SATA vs NVMe - $40 Budget SSD Comparison - Which Should You Buy

**Benchmarking SSDs: A Comparative Analysis**

In this article, we'll delve into the world of solid-state drives (SSDs) and explore their performance characteristics, particularly when it comes to launching games like GTA 5. We'll be comparing two specific SSD models: the Samsung 970 EVO Plus (SX 6000) and the WD Black SN750 (SU 800). Our testing rig is equipped with a powerful machine that should provide us with accurate results.

**Testing Environment**

Our test environment consists of a Risin 720, which is an overkill for these drives. However, it takes away as much of the CPU limitation as is reasonable to my standard SSD test bench. We're using 16 gigs of DDR4 RAM and 200 megahertz Ram. Windows 10 was not installed on either of these drives, GTA 5 was installed on the Crucial MX 500, which serves as the actual boot drive on that machine.

**Launching Games**

When launching games like GTA 5, we can see that there's very little difference between launching the game directly and launching into story mode. This is because some of this is CPU and memory bound - it's building the world, loading all assets, not necessarily the transfer rate of the drive that limits performance. Our test results show that the read performance in terms of loading games and whatnot is almost identical.

**The Crystal Disk Mark**

However, when we look at the random write performance in the real world, regardless of effect, there's a significant difference between the two drives. According to the Crystal Disk Mark, the Samsung 970 EVO Plus (SX 6000) has superior random read performance, especially in heavy workloads. However, this may not be entirely accurate, as we're not going to be using these drives in that environment.

**The Real-World Test**

We also ran a real-world test to see how the two drives perform in everyday usage. We found that the WD Black SN750 (SU 800) has better endurance for writing sustained writes, which is essential when running Windows Update or dealing with heavy data transfer. The Samsung 970 EVO Plus (SX 6000) 128 gig size, on the other hand, was found to be terrible in terms of performance.

**The Verdict**

In conclusion, when it comes to launching games like GTA 5, there's very little difference between using an SSD with a small capacity and one with a larger capacity. However, when it comes to everyday usage, such as writing sustained writes or dealing with heavy data transfer, the WD Black SN750 (SU 800) is the clear winner.

**Recommendation**

Based on our testing results, we recommend spending $20 more for the 256 gig drive, which will last you much longer. If budget is a concern, and you're only looking at the 128 gig size, we would still advise against it. The Samsung 970 EVO Plus (SX 6000) 128 gig size is simply not good enough in terms of performance.

**Disclaimer**

We'd like to note that Data sent us both drives with different results. Data did send me smaller drives but they were not suitable for this test. We purchased these drives ourselves and wanted to see how well the 128 gig size worked compared to the ones they actually like to send out.

**Final Thoughts**

In conclusion, our testing has shown that SSDs can provide significant performance improvements over traditional hard drives. However, it's essential to choose the right drive for your specific needs and budget. If you're looking for a high-performance drive for gaming or other demanding applications, look no further than the WD Black SN750 (SU 800).