Pretty sure it is a 200 series chipset.

My Googlefoo revealed some additional Dell install documentation. Link

No matter what path (ssd or Optane) you take it should be a pretty fast system.

Skins, I have one very similar only a 6700k.

It is about 6 months old. I HATE with a passion the mouse on it.

If that system has a M.2 slot, I'd fill it with one of these Samsung 960 EVO NVMe drives, install the operating system and my application software on it, and enjoy the fruits of my labors.

quote:

Originally posted by bigdeal:
If that system has a M.2 slot, I'd fill it with one of these Samsung 960 EVO NVMe drives, install the operating system and my application software on it, and enjoy the fruits of my labors.

I'm deciding between that and $50 cheaper Intel Optane 32GB.

Anyone with real world experience have a reason I should spend the extra $50? From everything I've read/watched it is just as effective as using SSD.


Aquabird,

I have no problem with the mouse, I have the same one included with computer I'm sending back to Dell. Only thing I don't like is I sometimes hit back button inadvertently.

If the M2 slot supports nvme (it should but check) > a nvme drive (prefer Intel or the Samsung Pro model) will yield better performance than the Optane module.
However, you will end up with less drive space unless you get a large nvme ssd which is spendy.
I have bench tedsted many drives for throughput ~ the nvme is very fast.

{snip}
What type of form factors do you offer for Intel Optane memory?

Intel Optane memory module comes in an B and M key, M.2 form factor that uses a PCIe NVMe* connection.

quote:

Originally posted by smschulz:
If the M2 slot supports nvme (it should but check) > a nvme drive (prefer Intel or the Samsung Pro model) will yield better performance than the Optane module.
However, you will end up with less drive space unless you get a large nvme ssd which is spendy.
I have bench tedsted many drives for throughput ~ the nvme is very fast.

{snip}
What type of form factors do you offer for Intel Optane memory?

Intel Optane memory module comes in an B and M key, M.2 form factor that uses a PCIe NVMe* connection.

I should be fine either way Optane or SSD. Girlfriend, just dropped 335GB of pics/video on my computer from our recent trip.

This has me thinking... $220 for 500gb Samsung 960 NVMe or back to Optane 32GB and use that plus HDD as a large SSDish thing? My decision just went from $80 v. $130 to $80 v. $220.

So I think I'm just going to pick up Optane 32GB. If not I'm getting the Samsung EVO 960 500GB SSD.

Anyone want to make a last minute pitch for which I should do? It's $80 v $220. So pretty big difference, will I get $140 better in performance? I think my GF might do some video editing on it possibly, at least from our recent trip, before she gets a new one herself.

Thoughts?

I would get the SSD, start up speed is worth it - push the on button and the computer is online in 30 seconds. It's one of those "should have done this sooner" moments.

You can save a few bucks with the Crucial 525GB M2
https://www.amazon.com/Crucial...crucial+mx300+m2+525

quote:

Originally posted by Skins2881:
So I think I'm just going to pick up Optane 32GB. If not I'm getting the Samsung EVO 960 500GB SSD.

Anyone want to make a last minute pitch for which I should do? It's $80 v $220. So pretty big difference, will I get $140 better in performance? I think my GF might do some video editing on it possibly, at least from our recent trip, before she gets a new one herself.

Thoughts?

Go for it.
Pretty much outlined everything you need to know above.
Is it "worth" the $140? Only you can answer that.
The module will allow for repeated doing the same thing (program) to work faster.
Atto disk tests reveal great results for reads , average for writes (but this is not critical or even important for a desktop/workstation).
An nvme drive (no Optane mod) would be faster but more expensive, less space for the same $.
Either way it will be an improvement.
Good Luck.

quote:

Originally posted by smschulz:

quote:

Originally posted by Skins2881:
So I think I'm just going to pick up Optane 32GB. If not I'm getting the Samsung EVO 960 500GB SSD.

Anyone want to make a last minute pitch for which I should do? It's $80 v $220. So pretty big difference, will I get $140 better in performance? I think my GF might do some video editing on it possibly, at least from our recent trip, before she gets a new one herself.

Thoughts?

Go for it.
Pretty much outlined everything you need to know above.
Is it "worth" the $140? Only you can answer that.
The module will allow for repeated doing the same thing (program) to work faster.
Atto disk tests reveal great results for reads , average for writes (but this is not critical or even important for a desktop/workstation).
An nvme drive (no Optane mod) would be faster but more expensive, less space for the same $.
Either way it will be an improvement.
Good Luck.

Ordered Optane thingamajig. Computer comes today, other thingy comes tomorrow. Hopefully it's easy to figure out install.

Sorry, late to this party but here are my thoughts...


Optane caches frequently used files to make a slower mechanical drive "feel fast". It's basically a RAM chip that doesn't erase itself when it powers off. The software basically figures out which 32gb of data you use the most of, and pre-loads that into the Optane module.

An NVMe is a storage drive that is just straight-up fast. Probably too cost prohibitive for all of your data files, but affordable enough to likely store all of your program files.

Will you get better performance out of an NVMe operating system drive vs the Optane module? Maybe.

If all you cared about is boot speed and starting the same few programs (typical of most users), then a mechanical drive paired with an Optane module will feel just as fast as an NVMe with all of your program files on it.

An NVMe will give better load times for really large program files, where a 32gb Optane drive doesn't have the space to cache the OS and still have room for the other program files.
For instance, you might see some performance improvement for games with large game files that have to load between missions/chapters/maps.

Where you will likely find your bottle neck is with your mechanical storage drive for your girlfriend's video and photo editing. I came back from Africa with 225gb of photos and even a SATA3 SSD feels slow when trying to quickly sort through the files. 20 minutes of 4k video is like 16gb. There's no way for the Optane module to help with this, so you'll likely be working with these large data files at mechanical hard drive speeds.

If you truly are considering video editing with your computer, I would opt for the 500gb NVMe drive (more if you can afford it) and a mechanical drive. Install the program files and OS files onto the NVMe, and keep it as tidy as possible, which will give you about 350-400gb of fast drive space to work with your video files. When you are done working with the video files, move them onto the mechanical drive for storage.

I think I'll be fine with the Optane 32GB, the 500GB SSD went up to $240, that extra $20 sealed the deal to me. Hopefully GF will be getting new computer of her own soon. So she won't be using mine. Her old computer was enough for her pictures, but couldn't handle 4k video.

At that point I have a way over built computer for small Excel files, SIGforum, online billpay, YouTube, and very infrequent games of World of Warships.

I could do 99% of what I use my computer for on a cell phone. I could have easily got by with a computer with 1/3 the specs I got. If I decide I need more than a accelerated boot time. I'll get SSD later.