Don't waste your money on this accessory.

For the average user, there's no need to spend a fortune on super-fast SSDs.

When choosing an SSD, many people invest in high-speed models, with the idea that "the faster the better". However, according to Howtogeek , there is no clear difference when using a super-fast SSD in most common situations.

Choose the right type of SSD

Before thinking about speed, users need to know exactly what types of SSDs are available on the market.

HDDs store data on spinning magnetic platters, using a mechanical head to read and write information. If you are still using an HDD to run your programs, replacing it with any SSD will significantly improve performance.

SATA SSDs retain the same connection as HDDs but replace the magnetic platters with flash memory. They have a maximum speed of around 550 MB/s because they still use the old SATA port and the AHCI protocol is designed for hard drives, not flash memory.

There are many types of SSDs with different speeds. Photo: Howtogeek.

NVMe SSDs are the top choice today. This type of storage uses the PCIe standard, which is significantly faster than SATA. Even older drives using the PCIe 3.0 version have sequential read speeds of 3,500 MB/s, while the latest PCIe 5.0 SSDs can reach 14,900 MB/s.

While there is a big difference between 3,500 MB/s and 14,900 MB/s, the difference is still not as big as when upgrading from HDD to SSD.

The high price of super fast SSDs

Referring to the price on the Amazon e-commerce platform, the 1 TB PCIe Gen 3 M.2 NVMe SSD costs about 75 USD , with a speed of 3,200 - 3,600 MB/s, significantly higher than SATA SSDs with similar price and capacity.

For a slightly higher price, around $100 , users can choose a 1TB PCIe 4.0 SSD. If the motherboard supports this standard, you should buy a PCIe 4.0 SSD to get double the maximum sequential speed of PCIe 3.0 while the price difference is small.

Things get more complicated when choosing the latest PCIe Gen 5.0 SSDs. There are a wide range of speeds and prices. At the low end, you’ll find drives like the Crucial P510, which can reach speeds of 11,000 MB/s and cost around $90 . For comparison, the older Crucial P310 (PCIe Gen 4.0) maxes out at 7,100 MB/s and costs $80 .

Samsung's top-of-the-line SSD has speeds of up to 14,700 MB/s. Photo: Howtogeek.

But in the higher segment, many famous names such as Samsung 9100 Pro with read speeds up to 14,700 MB/s. WD_Black SN8100 offers speeds of 14,900 MB/s, similar to Crucial T710. All 3 are priced around 200 USD , excluding promotions.

The important thing is that the average user won't notice much of a difference if they upgrade from the Crucial P310 to the Samsung 9100 Pro.

Hard to tell the difference

Moving from an HDD to any SSD is a big upgrade. Switching from a SATA SSD to an NVMe SSD also gives you a noticeable performance boost. But you won’t notice much of a difference when moving from one NVMe SSD to another.

While the difference between 3,500 MB/s and 14,900 MB/s may seem huge, the real-world impact to the user is negligible. SSD speeds are clearly affected by the phenomenon of “diminishing returns,” meaning that the more you upgrade, the more performance you get that doesn’t justify the price.

In normal situations, there is a noticeable difference in the speed of NVMe SSDs. Photo: Howtogeek.

Reducing game loading screens to just a few seconds won't feel as drastic an upgrade as reducing Windows boot times from 3 minutes to 20 seconds.

Many benchmarks, including Howtogeek’s, show that faster SSDs have little to no impact on gaming. Modern NVMe is so fast that it’s almost unnoticeable. Plus, shaving a few seconds off a game’s loading screen isn’t worth the extra $25-$125 .

Only some users with special needs can take full advantage of the speed of high-end PCIe 5.0 SSDs, such as high-quality video producers and editors. Similarly, those who work with heavy local AI systems and manipulate large data files on a daily basis are also suitable for using this expensive component.

Better options

Instead of spending too much money on a high-speed SSD that doesn't bring any practical benefits, users should consider upgrading to more practical elements.

First, choose more capacity over more speed. You don't want to use one large SSD for everything. You can buy two 1TB PCIe 4.0 SSDs and still save money compared to buying one 1TB 14,900 MB/s drive. Portable SSDs are also a good choice for backup needs.

Users can upgrade many other components of the computer instead of investing in a super-fast SSD. Photo: Howtogeek.

If you don't want to buy an SSD, you can consider adding RAM, although it's currently quite expensive due to shortages. Note that RAM speeds suffer from the same "diminishing returns" phenomenon as SSDs, so you're better off buying average RAM than the best RAM.

A better power supply is another smart upgrade. Users should choose a power supply with more wattage than they actually need or a more efficient one. Additionally, upgrading from a "Bronze" certified power supply to a "Gold" or higher will get you better heat dissipation and quieter operation.

Source: https://znews.vn/dung-phi-tien-cho-thu-linh-kien-nay-post1606693.html