Crucial MX500 1TB 3D NAND SATA M.2 (2280SS) Internal SSD, up to 560MB/s - CT1000MX500SSD4

Here’s a good one. Does your motherboard have a m.2 slot? Probably does but if not just get the 2.5” version.

Crucial MX500 1TB 3D NAND SATA M.2 (2280SS) Internal SSD, up to 560MB/s - CT1000MX500SSD4 https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0784SY515/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_Yg6cFbVTXN66C

Gotcha. I had no idea. I fell out of the loop for awhile with storage. So from the sounds of it would this guy be a better option? https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0784SY515/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_4SrIFbGK5R548

1. rule no 4

2. https://www.amazon.com/Crucial-MX500-500GB-2280SS-Internal/dp/B0784SY515?th=1

https://www.amazon.com/Crucial-MX500-NAND-2280SS-Internal/dp/B0784SY515

Crucial MX500 is also $115 fyi

Or this one? Crucial MX500 1TB 3D NAND SATA M.2 Type 2280SS Internal SSD - CT1000MX500SSD4 https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0784SY515/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_ljSYEbPCY1CWT

https://www.amazon.com/Crucial-MX500-500GB-2280SS-Internal/dp/B0784SY515?th=1&psc=1

I'll be honest, I'm still having a tough time seeing where/how exactly this would slot in

How does this compare to this? I have been looking for a new 1TB SSD for my laptops boot drive but I don't know how worth it is to buy a nicer one like the Samsung EVO. People have mentioned a price drop in SSD's like this, should I just wait a little longer and look for even better deals?

Haha I’m an idiot. I had it copied but forgot to paste it. Here:

https://www.amazon.com/Crucial-MX500-NAND-2280SS-Internal/dp/B0784SY515/ref=mp_s_a_1_4?dchild=1&keywords=m.2+ssd+1tb&qid=1595781707&sprefix=m.2+ssd&sr=8-4

After my build, I found a few things I can offer suggestions on:

M.2 - for a few dollars more, you can get a 1TB stick from Crucial - watch for sales, sometimes the price goes down to $99. Almost two years on mine with no issues.

Memory - I have two sticks of Vengeance 3200, make sure you tweak the BIOS to run them at 3000-3200 otherwise you have some really expensive 2133Mhz memory sticks.

Graphics - Big suggestion here, for that price, you’re way better off in the RTX 2060/2070 range. I started with a 1660 Ti XC Black, and was impressed for the size what it could handle. Admittedly, I was upgrading from my 6 year old 660 Ti, so no surprise. I did find that it just wasn’t offering enough punch for processing time for GFX heavy edits. This was pre-Nvidia support in Premiere Pro, so I never got to test that. I swapped for a 1080 Ti Strix Gaming OC for a while and was blown away by the increased bandwidth, and it was 100% a worthwhile shift. I’ve since made the expensive leap to a RTX 2080 Ti Turbo, and it’s totally overkill. But, I know I’m future proof for a while. I will say that the RTX series is immediately faster than pre-Tensor core models (1660, 1080, etc) and can process so much information, it seems impossible. tl;dr you can get way more bang for your buck with a “high-end” 2060 or entry 2070 at the same price point and get the Tensor core capabilities. 100% worth it in my opinion.

PSU - check and see if there is a Gold/Platinum rated PSU that falls in your price range, Silverstone has some great prices, and the extra efficiency really makes a difference on power consumption. It seems to run a bit cooler in my experience lately too.

I’m an Intel guy, so I’m not much help on MoBo and CPU, but it’s a really solid start!

My two cents:

An SSD will likely cut your loading times by a third. Look into getting one like this. It's a necessity https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0784SY515/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_mg5IFbM8JSKXC

Also, spend a couple extra to upgrade to a 1660s. Much faster for very little extra money

I’ve also restarted like 3 times gone into bios and rescanned in disk management also my motherboard is the MSI B450 Gaming Carbon Pro AC and this is the drive Crucial MX500 1TB 3D NAND SATA M.2 Type 2280SS Internal SSD - CT1000MX500SSD4 https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0784SY515/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_SAt1EbFJ90B08

buy an nvme drive like

https://www.amazon.com/Crucial-MX500-NAND-2280SS-Internal/dp/B0784SY515

Then you can get this drive's SATA M.2 version, doesn't need any wires, fits directly into your mobo. Cheaper than nvme and you'll notice the same performance in gaming.

https://www.amazon.com/Crucial-MX500-NAND-2280SS-Internal/dp/B0784SY515

Hi , heres a 1tb nvme ssd for around 120 bucks

https://www.amazon.com/Crucial-MX500-NAND-2280SS-Internal/dp/B0784SY515/ref=mp_s_a_1_1_sspa?dchild=1&keywords=1tb+nvme+ssd&qid=1591809430&sprefix=1tb+nv&sr=8-1-spons&psc=1&spLa=ZW5jcnlwdGVkUXVhbGlmaWVyPUExOEpWMjNFNjJaRjhNJmVuY3J5cHRlZElkPUEwMzU0MTQ3MlVLOVo3VE8xWk8mZW5jcnlwdGVkQWRJZD1BMDA5NDYxNzFVV0RZOTFQUTFSVlomd2lkZ2V0TmFtZT1zcF9waG9uZV9zZWFyY2hfYXRmJmFjdGlvbj1jbGlja1JlZGlyZWN0JmRvTm90TG9nQ2xpY2s9dHJ1ZQ==

That should be a solid option

Deal link: Amazon

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The M.2 version is the same price on Amazon

https://www.amazon.com/Crucial-MX500-NAND-2280SS-Internal/dp/B0784SY515

do you know what m.2 ssds fit on this? is the 2 pin one or the 3 pin one?

https://www.amazon.com/Crucial-MX500-NAND-2280SS-Internal/dp/B0784SY515/ref=sr_1_6?dchild=1&keywords=m.2+ssd+1tb&qid=1595007651&sr=8-6

https://www.amazon.com/Crucial-1TB-NAND-NVMe-PCIe/dp/B07J2Q4SWZ/ref=sr_1_10?dchild=1&keywords=m.2+ssd+1tb&qid=1595007651&sr=8-10

Also, I want to connect a monitor to the hp omen when I get it this Monday. Do you do it via the display port or the thunderbolt port?

I actually came here looking for help on my own shopping, but I'd like to recommend one for you, the Acer Predator Helios 300, which I myself MIGHT buy tomorrow (I'll explain later why just "might"). But for you, I think this makes perfect sense if you select the configuration for this one: i7-9750H/GTX 1660Ti/16GB/256GB, which is $1,069 as of today, 01/04/2020.

Positives

• Generally: Plenty of USB 3.1 ports, a MiniDisplay port to output to external monitor, and isn't too large at 15.6".
• Graphics: It has excellent display specs, and with the 1660Ti graphics card, would absolutely smash the kind of gaming you noted. However, for high end, heavy graphics intensive games, you may have to keep the graphics quality to just "standard" to get it to run smoothly at 60 fps. But given you said you're not observant enough to this sort of thing, you definitely won't lose any enjoyment or maybe wouldn't even tell the difference. That stuff really matters to just hardcore gamers who have eagle eyes and want to run everything at extremely high settings.
• Extendability: This is where the laptop has some incredible value and I think nails it for you. The version I suggested only comes with 256GB SSD, but it also has an extra M.2 slot for another one, AND a 2.5" bay for yet another traditional SSD. This is a huge bonus because you as a content creator will need lots of storage space for files. A friend suggested to me the Crucial MX500 1TB SSD which is only $110. So you can immediately add this into the empty M.2 bay, and later plug in something else into the 2.5" bay if you're really hungry for storage. I personally would leave the included 256GB SSD as just the boot drive and basic stuff, and put all project files and games into the extra drives. If you really wanted to get fancy, you could put in that Crucial 1 TB drive into both M.2 slots (throwing away the 256 GB that the laptop comes with, and put into the 2.5" bay a third SSD as your boot drive. However I would only recommend this if you are handy with components and reinstalling everything, or asking a techie friend who is pro at that sort of thing. Ultimately, you should really understand that most laptops will charge a premium for adding more storage space. So I like the idea of this one having a small amount to begin with, but with open bays where you can add more as you need it. Most other laptops don't even have two M.2 slots, and I don't know of any that have a third bay in 2.5" available at all, except this one.
• Budget: From the Amazon link above, you'll see the 1660Ti + 256GB SSD verion is in the $1,100 range while the RTX 2060 + 512 GB SSD version is about $1,600. That extra $500 buys you stuff you don't need. The RTX 2060 is a beefy graphics card, but you're not a hardcore gamer so there is almost nothing you would be doing the 1660Ti wouldn't be able to handle (if it matters, both are NVidia cards, so they are really good). And the extra internal storage you can easily do without since you have extra SSD bays to add more on your own. So this is why I recommended the lower specced model. If you went with that, it would be about $1,200 for the laptop and the 1 TB SSD linked above. That's incredible value IMO, and leaves you some extra money from your budget to buy more stuff, such as a really pro mouse, a nice laptop bag, some cables, etc.

​

Negatives

• Looks: This is more subjective, but I personally hate the the visual design. I think the style, logo and lighting would tell everyone in the coffee shop that its user is a basement dwelling nerd. The model with blue lighting is the latest (2019) and better than the previous model (which had red lighting), but I think the blue lights are a bad choice for working at night, and looks uglier.
• Keyboard/Trackpad: I played with this laptop in a computer store and the keyboard felt OK, but I don't like the trackpad positioning. It couldn't be in a worse spot as it's right under my left wrist, which is what I hate about my current productivity laptop, where I always keep it OFF and use an external mouse. If also use a mouse with your laptop, or you are good with trackpads, then it's a non-issue for you. But again, this is more subjective... in some reviews, people say they love how it feels, but I suspect that might be from gamers who don't use it much for typing or navigating at length (gamers typically use external peripherals). Thus, I highly recommend you go into a store as I did, inspect it all around it, check its ports, fan location, etc., and play with it for like 5 minutes of web browsing to try it out. If it doesn't feel good to use, your work quality will be adversely affected and you're less motivated during ideation sessions. You cannot know how it feels until you actually sit there and try it.
• Fan Noise: I didn't really hear too much noise when I tried it out in-store, but some reviews say it can get loud. But you have to understand that most gaming laptops playing high quality games will raise their fans to cool it, so that's normal. But if you are doing productivity or design tasks on a gaming laptop, it should keep noise low. But again, EVERY laptop gets high fan noise with high workload.

​

Final Verdict

I really REALLY like the specs of this laptop, and extendability, and I think if you can get past the looks and are OK with the feel of the keybd/trackpad, this is a solid choice for you. It's within your budget, has great specs, great extendability, and will handle everything you throw at it except extreme gaming. You're not going to get everything you want in any laptop unless you dish out a ton of money, so if you're focused on bang-4-buck and staying within budget, I think this is a really good pick for you. Even if you buy online, I very highly recommend you go into a good computer store (like a MicroCenter where they are knowledgeable about computers) and verify everything I said here with an in-house guru. You might even find better prices. i.e. the $1,100 model I am recommending to you is more expensive in MicroCenter, but the $1,600 model is cheaper at the same store.

For me personally, my main reason for not buying it YET is that I am considering my gaming laptop purchase to also replace my desktop computer, which I do heavy gaming on. So I might go with a top end ASUS Rog Zephyrus which is like $2,500+. But since I too want to use it for productivity (programming, graphic design, music production), I am considering this laptop also. If I wasn't a hardcore gamer, and if I didn't care for the looks of the laptop, I definitely would go with this Helios 300. And yes, I wrote all this to convince myself too. Good luck!

https://www.amazon.com/Crucial-MX500-NAND-2280SS-Internal/dp/B0784SY515/ref=sr_1_10?dchild=1&keywords=1tb+nvme&qid=1589582900&sr=8-10

so you need an m.2 SATA drive, assuming your other drive already occupies your NVME slot. SO you will need something like this. https://www.amazon.com/Crucial-MX500-NAND-2280SS-Internal/dp/B0784SY515/ref=sr_1_3?dchild=1&keywords=1tb+ssd+m.2+sata&qid=1596126967&sr=8-3

Definitely no issue, will just require a bit more management of where things are installed. https://www.amazon.com/CT1000BX500SSD1/dp/B07YD579WM/ref=mp_s_a_1_5?dchild=1&keywords=1tb+ssd&qid=1592325567&sr=8-5 Here's a 1TB sata SSD if you don't mind it being 3.5 inch rather than m.2

https://www.amazon.com/Crucial-MX500-NAND-2280SS-Internal/dp/B0784SY515/ref=mp_s_a_1_2_sspa?dchild=1&keywords=m.2+1tb&qid=1592325630&sr=8-2-spons&psc=1&spLa=ZW5jcnlwdGVkUXVhbGlmaWVyPUEzTjFKUVpYVjBNSkREJmVuY3J5cHRlZElkPUEwNTc5ODI3MzhDTkxMNEo3NFJVQiZlbmNyeXB0ZWRBZElkPUEwMzI3MjIxMkJBTUJOTlNMWE5SWiZ3aWRnZXROYW1lPXNwX3Bob25lX3NlYXJjaF9hdGYmYWN0aW9uPWNsaWNrUmVkaXJlY3QmZG9Ob3RMb2dDbGljaz10cnVl And here's a sata m.2

For a second I thought you were talking about a macbook pro, but realized it was Mac Pro. For the SSD as mentioned don't go with OWC (their ssd died on me), but get this one https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0784SY515/ref=twister_B07CC1KF6K?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1or something close to that, I have the P1 on my macbook and so far experience wise it is great.

But in my opinion (this is an alternative) after seeing you plans for upgrades, I'd just invest your money in a gaming pc/editing rig. Much than a Mac Pro and you can do it under 1k. Although being windows, you an at least have better performance.

Crucial 1TB NVMe: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0784SY515

Samsung 970 EVO Plus: https://www.amazon.com/Samsung-970-EVO-Plus-MZ-V7S1T0B/dp/B07MFZY2F2

The Samsung drive has higher read/write speeds than the Crucial, however both of these options would be much faster than a mechanical drive or SATA SSD (which is what your Intel drive is).

Keep in mind since I don't know what your current motherboard is, I can't recommend purchasing that now. These drives will work for the motherboard you have in your pcpartpicker list. If your current board doesn't have an M.2 NVMe slot, you won't be able to use them.

If you're looking for a more "traditional" SSD that you'd install internally with a SATA cable I'd recommend the WD SSD I recommended earlier because it's a great price for what you get, and you're looking at saving money for a new build.

Found a good m.2 1TB for about the same price as the SSD:

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0784SY515

(Psst! You can buy the same drive on Amazon for $90 and return the one you ordered 2 days ago! Link: https://www.amazon.com/Crucial-MX500-NAND-2280SS-Internal/dp/B0784SY515/ref=mp_s_a_1_4?dchild=1&keywords=crucial+mx500&qid=1602771252&sprefix=crucial+m&sr=8-4 )

https://www.amazon.com/Blue-NAND-1TB-SSD-WDS100T2B0B/dp/B073SB2MXT/ref=sr_1_8?keywords=M.2&qid=1579795301&sr=8-8

https://www.amazon.com/Crucial-MX500-NAND-2280SS-Internal/dp/B0784SY515/ref=sr_1_14?keywords=M.2+1tb&qid=1579795347&sr=8-14

​

I personally bought the Crucial one recently and it's done perfectly fine

I just picked up this m.2 drive https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0784SY515/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1 .

I already have this 2.5inch drive https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0784SLQM6/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1 .

It looks like the read/write speed is the same (I think it's the same drive, just different size and form factor?). Is there any reason for me to relocate my boot drive to the m.2, or can I just use it for my games and leave the boot where it is?

Upgrade to 2700 for more cores or 3600 for faster speed. Look at getting a bigger boot drive.

Try looking at this:https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07LGF54XR/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o06_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Or this for a boot drive:

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0784SY515/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o04_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Other than that, the build looks good for your budget.

Edit, forgot about this for case: https://www.newegg.com/black-fractal-design-meshify-c-dark-tg-atx-mid-tower/p/N82E16811352072?Description=mesfiy%20c&cm_re=mesfiy_c-_-11-352-072-_-Product&quicklink=true

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