Question Which M.2 to use for Windows 11

[Joco1968]

It's that time again... To rebuild my computer. I have a Samsung SM951 512GB M.2 drive that I currently have Windows 10 loaded, on my current system. I also just purchased the SK Hynix Platinum P41 2 TB M.2 My plan is to use the SK Hynix for my games and to load Windows 11 on the Samsung (after wiping it of course). I know the SK Hynix is newer and faster. So, perhaps I should load the OS on that also. But, if it's not a big difference than I'd rather not waste the space. I'm building it on ASUS Z690-PLUS TUF Gaming WiFi DDR4 Intel LGA 1700 ATX Motherboard with 32 GB DDR4 and an i7-12700K, if that matters. Thanks.

 

[Tech Junky]

Either should load Windows at the same speed. The performance gains will be felt more with the games along with the GPU you decide on.

On either instance I would set windows to only use 100gb as even with all the apps installed it doesn't need more than that. I use the remaining space for storage that I want to keep locally and save most things remotely on my server setup. My server is using the 12700k and my laptop has a 12700h as well.

 

[Carfax83]

I have the same SK Hynix Platinum P41 2TB drive, and I installed Windows 11 Pro on it and I also use it for the newest games that I buy. For older games, I use my Samsung 960 Pro 1TB and Samsung 850 Pro 1TB. Eventually I think I'm going to switch out the 850 Pro for a 980 Pro though.

 

[Tech Junky]

Samsung

It's a waste of money if you're looking for capacity. When it comes to daily use the speed tends to not be used anyway. The speed comes in handy when moving / accessing files. If we're talking games then once it's loaded into the GPU RAM there's no benefit for the drive speed to be garnered.

The biggest benefit of these drives are transactional programs like SQL / DB use where they're constantly updating the data.

Next time you load something that needs the speed open task manager before you do and then look at the utilization of the drive post opening as it drops to 0%.

 

[Joco1968]

Great information, everyone! I should have listed my GPU: ZOTAC Gaming GeForce RTX™ 3090 Trinity OC 24GB GDDR6X