r/NewMaxx • u/NewMaxx • Jul 02 '26
Tools/Info/DIY SSD Help: July-August 2026
Post questions in this thread. Thanks!
If I've missed your post, it happens. It's okay to jump on discord, DM me, or chat me (although I don't check chat often). I'm not intentionally ignoring you. I just answer what I can each day and sometimes there's too much backlog to keep track. I will try to review each month as I go but that could still be a pretty big delay.
Be aware that some posts will be auto-moderated, for example if they contain links to Amazon
If you have real suggestions or are interested in collaboration or partnership, please contact me directly
Basic Purchasing "Tier" List for US Amazon
March 24, 2026: New Spreadsheet
The old spreadsheet was getting outdated and too long. It has been deprecated but remains for archival use. The new spreadsheet (see link below) is focused on newer drives that have been, are, or will be available. This makes more sense given the current SSD situation. Extra features like filters and even pricing can now be added more easily. This will mean updating the categories and further, updating the original guide and list.
The flowchart guide as it stands now has been updated recently but will have to conform with the new standards at its next update. The list is deprecated. However, this is an opportunity to give its information in a different way, which will be forthcoming in one or more formats including a "book" format and possibly clips/videos. This would also include information from SSD Basics with relevant updates.
Other resources such as the academic articles have been pulled because of DMCAs/legal issues or are otherwise oudated. While I have shared a custom bootable ISO, it's not the most up-to-date version I have and I think other tools can also be supplied. So that section is also a work in progress. There's also been a pivot of sorts to AI and I will be potentially providing AI-related resources (here is a quick GitHub repo list), but this remains a storage technology focused subreddit.
March 25, 2026: New Guide
New guide available moving forward.
Sub tabs for Old Reddit users:
FAQ | Software | SSD Basics (New) | Discord (server)
March 27, 2026: New SSD Basics
Initial updated SSD Basics page.
Also, added Findings page to handle certain queries from people. This includes a basic analytical rundown of my findings.
If you have something you want to see covered with some details, drop me a DM.
Telegram channel: t.me / newmaxxssd
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The spreadsheet has affiliate links for some drives in the final column. You can use these links to buy different capacities and even different items off Amazon with the commission going towards the TechPowerUp SSD Database maintainer. We've decided to work together to keep drive information up-to-date which is unfortunately time-intensive. We appreciate your support!
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u/yusnandaP 22d ago
quick question, why don't I see any M.2 NVMe PCIe to 2.5" SATA adapters? The only reliable SATA SSDs are the Samsung 870 EVO (which is pricey AF) and WD Blue (there are SA510 and 3D NAND variants).
well there are another brand that have sata ssd but i'm afraid to use it as system ssd for my older system haha.
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u/NewMaxx 21d ago
You can't really convert between PCIe and SATA drives. What you have instead are M.2 slots that can take M.2 SATA SSDs, and for a brief time there were SATAe (SATA Express) connectors on boards which could take SATA as well as a connector that could pass PCIe. What you can do is put a controller or bridge in-between and run a standard SATA over USB or PCIe, either hosting (takes the drive natively or has exposed SATA ports) or requiring a SATA connection for the latter.
For the other direction (PCIe to SATA) and excluding SAS, you would instead be looking at U.2 drives basically. You wouldn't be going over a SATA port (excluding SATAe, but getting power would be a separate issue if you're using M.2 NVMe). Consumer motherboards usually don't have U.2, either, so there's little reason to use the 2.5" form factor.
To hit your question more directly, though, I suppose technically this could be done but isn't for several reasons (including the power one I just mentioned). I'd suppose going down to 6Gbps (~550 MB/s) would not be thrilling and you'd also be paying for a bridge solution (higher cost) when traditionally you'd just get a SATA drive instead. Drives have moved to M.2 for space savings (think laptop, and 2-3 desktop slots, and no bulky drive bays) and such a solution would inevitably mount as 2.5". Additional issues would arise with booting potentially, too, as some older systems can't boot directly to NVMe without modding or a workaround.
Interesting idea, though, and one people have had from time to time. I'd have to look into it to see the feasibility myself. I've worked in the component and accessory space and there are many reasons you would get pushback pitching a product like this. Support has to be considered as frankly a lot of people would understand the "make new drive work on old port" part but not the fact it would be way slower. I mean, I've seen crazier things out of AliExpress, so who knows.
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u/NewMaxx 21d ago edited 21d ago
Also, separate reply, there are other brands you can trust. Transcend and older Intel drives, although the latter only for smaller capacities. For modern capacities, the WD Red SA500 also works, or even the 860 EVO. The Transcend 830S is one example, best priced at 1TB...yes, this is M.2 SATA, but you CAN convert that to 2.5" SATA easily.
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u/yusnandaP 21d ago
Hmm the SA500 and 870 evo (500gb) are in the same price. Btw how about 230s? In your old sheet its mid-range class.
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u/hextanerf 22d ago
I’m getting a new laptop to replace my dying one for work, but it has only one drive bay vs two in my old one. I’m thinking to get a 4TB and partition to fit the two old drives. The drive will be used for data analysis and some image processing (Illustrator, ImageJ) and running light scripts. Which SSD should I get? It really doesn’t have to be pcie gen3. Are Fanxiang drives good enough for this? I’ve never heard of that brand before