M.2 PCI-e - a couple of questions

5abr3 · 26 Apr 2016 at 07:35

Morning folks!

A hopefully quick couple of questions:
1) Is it worth getting an NVMe (specifically the Samsung 950 Pro) as a main disk for Windows copared to a more vanilla SSD such as the Evo 850 range? Ignoring cost at this point, is there any real world performance benefit with Windows or is it massively more suited to archive/scratch disk activities?
2) If it is worth putting Windows on it, how hard is it to migrate between a pre-existing install on an identical sized SSD to a Samsung 950 Pro? I recal reading there were a few things that need to be done but can't seem to find a definitive list. Perhaps if there is a definitive list it might be a good idea to add it ot the SSD sticky...

davido_labido · 26 Apr 2016 at 07:41

1) There is a noticeable difference yes. I have a few PC's with and without NVMe and there is a difference between them, whether it will change your life however is another matter, it is a matter of around 10 seconds boot up compared to 18 seconds. It depends if the time difference is important to you I guess

2) Tbh, I always did a fresh install onto the drive, then moved everything over after via my server, I did this to ensure that everything was clean. Seems to work better for me.

Dave2150 · 26 Apr 2016 at 15:42

I own both a 850 EVO (500GB) and a 950 Pro (on a Skylake Z170 setup, so no bottleneck).

Absolutely no difference between them. Both open applications/games at the same speed. Both install things at the same speed.

From what I can tell the only way you'll ever notice a difference is if you have two M.2 PCI-E NVME drives, and decide to copy a 100GB+ file from one to the other.

Have a read of an official review to get a better idea:

http://techreport.com/review/29221/samsung-950-pro-512gb-ssd-reviewed/4

geraintl · 27 Apr 2016 at 22:36

I have noticed faster boot times on my 950 vs my 840 but in day to day use nothing in it in my opinion!

5abr3 · 28 Apr 2016 at 07:23

Cheers guys, the review Dave2150 posted makes some interesting reading when you consider the £/GB costs at the same time with regards to what you actually see.