Today, we have a wide variety of formats and form factors of SSDs. Among so many definitions between form factor, connection and interface, in this article we are going to explain everything you need to know. You will learn about SSDs in M.2 format, and the difference they have with 2,5″, and the difference between being SATA or NVMe.
Table of Contents
What is M.2?
M.2 is a form factor for consumer or professional-grade SSDs . It differs from 2,5-inch SSDs. Visually, M.2 SSDs look like small, elongated strips, while 2,5-inch SSDs are small, almost square, rectangular boards.
To be clear, if an SSD is NVMe, it will always be an M.2. Since it uses the motherboard 's PCIe lanes , it cannot use SATA connectors. A SATA SSD can be either 2,5" or M.2 , as both use the SATA data interface, but in a different form factor.
What is an M.2 NVMe SSD?
An M.2 NVMe SSD is a solid-state drive that uses the M.2 slot on a motherboard and the NVMe data interface. These types of storage drives are booming in popularity. This is because they allow you to store the operating system and other software that benefits from high speeds without using one of the motherboard's PCIe slots, which could then be used by other components.
Which is faster, an NVMe M.2 or a SATA SSD?
It all depends on the transfer speeds of each format of the M.2 SSD.
- The SATA 3.0 interface, reaches about 560MB/s.
- The NVMe interface, using PCIe lanes, can reach 10.000 MT/s in the case of PCie Gen 5. These greatly exceed the speed of SATA, although their connection depends on the generation of the ports on the motherboard and CPU compatibility. These two are often closely linked because the CPU itself limits the generation of PCie that a motherboard can have.
How to know if an SSD is an M.2 SATA or an NVMe?
This is a frequently asked question, so we're including it here, but it needs some clarification. All M.2 drives are SSDs . However, an SSD isn't necessarily an M.2 drive; it could be an M.2 SATA drive, a 2,5" SATA SSD, or an M.2 NVMe SSD.
M.2 SATA SSDs use the SATA interface with a maximum data transfer speed of 6 Gbps. They are the lowest-performing SSDs and use the same interface as hard drives, but offer three to four times the bandwidth of spinning hard drives. They are more readily available and are a good alternative to 2,5-inch SSDs if you don't have space for one. They require an M.2 or PCIe slot on the motherboard to be compatible.
It should be said that it should not be confused that it uses the SATA interface with which it connects with SATA cables that are used by 3,5″ and 2,5″ hard drives and SSDs. SATA refers to its data handling interface, and is found on lower-end M.2 SSDs. These SSDs use the M.2 or PCie connection available on some motherboards, and are known to be M.2 because of the connection of one long mid-lane and two short connections.
To differentiate between whether the M.2 is SATA or NVMe, the product label itself indicates whether it is explained whether the SSD uses the SATA or NVMe interface.
How does an M.2 SSD work?
In response to the question " How does an M.2 drive work? " and related questions, in practical terms, it's not much different from how a hard drive works . You connect it to the M.2 slot on the motherboard, if it has one, screw it in, and attach the heatsink to physically install it. Then, you enable it in the control panel using the Disk Management tool. Once installed, you can use it like any other hard drive.
To put an M.2 as a boot disk, it will be necessary to install the operating system on that disk, either manually or by cloning our current boot disk. We turn off the PC, we turn it on by going to the BIOS, and we make the settings so that the M.2 is a boot disk. If we start with a normal hard drive, we will notice how we have a much higher speed and the startup of the entire operating system is only a matter of seconds.
What is an M.2 port?
The M.2 port is a small port that several mid-range and high-end motherboards are introducing to house M.2 SATA SSDs and M.2 NVMe SSDs due to their usefulness as a drive for running the operating system, games, and software suites.
This should not be confused with the PCIe port. This port is located parallel to the graphics card slot on many ATX motherboards . This port is designed for accessories that connect directly to the CPU, which is why it's also used with high-end network cards to achieve lower latency than a USB connection. While you can connect an M.2 SSD to the PCIe slot, it will be positioned perpendicular to the motherboard and could bend if not properly secured.
You can tell if a motherboard has an M.2 PCIe connection if it has a screw hole nearby that doesn't align with the case mounting bracket. It's important to know that an M.2 drive can connect to any size PCIe slot. M.2 isn't exclusive to motherboard M.2 slots, but they are designed to fit and secure better on them.
How big is an M.2 drive?
The NVMe protocol has designated NVMe M.2 SSD model numbers, so the form numbers themselves indicate size. Thus, we have the following models that are the most common:
- 2230
- 2242
- 2260
- 2280
- 22110
The first two numbers indicate the width of the device, which is almost always 22 millimeters, since that is the most common connector size. There are models with larger or smaller widths, but the most widespread is the 22 mm.
The other two numbers, or three in the case of an M.2 SSD with a 22110 form factor, represent its length in millimeters. Depending on its size, it will fit on a motherboard or in the designated space of a laptop . Its size can even be crucial for cooling, as a few millimeters longer with a passive heatsink of the same size can significantly impact overall cooling in high-precision environments like a data center. An SSD with the same speed and storage capacity, but larger, is easier to cool because it can accommodate a larger heatsink and has a greater surface area.
What is the best solid state drive?
This is a difficult question to answer, as increasingly faster models are constantly being released. Currently, the best solid-state drive is the M.2 NVMe format due to its superior speeds. Now that PCIe Gen5, or 5.0, is being implemented, transfer speeds are also increasing to 10.000 MT/s. Furthermore, by connecting directly to the CPU using the PCIe lane, they offer lower latency.
Of course, the amount of data it can store also matters, the security of the SSD, that it has a heatsink that prevents it from heating up, and that it lasts longer. SSDs by their nature degrade with use, more than a mechanical hard drive does, and are sometimes more prone to failure, unless you're talking about enterprise-grade M.2 SSDs. But those are at a very prohibitive price for the ordinary consumer.
