{"id":15055,"date":"2022-01-12T19:15:14","date_gmt":"2022-01-12T18:15:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/g100.us\/?p=15055"},"modified":"2022-04-27T19:23:02","modified_gmt":"2022-04-27T17:23:02","slug":"ssd-types","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/g100.us\/ssd-types\/","title":{"rendered":"Types of SSDs (List &#038; Explanation)"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_39 counter-hierarchy ez-toc-counter ez-toc-container-direction\">\n<p class=\"ez-toc-title\">TABLE OF CONTENTS<\/p>\n<label for=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-item-668448f8e0a75\" class=\"cssicon\"><span style=\"display: flex;align-items: center;width: 35px;height: 30px;justify-content: center;direction:ltr;\"><svg style=\"fill: #7f11e0;color:#7f11e0\" class=\"list-377408\" width=\"20px\" height=\"20px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\"><path d=\"M6 6H4v2h2V6zm14 0H8v2h12V6zM4 11h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2zM4 16h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2z\" fill=\"currentColor\" \/><\/svg><svg style=\"fill: #7f11e0;color:#7f11e0\" class=\"arrow-unsorted-368013\" width=\"10px\" height=\"10px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" version=\"1.2\" baseProfile=\"tiny\"><path d=\"M18.2 9.3l-6.2-6.3-6.2 6.3c-.2.2-.3.4-.3.7s.1.5.3.7c.2.2.4.3.7.3h11c.3 0 .5-.1.7-.3.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7zM5.8 14.7l6.2 6.3 6.2-6.3c.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7c-.2-.2-.4-.3-.7-.3h-11c-.3 0-.5.1-.7.3-.2.2-.3.5-.3.7s.1.5.3.7z\" \/><\/svg><\/span><\/label><label for=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-item-668448f8e0a75\" class=\"cssiconcheckbox\">1<\/label><input type=\"checkbox\" id=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-item-668448f8e0a75\" checked><nav><ul class=\"ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1 \"><li class=\"ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2\"><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"https:\/\/g100.us\/ssd-types\/#What_Is_An_SSD\" title=\"What Is An SSD?\">What Is An SSD?<\/a><\/li><li class=\"ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2\"><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-2\" href=\"https:\/\/g100.us\/ssd-types\/#Basic_SSD_Types\" title=\"Basic SSD Types\">Basic SSD Types<\/a><ul class=\"ez-toc-list-level-3\"><li class=\"ez-toc-heading-level-3\"><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-3\" href=\"https:\/\/g100.us\/ssd-types\/#25-Inch_SATA_SSD\" title=\"2.5-Inch SATA SSD\">2.5-Inch SATA SSD<\/a><\/li><li class=\"ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3\"><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-4\" href=\"https:\/\/g100.us\/ssd-types\/#M2_SATA_SSD\" title=\"M.2 SATA SSD\">M.2 SATA SSD<\/a><\/li><li class=\"ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3\"><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-5\" href=\"https:\/\/g100.us\/ssd-types\/#M2_NVMe_SSD\" title=\"M.2 NVMe SSD\">M.2 NVMe SSD<\/a><\/li><li class=\"ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3\"><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-6\" href=\"https:\/\/g100.us\/ssd-types\/#PCI_Express_SSD\" title=\"PCI Express SSD\">PCI Express SSD<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/li><li class=\"ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2\"><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-7\" href=\"https:\/\/g100.us\/ssd-types\/#Tiers_of_SSD_Performance\" title=\"Tiers of SSD Performance\">Tiers of SSD Performance<\/a><ul class=\"ez-toc-list-level-3\"><li class=\"ez-toc-heading-level-3\"><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-8\" href=\"https:\/\/g100.us\/ssd-types\/#Tier_1_SATA_SSDs\" title=\"Tier 1: SATA SSDs\">Tier 1: SATA SSDs<\/a><\/li><li class=\"ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3\"><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-9\" href=\"https:\/\/g100.us\/ssd-types\/#Tier_2_NVMe_Gen3_SSDs\" title=\"Tier 2: NVMe Gen3 SSDs\">Tier 2: NVMe Gen3 SSDs<\/a><\/li><li class=\"ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3\"><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-10\" href=\"https:\/\/g100.us\/ssd-types\/#Tier_3_NVMe_Gen4_SSDs\" title=\"Tier 3: NVMe Gen4 SSDs\">Tier 3: NVMe Gen4 SSDs<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/li><li class=\"ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2\"><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-11\" href=\"https:\/\/g100.us\/ssd-types\/#FAQ\" title=\"FAQ\">FAQ<\/a><ul class=\"ez-toc-list-level-3\"><li class=\"ez-toc-heading-level-3\"><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-12\" href=\"https:\/\/g100.us\/ssd-types\/#Is_an_Intel_Optane_Drive_an_SSD\" title=\"Is an Intel Optane Drive an SSD?\">Is an Intel Optane Drive an SSD?<\/a><\/li><li class=\"ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3\"><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-13\" href=\"https:\/\/g100.us\/ssd-types\/#Which_SSD_Type_Is_Compatible_With_My_PC\" title=\"Which SSD Type Is Compatible With My PC?\">Which SSD Type Is Compatible With My PC?<\/a><\/li><li class=\"ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3\"><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-14\" href=\"https:\/\/g100.us\/ssd-types\/#Can_I_Get_An_External_SSD\" title=\"Can I Get An External SSD?\">Can I Get An External SSD?<\/a><\/li><li class=\"ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3\"><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-15\" href=\"https:\/\/g100.us\/ssd-types\/#What_Are_The_Best_SSDs\" title=\"What Are The Best SSDs?\">What Are The Best SSDs?<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/li><li class=\"ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2\"><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-16\" href=\"https:\/\/g100.us\/ssd-types\/#Over_to_You\" title=\"Over to You\">Over to You<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n<p>SSDs are all the fuss on the storage market, but there are actually different types of SSDs that perform at different tiers of speed.<\/p>\n<p>In this article, we\u2019re going to dive into everything you need to know about different types of SSDs, and help direct you toward the best SSD for your specific workloads.<\/p>\n<p>Let\u2019s dive into it!<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"What_Is_An_SSD\"><\/span>What Is An SSD?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>Before we get too deep into it, let\u2019s go over what an SSD is, to begin with.<\/p>\n<p>Laying down the basics now will make it easier to elaborate on what makes specific SSDs more or less special later on.<\/p>\n<p>First, <strong>SSD stands for Solid State Drive<\/strong>. This is in comparison to a traditional <strong>HDD, or Hard Disk Drive<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<p>HDDs use spinning disks to write and store data, and their speed is generally measured in RPM (Rotations Per Minute) in line with this.<\/p>\n<p>SSDs don\u2019t use RPM as a measurement at all, though, and the reason why ties back into that \u201c<strong>Solid State<\/strong>\u201d name. Basically, a component being \u201cSolid State\u201d means that it has no moving parts whatsoever.<\/p>\n<p><noscript><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-15072\" src=\"https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2022\/01\/How-does-an-SSD-Work-1.jpg\" alt=\"How does an SSD Work\" width=\"2048\" height=\"1080\" srcset=\"https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2022\/01\/How-does-an-SSD-Work-1.jpg 2048w, https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2022\/01\/How-does-an-SSD-Work-1-300x158.jpg 300w, https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2022\/01\/How-does-an-SSD-Work-1-1024x540.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2022\/01\/How-does-an-SSD-Work-1-768x405.jpg 768w, https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2022\/01\/How-does-an-SSD-Work-1-1536x810.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2048px) 100vw, 2048px\"><\/noscript><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-15072 lazyload\" src=\"data:image\/svg+xml,%3Csvg%20xmlns%3D%22http%3A%2F%2Fwww.w3.org%2F2000%2Fsvg%22%20viewBox%3D%220%200%202048%201080%22%3E%3C%2Fsvg%3E\" alt=\"How does an SSD Work\" width=\"2048\" height=\"1080\" srcset=\"data:image\/svg+xml,%3Csvg%20xmlns%3D%22http%3A%2F%2Fwww.w3.org%2F2000%2Fsvg%22%20viewBox%3D%220%200%202048%201080%22%3E%3C%2Fsvg%3E 2048w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2048px) 100vw, 2048px\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2022\/01\/How-does-an-SSD-Work-1.jpg 2048w, https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2022\/01\/How-does-an-SSD-Work-1-300x158.jpg 300w, https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2022\/01\/How-does-an-SSD-Work-1-1024x540.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2022\/01\/How-does-an-SSD-Work-1-768x405.jpg 768w, https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2022\/01\/How-does-an-SSD-Work-1-1536x810.jpg 1536w\" data-src=\"https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2022\/01\/How-does-an-SSD-Work-1.jpg\"><\/p>\n<p>SSDs use flash memory for storage.<\/p>\n<p>As it turns out, solid-state storage is a pretty significant improvement over hard drives, especially in terms of raw speed.<\/p>\n<p>Even when limited to the HDD-focused SATA standard, SSDs consistently outperform standard HDDs across the board. And it makes sense if you think about it!<\/p>\n<p>What\u2019s going to be faster: a spinning platter being written to and read from with a mechanical arm? Or a surge of electricity?<\/p>\n<p>That\u2019s the basics of what an SSD is. Now, let\u2019s break down your basic SSD types.<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Basic_SSD_Types\"><\/span>Basic SSD Types<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"25-Inch_SATA_SSD\"><\/span>2.5-Inch SATA SSD<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>This is the most common SSD type and should be compatible with the widest range of PCs, even old ones. \u201c2.5-Inch\u201d refers to the form factor of the SSD enclosure, and there are actually 2.5-Inch HDDs, too.<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_15073\" style=\"width: 1024px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><noscript><img aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-15073\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-15073 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2022\/01\/2.5inch-SATA-SSD.png\" alt=\"2.5inch SATA SSD\" width=\"1024\" height=\"683\" srcset=\"https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2022\/01\/2.5inch-SATA-SSD.png 1024w, https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2022\/01\/2.5inch-SATA-SSD-300x200.png 300w, https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2022\/01\/2.5inch-SATA-SSD-768x512.png 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\"><\/noscript><img aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-15073\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-15073 size-full lazyload\" src=\"data:image\/svg+xml,%3Csvg%20xmlns%3D%22http%3A%2F%2Fwww.w3.org%2F2000%2Fsvg%22%20viewBox%3D%220%200%201024%20683%22%3E%3C%2Fsvg%3E\" alt=\"2.5inch SATA SSD\" width=\"1024\" height=\"683\" srcset=\"data:image\/svg+xml,%3Csvg%20xmlns%3D%22http%3A%2F%2Fwww.w3.org%2F2000%2Fsvg%22%20viewBox%3D%220%200%201024%20683%22%3E%3C%2Fsvg%3E 1024w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2022\/01\/2.5inch-SATA-SSD.png 1024w, https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2022\/01\/2.5inch-SATA-SSD-300x200.png 300w, https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2022\/01\/2.5inch-SATA-SSD-768x512.png 768w\" data-src=\"https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2022\/01\/2.5inch-SATA-SSD.png\"><p id=\"caption-attachment-15073\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">2.5&#8243; Solid State Drive placed on top of a motherboard - <a href=\"https:\/\/www.crucial.com\/ssd\/mx500\/ct500mx500ssd1\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Crucial<\/a><\/p><\/div>\n<p>If you\u2019ve ever noticed that a laptop hard drive looks a lot smaller than a desktop hard drive, that\u2019s because laptop hard drives use 2.5-inch enclosures in order to fit into a smaller space.<\/p>\n<p>In the case of hard drives, this can actually be a bit of a detriment, because it makes getting a full-speed 7200 RPM HDD just a bit more expensive than it would be with a standard 3.5-inch enclosure.<\/p>\n<p>2.5-inch SSDs use SATA bandwidth and connectors, just like HDDs. Because of this, they should be compatible with any PC or laptop that\u2019s already using a hard drive.<\/p>\n<p>This makes them an ideal no-fuss storage upgrade or expansion for most users, and the majority of benefits you\u2019ll get from an SSD upgrade can be experienced within the speeds allowed by the SATA standard.<\/p>\n<p><em>More on that in the Tiers of SSD Performance section.<\/em><\/p>\n<p>2.5-inch drives were made with the goal of making drive storage smaller, but most 2.5-inch SSDs are actually smaller still.<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_7837\" style=\"width: 833px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><noscript><img aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-7837\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-7837\" src=\"https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2019\/12\/global-feature-evo-850-mz75e4t0-overview_850evo_obj.jpg\" alt=\"samsung 860 evo insides\" width=\"833\" height=\"708\" srcset=\"https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2019\/12\/global-feature-evo-850-mz75e4t0-overview_850evo_obj.jpg 833w, https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2019\/12\/global-feature-evo-850-mz75e4t0-overview_850evo_obj-300x255.jpg 300w, https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2019\/12\/global-feature-evo-850-mz75e4t0-overview_850evo_obj-768x653.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 833px) 100vw, 833px\"><\/noscript><img aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-7837\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-7837 lazyload\" src=\"data:image\/svg+xml,%3Csvg%20xmlns%3D%22http%3A%2F%2Fwww.w3.org%2F2000%2Fsvg%22%20viewBox%3D%220%200%20833%20708%22%3E%3C%2Fsvg%3E\" alt=\"samsung 860 evo insides\" width=\"833\" height=\"708\" srcset=\"data:image\/svg+xml,%3Csvg%20xmlns%3D%22http%3A%2F%2Fwww.w3.org%2F2000%2Fsvg%22%20viewBox%3D%220%200%20833%20708%22%3E%3C%2Fsvg%3E 833w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 833px) 100vw, 833px\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2019\/12\/global-feature-evo-850-mz75e4t0-overview_850evo_obj.jpg 833w, https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2019\/12\/global-feature-evo-850-mz75e4t0-overview_850evo_obj-300x255.jpg 300w, https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2019\/12\/global-feature-evo-850-mz75e4t0-overview_850evo_obj-768x653.jpg 768w\" data-src=\"https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2019\/12\/global-feature-evo-850-mz75e4t0-overview_850evo_obj.jpg\"><p id=\"caption-attachment-7837\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">No moving parts on the inside of this Samsung SSD, Source: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.samsung.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Samsung<\/a><\/p><\/div>\n<p>The enclosure of any given 2.5-inch SSD is mostly empty (compared to 2.5-inch HDDs, which need all the space they can get), which means there\u2019s actually still plenty of room for improvement.<\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"M2_SATA_SSD\"><\/span>M.2 SATA SSD<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>That\u2019s where the M.2 form factor comes in!<\/p>\n<p><strong>M.2 drives can come in a few different sizes, but the main standard is M.2 2280. The \u201c22\u201d means that the M.2 drive is 22 millimeters wide, whereas the \u201c80\u201d means that the M.2 drive is 80 millimeters long<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_15082\" style=\"width: 1670px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><noscript><img aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-15082\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-15082 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2022\/01\/M2-SATA-SSD.jpg\" alt=\"M2-SATA-SSD\" width=\"1670\" height=\"833\" srcset=\"https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2022\/01\/M2-SATA-SSD.jpg 1670w, https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2022\/01\/M2-SATA-SSD-300x150.jpg 300w, https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2022\/01\/M2-SATA-SSD-1024x511.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2022\/01\/M2-SATA-SSD-768x383.jpg 768w, https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2022\/01\/M2-SATA-SSD-1536x766.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1670px) 100vw, 1670px\"><\/noscript><img aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-15082\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-15082 size-full lazyload\" src=\"data:image\/svg+xml,%3Csvg%20xmlns%3D%22http%3A%2F%2Fwww.w3.org%2F2000%2Fsvg%22%20viewBox%3D%220%200%201670%20833%22%3E%3C%2Fsvg%3E\" alt=\"M2-SATA-SSD\" width=\"1670\" height=\"833\" srcset=\"data:image\/svg+xml,%3Csvg%20xmlns%3D%22http%3A%2F%2Fwww.w3.org%2F2000%2Fsvg%22%20viewBox%3D%220%200%201670%20833%22%3E%3C%2Fsvg%3E 1670w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1670px) 100vw, 1670px\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2022\/01\/M2-SATA-SSD.jpg 1670w, https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2022\/01\/M2-SATA-SSD-300x150.jpg 300w, https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2022\/01\/M2-SATA-SSD-1024x511.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2022\/01\/M2-SATA-SSD-768x383.jpg 768w, https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2022\/01\/M2-SATA-SSD-1536x766.jpg 1536w\" data-src=\"https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2022\/01\/M2-SATA-SSD.jpg\"><p id=\"caption-attachment-15082\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Image-Credit: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.samsung.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Samsung<\/a><\/p><\/div>\n<p>If you aren\u2019t sure how to quantify this, just think of M.2 drives as extremely thin USB thumb drives- they\u2019re about that length, usually. Like a stick of chewing gum.<\/p>\n<p>There are other M.2 sizes, but they\u2019re usually only relevant on a case-by-case basis: just check what form factor your particular laptop or motherboard supports before buying and you\u2019ll be good.<\/p>\n<p>While the M.2 form factor is a massive improvement over the 2.5-inch and 3.5-inch form factors required by hard drives, it doesn\u2019t introduce an inherent boost in speed over SATA SSDs.<\/p>\n<p>In fact, many M.2 drives still use SATA bandwidth, or can even be limited to SATA bandwidth by your motherboard despite being labeled as NVMe!<\/p>\n<p>Be sure to double-check both your drive and PC\u2019s specs before buying!<\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"M2_NVMe_SSD\"><\/span>M.2 NVMe SSD<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>NVMe SSDs exclusively use the M.2 form factor discussed above, but with a catch: they are no longer using SATA bandwidth.<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_15074\" style=\"width: 1440px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><noscript><img aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-15074\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-15074 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2022\/01\/M.2-NVMe-SSD.jpg\" alt=\"M.2 NVMe SSD\" width=\"1440\" height=\"800\" srcset=\"https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2022\/01\/M.2-NVMe-SSD.jpg 1440w, https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2022\/01\/M.2-NVMe-SSD-300x167.jpg 300w, https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2022\/01\/M.2-NVMe-SSD-1024x569.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2022\/01\/M.2-NVMe-SSD-768x427.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1440px) 100vw, 1440px\"><\/noscript><img aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-15074\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-15074 size-full lazyload\" src=\"data:image\/svg+xml,%3Csvg%20xmlns%3D%22http%3A%2F%2Fwww.w3.org%2F2000%2Fsvg%22%20viewBox%3D%220%200%201440%20800%22%3E%3C%2Fsvg%3E\" alt=\"M.2 NVMe SSD\" width=\"1440\" height=\"800\" srcset=\"data:image\/svg+xml,%3Csvg%20xmlns%3D%22http%3A%2F%2Fwww.w3.org%2F2000%2Fsvg%22%20viewBox%3D%220%200%201440%20800%22%3E%3C%2Fsvg%3E 1440w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1440px) 100vw, 1440px\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2022\/01\/M.2-NVMe-SSD.jpg 1440w, https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2022\/01\/M.2-NVMe-SSD-300x167.jpg 300w, https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2022\/01\/M.2-NVMe-SSD-1024x569.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2022\/01\/M.2-NVMe-SSD-768x427.jpg 768w\" data-src=\"https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2022\/01\/M.2-NVMe-SSD.jpg\"><p id=\"caption-attachment-15074\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Image-Credit: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.samsung.com\/us\/computing\/memory-storage\/solid-state-drives\/980-pro-pcie-4-0-nvme-ssd-2tb-mz-v8p2t0b-am\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Samsung<\/a><\/p><\/div>\n<p>Since SATA bandwidth is no longer a limiting factor, NVMe SSDs can achieve industry-leading storage performance while remaining extremely compact and straightforward to install.<\/p>\n<p><strong>That \u201cNVMe\u201d stands for \u201cNon-Volatile Memory Express\u201d. The most important word to take note of there is \u201cExpress\u201d because it reveals what bandwidth NVMe drives are actually using: your <a href=\"https:\/\/g100.us\/guide-to-pcie-lanes\/\">PCI <em>Express<\/em> bandwidth<\/a>, rather than your SATA bandwidth<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<p>In most systems, PCI Express bandwidth is used by PCI Express cards, like your graphics card or even a sound card.<\/p>\n<p>This results in some pretty huge performance improvements, which we\u2019ll hop into in the Tiers of SSD Performance section.<\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"PCI_Express_SSD\"><\/span>PCI Express SSD<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>Last...and actually least, since their place in the market has largely been taken over by NVMe SSDs, are proper PCI Express SSDs.<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_15075\" style=\"width: 1500px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><noscript><img aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-15075\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-15075 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2022\/01\/PCIe-Express-SSD.jpg\" alt=\"PCIe Express SSD\" width=\"1500\" height=\"811\" srcset=\"https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2022\/01\/PCIe-Express-SSD.jpg 1500w, https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2022\/01\/PCIe-Express-SSD-300x162.jpg 300w, https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2022\/01\/PCIe-Express-SSD-1024x554.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2022\/01\/PCIe-Express-SSD-768x415.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1500px) 100vw, 1500px\"><\/noscript><img aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-15075\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-15075 size-full lazyload\" src=\"data:image\/svg+xml,%3Csvg%20xmlns%3D%22http%3A%2F%2Fwww.w3.org%2F2000%2Fsvg%22%20viewBox%3D%220%200%201500%20811%22%3E%3C%2Fsvg%3E\" alt=\"PCIe Express SSD\" width=\"1500\" height=\"811\" srcset=\"data:image\/svg+xml,%3Csvg%20xmlns%3D%22http%3A%2F%2Fwww.w3.org%2F2000%2Fsvg%22%20viewBox%3D%220%200%201500%20811%22%3E%3C%2Fsvg%3E 1500w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1500px) 100vw, 1500px\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2022\/01\/PCIe-Express-SSD.jpg 1500w, https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2022\/01\/PCIe-Express-SSD-300x162.jpg 300w, https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2022\/01\/PCIe-Express-SSD-1024x554.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2022\/01\/PCIe-Express-SSD-768x415.jpg 768w\" data-src=\"https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2022\/01\/PCIe-Express-SSD.jpg\"><p id=\"caption-attachment-15075\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Gigabyte Aorus PCIe SSD - Image-Credit: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.aorus.com\/components\/AORUS-Gen4-AIC-SSD-2TB\/Key-Features\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Gigabyte<\/a><\/p><\/div>\n<p>These are SSDs that come in the form of PCI Express expansion cards and are ideal for motherboards that don\u2019t support the M.2 form factor. Other reasons for PCIe Storage can be:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>You don't want to use your chipset PCIe Lanes for your fast storage<\/li>\n<li>You want to RAID NVMe Drives to make them even faster or more reliable<\/li>\n<li>You don't have room to mount your M.2 Drives because they are too tall<\/li>\n<li>All your <a href=\"https:\/\/g100.us\/which-m2-slot\/\">M.2 Slots<\/a> are already used, but you require even more M.2 Drives<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>An interesting alternative, especially for that last option that we would recommend to most users in this scenario would be <a href=\"https:\/\/g100.us\/best-m-2-pcie-adapters-for-nvme-ssds\/\">using an M.2 PCIe Adapter<\/a>.<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Tiers_of_SSD_Performance\"><\/span>Tiers of SSD Performance<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>Now that we\u2019ve gone over the basics of SSDs and SSD types, we can start biting into the <em>meat<\/em> of things.<\/p>\n<p>SSDs are all about raw speed, and there\u2019s actually quite a lot of variation in SSD speed from the entry-level to the high-end.<\/p>\n<p><noscript><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-15076\" src=\"https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2022\/01\/SSD-Speed-Comparison.jpg\" alt=\"SSD Speed Comparison\" width=\"2048\" height=\"1080\" srcset=\"https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2022\/01\/SSD-Speed-Comparison.jpg 2048w, https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2022\/01\/SSD-Speed-Comparison-300x158.jpg 300w, https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2022\/01\/SSD-Speed-Comparison-1024x540.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2022\/01\/SSD-Speed-Comparison-768x405.jpg 768w, https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2022\/01\/SSD-Speed-Comparison-1536x810.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2048px) 100vw, 2048px\"><\/noscript><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-15076 lazyload\" src=\"data:image\/svg+xml,%3Csvg%20xmlns%3D%22http%3A%2F%2Fwww.w3.org%2F2000%2Fsvg%22%20viewBox%3D%220%200%202048%201080%22%3E%3C%2Fsvg%3E\" alt=\"SSD Speed Comparison\" width=\"2048\" height=\"1080\" srcset=\"data:image\/svg+xml,%3Csvg%20xmlns%3D%22http%3A%2F%2Fwww.w3.org%2F2000%2Fsvg%22%20viewBox%3D%220%200%202048%201080%22%3E%3C%2Fsvg%3E 2048w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2048px) 100vw, 2048px\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2022\/01\/SSD-Speed-Comparison.jpg 2048w, https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2022\/01\/SSD-Speed-Comparison-300x158.jpg 300w, https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2022\/01\/SSD-Speed-Comparison-1024x540.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2022\/01\/SSD-Speed-Comparison-768x405.jpg 768w, https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2022\/01\/SSD-Speed-Comparison-1536x810.jpg 1536w\" data-src=\"https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2022\/01\/SSD-Speed-Comparison.jpg\"><\/p>\n<p>Let\u2019s break it down!<\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Tier_1_SATA_SSDs\"><\/span>Tier 1: SATA SSDs<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>First up, <strong>your standard SATA SSDs cap out at around ~550 MB\/s in sequential read and write speeds<\/strong>. This is pretty good, mind- that\u2019s about half a gigabyte per second!<\/p>\n<p>That is the best-case scenario for SATA SSDs, though- and not all SSDs are made equal.<\/p>\n<p>For instance, <a href=\"https:\/\/g100.us\/samsung-evo-vs-qvo-ssds\/\">comparing Samsung\u2019s EVO and QVO SSD lines<\/a> reveal some pretty significant drops in performance for the QVO line since they\u2019re reliant on a much older architecture and manufacturing process.<\/p>\n<p>As a silver lining, this makes them a lot cheaper, but if you\u2019re buying an SSD for speed alone, you may want to stick with the higher-end SATA SSD or NVMe options.<\/p>\n<p>Despite there being much higher tiers of performance, SATA SSDs are still pretty great.<\/p>\n<p>The majority of benefits that you will enjoy from an SSD upgrade will still be present with a SATA SSD.<\/p>\n<p>Anything stored on your SATA SSD will load <strong>much, much<\/strong> faster than with an HDD.<\/p>\n<p>This drastically cuts down on the time it takes to boot up your PC or load your games, and still makes SATA SSDs a compelling option for high-end users who want to add more storage without spending every possible dollar on NVMe.<\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Tier_2_NVMe_Gen3_SSDs\"><\/span>Tier 2: NVMe Gen3 SSDs<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>Secondly, your NVMe Gen 3 SSDs! These cap out at around <strong>3.5 GB\/s in sequential read and write speeds, and <em>start<\/em><\/strong> <strong>at around 1.5 GB\/s in sequential read and write speeds<\/strong>!<\/p>\n<p>That\u2019s right, we\u2019re measuring storage speed in full Gigabytes per second now.<\/p>\n<p>While NVMe Gen 3 does have a fairly massive boost in performance on paper, it may be tougher to notice the differences in regular usage.<\/p>\n<p>There are a few different reasons for this, but it mainly boils down to most applications not really being built around that kind of storage speed even being <em>possible<\/em>, and the fact that other components, like your CPU, can start bottlenecking loading times around this point.<\/p>\n<p>The main bottleneck being, that these speeds can only be reached for sequential file transfers. So writing or reading very large files sequentially. If you're looking to launch an application, for example, chances are the files that need loading are randomly sized and not stored sequentially, making the process slower.<\/p>\n<p><strong>The areas where <a href=\"https:\/\/g100.us\/benefit-m2-nvme-ssd\/\">you\u2019ll see the most benefit from an NVMe SSD:<\/a> large file transfers, video editing, gaming, and high-end rendering tasks. <\/strong><\/p>\n<p>I especially want to emphasize the benefit to video editors for a moment, because combing through high-resolution footage in your editing software on an HDD is a <em>nightmare<\/em>.<\/p>\n<p>NVMe SSDs improve that experience tremendously, allowing for smoother edits and high-quality real-time previews while still enjoying features like 4K footage.<\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Tier_3_NVMe_Gen4_SSDs\"><\/span>Tier 3: NVMe Gen4 SSDs<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>NVMe Gen 4 SSDs are like NVMe Gen 3 SSDs, but, ...more. <strong>Specifically, these cap out at around 7 GB\/s at the time of writing<\/strong>!<\/p>\n<p>There may yet be room for improvement with this and the upcoming NVMe Gen 5 (PCIe 5.0) standard, but we\u2019re actually beginning to run into a different issue with storage this fast.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Basically, NVMe SSDs are getting so fast that they are beginning to require dedicated heatsinks to stay cool enough<\/strong> to keep operating at peak performance.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Everything said about NVMe Gen 3 SSDs applies here...with a few caveats<\/strong>. For one, if you had trouble noticing the difference before, this still isn\u2019t going to change very much.<\/p>\n<p>We generally don\u2019t recommend NVMe Gen 4 SSDs for users who don\u2019t actually need to make use of such ridiculously high-end speeds. This is <a href=\"https:\/\/g100.us\/most-expensive-pc-cases\/\">a product for high-end enthusiasts and professionals<\/a>, generally speaking.<\/p>\n<p><strong>However, you may still be forced to buy an NVMe Gen 4 SSD despite not needing the highest-end speeds, because devices such as current generation consoles require them!<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>The PlayStation 5 requires NVMe Gen 4 SSDs with a speed of at least 5.5 GB\/s for internal storage upgrades, making NVMe Gen 4 surprisingly compelling for console gamers.<\/p>\n<p><noscript><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-15077\" src=\"https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2022\/01\/PS5-NVMe-Storage.jpg\" alt=\"PS5 NVMe Storage\" width=\"2048\" height=\"1080\" srcset=\"https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2022\/01\/PS5-NVMe-Storage.jpg 2048w, https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2022\/01\/PS5-NVMe-Storage-300x158.jpg 300w, https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2022\/01\/PS5-NVMe-Storage-1024x540.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2022\/01\/PS5-NVMe-Storage-768x405.jpg 768w, https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2022\/01\/PS5-NVMe-Storage-1536x810.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2048px) 100vw, 2048px\"><\/noscript><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-15077 lazyload\" src=\"data:image\/svg+xml,%3Csvg%20xmlns%3D%22http%3A%2F%2Fwww.w3.org%2F2000%2Fsvg%22%20viewBox%3D%220%200%202048%201080%22%3E%3C%2Fsvg%3E\" alt=\"PS5 NVMe Storage\" width=\"2048\" height=\"1080\" srcset=\"data:image\/svg+xml,%3Csvg%20xmlns%3D%22http%3A%2F%2Fwww.w3.org%2F2000%2Fsvg%22%20viewBox%3D%220%200%202048%201080%22%3E%3C%2Fsvg%3E 2048w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2048px) 100vw, 2048px\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2022\/01\/PS5-NVMe-Storage.jpg 2048w, https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2022\/01\/PS5-NVMe-Storage-300x158.jpg 300w, https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2022\/01\/PS5-NVMe-Storage-1024x540.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2022\/01\/PS5-NVMe-Storage-768x405.jpg 768w, https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2022\/01\/PS5-NVMe-Storage-1536x810.jpg 1536w\" data-src=\"https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2022\/01\/PS5-NVMe-Storage.jpg\"><\/p>\n<p><strong>As more games are built around speeds like these, we expect this tier of storage to become more popular among PC gamers, too.<\/strong><\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"FAQ\"><\/span>FAQ<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Is_an_Intel_Optane_Drive_an_SSD\"><\/span>Is an Intel Optane Drive an SSD?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>Sort of! They\u2019re technically NVMe SSDs, but they aren\u2019t used like standard SSDs are. Instead, they\u2019re more like extremely fast RAM for standard hard drives.<\/p>\n<p>You <em>can<\/em> use them as an SSD, but doing so would be very ineffective from a cost standpoint because Optane SSDs are extremely expensive.<\/p>\n<p>In return, though, they\u2019re able to offer SSD-tier performance while you\u2019re still using your standard hard drives, and that can be fairly compelling for some use cases.<\/p>\n<p>Most people would probably be better off just getting a SATA SSD, but if you really want to accelerate your existing SSD storage, <a class=\"thirstylink\" title=\"Intel Optane H10 512 GB Solid State Drive - M.2 2280 Internal - PCI Express (PCI Express 3.0)\" href=\"https:\/\/g100.us\/recommends\/intel-optane-h10-512-gb-solid-state-drive-m-2-2280-internal-pci-express-pci-express-3-0\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noindex noopener noreferrer\">here's my recommended Intel Optane SSD model!<\/a><\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Which_SSD_Type_Is_Compatible_With_My_PC\"><\/span>Which SSD Type Is Compatible With My PC?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>Well, a SATA SSD is definitely compatible with your PC, because it\u2019s compatible with every PC.<\/p>\n<p>For the M.2 and NVMe drives, you\u2019ll want to take another look at your motherboard in order to verify compatibility.<\/p>\n<p>For instance, some motherboards will have 2 M.2 slots, but only one of them may actually support NVMe bandwidth.<\/p>\n<p><noscript><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-15078\" src=\"https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2022\/01\/M.2-Support-on-Motherboards.jpg\" alt=\"M.2-Support-on-Motherboards\" width=\"2048\" height=\"1080\" srcset=\"https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2022\/01\/M.2-Support-on-Motherboards.jpg 2048w, https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2022\/01\/M.2-Support-on-Motherboards-300x158.jpg 300w, https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2022\/01\/M.2-Support-on-Motherboards-1024x540.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2022\/01\/M.2-Support-on-Motherboards-768x405.jpg 768w, https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2022\/01\/M.2-Support-on-Motherboards-1536x810.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2048px) 100vw, 2048px\"><\/noscript><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-15078 lazyload\" src=\"data:image\/svg+xml,%3Csvg%20xmlns%3D%22http%3A%2F%2Fwww.w3.org%2F2000%2Fsvg%22%20viewBox%3D%220%200%202048%201080%22%3E%3C%2Fsvg%3E\" alt=\"M.2-Support-on-Motherboards\" width=\"2048\" height=\"1080\" srcset=\"data:image\/svg+xml,%3Csvg%20xmlns%3D%22http%3A%2F%2Fwww.w3.org%2F2000%2Fsvg%22%20viewBox%3D%220%200%202048%201080%22%3E%3C%2Fsvg%3E 2048w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2048px) 100vw, 2048px\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2022\/01\/M.2-Support-on-Motherboards.jpg 2048w, https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2022\/01\/M.2-Support-on-Motherboards-300x158.jpg 300w, https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2022\/01\/M.2-Support-on-Motherboards-1024x540.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2022\/01\/M.2-Support-on-Motherboards-768x405.jpg 768w, https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2022\/01\/M.2-Support-on-Motherboards-1536x810.jpg 1536w\" data-src=\"https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2022\/01\/M.2-Support-on-Motherboards.jpg\"><\/p>\n<p>Some may have M.2 slots without supporting NVMe bandwidth at all, and some still may not even have M.2 slots because they were manufactured before M.2 was a prevalent thing in the market.<\/p>\n<p>Fortunately, as long as you have a free PCI Express slot, you can get around having an old PC and still get some pretty superb storage by <a href=\"https:\/\/g100.us\/best-m-2-pcie-adapters-for-nvme-ssds\/\">using an adapter<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>If you're looking at adding Storage, check out our guide on <a href=\"https:\/\/g100.us\/how-many-ssd-can-you-have\/\">how many SSDs you can have<\/a>.<\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Can_I_Get_An_External_SSD\"><\/span>Can I Get An External SSD?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>Yes! External SSDs are a surprisingly good option, especially for users who don\u2019t have room for more internal storage.<\/p>\n<p>However, you\u2019ll need at least a USB 3.1\/3.2 Gen 1 connector in order to utilize SATA SSDs, and Thunderbolt 3 (sometimes over USB-C) is required to utilize NVMe Gen3-equivalent SSDs.<\/p>\n<p>If your PC does not support these connection standards, then you won\u2019t be able to get an external SSD.<\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"What_Are_The_Best_SSDs\"><\/span>What Are The Best SSDs?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>The best SSDs are NVMe SSDs.<\/p>\n<p>Even if you aren\u2019t going for the absolute highest-end, you can get an NVMe SSD for close to the same price as a SATA SSD while still getting some pretty major storage performance improvements.<\/p>\n<p><strong>If you need help finding the best NVMe SSD for your needs, <\/strong><a href=\"https:\/\/g100.us\/best-nvme-ssds\/\"><strong>here's our detailed article on the best NVMe drives on the market<\/strong><\/a><strong>!<\/strong><\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Over_to_You\"><\/span>Over to You<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p><strong><em>If you have any other questions about the types of SSDs, let us know in the <\/em><\/strong><a href=\"#comments\"><strong><em>comments<\/em><\/strong><\/a><strong><em> below or our <\/em><\/strong><a href=\"https:\/\/g100.us\/forum\/\"><strong><em>forum<\/em><\/strong><\/a><strong><em>!<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>SSDs are all the fuss on the storage market, but there are actually different types of SSDs that perform at different tiers of speed. In this article, we\u2019re going to dive into everything you need to know about different types of SSDs, and help direct you toward the best SSD for your specific workloads. Let\u2019s...<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2339,"featured_media":15057,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[74],"tags":[121],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15055"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2339"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=15055"}],"version-history":[{"count":15,"href":"https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15055\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":17167,"href":"https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15055\/revisions\/17167"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/15057"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=15055"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=15055"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=15055"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}