Ahh ok, so there appears to be where my test failed. Haha I only loaded the library, I didn't pick samples. I had done quite a few tests too, but evidentally didn't go far enough! That is where the doc says the nvme makes the difference. Honestly, the price between nvme and ssd isnt that large anyways, is it? Looks like I'll go that route when I get the cash.

 

Samples loading is what's slow for me, for example with orchestral libraries where each patch is about 1gb, when i need to load 3-4 patches it really takes a while.
And yes, the prices nowadays are quite close in most countries. The only thing is that you need a Motherboard with at least an M2 slot.

 

Switched from a decent NVMe (Silicon Power p34a80, PCIe 3.0, 1TB) to 980 Pro (PCIe 4.0, 2TB) - my 3700X with X570 chipset supports that well.
I certainly don't care about IOPS or numbers from benchmarks. Real-life performance is everything. For myself I feel no difference at all. I couldn't tell you if somebody would install my old SSD. However I don't load Kontakt libraries full of orchestras at a daily base.

Therefore I can't really recommend the Evo Plus. The regular Evo will do fine (difference at sustained speed only... and if that is any advantage is a different question)

 

There are better options. One of my recommended options is in this article. I encourage you to read the article before making a decision.

Best SSDs: February 2021

Keep in mind that PCIe Gen 3 NVMe SSDs are more than adequate for the majority of system use scenarios.

 

I switched from regular 500MB/s SSD to 3500MS/s NVME
And i can CLEARLY see the difference :D

 

In my case, I would be switching from Sata SSD to NVMe, so there must be for sure some difference, but I do agree with you that real life performances are what matters. Most of the times the stats on the manufacturers websites are way too far from reality. And yes my bigger doubt is between the evo and evo plus versions, because depending on which website you read, one says it's worth it and the other says it isn't..

Well i've read that article now, but I still don't know which one is your recommended option and why :D

 

The idea is for you to make a better selection using that article as a reference. Look under the Mainstream & Premium headings in the article. If you have a preference for Samsung, you will see the 970 & 980 Pro models.

I still have a preference for other brands in the list. ADATA XPG, Sabrent Rocket or Western Digital Black as examples.
ADATA XPG SX & GAMMIX perform as claimed for reads & writes consistently in my personal experience.

 

Last edited: Feb 13, 2021

That’s encouraging. I briefly entertained the idea of getting a 980 pro or whatever instead of a second 970 evo plus. My mobo supports pcie 4. But when I thought about spending $230 for 1TB vs $315 for 2TB I decided, ehh fuck all that. I figured I would probably have the same experience as you

 

As far as I've understood, WD black 750 has almost identical performances of the Samsung 970 Evo, so the 970 Evo Plus would be slightly above it performance-wise.
Also, In that arcticle, in the "mainstream" category, it clearly mentions the Samsung 970 Evo Plus. Unfortunately, I can't afford to pay almost double for the 970 pro, and the 980 is only for PCIe 4.0 which my Mobo doesn't support, but thanks for the link, it's always good to read more opinions and reviews before buying anything

The advantage with the "pro" versions is just the lifespan, you can read this article to understand more: https://www.partitionwizard.com/clone-disk/samsung-qvo-vs-evo.html
I would say that the price difference between the 970 evo plus and a 980 pro is too much to justify spending so much more for something that's yes faster, but you won't be able to notice about it unless you do 4K video rendering all day long..

 

You seem to have a preference for the 970 EVO Plus so why ask anyone for input?

The WD Black is a superior device to the 970 EVO Plus. Pro would be the only Samsung model I would personally purchase if no other choices existed.

As also stated...PCIe Gen 3 devices are more than adequate for the majority of system use scenariors.

I pricing ever normalizes again. My next custom EPYC based build will include ADATA, WD or Sabrent.

 

No preference at all, infact I would love to get the 1TB WD black sn750 with heatsink pre-installed, but in my country it costs really a lot, even more than the Samsung 970 Evo Plus (I really don't like the idea of having to install an heatsink, mostly because I don't know how to do it and I'm afraid i'll break the ssd somehow :D). But then some people say a heatsink is not needed, others say it's really important, so idk.

At the moment I'm thinking my likely purchase might be the 970 Evo Plus IF the price drops a bit, because right now, and correct me if I'm wrong, I get the feeling that most of these SSDs are a bit overpriced, just like everything else that uses memories (ram, videocards etc). So while I'm waiting for a bit of a better price, I get more time to think about if I really want this one or not.

Your input is very welcome, I'm an open minded person and I try to take everything into consideration before buying anything.
I also hope that this post has or will be useful for other users too that may have my same doubts

 

The WD SN750 is a much better option than the 970 EVO Plus.

Another option I would suggest that is affordable, durable & high performing is the ADATA XGP GAMMIX S11 Pro. Normally priced $129 U.S. (low) to $179 U.S. (peak). Cover is a full length heat sink & comes with additional finned heat sink.

XPG GAMMIX Gaming SSD S11 Pro Series: 1TB Internal PCIe Gen3x4 M.2 2280 (NVMe) $109@newegg
XPG GAMMIX Gaming SSD S11 Pro Series: 1TB Internal PCIe Gen3x4 M.2 2280 (NVMe) $119@newegg
Western Digital WD BLACK SN750 NVMe M.2 2280 1TB PCI-Express 3.0 x4 $134@newegg
Sabrent 1TB Rocket NVMe PCIe M.2 2280 Internal SSD $129@newegg

 

Last edited: Feb 13, 2021

could you elaborate? i mean, I've literally just bought a (second) 970 evo plus so it's too late for me lol but I'd like to hear your reasons

does B&H ship to your country? I just spotted this...
https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/1451809-REG/wd_wdbgmp0020bnc_wrsn_2tb_black_sn750_nvme.html

only like $5 more than a 970 evo plus on amazon

 

right now 32gb is the sweetspot above you start to loose speed on overhead.
all this, only if you dont need more ram of course.

 

How exactly you came to this conclusion. I will only agree that it might represent a better vfm if you can find it for 30 euros less than the Samsung. And servethehome.com and storagereview.com, the two most trusted and UNBIASED serious reviewers agree with me.
I like to test stuff personally whenever i can and i have 5 Samsung drives not 1 or two. This was no accident, i 've tested extensively almost all ssds worth talking about. I also have a couple of Crucial P5, Intel DC4800, Intel 660p, 760p and a Sabrent Rocket 1tb (gen.3). Nothing beats the Samsung in performance.
So, let's see what gives although we 've been through this so many times it's exhausting really. But i will repeat, one thing really matters in storage drives performance. Random read and write. It's what ~75% of everyday computing consists of. And in this, the WD Black and all else consumer pci-e gen.3 drives from other manufacturers (except the Intel Optane 900P/905P) for that matter, are worse than the 970 Evo Plus. And same stands for drive latency as well as sustained reads and writes. You just can't beat V-Nand. Only Optane does and now that intel discontinues the really expensive Optane ssds since they are selling their whole ssd dept to SK Hynix and focusing just on Optane Persistent Memory for datacenters and servers, Samsung can claim to be the undisputed king of the ssd and with the sales to match this title as well.
Btw, the Sabrent Rocket you mentioned is a better product than the WD Black. I have used, tested and installed both and imho, the Rocket is the real alternative to the 970 Evo and Evo Plus models and comes with really nice packaging incl. heatsink as well. The problem with the Rocket is you can't always find it available. Apart from that, it's toe to toe in performance and consistency with the 970 Evo Plus.
Oh and about Adata ssds, i avoid them like the plague lol, for the most part they are unreliable pos that keeps failing in 6-12 months. Their top Gammix model performs good enough but still lags behind the Samsung and 3 yrs warranty for a premium model is kinda fishy my friend.
Cheers

Overhead latency is experienced only in VMs and we 're talking huge servers here not desktop pcs as this will start become noticeable beyond 512gb ram. A locally installed OS will NEVER lag because of more ram. It may take a few more seconds to boot, apart from that more ram means better in everything.

 

Last edited: Feb 13, 2021

Yah... I actually have two m.2 slots, but I have two m.2 drives already. I'd like to get another one, as mentioned earlier. I had been wondering if an adapter card would work well for something like this, or if there'd be some sort of bottleneck / slowdown with it: https://www.amazon.ca/UGREEN-Adapter-Support-Include-Screwdriver/dp/B07YFW5HBN

Anyone know?

 

Cannot recall where original research info came from. Forgot to backup detailed build info that was gathered along with link sources when I did annual Windows fresh install. Was in Downloads sub folder so, was ignored.

Was sure that Wendell had done a review but could not find one there. Possibly in forum somewhere if it exists. Did find a review he did on the ADATA SX8200 vs the 970 Pro & Plus.

Look at it this way. At one time IBM was the go to even, over custom computer builds for institutions, government & etc..
Once the PC clone alternatives reached a level of performance & reliability, those were purchased along side IBM and, later supplanted IBM. The same has and, will continue to happen in component technology such as the NVMe SSD market.

 

If you have an extra PCIe slot, a NVMe adapter card will do the trick. Should be at least PCIex4 slot that the card goes into.

 

If you research parts for a workstation/server type of system, you will find more accurate & robust info than what is found by means of the average gaming tech sources.

Wendell at Level1Techs
Puget Systems
Anandtech
ServeTheHome
ExplainingComputers