256gb ssd or 512gb ssd?

Not sure which storage amount to get. I plan to get WoW along with the upcoming game Vampyr (the system requirements for that game haven't been released yet) and some smaller games on Steam.

Would I be okay with 256gb ssd or should I pay the extra money for 512gb ssd?

 

What's the price difference? How much space are you using at the moment?

 

At the moment, I have an HP Stream 11 laptop with only 32gb storage so not really storing anything.

Basically looking at what I want for the future.

The price difference between the two ssds is $150

 

That seems really high for my tastes. The Alienware SSD's that come are NVME but in gaming performance it isn't going to make THAT much difference if any. IMO go with the cheaper SSD and install Windows on it and pick up a regular m.2 2280 512gb-1tb SSD and use that for your games.

 

I would recommend the 512 since you can easily run out of space on your C drive with the number of files you can put on it these days. I have a 1TB SSD and filled up half of it with just softwares and games.

 

Although the price difference is abysmal, I'd still recommend 512GB, as SSDs tend to degrade in performance when filled. 256GB is very little, considering the fact you must keep at least 50-60 GB free to maximize its lifespan.

Sent from my SM-N900 using Tapatalk

 

Or you could do what I do and have a smaller boost disc and a larger data/storage disc. That way if you ever want to change out your storage disc you don't have to deal with cloning your OS instillation (since that can sometimes be a headache).

 

The smaller the SSD storage, the less it'll perform. I'd at worst use the 256GB SSD for the OS only, and keep the remaining storage free for the programs I use most. The ideal case would be a bigger SSD with everything installed in there (and around 15-20% kept free), that means everything will be extremely snappy. HDD+SSD combo is good, but running things through the HDD will be much slower.
If your case implies having two SSDs, one for boot and another for bulk storage, then it's perfect.

Sent from my SM-N900 using Tapatalk

 

I usually use 256-512GB SSDs for my boot drives and then a 512Gb or 1Tb SSD for storage/installing non-core programs. And then also add in external drives or, in the case of desktops, regular HDDs for extra mass storage for things that I don't use as often.

 

I'll go with the 512 SSD then, better safe than sorry. Thanks!

 

If you haven't pulled the trigger yet, just go with the 256GB and get a SATA 512GB drive for storage and other stuff. A lot of people think PCIE NVME drives are the only way to go, but the ones in the Alienware are actually pretty bad (perform about half of what a 960Pro performs) and won't give you a noticeable difference.

So get the 256GB and get another 512GB for $150 to add in yourself. You'll end up with 768GB instead of 512GB for the same price and installing the SSD is very easy on these machines.

 

Thanks! Luckily it'll be a few months before I can buy the computer so I'm glad I read this

 

Like the previous reader said, I would suggest getting the Samsung 960 pro or evo separately and getting the lowest option from Dell. Those SSDs from Samsung are worth it.

 

Fair point, although it really depends which drive you get from Alienware as you could get any one of 4 different options. NVME makes zero difference while gaming so getting one for that is a complete waste of money there anyways.

 

I'll be getting the Alienware 13 R3 so is there any particular drive you recommend? I'm a little hesitant as I've read stories of people unable to get the drive recognized by BIOS once it's installed

 

If your referring to what drive should you get from the factory? Alienware will choose one at random. The Samsungs are most people's go to but they are also the most expensive.

 

No I had meant which Samsung one.

I'll just go with a 512 SSD configuration because the Samsung are ****ing insanely pricey.

 

You could also go with a Crucial MX300. They're around $150 for 500GB model. Just keep in mind that when you're "upgrading" the Dell 256GB to a 512GB you're not "only" paying $150 for the 512GB SSD. You're basically paying that on top of what the 256GB already costs. You probably know that already, but it's just something to keep in mind

 

You should be able to get the Samsung 960 EVO 500 GB for around $240.00 which is less than what Dell is charging to bump to 512.

 

Is one better than the other? I know the Samsung is more expensive so does that make it a better quality?

I just want to make sure I'm buying the right thing.

 

Samsung 960 Pro 512GB - 5 year warranty or 400TB Written - Samsung Evo 512GB - 3 year warranty or 200TB Written. I went for the Pro although it was a little more expensive it has advertised double the endurance and 2 years more warranty and I want the drive to last. There's not much more performance from the EVO to the PRO, they are both good drives.

Get the cheapest drive you can from Dell and replace it with one of your choice, and maybe use the one that came with the machine in another slot as a data drive or perhaps move your page file to it.

 

Might want to take a look at the M.2 section of this Q2 2017 SSD write up and http://www.anandtech.com/show/9799/best-ssds

 

Hi Guys,

I know that's old thread but for yours info. I bought for my MSI samsung 840 evo. All was fine until I did check by HD Tune (evo got 2 or 3yrs warranty), anyway I got this ssd under warranty. Issue were CRC errors which degrade speed (I've checked on 3 notebooks). Of course Samsung Magician saids is perfect. I've placed RMA, sent it to EU repair center. From this center I got info that all ok and if I got speed drops, I must live with this. They covering their tests by Samsung Magician.

So, if you ever think about samsung ssd, don't bother with EVO versions.

 

I've heard of the speed degradation with the 840 evo. I think there's supposed to be a firmware update that works around it by constantly refreshing the data causing extra writes.

I'm not sure if HD Tune supports reading SSD stats properly. I know that CrystalDiskInfo does.

 

I've used hd tune for ages. It reads SMART so there shouldn't be any incompatibilities.
Yes, speed degradation was know but it was an problem with global speed drop. I got periodical speed decreases.
More about Samsung issue with evo ssd:
http://goughlui.com/2016/11/08/note-samsung-850-evo-data-retention-performance-degradation/


Magician:


HD Tune


As you see, there were Counts increasing.

 

For CRC error count, I would say check the SATA cable if there is one and also make sure that Intel RST driver is installed.