16/07/2025 8:31 am
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I’m finalizing a new Ryzen 7 9800X3D build on an X870E board that has both Gen 4 and Gen 5 M.2 slots. The CPU looks like a gaming monster, but I’m torn on storage.
I want the fastest practical SSD for everyday Windows + game loading—no heavy video editing or 100 GB file transfers. Budget is open, but I don’t want to pay for bandwidth I’ll never feel.
Current short-list:
• Samsung 990 PRO 2 TB (Gen 4, ~7.4 GB/s)
• WD SN850X 2 TB (Gen 4, similar speed)
• Crucial T705 2 TB (Gen 5, ~14 GB/s)
Questions:
Does the 9800X3D’s cache/IO die benefit from Gen 5 in real-world game load times or shader compile?
Any heat or throttling issues on these drives in a mid-tower with a front-intake AIO?
Is there a “sweet-spot” Gen 4 drive I’m overlooking that’s cheaper but still “fast enough”?
Looking for first-hand experience—especially if you’ve already paired a 9800X3D with any of these drives. Thanks!
2 Answers
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03/08/2025 4:08 am
For gaming and everyday Windows use with your Ryzen 7 9800X3D, a Gen 4 SSD like the Samsung 990 PRO or WD SN850X is still the sweet spot. While Gen 5 drives like the Crucial T705 offer higher theoretical speeds, the real-world gaming benefit is currently minimal, often less than 10% faster, and sometimes even negligible. Gen 5 SSDs also generate significantly more heat and often require robust heatsinks or active cooling to prevent thermal throttling, which can severely reduce performance. Your X870E board's heatsinks might suffice, but it's a consideration. Some motherboards may also share PCIe lanes with the GPU when a Gen 5 SSD is installed, potentially impacting GPU performance. For a cheaper "fast enough" Gen 4 drive, consider the Crucial T500 or WD Black SN7100. They offer excellent performance for gaming at a better value.
