first time buying nvme

[MightyNerdy93]

Hey guys , im new here first of all so im so great to be here

i have an old right (9 years old) and my main sata ssd is about to die , on my mobo i have a slot for gen3 nvme , i want to buy gen4 nvme from 2 reasons :
1. price of gen3 and gen4 and kinda the same
2. when i'll build a new rig , i have an ssd so i dont need to buy a new one

a friend told me that dram is important and to buy the kc3000 of kingston , i have come across this yt video and it looks like its a "big deal" only with it comes to dealing with large files , the difference on the video is 5 seconds :

please help me to buy the right thing for my needs

thank you guys

 

[Solaris17]

please help me to buy the right thing for my needs

If you can get a drive with DRAM do it so you can use its advantages if you happen to come across them. If the cost difference is meaningful to you, then do not.

 

[MightyNerdy93]

If you can get a drive with DRAM do it so you can use its advantages if you happen to come across them. If the cost difference is meaningful to you, then do not.

but if dram is only beneficial with large files , and on this yt video the difference its only 5-10 seconds , why should i get one with dram ?

 

[Solaris17]

but if dram is only beneficial with large files , and on this yt video the difference its only 5-10 seconds , why should i get one with dram ?

......................because its better? and you only used some random youtube video as evidence for a workload? Who owns the sky?

If the cost difference is meaningful to you, then do not.

If you dont want one with dram....then dont buy one?

so you can use its advantages if you happen to come across them

I'm lost.

 

[MightyNerdy93]

......................because its better? and you only used some random youtube video as evidence for a workload? Who owns the sky?



If you dont want one with dram....then dont buy one?



I'm lost.

because its better it's not an answer , you see that i need an help so i would love if explain that for me please

 

[Solaris17]

because its better it's not an answer , you see that i need an help so i would love if explain that for me please

You could do any kind of research yourself.

The two biggest primary factors are that fact that DRAM is well.... RAM.

The writes are cached which for larger workloads helps a ton because when dealing with files large enough to make a difference then losing thousands of MB/s does mean a lot to those people and those workloads.

The next is that they absorb the smaller writes for the smaller files, you wont see any speed difference as a user; but this helps the nand longevity since instead of hammering on them with a bunch of tiny files the SSD controller will wait and then flush the cache. As a normal human looking up youtube videos the endurance benefit means almost nothing as you will likely toss the drive before it makes any meaningful impact. For those that deal with a lot of small transfers for extended periods of time and dont change SSDs like underwear the added endurance is beneficial. The benefit is magnified the more you write.

 

[MightyNerdy93]

You could do any kind of research yourself.

The two biggest primary factors are that fact that DRAM is well.... RAM.

The writes are cached which for larger workloads helps a ton because when dealing with files large enough to make a difference then losing thousands of MB/s does mean a lot to those people and those workloads.

The next is that they absorb the smaller writes for the smaller files, you wont see any speed difference as a user; but this helps the nand longevity since instead of hammering on them with a bunch of tiny files the SSD controller will wait and then flush the cache. As a normal human looking up youtube videos the endurance benefit means almost nothing as you will likely toss the drive before it makes any meaningful impact. For those that deal with a lot of small transfers for extended periods of time and dont change SSDs like underwear the added endurance is beneficial. The benefit is magnified the more you write.

That was so much helpful , thank you so much and i appreciate that
you can close the thread.

 

[Dr. Dro]

because its better it's not an answer , you see that i need an help so i would love if explain that for me please

Right mate, let me ELI5 this for you:

The DRAM cache is a RAM chip that acts as a "buffer" between the operating system and the storage device itself. Having this on-device cache will give the SSD's controller (which is basically a processing chip in the SSD) some time to arrange and program empty blocks while retaining a high level of speed, without making use of your computer's resources to do so. An SSD without DRAM cache will make use of something called HMB - the "host memory buffer", which means that upon startup, the SSD will request your computer's BIOS for some of its RAM to be reserved for this purpose, it is usually a very small amount of memory, usually 64 MB or so, and you'll not even be aware of this most of the time.

For most daily tasks, on-device DRAM cache or HMB is completely inconsequential. This begins to become more important if you have a habit of moving tons and tons of files or working with large files all the time, if you are just gaming or even doing light video editing, it does not matter which you pick. Another thing that you may be confused about is PCI Express generation, the Gen 3 drives usually move up to 3.5 GB of data per second, Gen 4 up to 7 GB and Gen 5 between 10 and 12 GB - again, if you are just playing games, this really does not matter either. The difference between a Gen 3 drive and a Gen 5 drive while loading the latest, largest video games is usually less than a single second. Newer drives have higher random access speed and will manage lots of small files better, but this also depends on the controller and the quality of the memory chips themselves.

So, basically, opt for something that fits your bill and has the highest data storage capacity, you do not have to prioritize PCIe generation or DRAM cache. The Kingston KC3000 you were recommended is a solid model and you can buy that with confidence.

I personally have two 500 GB WD Black SN750 SSDs, one is the original model with Gen 3 interface and DRAM cache, and the other is the newer SN750 SE with Gen 4 interface and no DRAM cache, the performance between them is completely indistinguishable, under benchmarks, some the older model wins, some the newer model wins - it's really so-so.

 

[MightyNerdy93]

Right mate, let me ELI5 this for you:

The DRAM cache is a RAM chip that acts as a "buffer" between the operating system and the storage device itself. Having this on-device cache will give the SSD's controller (which is basically a processing chip in the SSD) some time to arrange and program empty blocks while retaining a high level of speed, without making use of your computer's resources to do so. An SSD without DRAM cache will make use of something called HMB - the "host memory buffer", which means that upon startup, the SSD will request your computer's BIOS for some of its RAM to be reserved for this purpose, it is usually a very small amount of memory, usually 64 MB or so, and you'll not even be aware of this most of the time.

For most daily tasks, on-device DRAM cache or HMB is completely inconsequential. This begins to become more important if you have a habit of moving tons and tons of files or working with large files all the time, if you are just gaming or even doing light video editing, it does not matter which you pick. Another thing that you may be confused about is PCI Express generation, the Gen 3 drives usually move up to 3.5 GB of data per second, Gen 4 up to 7 GB and Gen 5 between 10 and 12 GB - again, if you are just playing games, this really does not matter either. The difference between a Gen 3 drive and a Gen 5 drive while loading the latest, largest video games is usually less than a single second. Newer drives have higher random access speed and will manage lots of small files better, but this also depends on the controller and the quality of the memory chips themselves.

So, basically, opt for something that fits your bill and has the highest data storage capacity, you do not have to prioritize PCIe generation or DRAM cache. The Kingston KC3000 you were recommended is a solid model and you can buy that with confidence.

I personally have two 500 GB WD Black SN750 SSDs, one is the original model with Gen 3 interface and DRAM cache, and the other is the newer SN750 SE with Gen 4 interface and no DRAM cache, the performance between them is completely indistinguishable, under benchmarks, some the older model wins, some the newer model wins - it's really so-so.

If i were next to you i were give you huge hug hahaha , wow what an insightful explanation mate , i really appreciate that

 

[nomdeplume]

but if dram is only beneficial with large files , and on this yt video the difference its only 5-10 seconds , why should i get one with dram ?

Stepping back to first time unaware buyer requesting a few helpful insights.

What you are buying with any SSD is not memory, though size of it is placed up front. What you are looking for is a good quality controller that has been well implemented physically and within software + rigorously chosen memory supplied in ample amounts surplus to size listed. DRAM implies higher quality (read expensive) as do QLC/MLC/etc. that are not altogether the best way to judge a good buy. Basically use good sense over marketing ploys. Some cheap drives are fantastic buys.

Temperature is a large component in play with NVMe. A wildcard given mobo placement and cooling varies. Read some reviews on TPU of various NVMe on sale currently and don't overthink data comparisons.

 

[DaemonForce]

I got my feet wet with NVMe in 2019 with Ryzen, an X570 TUF board and a g3x4 240GB Corsair MP510.
Per generation, there isn't a lot to say here but g4 stuff runs way hotter and g5 is way off the curb (in price).
In terms of speed, these snappy little M.2 drives are great. They fall off a bit after a few TBW but not a problem.

One thing you need to watch out for is DRAM cache. Many listed drives don't have one and it's painful.
Another thing to watch out for is having enough PCI-E lanes to run an M.2 in your desired configuration.
Someday I'll retire this drive for a pair of g4 units and run them in RAID 0. Do I need the speed? Maybe.
It's fast af boiii!