Does cheapo M.2 outperform SSD?

Van Hellseek · 29 Aug 2020 at 02:43

Sorry, if this is a dumb question (I'm old and trying to get my head around modern tech).

But would a cheapo stick of M.2 such as "WD Green Internal SSD M.2 SATA 2280" be better for my OS than my currect SSD which is a Samsung V-NAND SSD 860 EVO?

Or do I need to invest a bit more money for better M.2? (was hoping to use my current SSD for a few games and buy a M.2 for OS, but can't afford to spend too much).

tamzzy · 29 Aug 2020 at 02:55

Van Hellseek said:
But would a cheapo stick of M.2 such as "WD Green Internal SSD M.2 SATA 2280" be better for my OS than my currect SSD which is a Samsung V-NAND SSD 860 EVO?

No

Van Hellseek said:
do I need to invest a bit more money for better M.2? (was hoping to use my current SSD for a few games and buy a M.2 for OS, but can't afford to spend too much).

No

Read: https://www.overclockers.co.uk/foru...sata2-ssd-disappointing-performance.18861669/

Van Hellseek · 29 Aug 2020 at 02:59

nvm, i'll just ask elsewhere.

siumatfung · 29 Aug 2020 at 06:41

Van Hellseek said:
nvm, i'll just ask elsewhere.

Your answer was in the 2nd post of the thread he linked

https://www.overclockers.co.uk/forums/posts/32920585

edscdk · 29 Aug 2020 at 06:49

It's barely possible to see a difference between a fast nvme v a sata disk, so m.2 v sata will not be noticeably faster or slower

KompuKare · 29 Aug 2020 at 07:09

The M.2 part of the original question is misleading as both these drives are SATA.
M.2 is a very confusing standard as a quick glance at the Wikipedia page will show:
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/M.2
Los of different sizes, keys for SATA and NVMe (PCIe), etc.
Point being that the drivers mentioned in the OP are both SATA, so what the OP is really asking is where WD Green SATA drive in M.2 form factor is noticeably quicker than the Samsung 860 EVO SATA drive in 2.5" form factor. Since they're both using the same interface protocol, probably not but there are sites out there which allow comparisons of SSDs. If be surprised if there is more than a few percent either way.

MatteRB26 · 29 Aug 2020 at 09:38

M.2 is just the port factor not the speed of the drive. There are NVMe drives that use PCIe to reach much higher speeds, and there are SATA drives that use the M.2 form factor that run no faster than any other SATA drive.

I believe what you're thinking about is NVMe Vs SATA, which is not what you're comparing in the products. You're comparing SATA vs SATA.