Most Cost Effective Upgrade SSD or Extra Memory?

[redmed]

I have a Asus desktop (M11AD-US002Q) with 1TB HD, 8GB Memory, W10 and Intel I7 cpu. I plan to upgrade memory from 8GB to16GB by adding another 8GB memory. I also plan to add a SSD drive probably a Samsung 970 EVO 250GB M.2 . Right now I only have enough to upgrade ether the memory or SSD. Which would be the better bang for the buck?

Another thought is in another year which would become less expensive? I would think the memory would still be about the same price next year and the SSD would be less expensive.

 

[UsandThem]

SSD without a doubt. You likely never exceed 8GB RAM usage, and a SSD as the OS drive makes all the difference in the world.

SSD prices have fallen quite a bit, and are very reasonable compared to what they were for roughly the last 28 - 24 months. Memory has began to decrease, but it will take a while for it to fall back down to more reasonable levels.

 

[UsandThem]

Also, the 250GB versions of SSDs are slower than the larger ones. I'd recommend picking up a 500GB version even if it meant using a SATA version instead of a NVMe drive.

If you're set on buying a NVMe drive, but don't want to go up to the $150 range for a larger drive, I'd go with this over the 250GB 970 EVO:

https://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820167460

 

[ao_ika_red]

Another thought is in another year which would become less expensive? I would think the memory would still be about the same price next year and the SSD would be less expensive.

2 good news for you.
NAND Flash Prices Could Reach $0.08/GB in 2019
https://www.techpowerup.com/246813/nand-flash-prices-could-reach-usd-0-08-gb-in-2019

Memory Prices May Plunge 25 Percent In 2019
https://www.tomshardware.com/news/dram-memory-shortage-prices-nand,37627.html

 

[UsandThem]

Memory Prices May Plunge 25 Percent In 2019
https://www.tomshardware.com/news/dram-memory-shortage-prices-nand,37627.html

That looks great to people who haven't watched RAM prices the last 18 months, but the prices increased by over 200% at one point

 

[ao_ika_red]

That looks great to people who haven't watched RAM prices the last 18 months, but the prices increased by over 200% at one point

I call it damage limitation.

 

[UsandThem]

I call it damage limitation.

It's kind of like going into Kohls, and seeing signs everywhere saying "30% off". People will buy it just because it's on "sale", yet they never know what the normal selling price is, so they end up paying more because the 30% off is only against the inflated MSRP.

Last year was an insane year for RAM and GPU pricing.

 

[redmed]

SSD without a doubt. You likely never exceed 8GB RAM usage, and a SSD as the OS drive makes all the difference in the world.

SSD prices have fallen quite a bit, and are very reasonable compared to what they were for roughly the last 28 - 24 months. Memory has began to decrease, but it will take a while for it to fall back down to more reasonable levels.

Thanks, maybe it's not even worth increasing my memory beyond the 8GB I already have? Especially if I get a SSD. Most of the memory would be used to cache HD reads anyway, and if most of my processing would be off the SSD it would be a wash. In fact reading HD data into a memory cache would be a wasted step rather than reading directly from the SSD. Since most of my use on this desktop is web surfing and spreadsheets. Now if I start programming on the PC the extra memory could be worthwhile, true?

 

[redmed]

Also, the 250GB versions of SSDs are slower than the larger ones. I'd recommend picking up a 500GB version even if it meant using a SATA version instead of a NVMe drive.

If you're set on buying a NVMe drive, but don't want to go up to the $150 range for a larger drive, I'd go with this over the 250GB 970 EVO:

https://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820167460

If I'm not going for memory I could spring for the 500GB. Now I'm in a slight panic. I had researched going to a M.2 drive a couple months ago and determined that I need a adapter for the PCIe x 16 slot on my M11AD motherboard and made myself notes, now I can't find the notes. I don't know what version PCI-e slot I have 2.0 or 3.0 and remember it was a involved search to find out. I guess I'll have to start rereading this forum to determine if the M,2 drive is as fast or faster than a SATA SSD on my motherboard. I'd like to get the M.2 drive for future use on a future desktop if it makes sense (=> throughput on my current motherboard).

 

[UsandThem]

If I'm not going for memory I could spring for the 500GB. Now I'm in a slight panic. I had researched going to a M.2 drive a couple months ago and determined that I need a adapter for the PCIe x 16 slot on my M11AD motherboard and made myself notes, now I can't find the notes. I don't know what version PCI-e slot I have 2.0 or 3.0 and remember it was a involved search to find out. I guess I'll have to start rereading this forum to determine if the M,2 drive is as fast or faster than a SATA SSD on my motherboard. I'd like to get the M.2 drive for future use on a future desktop if it makes sense (=> throughput on my current motherboard).

The specs show your motherboard has one 16x GPU slot, and two PCIe x1 slots. It also shows you have no M.2 slots, so you should go with a SATA SSD (Samsung 860 EVO, Crucial MX500, Intel 545s are nice drives).

https://www.asus.com/us/Tower-PCs/M11AD/specifications/

You can add a NVMe drive when you upgrade your PC, but honestly the SATA SSD is the way to go in your situation. Your 16x slot should be PCIe 2.0 since the motherboard is based on the Intel H81 chipset.

https://ark.intel.com/products/75016/Intel-H81-Chipset

Plus, it's not like SATA SSDs are suddenly going to be outdated. Heck, I have a NVMe drive as my boot drive, but I still have two SATA SSDs that I use for programs and storage. You can always move the SATA SSD over to your new PC in the future, and use it the same way I use mine.

 

[daveybrat]

Since you don't have an M.2 slot on your motherboard i would go with the Samsung 860 EVO 500GB as it's pretty much one of the fastest and most reliable Sata SSD drives:

https://smile.amazon.com/Samsung-50...pID=41qR7C253KL&preST=_SX300_QL70_&dpSrc=srch

It'll still be 10x the speed of your 1TB mechanical drive.

 

[redmed]

PCIe 2.0

Bummer, I understand the 860 EVO would be the most cost effective. So if I adapted the PCI-e slot to a M.2 would I gain any thru-put at all?

 

[UsandThem]

Bummer, I understand the 860 EVO would be the most cost effective. So if I adapted the PCI-e slot to a M.2 would I gain any thru-put at all?

Not really. With it being PCIe 2.0, it will reduce the performance significantly, leaving it only slightly faster than a good SATA SSD. You would never notice any "real world" difference, so if I was facing the same decision as you, I'd just buy a good 500GB SATA SSD. You can always go with a NVMe drive on your next computer.

 

[VirtualLarry]

I agree with @daveybrat and @UsandThem , if your mobo doesn't have any "native" M.2 PCI-E slots, then you're probably better-off just getting a really good SATA6G SSD, like a Samsung 850/860 EVO. The 500GB models have been trending $100-110 lately, a fairly decent value. Although I use them, I don't know if I feel confident enough to recommend something like a Team Group L5 Lite 3D NAND 480GB SSD, they have been as low as $70 or so on sale.

For longevity, if you want the SSD to last 5+ years, I'd go Samsung though. I've had issues with "cheap" SSDs.

 

[redmed]

Thanks Guys,
I guess I will have to settle for fast not super fast and go with a SATA SSD. I checked out a LGA1150 motherboard with a M.2 slot and boy are they expensive $300 vs $70. I have always lagged behind the cutting edge and I'll have to lag alittle longer for a M.2.

 

[UsandThem]

Thanks Guys,
I guess I will have to settle for fast not super fast and go with a SATA SSD. I checked out a LGA1150 motherboard with a M.2 slot and boy are they expensive $300 vs $70. I have always lagged behind the cutting edge and I'll have to lag alittle longer for a M.2.

The biggest jump is going from a HDD to a SATA SSD. The difference in "real world" speed between a SATA SSD and NVMe drive with current operating systems and programs is minor in comparison. Trust me, after upgrading to a good SATA SSD, you will have a huge smile on your face, and you will never ever use a HDD as your OS drive ever again.

 

[Insert_Nickname]

Bummer, I understand the 860 EVO would be the most cost effective. So if I adapted the PCI-e slot to a M.2 would I gain any thru-put at all?

I'd be careful since your mainboard is using the H81. You may not even be able to boot from an NVMe drive at all, since NVMe was more-or-less exclusive to the Z97 chipset in that generation (Haswell).

Which leads to:

I agree with @daveybrat and @UsandThem , if your mobo doesn't have any "native" M.2 PCI-E slots, then you're probably better-off just getting a really good SATA6G SSD, like a Samsung 850/860 EVO. The 500GB models have been trending $100-110 lately, a fairly decent value. Although I use them, I don't know if I feel confident enough to recommend something like a Team Group L5 Lite 3D NAND 480GB SSD, they have been as low as $70 or so on sale.

For longevity, if you want the SSD to last 5+ years, I'd go Samsung though. I've had issues with "cheap" SSDs.

I agree with VL here. A good SATA SSD is a far better solution in this case. I also second the 860EVO. With the exception of the 860PRO, you won't get a better SATA SSD.