SSD Tech Talk

[MindCrime]

I felt like I was about to hijack a build thread with discussion getting quite detailed on SSD tech. After JPM mentioned those m.2 standards my mouse wheels started spinning. So basically I just wanted to keep talking about new SSDs but not hijack Mike's build thread.

So heres some notes/observations/opinions/questions in no good order:


There are 13 different key IDs in the m.2 standard, but typically theres 4 main keys of which only the M key will provide full Pcie x4 bandwidth. I almost bought an m.2 board before checking the key, turned out it was A for wifi etc.

On newegg there seems to be the search field of m.2 with a couple "lacking in detail choices" one can find "m.2 ultimate" which i've never seen anywhere else. Im quite certain this is just an Asrock's marketing name for the x4 M keyed m.2 slot

I'm under the impression that the 2260, 2280,22110 are purely the dimension standards for the PCB. They in no way effect the connection of the key (think how long gpu's effectively fit but run into mobo components or cases). This way you can have a small ssd (128) that is actually physically smaller than one with a larger capacity. This allows third party assemblers to scale different product lines (controllers/sizes) to the markets.

Another thing to note is SATA express. IMO this standard (feature) should have came a while ago, as NVMe and via pcie/m.2 already out perform it. It's almost the opposite of SLI/Crossfire/Raid Rather than putting devices in parallel it put the sata 6gb/s in parallel, as you're using two sata connectors for 1 drive, right?

Also if you use the m.2 connector on Asrock boards you're disabling two of the sata ports, and vice versa, when using sata express your m.2 is disabled. I'm not sure if this is because the BUSs are essentialy the same thing or if its a chipset/cost savings. Either way, it doesn't look like it'd be worth going for a SATA express setup anyways.

M.2 wins on cable management alone!

[zombie67]

There was some good info in that other thread that I will add here, so it is all in one place.

http://www.setiusa.us/showthread.php...l=1#post100508

Quote Originally Posted by zombie67 View Post
Glad to see this form factor spread to the full size boards. No more data cables and power cables! Fast too.

Edit: If I understand correctly, the key is to look for NVMe (faster), instead of AHCI (slower). Newegg doesn't have a filter for that. They have PCIe 3.0 and PCIe 3.0 x4. Does PCIe 3.0 x4 = NVMe? Or are those different things?

They're different things. Your motherboard will decide the max throughput on the m.2 slot, up to PCIe x4. Cheaper boards reduce m.2 to x2 or even x1. Cheaper m.2 SSDs do the same. They just use the same SATA 3 controller on an m.2 form factor and obviously get the same ~500MB/s speed. The m.2 SSDs with controllers meant for the m.2 standard will make use of PCIe x4 in the m.2 socket.

As for NVMe, newer SSDs are moving to that, such as the Samsung 950's. It could be a pain, but until the NVMe aspect isn't so new, you may have to read individual item descriptions to see if something is NVMe or not.

Another note is boards that support m.2 also only support certain sizes, most commonly 2260 and 2280. 22110 is another fairly common size (22mm wide and 60, 80 or 110mm long).

[FourOh]

I'm having a hard time deciding on a main drive for my latest X99 build. I tend to keep drives for a LONG time... probably longer than I should. So longevity/reliability are important. Budget is under $200, so here are my options:
Samsung 850 EVO 2.5" 500Gb $160
Samsung 850 EVO m.2 500Gb $170
Samsung 850 Pro 2.5" 256Gb $125
Samsung 950 Pro m.2 256Gb $190

The expected endurance of the 950 Pro is slightly more than the others (200TBW vs 150TBW) and that device would perform a bit better than the others. The warranty length is 5 year for all except the 850 Pro, which has a 10 year warranty. Being a fan of clean case interiors, I like the idea of the m.2 SSDs, although the 850 EVO m.2 is UGLY with a big white sticker across the face. The 950 Pro m.2 is actually pretty slick; all black with white/red lettering. But then again, there's something to be said for being able to pop a drive out of a rig and into an enclosure or dock. I think 256Gb is plenty for what I do, while the 500Gb would add some future-proofing.

Any thoughts?

[John P. Myers]

I prefer m.2 myself but i never move drives to a dock.

[FourOh]

I prefer m.2 myself but i never move drives to a dock.

Unfortunately my motherboard GA-X99-UD3P only supports up to x2 PCI Express on the M.2 slot... the Samsung 950 Pro is an x4 device, so I'd be running it at somewhat crippled speed. It'll still outperform the 850 Evo - but not by as much - so I'm not sure it's worth the premium

[Fire$torm]

Sorry, I forgot to post this a week ago. Microcenter has/had the Intel 750 PCIe MVNe 400 GB drive on sale for $299.99 ( In Store Only). It smokes eveythingelse out there.

[Al]

Sorry, I forgot to post this a week ago. Microcenter has/had the Intel 750 PCIe MVNe 400 GB drive on sale for $299.99 ( In Store Only). It smokes eveythingelse out there.

I made the suggestion to MC that they open a location in NC, they haven't acted on that idea that I'm aware of.

[Shandia]

I made the suggestion to MC that they open a location in NC, they haven't acted on that idea that I'm aware of.

So glad MC is just a few miles away from me. Wish I had the extra to get one.

[Fire$torm]

I made the suggestion to MC that they open a location in NC, they haven't acted on that idea that I'm aware of.

Hmmm, maybe they need an incentive..... Free advertizing on SETI USA boards perhaps?

So glad MC is just a few miles away from me. Wish I had the extra to get one.

Ditto here

[dcushing]

Hmmm, maybe they need an incentive..... Free advertizing on SETI USA boards perhaps?


Ditto here

Closest MC here is Kansas City. Cant convince the wife to stop by one on the way to Omaha...
But I do sew wanna go to one some day... Meanwhile I get from Best Buy, or order via Newegg.com