Best SSDs to replace my flash drive used for Merlin addons config/storage

[Scoty]

Hey all, I could not find a concrete "SSD tech/brand" recommendation thread so I thought I would start a new one. I am currently using an old SONY 16GB flash drive, but I have read the "horror" stories about using flash drives instead of SSDs, so I plan to purchase one to replace it before it breaks.

My first options is a Transcend Portable SSD ESD310C 256GB, which I do not use very often, however it is the same form factor as pen drive, so I wonder how reliable it could be...

My other option is to buy a cheap NVMe (e.g. Patriot - P400 LITE - no DRAM, but w/e) with a cheap enclosure (e.g. UGREEN NVMe M.2 USB 3.2 SSD Enclosure, which will have the speed, but 40GBPs options start from 60-70EUR, so no thanks), ofc I won't get full USB Gen3 2x2 speeds. One thing that worries me is that I have read some reviews and seems that the auto power save feature on this enclosures might cause problems.

My third option is to just buy "cheap" external SSD already enclosed, but they are twice as slow compared to the above option and in most cases more expensive.

What would you do, it you were in my shoes?

 

[Ripshod]

I just got a cheap Kingston 120GB (can't remember the model but it was the cheapest 120) and a clear orico case, both from Amazon.

 

[sl4fko]

Don't bother NVME SSDs for that... You don not need such transfer speed, what actually really matters is the latency...

Buy the USB enclosure and a SATA III SSD, 120 GB is more than enough. I have a Sabrent USB case from Amazon (10 EUR) + Samsung 850 EVO 250 GB. Works great.

 

[Tech9]

which will have the speed

The speed of the SSD drive is irrelevant. Your router's hardware will cap it at around 100MB/s anyway. Folks replace USB pen drives with SSD for reliability. Long discussion with suggestions here:

USB recommendations for Diversion / Skynet?

Looking for recommendations for USB drives to be used for scripts / swap running Diversion / Skynet on an AX86U pro. Not interested in anything large-ish, as I only use this drive for running the amtm scripts and not for NAS in any way. Try to keep my io to a minimum since it pushes the CPU so...

www.snbforums.com

 

[Mutzli]

For Asus routers, the USB enclosure matters more than raw transfer speed. If you want TRIM support and full compatibility with the router’s Linux OS, choose an enclosure with a Realtek RTL9210B or ASMedia ASM2362 chipset. Avoid older ASMedia bridges like ASM235CM, as they typically do not pass TRIM through USB.

 

[Twiglets]

I bought this https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B08RVC6F9Y?tag=smallncom-21
(SABRENT M.2 NVMe Enclosure, Tool Free NVMe and SATA, 10Gbps External SSD Enclosure, Reusable Thermal Pad, Compatible with 2230 2242 2260 2280 (EC-SNVE))

You just drop in the NVMe of choice.

I went for https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0CN1M7X89?tag=smallncom-21
(SanDisk Extreme 1TB M.2 NVMe) which was £60 at the time.

Works well and supports TRIM etc (See https://www.snbforums.com/threads/s...nhancements-wg-port-forwarder-and-more.95137/ for SSD TRIM support.)

 

[Mutzli]

I bought this https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B08RVC6F9Y?tag=smallncom-21
(SABRENT M.2 NVMe Enclosure, Tool Free NVMe and SATA, 10Gbps External SSD Enclosure, Reusable Thermal Pad, Compatible with 2230 2242 2260 2280 (EC-SNVE))

You just drop in the NVMe of choice.

I went for https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0CN1M7X89?tag=smallncom-21
(SanDisk Extreme 1TB M.2 NVMe) which was £60 at the time.

Works well and supports TRIM etc (See https://www.snbforums.com/threads/s...nhancements-wg-port-forwarder-and-more.95137/) for SSD TRIM support.

Yes, that enclosure works very well, and it uses the Realtek RTL9210B controller as mentioned above.

 

[Twiglets]

I know it is a bit of 'overkill' but it is not expensive for the enclosure and it is better to be working at the bottom end of the performance range than 'pushing' a cheap & nasty enclosure that is just about 'good enough'.
Remember that the enclosure can also be used later if you upgrade the router etc and/or decide to use something else as your SSD.
The SABRENT is very performant when plugged into a Windoze or linux machine.

 

[Tech9]

The clear Orico case is perfect. It allows early detection of smoke and fire.

 

[Twiglets]

Was not impugning the Orico case BUT there are a lot of enclosures that all look the same BUT are of greatly varying quality.
I tend to find a brand that seems to be liked and gets lots of good reviews.
Such as Anker & SABRENT to name two ... Cue 1001 stories of 'how bad they are !!!'

 

[Justinh]

I've found that NVMe's are now often cheaper per GB than SATA III's. They may be overkill, but if $$ matters ...

 

[Twiglets]

True ... that was the case when I got the enclosure ... I went for the cheapest total price and got the 'mad' transfer speed as an extra !!!
Of course, the router cannot use it !!!

 

[Tech9]

Actually, no SSD is the cheapest and best option for a Router.

 

[Scoty]

I've found that NVMe's are now often cheaper per GB than SATA III's. They may be overkill, but if $$ matters ...

Exactly the case(at least in Europe) - the SATA SSDs(SATA enclosure not included!) are more expensive than getting an NVMe SSD + NVMe enclosure.