The speed at which your computer boots up, how quickly it operates fluently, and how long its battery lasts all depend on the type of storage you have. Solid-state drives (SSDs) are more expensive than standard hard disk drives (HDDs), but they’re significantly faster and last longer. Different types of SSD technologies includes SATA, PCI Express, M.2, U.2, & NVMe SSDs.
How Does an SSD Work?
Unlike HDDs, which store data using the magnetic properties of materials, SSDs store data using flash memory chips. These chips are made up of transistors, which are on/off switches that process data at extremely high rates. SSDs operate more like memory cards, CDs, and DVDs than HDDs. The difference is that SSDs use flash memory, which can be written to and erased quickly. This allows your computer to read and write data much more quickly than it would with an HDD.
Types of SSD Technologies
SATA SSD
Serial ATA (SATA) has been around for over a decade and is one of the most widely used data storage interfaces in computing today. The standard has undergone several revisions to improve performance and reliability, and the latest revision – SATA 6.0 – is being used in many new high-capacity drives.
PCIe SSD
PCI Express is a high-speed serial data transfer standard. It is commonly used for connecting high-performance components in computers and data storage devices. PCIe SSDs use a high-speed interface that connects directly to the motherboard via a PCI Express slot. Originally designed for PCI Express cards connected to a computer’s motherboard, the technology can now be found in a wide range of applications – from graphics cards to solid-state drives. PCIe offers a significant performance advantage over SATA due to its higher bandwidth and lower latency.
M.2 SSD
A small form-factor standard for connecting flash drives and other devices to computers. These SSDs use a different type of flash memory called eMMC (embedded memory) instead of traditional hard drive memory. M.2 uses the same logging technology as SATA but is significantly smaller, allowing manufacturers to produce more portable storage devices. M.2 has been increasingly used since the early 2010s.
U.2 SSD
U.2 is a data storage interface used to connect high-capacity 2.5-inch drives in external storage devices such as external hard drives, RAID storage systems, and storage servers. This interface is used in enterprise-grade gear with high-capacity 2.5-inch hard drive models. The other key feature of U.2 SSD technology is that it can be hot-swappable. Which means that it can be removed while the device is running without interrupting its operation
NVMe SSD
Non-Volatile Memory Express is one of the types of SSD technologies that uses a PCIe interface to connect directly to the motherboard. NVMe is a data storage interface designed to replace the aging SATA III standard (or SATA 6.0). It is based on PCIe and offers significantly higher performance, lower latency, and increased scalability. NVMe is dedicated to the data center and is increasingly being used in fast SSD drives for high-performance computing. These SSDs also feature advanced security features such NVMe Encode and NVMe Read Intrusion Protection.
It’s important to note that not all NVMe SSDs are created equal. Some use premium flash memory that comes with a premium price. The best way to choose an NVMe SSD is by assessing its performance characteristics, such as the average IOPS (input/output operations per second) and the maximum sustained IOPS. NVMe SSDs are ideal for users who require fast read/write speeds and low latency, such as cloud storage providers and content creators.
