fastest storage option for sims 4

[whizbro97]

As the title says, should I go for NVME or should I just get a decent SSD like hyper x, IF nvme then are these fine? https://appuals.com/best-pcie-nvme-m-2-ssds/ budget is not an issue looking for an expert opinion! Kudos!

[puzzlezaddict · Accepted solution]

@whizbro97  Actually, once it's loaded, Sims 4 runs the same off an HDD as it does an SSD, due to the way it's programmed.  SSDs are great for other reasons, obviously, and even TS4 might benefit from being on a more reliable hard drive.  But in-game, you wouldn't notice any difference.

As far as SATA vs. NVMe, even the newest AAA games run the same on both.  The limiting factor is the way they're programmed, not the speed of the drive.  Here's a test run with the loading screens of Anthem; you can see that the Samsung 860 Evo and 970 Evo have the same performance:

https://www.pcgamer.com/anthem-load-times-tested-hdd-vs-ssd-vs-nvme/

If you do want an NVMe drive for other reasons, the 970 Evo Plus is the best option out there.  It clearly has the best combination of R/W speeds and endurance, and Samsung's firmware is superior as well.  Of course, it's also more expensive than most other options, but it sounds like you don't care.  The 970 Pro isn't much of an upgrade unless you plan on handling massive amounts of data (20-30 GB of writes daily) over the life of the drive.

An 860 Evo would run anything you wanted, TS4 or otherwise, as well as any other drive you could find.  The Qvo is almost as fast and a much cheaper option, but the Evo will last longer, maybe through an extra upgrade cycle.

[puzzlezaddict · Accepted solution]

@whizbro97  Actually, once it's loaded, Sims 4 runs the same off an HDD as it does an SSD, due to the way it's programmed.  SSDs are great for other reasons, obviously, and even TS4 might benefit from being on a more reliable hard drive.  But in-game, you wouldn't notice any difference.

As far as SATA vs. NVMe, even the newest AAA games run the same on both.  The limiting factor is the way they're programmed, not the speed of the drive.  Here's a test run with the loading screens of Anthem; you can see that the Samsung 860 Evo and 970 Evo have the same performance:

https://www.pcgamer.com/anthem-load-times-tested-hdd-vs-ssd-vs-nvme/

If you do want an NVMe drive for other reasons, the 970 Evo Plus is the best option out there.  It clearly has the best combination of R/W speeds and endurance, and Samsung's firmware is superior as well.  Of course, it's also more expensive than most other options, but it sounds like you don't care.  The 970 Pro isn't much of an upgrade unless you plan on handling massive amounts of data (20-30 GB of writes daily) over the life of the drive.

An 860 Evo would run anything you wanted, TS4 or otherwise, as well as any other drive you could find.  The Qvo is almost as fast and a much cheaper option, but the Evo will last longer, maybe through an extra upgrade cycle.