Consider purchasing a 250 GB NVMe SSD for booting and a 1 TB NVMe drive for storage.
Consider purchasing a 250 GB NVMe SSD for booting and a 1 TB NVMe drive for storage.
I’m setting up my initial PC configuration. I’m unsure whether I should include both components or just use the 1TB NVMe SSD as the boot drive and for gaming.
Just get a single big drive. Pretty pointless to split them up not really any reason for it.
In fact, it makes sense from a technical standpoint—booting devices tends to put more strain on them compared to standard storage. Based on my own observations, my Windows 10 boot drive has surpassed the performance of my other two 1TB drives in host writes within a short period. You can observe this through the screenshots provided. The MP300 serves as my Windows 10 boot drive, while the Samsung 850 Evo is the one I've relied on for years for gaming and other tasks. If this pattern holds true for most users, I suggest opting for a more affordable and dependable SATA SSD with TLC NAND as the boot drive, paired with a faster NVMe drive—preferably in TLC configuration—for games and larger applications. Boot times should remain similar or nearly identical.
When storage costs were higher, compact flash drives were suggested. For example, a 120GB SSD paired with a 1TB HDD would be sufficient if you could find a high-speed, larger unit.
I’d prefer one solid drive for your boot storage. I wouldn’t worry about losing data unless you skimp on the main boot unit. I’ve used a 1TB Samsung 960evo for years without any problems as my sole storage option. After switching to a PCIE 4.0 card, it’s still performing well. I wouldn’t risk your operating system and important files on cheaper drives. The only non-essential stuff I store on budget SSDs (like Steam games) is safe.
I wouldn't choose a WD Green. The 120GB and 240GB versions lack built-in DRAM. The WD Blue drives do have it. Perhaps alternatives from Adata or Crucial exist. Feel free to share some choices if you'd like, and I'll review them.