Hey everyone! I’m currently putting together a new Ryzen 7000 series build (likely centered around a 7800X3D) and I really want to take full advantage of the AM5 platform’s PCIe 5.0 capabilities. I’ve been looking at some of the newer Gen 5 NVMe drives, like the Crucial T700, which claim speeds up to 12,400 MB/s, but I’m seeing some mixed reviews regarding thermal throttling and whether they actually need those massive active heatsinks to stay stable during long sessions.
Since I’m planning on doing a mix of heavy 4K video editing and some high-end gaming, I want the absolute fastest storage possible without it becoming a bottleneck or a literal space heater in my case. I know the Samsung 990 Pro is basically the king of Gen 4, but if I'm building on a motherboard that supports Gen 5, I feel like I might be leaving performance on the table by not upgrading.
Has anyone here actually tested a Gen 5 drive on an X670E or B650E board yet? Are those advertised sequential speeds actually noticeable in real-world daily workflows compared to top-tier Gen 4 drives, and which specific model would you recommend for the best balance of reliability and raw speed right now?
yo, i've been running a gen 5 drive on my x670e for months and honestly, it's a beast for 4k editing. but yeah, it gets spicy fast, so you definitely need cooling. - Crucial T700 2TB PCIe Gen5 NVMe M.2 SSD (get the one with the heatsink!)
- TeamGroup T-Force Cardea Z540 2TB Gen5 NVMe SSD basically, if you're doing heavy video work, that extra speed is highkey worth it over the 990 pro. gl with the build!
Basically, for budget safety, check:
- Inland TD510 2TB PCIe Gen5 NVMe M.2 SSD (~$240)
It uses the Phison E26 controller. Honestly, use a beefy heatsink so it wont throttle during heavy 4K renders!! gl
So, I've been building rigs for a minute and my cautious side says don't get blinded by the Gen 5 hype train just yet. If ur doing a DIY build, you can save a ton of money by grabbing a high-end Gen 4 drive and just making sure ur airflow is solid. Honestly, for 4K editing, having a drive that doesn't throttle after 10 minutes is way more important than peak sequential speeds. * Western Digital WD_BLACK SN850X 2TB NVMe Internal Gaming SSD - Basically the gold standard for price-to-performance right now. * SK Hynix Platinum P41 2TB PCIe NVMe Gen4 M.2 2280 Internal SSD - Super efficient and runs much cooler during heavy renders. And like, if you do go Gen 5, don't pay the premium for those "heatsink editions." You can just buy the bare drive and mount a decent 3rd party cooler yourself. It’s a bit more work but it saves cash and usually performs way better. But tbh, for daily tasks, that extra speed is barely noticeable... wait no, it's great for huge file moves, but maybe not worth the "space heater" risk for a daily driver yet.
For your situation, I'd suggest being cautious with Gen 5. While the Gigabyte AORUS Gen5 12000 SSD 2TB is a beast for 4K work, it basically acts like a space heater. Compare that to the Nextorage NE5N 2TB PCIe Gen5 NVMe SSD which is also fast but requires massive airflow. Honestly, unless your motherboard heatsink is huge, you might wanna stick to the Samsung 990 Pro 2TB NVMe PCIe 4.0 for stability. Safety first, right?
Saw this earlier but just now getting a chance to reply! Totally agree with the above about the thermals. I'm still kinda new to the AM5 scene myself, but I've been obsessing over the specs for my own 7800X3D rig and it’s honestly a lot to take in!! WARNING: The biggest mistake I see people make is buying these super fast drives without realizing they need insane cooling. If your case is small or your GPU runs hot, a Gen 5 drive can literally drop to Gen 3 speeds once it hits that thermal limit. It’s kinda scary how fast they heat up during heavy 4K exports. Basically, the problem is that Gen 5 is still in that 'early adopter' phase where you pay a massive premium for diminishing returns. Ngl, those sequential speeds look amazing on paper, but for daily stuff? You probably won't notice a difference from a high-end Gen 4 drive. My advice? If you want the best balance of reliability and cost, stick with a solid Gen 4 drive from a brand like WD or Seagate. You'll save enough money to maybe even bump up your GPU or RAM. But if you highkey need the fastest for your video work, just make sure you have a motherboard with a MASSIVE built-in heatsink or get one of those drives that comes with its own tiny fan (even though they can be kinda loud). TL;DR: Gen 5 is insanely fast but runs hot and costs way too much right now. Stick with high-end Gen 4 for the best value unless you REALLY need that 10GB/s+ speed for work. 👍
Yep, this is the way
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^ This. Also, people really underestimate how much heat kills the actual performance gains you're paying for. In my experience, I jumped into the high-end Gen 5 stuff way too fast without a real plan for the thermals. My current setup looked amazing on paper, but when I started doing heavy batch renders, the speeds would just fall off a cliff after like five minutes. Honestly, it was pretty humbling because I thought I had the ultimate rig, but my old Gen 4 drive was actually more consistent during long sessions because it didn't turn into a toaster. I learned the hard way that peak speeds are mostly for benchmarks. If you're doing serious video work, you gotta look at the sustained rates. I had to rip apart my cable management and add extra intake fans just to keep things stable. It's totally worth it once you get it dialed in tho, because when it stays cool, the snappiness in the timeline is actually unreal. Just make sure you're ready to tweak your airflow because these new drives are no joke when it comes to heat output.
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