28/02/2026 7:25 pm
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So I'm finally putting together my Ryzen 5600 setup and I'm stuck on the storage part. I've got maybe $65 left in the budget for a 1TB drive and I'm torn between a few choices. First there's the Crucial P3 Plus which is Gen 4, so my logic was faster is better right? But then I read somewhere that it uses QLC flash and might slow down a lot once it gets full or if I'm doing big downloads. Then I saw the Teamgroup MP34. It's only Gen 3 but it has DRAM cache which people say is a must-have for a main OS drive.
- Crucial P3 Plus (Gen 4 but QLC)
- Teamgroup MP34 (Gen 3 but has DRAM)
- WD Blue SN580 (Gen 4 and reliable brand?)
I'm mainly just gonna be playing Valorant and some Elden Ring so idk if I'd even notice the difference between Gen 3 and Gen 4 speeds while loading in. Is the DRAM on the older Teamgroup drive worth giving up the extra sequential speed of the newer Gen 4 stuff? I need to buy this by Friday so I can build over the weekend. What would you guys pick if you were trying to save every penny but didnt want a drive that slows to a crawl in six months...
4 Answers
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28/02/2026 7:25 pm
The Teamgroup MP34 1TB NVMe is your best bet. DRAM matters more for boot drives than Gen 4 speeds. You wont notice the difference in Elden Ring loading times anyway.
11
28/02/2026 8:30 pm
Regarding what #2 said about the Teamgroup MP34, DRAM is definitely king for OS drives. But ngl, I've been really happy with the Western Digital WD Black SN770 1TB NVMe lately. It's DRAMless but uses HMB so effectively that it's super snappy for daily tasks. No complaints here, it handles bursty writes way better than that P3 Plus and fits your $65 budget perfectly.
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28/02/2026 7:40 pm
Regarding what #1 said about the Teamgroup MP34 1TB NVMe being the best bet, i definitely agree. Dram is key. Im satisfied with that recommendation because it handles metadata mapping much better than hmb drives like the WD Blue SN580 1TB SSD. To give better advice tho:
- will you be working with large video files or just gaming?
- is the drive gonna be filled past 80% capacity right away?
1
28/02/2026 8:00 pm
Big if true
