What's the difference between NVMe and SATA SSDs?

NVMe M.2 drives plug into the motherboard and are far faster — PCIe 4.0 reaches around 7,000 MB/s. SATA SSDs top out near 550 MB/s but are cheaper and fit almost any PC. Both are a major upgrade over a mechanical hard drive; use NVMe where your board supports it and SATA for value or older systems.

Is a PCIe 5.0 SSD worth it over PCIe 4.0?

For most people, no. PCIe 4.0 is already very fast and handles gaming and everyday work easily. PCIe 5.0 doubles the headline speed but gives only a marginal real-world gaming gain and runs hotter — it mainly benefits heavy creator workloads. You also need a motherboard with a PCIe 5.0 M.2 slot.

How much SSD capacity do I need for gaming?

1TB is the comfortable mainstream size for Windows plus a decent game library, since modern games can run 50–150GB each. 500GB fills quickly. If you keep many large games installed, look at 2TB or more. A second drive for bulk storage is a common, cost-effective approach.

Will an SSD speed up an old laptop or PC?

Yes — it's usually the single most noticeable upgrade. Swapping a mechanical hard drive for even a SATA SSD cuts boot times and app launches dramatically and makes an older machine feel new. If the system has an M.2 slot, an NVMe drive is faster still. It's the best-value upgrade for an ageing PC.

What's the difference between TLC and QLC SSDs?

TLC NAND is the mainstream choice with a good balance of speed, endurance and price. QLC is cheaper per gigabyte but has lower write endurance and can slow during sustained writes. QLC is fine for bulk storage; for a main boot-and-games drive that gets written often, TLC is the safer pick.

Do NVMe SSDs need a heatsink?

High-performance NVMe drives can warm up under sustained load and may throttle to protect themselves. A heatsink helps, and many motherboards include one for the M.2 slot — especially important for PCIe 5.0 drives. For typical gaming and everyday use, a mid-range PCIe 4.0 NVMe drive rarely has a heat problem.

Can I use both an NVMe and a SATA drive together?

Yes, and it's a popular setup. Run a fast NVMe drive for Windows and your most-played games, and add a larger SATA SSD or a hard drive for bulk storage and less-used files. Check how many M.2 and SATA ports your motherboard has before planning the combination.

Do SSDs come with a warranty in South Africa?

Yes. Every SSD from Evetech ships with local warranty and nationwide delivery, handled in South Africa. Warranty length varies by brand and range — premium drives often carry longer terms, which signals higher endurance. Check the product page for the term and keep your invoice for any claim.

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Solid State Drives

Solid State Drives (SSDs) 🚀

An SSD is the single fastest upgrade you can make to an older PC — it cuts boot times, app launches and game loads dramatically over a mechanical hard drive. With no moving parts, an SSD is also quieter, more rugged and lower-power. For most builds, the question isn't whether to use one, but which type.

There are two formats. NVMe M.2 drives slot straight onto the motherboard and are the fastest — PCIe 4.0 reaches up to ~7,000 MB/s and PCIe 5.0 up to ~14,000 MB/s. 2.5" SATA SSDs top out around ~550 MB/s but are cheaper, fit almost any PC, and are still a big step up from a hard drive. Match the drive to your motherboard's M.2 slots and your budget.

Evetech stocks NVMe and SATA SSDs from boot-drive capacities to large game and storage libraries, all with local warranty and nationwide delivery. A fast NVMe drive for Windows and your most-played games, with a larger SATA SSD or hard drive for bulk storage, is the sweet spot for most South African builds. Compare capacities and speeds below.

How to Choose an SSD

Pick the SSD on three things: the format your motherboard supports, the capacity you need, and how fast it has to be. A fast NVMe boot-and-games drive plus a larger drive for storage covers most builds well. The points below cover what changes real-world performance.

NVMe M.2 drives plug into the motherboard and are far faster, ideal for Windows, games and active work. SATA SSDs are slower (~550 MB/s) but cheaper and fit almost any PC, including older systems without an M.2 slot. Even a SATA SSD is a huge jump over a hard drive — use NVMe where your board supports it, SATA for value or older machines.

PCIe 4.0 NVMe (up to ~7,000 MB/s) is fast enough for almost everyone, including gaming. PCIe 5.0 (up to ~14,000 MB/s) is a marginal real-world gaming upgrade today and runs hotter, but helps heavy creator workloads with large file transfers. Make sure your motherboard has a PCIe 5.0 M.2 slot before paying for a 5.0 drive.

500GB is a tight minimum for Windows and a few games. 1TB is the comfortable mainstream size for most builds. 2TB or more suits large game libraries or creators working with video and big project files. Buying one larger drive is usually simpler than juggling several small ones.

TLC NAND is the mainstream choice — a good balance of speed, endurance and price. QLC drives are cheaper per gigabyte but have lower write endurance and can slow on sustained writes, which is fine for storage but less ideal as a heavily-written boot drive. For a main drive, TLC is the safer pick.

Fast NVMe drives can warm up under sustained load, so a heatsink (often included on the motherboard) helps avoid thermal throttling, especially with PCIe 5.0. On the games side, NVMe paired with DirectStorage on supported titles can speed up load times further. For most users, a mid-range PCIe 4.0 NVMe drive hits the best balance.