NVMe Disk Recommendations <Cache Pool>

[bombz]

Hello, 

Reaching out to receive some possible feedback regarding (2X) NVMe disk for a ZFS cache pool; mirrored. 
I have been seeing a lot of mixed reviews on disk based around performance, use-case, warranty issues <samsung>, etc.

 

I have been attempting to find a brand of NVMe disk that would be recommended for use with Unraid and thought the community would be the best place to go for real-world feedback.

 

Been having a hard time deciding to pull the trigger. As it has been noted mostly that these disk run hot depending on what they are used for, depending on disk make & model; have seen posts pertaining to corrupted blocks, I/O errors, etc.


I have been looking up the following NVMe disk so far:
*keep in mind 500GB -to- 1TB would be more than sufficient*

• SAMSUNG 970 EVO PLUS M.2 2280 1TB PCIe Gen 3.0 x4, NVMe 1.3 V-NAND Internal Solid State Drive (SSD) MZ-V7S1T0B/AM

• Crucial P2 500GB 3D NAND NVMe PCIe M.2 SSD Up to 2400MB/s - CT500P2SSD8

• Crucial P3 Plus 500GB PCIe Gen4 3D NAND NVMe M.2 SSD, up to 5000MB/s - CT500P3PSSD8

• Western Digital 500GB WD Red SN700 NVMe Internal Solid State Drive SSD for NAS Devices - Gen3 PCIe, M.2 2280, Up to 3,430 MB/s - WDS500G1R0C

• ADATA Legend 840 PCIe Gen4 x4 NVMe 1.4 M.2 Internal Gaming SSD Up to 5,000 MB/s (1TB)

> Any other NVMe disk recommendations that perhaps I have looked over are welcomed <
> NVMe heatsinks seem to be highly recommended.
> Does Gen3 vs. Gen4 make a large difference?

 

Does anyone have some useful feedback for this specific use-case.

Looking forward to receiving some feedback.

 

Thank you kindly. 

Edited November 15, 2023 by bombz

[Michael_P]

On 11/14/2023 at 10:38 PM, bombz said:

SAMSUNG 970 EVO PLUS M.2 2280 1TB PCIe Gen 3.0 x4, NVMe 1.3 V-NAND Internal Solid State Drive (SSD) MZ-V7S1T0B/AM

Had the 2TB variant of this drive, lasted less than a year in my system. Samsung used to be my gold standard, but their quality lately has appeared to have fallen off a cliff (see the 980 issues for example)

I've replaced it with the Crucial P5 plus, too early to give a long term assessment but it's specs are on par

 

On 11/14/2023 at 10:38 PM, bombz said:

> NVMe heatsinks seem to be highly recommended.

 

Added a heatsink to mine, both drives would shoot straight to 70C under any load without it, and now it sits between 45-55 under heavy I/O. A simple one is all that's needed, no need to go fancy unless your particular situation requires it.

 

On 11/14/2023 at 10:38 PM, bombz said:

> Does Gen3 vs. Gen4 make a large difference?

 

Depends on what you're using it for. I was easily able to saturate my 10Gb network with both my gen 3 and gen 4. You'd need a pretty specific use case and powerful kit to hit the limit of either