it's been few weeks, and my little experiment is a success, i.e., if you really need more than 4tb of good-quality ssd space, you can run u.2/3 dc/enterprise drives with no issue.

dc/enterprise options usually run relatively hotter, although they are still within 30 to 50c at normal loads. (still below 70c at heavy loads, so it's good)

at first i thought of posting links to ssds that i used and tested, but for some reasons they were all gone in a week or two after i got mine. (i purchased 5 drives, from 960gb to 3.84tb; all are new units) also, they are mainly pcie 3.0 x4, with speed limited to 3gb/s + only. (the price is good imo, i.e., under 800myr each for micron 7300 pro)

for new systems (e.g., z790 or up), it's better to stick to consumer m.2 nvme options.

i'm not sure about 1tb, but the last time i checked at shopee it was below 550myr for 2tb.

4tb is still highly priced for now. (> 1.5kmyr each)

if u mean sata and nvme also same price, then yes
this is why next time choose mobo, choose the one with more nvme slots

that or if u use laptop, or pc not enough nvme slots, pray it has thunderbolt 3/4 or USB4
if got, get an external nvme enclosure and voila (although u still can't get the full speed if you're using faster protocols like pcie4 or 5 nvmes)

what do you mean?

nvme is just the interface.

unless you are comparing sata ssd vs nvme ssd

if you got empty nvme slot, of course get the nvme drive

any good 2.2 vouchers?

Anything with SM controller. Phison based like KC3000 is prone to getting bricked even by windows updates. Stay away for now.