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There's no denying that DRAM-less SSDs have come a long way in the past few years. With faster controllers and Host Memory Buffer (HMB) support, they are now a solid alternative to DRAM-equipped drives. In fact, after reviewing the benchmarks and product pages, many may think that paying extra for DRAM-based SSDs doesn't make sense.
I thought the same, but my perspective changed when I started using a DRAM-less SSD as my daily drive. It handled everyday tasks surprisingly well, but I encountered a few frustrating inconsistencies that synthetic benchmarks can't fully capture.
Modern DRAM-less SSDs are better than ever, but the numbers don't tell everything
My daily experience exposed compromises I didn't expect
On paper, modern controllers and HMB support mean many DRAM-less SSDs deliver performance that should be very close to that of their DRAM-equipped counterparts. That also means these drives without DRAM wouldn't be a bad choice for daily use, but the story changes if you consider heavy workloads.
The sequential speeds and everyday performance don't paint the full picture. You wouldn't notice any significant issues with boot times, application launch delays, or game load times. The cracks only started to appear when my workload became less predictable.
Hiccups started to show when copying large files, running Windows updates while other applications were open, or juggling through several tasks at once. There weren't constant slowdowns, but they were happening often enough that I stopped viewing them as isolated incidents.
DRAM SSDs aren't about peak speeds, but also about consistency
Onboard DRAM makes a difference
A DRAM chip primarily handles storing the Flash Translation Layer (FTL). This acts like a map, telling the controller where the data is physically stored in the NAND flash. With this information readily available, the controller can locate and write data more efficiently, especially when the SSD is handling multiple requests.
For a DRAM-less SSD, it has to work around the limitation of not having the FTL readily available. The modern drives use HMB, essentially borrowing a portion of the system's RAM to store the mapping table. As for the others, they rely on the NAND flash itself.
HMB helps to close the gap, sometimes by a lot, but once the workload grows beyond what the borrowed cache can handle, issues start to rise. It's also worth noting that sustained write operations can put pressure on the controller, making it even harder for the DRAM-less drive to keep track of where data is stored.
So, in comparison, an SSD with a decent amount of DRAM can deliver more consistent performance. There is a lower likelihood of slowdowns when the workload intensifies.
The price gap between DRAM-less and SSDs with DRAM isn't big either
But not every DRAM SSD is worth it
Depending on capacity and model, it's possible to get an SSD with DRAM for $15 to $30 more than a DRAM-less counterpart. That is, the price difference isn't as large as it used to be. After using the DRAM-less SSD as my primary drive, the around $30 premium for an SSD with DRAM feels more worthwhile.
Of course, this doesn't mean that every DRAM-equipped SSD is automatically better than one without DRAM. NAND quality, controller design, firmware, and other factors play a significant role in the overall performance and stability of the drive.
A well-designed DRAM-less SSD can still outperform a poorly implemented DRAM drive in certain situations. Still, given my workload, if there were two comparable drives with only a modest price difference, I would go for the one with DRAM.
I'm making my DRAM-less SSD a secondary drive
Modern DRAM-less drives still have a place, but not particularly as a primary SSD
Testing a DRAM-less SSD as my daily drive changed my perspective, but it's not like I wouldn't go fully against these slightly cheaper drives. They are still a good pick as a secondary drive, for PCs that don't handle heavy workloads or large file transfers, and for workloads where HMB is more than sufficient.
The DRAM-less SSD I currently have, for example, will be relegated to a secondary drive in my PC. For my primary drive, I'm paying a little extra for a DRAM-equipped SSD.
