ROG GL502VT Storage upgrade options

[Dallen1218]

I have a ASUS ROG Strix GL502VT gaming Laptop and I have a few upgrade options for inceasing my storage memory but I do not know if the newer m.2 memory solution is worth the money.

According to my documentation I should have the option of installing an M.2 SSD (NVME M.2 PCIe 3.0 X4 SSD)

And/or

A standard 2.5 SSD drive.

I use the laptop for gaming and general use but I have recently been getting tired of the slow hang ups that I believe my slower standard platter drive is causing so I am looking into upgrading the storage drives. I thought about getting a smaller m.2 drive(512gb) and supplementing it with a larger 500GB SSD drive but then I start wondering if the price of both drives are worth it. I have been trying to read up and educate myself on the new m.2 drives and I either find one of two answers
1. The m.2 drives are much faster on paper and I will never know the difference.
2. The m.2 drives are much faster and would solely invest in a good one to be a boot drive.

I come here seeking help on whether or not my laptop would benefit from such a drive and if it is worth the price.

What would be my optimal route?

Should I get a smaller cheaper m.2 for a boot/favorite application drive and keep my platter drive for mass storage(currently a 1TB HDD).
Should I get both a smaller m.2 drive and a medium(500GB) SSD drive.
Or should I skip the m.2 drive all together and just upgrade my current HDD to a 500/1TB SDD.

 

[IHateSmurfs]

Yeah grab a M.2 NVMe drive. There are a lot of budget drives, but I recommend the Samsung 960 EVO if you can afford it. There are lots of space options and it has faster speeds than a tradicional drive. Hope I helped!

 

[Dallen1218]

Thank you for your reply! I will definitely start reading up on the m.2 drives and see is the Samsung evo is right for me.

 

[Dallen1218]

Yeah grab a M.2 NVMe drive. There are a lot of budget drives, but I recommend the Samsung 960 EVO if you can afford it. There are lots of space options and it has faster speeds than a tradicional drive. Hope I helped!

Have you actually used the 960 EVO? I have been looking into it and there seems to be a heat issue. I was wondering if this would cause me issues with gaming since I will be putting the NVMe drive into a laptop.

 

[IHateSmurfs]

Well, I haven't but I know some people that do use it. If the heat is a issue, grab a single sided M.2 SSD. Single Sided M.2 SSDs have the NAND, DRAM and controllers in one side only to prevent heat issues.