SSDs or solid state disks are growing more and more popular in the world of computers, as they offer much faster and more reliable storage than the older HDDs. With the creation of the M.2 NVMe SSD, some would argue that it is bound to replace the SSD.
I mostly agree with that statement, as the same situation happened with the HDD, however, the HDD has still not totally died, and is still being used in older PCs and by those who need more storage at a lower cost.
What is a SATA SSD?
SATA (serial advanced technology attachement) SSDs are the SSDs that I discussed in the last two paragraphs, the ones thought to be being replaced by the M.2 SSD.
As I have said already, SATA SSDs are much faster than their predecessor, the HDD (hard disk drive), and are connected to the motherboard through a SATA cable (see how that makes sense now).
SATA SSDs have a top transfer speed of around 600MB/s. Though you would be paying quite a premium for that speed. I estimate that it would cost you around three to five hundred dollars depending on how much storage and how large of a cache you would want that to go along with.
Another really cool feature of SATA SSDs is that you are able to use them almost in a plug-and-play manner, so you could remove your solid disk while your computer is running and not have any ill effects (sort of).
This is why a few more inventive computer owners have taken up turning SATA SSDs into portable hard drives. Personally, I think that would be a really cool project, but it could turn out pretty costly if you mess up with an expensive SSD.
What is a M.2 NVMe SSD?
M.2 NVMe (non-volatile memory express) SSDs are storage devices based off of SATA SSDs, but are a lot slimmer, to the point that they look a lot more like RAM sticks than a storage device.
The non-volatile part of the name comes from the fact that you truly can pull out a M.2 NVMe SSD while your computer is running and not damage any of your files. Again, DIYers have experimented with these for making external storage devices, and have had a good amount of success. But again, the actual storage device is really expensive.
The top transfer speed of the best M.2 SSD is a blazing fast speed of 3,500 MB/s. Which doesn’t even sound right to me, honestly I have checked that statistic many times because I truly thought I had it wrong.
If you are wondering, it would cost you a lung to buy a M.2 SSD with that transfer speed, but I can confidently say that the price of these are likely to go down over time. So one day you and I may be able to afford one of these.
The form factor of the M.2 SSD is what I find really impressive, they are tiny. If you know what a RAM stick looks like, you have a pretty good image of what some of these look like.
They are really thin sticks that you can either directly connect to a PCIe port, or use a PCIe extender to fit many of them in a small area in the case of a database or some other purpose. If you can manage to afford that.
Whats the difference?
There are a few key differences between the SATA SSD and the M.2 NVMe SSD. For the sake of making this easier for you to read I will give you two lists, one of what the SATA SSD does better, and one of what the M.2 NVMe SSD is better suited to.
Where the SATA SSD is king:
- price point
- connectivity with older computers
Where the M.2 beats out the competition:
- transfer speeds
- size (I’m counting smaller as better)
- future compatibility (if you have the money, these will be much better in a new rig)
And one more for where there is a stalemate:
- storage space
- reliability
When should you use a SATA SSD?
If you have some files that you would like to boot up a lot quicker, and be stored somewhere that is much more reliable, but don’t want to spend a ton of money.
In older computers that may not have the PCIe slots to make using M.2s possible.
Or in average workloads, not over the top things, that could use a speed boost, but not to the point that would make a M.2 reasonable.
When should you use a M.2?
In scenarios where you are doing work that is really hard on your computer, and you need it to boot fast so that it can keep up with your work and your other hardware. This would be where performance is a priority, and you can afford to spend a little more to get the bonuses.
If you are running some sort of database or a server that you need to fit a lot of storage devices into a very small area.
Say you have a small chassis, like a HTPC case. If you wanted a lot of storage and tried to use SATA SSDs you would run into issues with cabling, as it would block airflow and take up vital space. That is where the small form factor of M.2 NVMe SSDs win.
Thank you for reading! Have a great day!
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