Storage Dictionary for South Africa

Quick Answer

Storage terminology gets confusing fast. This SA-focused dictionary breaks down NVMe, SATA, DRAM cache, TBW, and other key terms so you can buy with confidence whether you're building a budget rig or upgrading a workstation.

Drive Types and Connections

NVMe SSDs use the M.2 slot directly on your motherboard with PCIe lanes - Gen3 hits roughly 3,500MB/s, Gen4 doubles that to 7,000MB/s, and Gen5 reaches 14,000MB/s on top-tier drives like the Samsung 9100 Pro. SATA SSDs cap at 550MB/s but cost less per GB, making them the go-to for secondary game libraries. HDDs (mechanical hard drives) remain cheapest per terabyte but trail badly on game load times. For a 2026 SA gaming build, Gen4 NVMe is the value sweet spot at around R1,299 for 1TB.

Performance Specs That Matter

DRAM cache means the SSD has dedicated memory for fast metadata handling, which keeps file access snappy under load. DRAM-less drives cost less but throttle hard in sustained writes longer than 100GB. TBW (terabytes written) shows endurance - a 1TB Samsung 990 EVO Plus rated at 600 TBW handles roughly 165GB of daily writes for 10 years before reaching its warranty ceiling. Sequential speed is the marketing number, but random 4K read/write affects game loading more than the headline figures suggest.

Form Factors and Compatibility

M.2 2280 is the standard size most motherboards accept and what virtually every desktop NVMe drive uses. Some ITX boards and laptops use M.2 2230 or 2242 - check your spec sheet before buying because the wrong size simply won't mount. U.2 is enterprise-only and rarely seen in gaming builds. External SSDs use USB 3.2 Gen 2 (10Gb/s) or USB4 (40Gb/s) for portable performance close to internal drives, ideal for SA students moving between res and home over weekends.

Frequently Asked Questions

What's the difference between QLC and TLC NAND?

TLC stores 3 bits per cell with better endurance and speed. QLC stores 4 bits, which is cheaper per GB but slower under sustained load and rated for fewer write cycles. For gaming, TLC is the safer pick for long-term value.

Do I need Gen5 NVMe for a gaming PC?

Not yet. Most games don't fully use Gen4 bandwidth, so Gen5 only benefits creative workloads in 2026. Save the budget for a better GPU or extra Gen4 capacity instead.

What does HMB do on DRAM-less drives?

Host Memory Buffer borrows system RAM as a substitute cache. It works but lags behind native DRAM, especially during long file transfers and game installs from SA fibre that finish faster than the drive can absorb.