Recently a friend find me ,he feels a little confused to upgrade his memory. he finds all solid state drives are almost the same, Is there any better ways to choose the right SSD to build your own PC ?  Here I want to share this way with yo all . It explains the M.2 form factor, the differences between SATA vs. PCIe and NVMe .With this ,it is easier for you to make decisions about which SSD is right for you.

M.2 SSD

First,M.2 is a form factor that was introduced in 2012 and designed to replace the mSATA. The form factor specification spells out the physical size and shape of the SSD card connect to your system. The M.2 form factor is designed to maximize PCB (printed circuit board) while minimizing the amount of space it takes up in your PC or laptop. If you need connect an M.2 specified SSD, your motherboard will need to have an M.2 slot.

Second,an M.2 SSD is a solid-state drive that uses the M.2 form factor, which is a small, rectangular card-like shape. It’s designed to be faster and more compact than traditional hard drives, making it ideal for laptops and desktops where space is limited and faster speed is needed.

Third The M.2 form factors is small and rectangular in shape, almost like a piece of gum. Sizes can vary but they’re generally 22 millimeters wide. Lengths can also vary and always comes in 42, 60, 80, or 110 millimeters. Motherboards will accommodate a variety of lengths for an M.2 module to allow for flexibility, while the width is more fixed.

Finally ,when you buy an SSD like the M.2 2280 SATA SSD I6 Series you may see something like “M.2 2280” in the title, which is a combination of its dimensions — 22mm and 80mm in length — helping you know what to buy.

M.2 SATA SSD vs. M.2 NVMe SSD

First, if we compare M.2 SATA SSDs to M.2 NVMe SSDs, it’s essential to understand the technology and how it impacts performance. M.2 SATA SSDs utilize the SATA interface, a widely used standard in storage devices. This interface, while an improvement over traditional hard drives, has its limitations. M.2 SATA SSDs can achieve speeds comparable to their 2.5-inch SATA counterparts, typically reaching around 550-600 MB/s for sequential read/write operations. While faster than HDDs, this speed is capped by the SATA interface’s bandwidth.

Second,M.2 NVMe SSDs leverage the PCIe (Peripheral Component Interconnect Express) interface, designed specifically for solid-state storage. PCIe offers significantly higher data transfer speeds compared to SATA, allowing NVMe SSDs to achieve much faster performance. NVMe SSDs can often surpass 3000 MB/s for both read and write speed, with the M.2 2280 NVMe SSD I6 pro Series reaching  3,100 MB/s thanks to the high-speed PCIe lanes enabling rapid communication between the SSD and the rest of the system.

The performance gap between M.2 SATA SSDs and M.2 NVMe SSDs becomes evident in demanding tasks such as gaming, content creation, and professional workloads. NVMe SSDs excel in scenarios where speed is paramount, offering quicker load times, faster file transfers, and improved overall system responsiveness. However, it’s worth noting that for everyday computing tasks like web browsing and document editing, the difference in performance may not be as noticeable.

PCIe SSD

PCIe (Peripheral Component Interconnect Express) is a newer interface that features a smaller physical footprint, meaning it takes up less space in your computer. The real advantage of the PCIe interface over SATA is the ability to transmit data on up to four lanes, whereas SATA only has one. When combined with an NVMe SSD, which we’ll discuss shortly, PCIe SSD read/write speeds increase even more than SATA.

PCIe vs SATA

The implementation of multiple lanes for the PCIe connection is one of the most essential features. PCIe usually uses four lanes for storage devices, resulting in data exchange that is four times faster than a SATA connection, which only has one lane. This provides faster read and write speeds, as seen in the table below -—- meaning faster gameplay, smoother multitasking and a more responsive computer.

What is NVMe?

If you have a SATA interface, you’ll need to connect a SATA SSD if you’re looking to upgrade your memory, but what if you have PCIe?

NVMe (NVM Express™, or Non-Volatile Memory Express) is a communication protocol designed specifically to work with flash memory using the PCIe interface. NVMe was created to take advantage of the parallel nature of solid state drives.

NVMe SSDs combined with a PCIe interface create unrivaled read and write speeds. However, you can also get PCIe compatible SSDs that are non-NVMe.

NVMe performance

Combining the NVMe SSD and the PCIe connection results in read and write speeds that are four times faster than a SATA SSD.

NVMe complements the parallel structure of contemporary CPUs, platforms, and applications. These parallel structures allow for more commands to flow simultaneously. NVMe uses an optimized path to issue commands and complete input/output, and it supports parallel operation with up to 64,000 commands within a single I/O queue and 64,000 possible queues. Older protocols such as SCSI are serial in nature, with a limited number of commands in a single queue.

Discover our range of NVMe SSDs including the M.2 PCIe NVMe SSD I6 Pro series 512GB ~4TB and our U.2 PCIe SSD 2TB~8TB

How to choose the right SSD for you ?

First of all, Compatibility with your computer is the key factor in choosing an SSD interface. It can be challenging to tell the difference between PCIe and SATA connections if you look at the slot on the motherboard. Check your computer specifications to see which interface your computer supports.

If you have the option of multiple M.2 slots where at least one supports PCIe, it’s worth considering your secondary slot for an SSD upgrade. After of all ,when combined with an NVMe SSD, PCIe will result in faster read and write times.