NVMe SSDs are known for their high speed data reading and writing on our computers. The SSD companies are boasting about their NVMe SSDs because they are offering great profits because they are expensive of course. But, the price of NVMe SSDs is just worth it.
You get what you pay.
The sequential read speed of any normal M.2 NVMe SSD can go beyond 2000GB/s. However, the write speed can also go beyond 1500MB/s.
The NVMe SSDs offered by SAMSUNG, Intel, HP, and Crucial can offer much more speed than that. Some SSDs have a potential to go above 2500MB/s read speed. Well, that’s just amazing. NVMe are superfast if I have to give one word to them.
People just hear these theoretical speed limits and jump in to buy these drives. But, do you actually need an NVMe? Can’t you just buy an affordable SATA SSD and get the desired results from it. We are going to do this thing here.
I am going to give you 5 primary reasons why you should never buy an NVMe SSD. At the end of the day, it is your decision to pick your SSD. But, here are my opinions on this.
Also Read: What are the benefits of NVMe SSD?
1. Your motherboard doesn’t support M.2 NVMe
Most of the latest motherboards are coming with at least one M.2 NVMe port. But, you will find numerous laptops and desktop motherboards without support for the NVMe drives.
However, lots of people make the mistake of buying an NVMe M.2 SSD even after their motherboard can’t support them. At various times, the system may recognize the NVMe drive but you can’t use it as your OS drive because the BIOS may not support it.
I am going to discuss this thing briefly below in another section.
So, if you are fortunate enough and your motherboard can fully support an NVMe SSD, only then you can buy and use it. Otherwise, this purchase will be a complete waste. Most of the online shopping stores do not have any replacement policy for the storage devices. So, take this step wisely.
Consider getting in touch with your system or motherboard manufacturer to get information about the same. Also, keep a thing in mind that the NVMe port will have a B-key. It means that the NVMe can get installed in a port that has a cut on the right side. Read this article for more information about NVMe compatibility.
2. You never do any high-end activity on your system
If you are using your computer or laptop just for word-processing, browsing, blogging, media-consumption, or other normal tasks, you may not need a high-speed NVMe for any purpose. Of course, an NVMe SSD is going to offer its benefits with any system but those high-speed data reading and writing operations are not important for everyone.
In a nutshell, if you are a normal computer/laptop user and not a gamer, video editor, designer, programmer, or other professionals, you are good to go with a SATA-3 SSD. In fact, a normal HDD drive will also be enough for you. Now, if you are eager to know the potential of NVMe, you should definitely try it and you will surely have an interesting experience. But, for a low-end CPU and 4 to 8GB of RAM, a SATA SSD is enough to power-up the whole system.
3. You need a huge storage space
There are several ways to make the most out of the NVMe SSDs by keeping your old SSD or HDD drives as the raw storage spaces. But, if you think you will set up everything using only the SSDs, you should have appropriate budgets for the same.
Normally, a 1TB SSD will cost you around 100$. However, the prices may vary depending on the technology used and the brand of your SSD. NVMe SSDs are suitable when you want less storage space but a high data read/write speed. So, if you have appropriate budgets to buy a 4TB NVMe SSD or multiple 1TB NVMe SSDs, you can go for it.
I would suggest you set up an SSD+HDD combo for the best results. In this way, you can use your NVMe as your OS or software installation drive while keeping the HDD or large-sized SSD as the raw storage drive.
4. You are building a budget PC (Have Limited Budgets)
If your system requires a 1TB or more storage drive, opting for an NVMe can be an expensive decision. You may have to add 100 to 200$ more to your overall build budget. If you are thinking about upgrading your existing system or laptop, you should definitely try keeping the existing drive if you have limited budgets.
Being a fast technology, NVMe SSDs are the most expensive SSDs available in the market on the consumer level. So, if consider checking the prices before buying one for you.
5. Your BIOS doesn’t support NVMe as Boot Priority Drive
I have discussed this thing in various other articles on this website. I have seen a lot of laptops and desktops motherboards that will recognize the NVMe SSDs are run them as their storage device. But, when you install or migrate your OS to the NVMe and try to change your Boot Priority drive, you do not see your drive there.
Note: I have discussed everything about setting us your SSD as the OS drive in this article. Consider reading this if you want to know more.
If this is the case with you, you will never be able to use your NVMe drive as your OS drive. It means the system loading time will remain the same. However, you can install your software in it and store the data. There will be no difference in the overall read/write speed. But, it is good to check this thing before buying and make the most out of your NVMe by using it for the OS installation as well.
Final Verdict
I hope this article will help you to make your decision of buying an NVMe in a proper manner. If you are really looking to buy an NVMe, consider reading this article to become 100% sure about NVMe.
