 need x16 for gaming or video editing?