Should i get M.2 drives? (+Any other build tips you have)
Should i get M.2 drives? (+Any other build tips you have)
Here’s a rewritten version of the text, aiming for clarity and conciseness:
You're considering upgrading your PC’s storage performance significantly with an M.2 drive setup. Currently, you’re running a Seagate 2TB hybrid hard drive which you believe is limiting the potential of your high-end components – specifically the Intel i7-8700k CPU and the MSI RTX 2080 GPU. A family friend suggested creating a RAID 0 array with three M.2 drives, potentially boosting FPS performance. However, this seems like a significant investment.
Given your hardware setup (Intel i7-8700k, Scythe FUMA cooler, MSI RTX 2080 gaming x trio on an ASUS Z370-A II motherboard with 16GB G.Skill Ripjaws V RAM), the question is whether investing in a multi-drive RAID configuration would actually provide a noticeable performance improvement. The Seagate hybrid drive may be a bottleneck, but it's important to understand that the gains from a RAID 0 setup aren’t guaranteed and depend heavily on the game or application being used.
Here are some suggestions for your new PC build:
* **Consider SSDs:** Given your GPU and CPU, investing in a high-speed NVMe SSD (at least 1TB) would likely provide a much more substantial performance boost than a RAID 0 setup with M.2 drives, especially for gaming.
* **Monitor Performance:** Before committing to a complex storage solution, thoroughly test your current hard drive with demanding games and applications to accurately assess the bottleneck.
* **Budget Allocation:** If you’re set on exploring RAID, carefully weigh the cost of three M.2 drives against the potential performance gains compared to a high-performance SSD.
Do you want me to elaborate on any specific aspect, such as different RAID levels or alternative storage solutions?
Samsung 970 Evo 250 GB M.2-2280 Solid State Drive
($77.89 @ OutletPC)
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The motherboard isn't capable of supporting more than two M.2 drives. Beyond that, a RAID-0 configuration is typically not recommended. Performance tests show it performs well, but in real-world scenarios, it can actually be slower. An M.2 drive is simply a size or packaging format – roughly the size of a gum stick. There are two main types: SATA or PCIe. PCIe drives offer approximately 4x faster sequential speeds than SATA drives. My advice would be to purchase a single Samsung 970 evo with the largest capacity you can afford and dedicate it to your active games. A fast solid-state drive won't necessarily boost your frame rates, but it can significantly improve load times and checkpoint times. For optimal performance on a traditional hard disk drive, consider adding a 32GB Optane M.2 drive as a cache – this can speed up access to data from the hard drive.
Here’s a rewritten version of the text, aiming for clarity and flow:
“Let's explore some options for improving your system. First, consider a single high-capacity Samsung 970 evo SSD – it will significantly boost game loading times and checkpoint speeds. This is generally a better choice than using RAID-0, which can actually be slower in real-world scenarios despite looking good on synthetic benchmarks. m.2 drives are relatively small storage devices, about the size of a gum stick, and come in two varieties: SATA or PCIe. PCIe offers roughly four times the sequential speed of SATA. If you’re using a traditional hard drive, adding a 32GB Optane m.2 drive as a cache can dramatically improve performance. Finally, be mindful that while multiple m.2 slots are available on some motherboards, it's often best to limit them to one or two – and RAID-0 isn’t always the optimal solution.”