There is no doubt that if we can put SATA 3 SSD and NVMe PCIe in performance tests, the NVMe SSD will be a clear winner, because SATA 3 SSDs have since the performance limit provided by the SATA 3 interface. Because of this, today we can buy SSDs with this 1 and 2 TB connector at a cheaper price, while the fastest NVMe SSDs are still very expensive, and at the same price we would have to do without capacity.
In this comparison we will try to see, then, what's really important about a game-oriented PC with more real terms than benchmarks, i.e., depending on upload times, file management speed, game performance, etc.
SSD for comparison
For this comparison we will use one of the most efficient SATA 3 SSDs in the market: a 480 GB Corsair Neutron XTi
PCIe NVMe SSD partners will be a Pass SSD 220S 1 TB, one of the devices in this category that offers the best performance / market value, and its theoretical speed Read 3500 MB / s and 2800 MB / s.
As for the features used, there is no doubt that the race is designated for the NVMe SSD but, what will happen to the actual operating conditions? Let's see it.
SATA SSD vs NVMe, to compare performance
Windows boot
We're starting tests with the Windows 10 operating system installed on both. Installation includes other programs initially, such as graphics card drives or keyboard and mouse software. We calculate from when we press the power button until the desktop appears and start using the machines.
The boot is 8 seconds faster with the NVMe SSD than with the SATA 3, an important time but that's not as big a difference as it might be when compared to the hard disk drive, its boot time is over a minute.
Copy of file
For this test, what we did was to use a third-party NVMe PCIe SSD to verify read speed. With that SSD source, we passed a 30 GB fake file on both SSDs by hand to see how long it took.
Here's the major difference, and the fact that the NVMe SSD gives us three times the performance, that is, it took about a third of the time when the SATA 3 SSD. We are actually talking about a very large file, because when we talk In many small files then the difference is not so great.
Game loading
In this case we test what is required for a game to load a saved game, to be installed on one SSD or another. Time does not count when we enter the game, but the time it takes to load the game until we load and start playing. This test is important because it also contributes, logically, to the loading screens, but you have to remember that once the game is loaded, SSD functionality affects you nothing but the loading screens.
In fact, the NVMe SSD is displayed and faster than SATA but, the difference is greater than a second, unless it reaches two seconds, so the difference here is quite small.
Now what's more important?
Indeed, at a price where SSDs are now where we can get high quality SATA 3 models of 1 TB for about 100 euros, and given the slight difference in performance in everyday situations, right now Suitable for SATA 3 SSD for one NVMe. Just keep in mind that they have obvious performance differences, so if those seconds are a huge difference, then your choice should be NVMe SSD.
However, we should also remember that over time the price of these devices will be cheaper as the more capable models will come out, although it is true that eventually the SATA SSDs will end up with floor prices if they want to keep your site in the market, so we will have the same problem again: at the same price, capacity extra or extra performance? It will depend on what you want, but here you have our comparative tests to determine it.
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