PCIe 5.0 SSDs are growing up, but ye olde 4.0 drives are still better value for gaming PCs

Regretfully, it is clip to bash maths

Two years since the archetypal gaming-focused PCIe 5.0 SSDs showed up, determination are immoderate encouraging signs that these drives mightiness yet make thing approaching a point. Consider the Crucial T700, 1 of the archetypal 5.0 SSDs to flight the information centre and marque a interruption for our PCs: much costly than the champion PCIe 4.0 models, and slower than them astatine loading games. Useless. Now, though, we person drives similar the PNY CS2150 bringing down the introduction fee, arsenic good arsenic the caller Samsung 9100 Pro to yet – finally – present a show improvement.

Still, there’s a mode to spell earlier PCIe 5.0 retention becomes the caller standard, and honestly, that could instrumentality different 2 years oregon more. For each the CS2150’s cost-cutting and the each the 9100 Pro’s speed, neither marque for compelling all-rounders similar their 4.0 cousins do.

The 9100 Pro, successful particular, demonstrates the format's foibles arsenic vividly arsenic its strengths. For sequential speechmaking and penning of yer files, it’s outstanding, blasting up of elite PCIe 4.0 drives similar the WD Black SN850X and Samsung’s ain 990 Pro by miles. I tried it retired connected the precocious updated (and people PCIe 5.0-ready) RPS Test Rig, on with re-tests of the older SSDs:

Image credit: Rock Paper Shotgun

The archetypal occupation is that portion sequential speeds marque for large front-of-the-box specs, astir applications seldom enactment by accessing information successful specified a neat, ordered mode – slightest of each games. They’re overmuch much apt to drawback information from files that are dispersed retired crossed the drive, a process that slows adjacent the nippiest of NVMe SSDs close down. So it is with the 9100 Pro, which has capable earthy powerfulness to support its work velocity pb implicit the 990 Pro and Black SN850X erstwhile dealing with randomised files, but present lone by a fewer MB/s alternatively than thousands.

Image credit: Rock Paper Shotgun

If bits of crippled information were stored and accessed sequentially, arsenic if they were immaculately organised papyrus scrolls successful the Library of Alexandria, PCIe 5.0 SSDs would beryllium great. Sadly, successful world it’s much similar they’re successful the Self-Storage Unit of James Archer, scattered semi-randomly nether heaps of folded-up cardboard boxes and formerly reviewed keyboards. The effect is that erstwhile it comes to cutting crippled load times, arsenic a bully SSD should, PCIe 5.0 conscionable isn’t each that amended than PCIe 4.0. In Shadow of the Tomb Raider, the 9100 Pro did occurrence up a prevention record successful 6.3s, but the 990 Pro and WD Black were hardly down with 6.5s each. Hey, I conscionable said determination was a show improvement. I didn’t accidental it was a large one.

The 2nd occupation is price. The 9100 Pro isn’t retired yet but aboriginal listings enactment it astatine £170 / $200 for the basal 1TB version, £246 / $300 for the 2TB mentation I tested, and £458 / $550 for the chunkiest 4TB version. Or, you could person a 1TB WD Black SN850X for £78 / $92. I privation faster retention – who doesn’t? – but much than doubly the outlay for specified fractions of seconds snipped disconnected load screens isn’t the benignant of commercialized astir of america should beryllium making. The CS2150 is acold much budget-friendly astatine £96 / $100 for 1TB, though that’s not overmuch faster than its PCIe 4.0 rivals adjacent connected sequential speeds.

(Don't forget, also, the outgo of prepping an older physique for a PCIe 5.0 upgrade. Mid-range and low-end motherboards inactive don’t look to see 5.0-compliant M.2 slots arsenic standard, truthful premium mobos stay the lone mode to go.)

Image credit: Rock Paper Shotgun

There’s inactive wide advancement from the likes the T700, which fumbled games show truthful severely that adjacent fund 4.0 SSDs similar the WD Blue SN5000 person since outpaced its load times. There’s astir apt besides immoderate hyper-niche exertion for the 9100 Pro that could marque it worthy investing in: if your gaming PC doubles arsenic a regular workstation, say, and you tin instrumentality vantage of its higher apical speeds by regularly transferring single, ample files around.

For a straight-up games rig, though? Even if these SSDs are crawling successful the close direction, that’s going to enactment a overmuch harder sell.