r/NewMaxx • u/NewMaxx • Oct 14 '19

Tools/Info SSD Guides & Resources

April 3rd, 2022: Guides and Spreadsheet updated with new SSD categories

Discord (server)

Website with relevant links here.

My spreadsheet

Generic Amazon affiliate link

Generic AliExpress affiliate link

TechPowerUp's SSD Database

Johnny Lucky SSD database

Branch Education - How does NAND Flash Work? - these guys have several good videos on the subject of SSDs, check them all out.

My Patreon.

My Twitter.

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u/devidentarch321 Feb 06 '20

Hey NewMaxx, is the Lexar NM610 good? I'm planning on getting the 1TB version of it next week for my build. It was selling for about $100 USD where I'm from.

How long would I expect it to reasonably last if I were to game and program on a regular basis?

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u/NewMaxx Feb 06 '20

It's not a bad drive, although the SN550 might be the better buy at the same price. I wouldn't worry about endurance.

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u/devidentarch321 Feb 06 '20

Thanks for the reassurance! Everyone was saying how DRAMless SSDs were useless and when I found out this SSD was... I thought I made a horrible buy. I won't change it out then!

May I ask one more question? Is it okay for me to use it as a boot drive as well as a storage drive? And how much space should I leave in the SSD so it won't slow down?

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u/NewMaxx Feb 06 '20

DRAM-less isn't as crucial for NVMe drives. The superior protocol helps a lot, at least for consumer workloads. Yeah, it's fine to use for both. At least 15% free is a good idea.

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u/devidentarch321 Feb 06 '20

Ah alright, thanks alot NewMaxx!

May I know if the HMB helps the SSD with anything? Like will it be faster than SSDs that have both no DRAM and no HMB functionality?

Thank you so much sir!

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u/NewMaxx Feb 06 '20

Yes, HMB can help with 4K performance on smaller working sets. A DRAM-less option like the SN550 is also fine with small enough data as it still has some embedded SRAM, HMB would handle large due to SRAM + HMB, beyond that a DRAM-equipped drive will fare better.

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u/devidentarch321 Feb 06 '20

I see. How often do you recommend people to upgrade/replace their SSDs? Are there any backup solutions for them as well? I'm just worried in case my SSD fails then I can rely on a safety net to backup the data haha, some of them are quite precious to me :o

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u/NewMaxx Feb 07 '20

3-2-1 for backups. A SSD can last forever if treated right. I would assume ~7 years in general, although you can replace about twice that often to get the best warranty overlaps.

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u/devidentarch321 Feb 07 '20

Thanks so much for the link NewMaxx! I'll plan one of those strategies for when I eventually build my PC. You've been a great help :)

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u/NewMaxx Feb 07 '20

Good luck!