{"id":18144,"date":"2022-06-18T16:00:20","date_gmt":"2022-06-18T14:00:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/g100.us\/?p=18144"},"modified":"2023-11-24T10:38:50","modified_gmt":"2023-11-24T09:38:50","slug":"nvme-vs-ssd","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/g100.us\/nvme-vs-ssd\/","title":{"rendered":"NVMe vs SSD - What\u2019s The Difference?"},"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-6684414e04188\" 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-6684414e04188\" class=\"cssiconcheckbox\">1<\/label><input type=\"checkbox\" id=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-item-6684414e04188\" 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\/nvme-vs-ssd\/#What_Is_NVMe\" title=\"What Is NVMe?\">What Is NVMe?<\/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\/nvme-vs-ssd\/#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-3\" href=\"https:\/\/g100.us\/nvme-vs-ssd\/#Whats_the_Difference_Between_NVMe_and_SSD\" title=\"What\u2019s the Difference Between NVMe and SSD?\">What\u2019s the Difference Between NVMe and SSD?<\/a><\/li><li class=\"ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2\"><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-4\" href=\"https:\/\/g100.us\/nvme-vs-ssd\/#What_Are_the_Differences_Between_NVMe_SSDs_and_SATA_SSDs\" title=\"What Are the Differences Between NVMe SSDs and SATA SSDs?\">What Are the Differences Between NVMe SSDs and SATA SSDs?<\/a><ul class=\"ez-toc-list-level-3\"><li class=\"ez-toc-heading-level-3\"><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-5\" href=\"https:\/\/g100.us\/nvme-vs-ssd\/#Physical_Differences\" title=\"Physical Differences\">Physical Differences<\/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\/nvme-vs-ssd\/#Performance_Differences\" title=\"Performance Differences\">Performance Differences<\/a><\/li><li class=\"ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3\"><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-7\" href=\"https:\/\/g100.us\/nvme-vs-ssd\/#Cost_Differences\" title=\"Cost Differences\">Cost Differences<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/li><li class=\"ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2\"><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-8\" href=\"https:\/\/g100.us\/nvme-vs-ssd\/#What_Should_You_Get\" title=\"What Should You Get?\">What Should You Get?<\/a><\/li><li class=\"ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2\"><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-9\" href=\"https:\/\/g100.us\/nvme-vs-ssd\/#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-10\" href=\"https:\/\/g100.us\/nvme-vs-ssd\/#What_Is_NVMe-2\" title=\"What Is NVMe?\">What Is NVMe?<\/a><\/li><li class=\"ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3\"><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-11\" href=\"https:\/\/g100.us\/nvme-vs-ssd\/#What_Is_AHCI\" title=\"What Is AHCI?\">What Is AHCI?<\/a><\/li><li class=\"ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3\"><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-12\" href=\"https:\/\/g100.us\/nvme-vs-ssd\/#What_Is_SATA\" title=\"What Is SATA?\">What Is SATA?<\/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\/nvme-vs-ssd\/#What_Is_PCIe\" title=\"What Is PCIe?\">What Is PCIe?<\/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\/nvme-vs-ssd\/#What_Is_M2\" title=\"What Is M.2?\">What Is M.2?<\/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\/nvme-vs-ssd\/#Are_NVMe_SSDs_Better_Than_SATA_SSDs\" title=\"Are NVMe SSDs Better Than SATA SSDs?\">Are NVMe SSDs Better Than SATA SSDs?<\/a><\/li><li class=\"ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3\"><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-16\" href=\"https:\/\/g100.us\/nvme-vs-ssd\/#Are_NVMe_SSDs_Better_for_Gaming\" title=\"Are NVMe SSDs Better for Gaming?\">Are NVMe SSDs Better for Gaming?<\/a><\/li><li class=\"ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3\"><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-17\" href=\"https:\/\/g100.us\/nvme-vs-ssd\/#Are_NVMe_SSDs_Better_for_Professional_3D_Work\" title=\"Are NVMe SSDs Better for Professional 3D Work?\">Are NVMe SSDs Better for Professional 3D Work?<\/a><\/li><li class=\"ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3\"><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-18\" href=\"https:\/\/g100.us\/nvme-vs-ssd\/#Are_SATA_SSDs_Obsolete\" title=\"Are SATA SSDs Obsolete?\">Are SATA SSDs Obsolete?<\/a><\/li><li class=\"ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3\"><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-19\" href=\"https:\/\/g100.us\/nvme-vs-ssd\/#Is_NVMe_the_Same_as_M2\" title=\"Is NVMe the Same as M.2?\">Is NVMe the Same as M.2?<\/a><\/li><li class=\"ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3\"><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-20\" href=\"https:\/\/g100.us\/nvme-vs-ssd\/#Are_PCIe_and_NVMe_the_Same_Thing\" title=\"Are PCIe and NVMe the Same Thing?\">Are PCIe and NVMe the Same Thing?<\/a><\/li><li class=\"ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3\"><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-21\" href=\"https:\/\/g100.us\/nvme-vs-ssd\/#Can_I_Use_NVMe_and_SATA_SSDs_Together\" title=\"Can I Use NVMe and SATA SSDs Together?\">Can I Use NVMe and SATA SSDs Together?<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/li><li class=\"ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2\"><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-22\" href=\"https:\/\/g100.us\/nvme-vs-ssd\/#Over_to_You\" title=\"Over to You\">Over to You<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n<p>NVMe this, SSD that, what are all of these things anyway?<\/p>\n<p>Any time you think about building your own PC or upgrading it, you're bound to come across those acronyms.<\/p>\n<p>So what are they? How are they important? <strong>And are they even comparable?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>Well, the short &amp; simple answer: An NVMe SSD is a faster type of (SATA) SSD.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Here's the more in-depth answer:<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"What_Is_NVMe\"><\/span>What Is NVMe?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/g100.us\/best-nvme-ssds\/\">NVMe<\/a>, or &#8220;Non-Volatile Memory Express&#8221;, is an <strong>interface specification<\/strong> that allows storage modules to interface with your computer.<\/p>\n<p>In layman's terms, it's basically a thing that tells your computer how to read what's on the storage.<\/p>\n<p>In slightly more technical terms, NVMe is a method of interfacing with storage that supersedes the previous AHCI (Advanced Host Controller Interface) specification.<\/p>\n<p>NVMe was designed from the ground up to accommodate modern SSDs as opposed to AHCI, which was made to accommodate the old platter drives (HDDs) of ye olden days.<\/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><a href=\"https:\/\/g100.us\/ssd-types\/\">SSD<\/a>, or &#8220;Solid State Drive&#8221;, is a type of <strong>storage medium<\/strong> that you can use on your computer.<\/p>\n<p>In layman's terms, it's basically the place where you actually store your stuff.<\/p>\n<p>In slightly more technical terms, SSDs are a type of storage similar to HDDs (Hard Disk Drives), but instead of storing data in physical platters, it stores data in flash storage modules as bits of 1s and 0s.<\/p>\n<p><noscript><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-18164\" src=\"https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2022\/06\/Hard-Disk-Drive-vs-Solid-State-Drive-How-do-they-work.jpg\" alt=\"Hard Disk Drive vs Solid State Drive - How do they work\" width=\"2048\" height=\"1080\" srcset=\"https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2022\/06\/Hard-Disk-Drive-vs-Solid-State-Drive-How-do-they-work.jpg 2048w, https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2022\/06\/Hard-Disk-Drive-vs-Solid-State-Drive-How-do-they-work-300x158.jpg 300w, https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2022\/06\/Hard-Disk-Drive-vs-Solid-State-Drive-How-do-they-work-1024x540.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2022\/06\/Hard-Disk-Drive-vs-Solid-State-Drive-How-do-they-work-768x405.jpg 768w, https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2022\/06\/Hard-Disk-Drive-vs-Solid-State-Drive-How-do-they-work-1536x810.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2048px) 100vw, 2048px\"><\/noscript><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-18164 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=\"Hard Disk Drive vs Solid State Drive - How do they 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\/06\/Hard-Disk-Drive-vs-Solid-State-Drive-How-do-they-work.jpg 2048w, https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2022\/06\/Hard-Disk-Drive-vs-Solid-State-Drive-How-do-they-work-300x158.jpg 300w, https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2022\/06\/Hard-Disk-Drive-vs-Solid-State-Drive-How-do-they-work-1024x540.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2022\/06\/Hard-Disk-Drive-vs-Solid-State-Drive-How-do-they-work-768x405.jpg 768w, https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2022\/06\/Hard-Disk-Drive-vs-Solid-State-Drive-How-do-they-work-1536x810.jpg 1536w\" data-src=\"https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2022\/06\/Hard-Disk-Drive-vs-Solid-State-Drive-How-do-they-work.jpg\"><\/p>\n<p>But the SSD has to get information from the CPU about what data to store and where to store it, so that's where the interface specification (NVMe) comes in.<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Whats_the_Difference_Between_NVMe_and_SSD\"><\/span>What\u2019s the Difference Between NVMe and SSD?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>&#8220;NVMe&#8221; and &#8220;SSD&#8221; can't be directly compared as the two are two completely different things. It's like comparing a street sign to a car.<\/p>\n<p>NVMe is a type of modern <strong>interface specification<\/strong> that many SSDs nowadays use to achieve higher speeds. Whereas an SSD is simply a storage device (<strong>S<\/strong>olid <strong>S<\/strong>tate <strong>D<\/strong>rive) you store data on.<\/p>\n<p><strong>But the question is still viable when comparing Laptops or PCs with the one listing a regular (SATA) SSD and the other listing an NVMe (PCIe) SSD. It makes sense why we'd want to know if the NVMe or &#8220;regular&#8221; SSD is superior.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>There are many different potential specifications that an SSD can use, but we don't have to bother with all that here.<\/p>\n<p><strong><em>The main point is that all NVMe SSD drives are SSDs, but not all SSDs are NVMe drives.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n<p>For example, you can have <em>SATA<\/em> SSDs that don't support the NVMe interface specification.<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_18145\" style=\"width: 2048px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><noscript><img aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-18145\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"img-with-border wp-image-18145\" src=\"https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2022\/06\/word-image-39.png\" alt=\"Samsung - A 2.5&quot; SSD sporting a SATA interface.\" width=\"2048\" height=\"1365\" srcset=\"https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2022\/06\/word-image-39.png 2048w, https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2022\/06\/word-image-39-300x200.png 300w, https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2022\/06\/word-image-39-1024x683.png 1024w, https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2022\/06\/word-image-39-768x512.png 768w, https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2022\/06\/word-image-39-1536x1024.png 1536w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2048px) 100vw, 2048px\"><\/noscript><img aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-18145\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"img-with-border wp-image-18145 lazyload\" src=\"data:image\/svg+xml,%3Csvg%20xmlns%3D%22http%3A%2F%2Fwww.w3.org%2F2000%2Fsvg%22%20viewBox%3D%220%200%202048%201365%22%3E%3C%2Fsvg%3E\" alt=\"Samsung - A 2.5&quot; SSD sporting a SATA interface.\" width=\"2048\" height=\"1365\" srcset=\"data:image\/svg+xml,%3Csvg%20xmlns%3D%22http%3A%2F%2Fwww.w3.org%2F2000%2Fsvg%22%20viewBox%3D%220%200%202048%201365%22%3E%3C%2Fsvg%3E 2048w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2048px) 100vw, 2048px\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2022\/06\/word-image-39.png 2048w, https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2022\/06\/word-image-39-300x200.png 300w, https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2022\/06\/word-image-39-1024x683.png 1024w, https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2022\/06\/word-image-39-768x512.png 768w, https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2022\/06\/word-image-39-1536x1024.png 1536w\" data-src=\"https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2022\/06\/word-image-39.png\"><p id=\"caption-attachment-18145\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Image Credit: Samsung - A 2.5&#8243; SSD sporting a SATA interface<\/p><\/div>\n<p>But the problem with that is that the SATA interface is inherently limited to transfer speeds of around 600MB\/s. And SSDs can be significantly faster than that.<\/p>\n<p>So more modern SSDs instead opt to use the PCIe (Peripheral Component Interconnect Express) interface instead.<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_18179\" style=\"width: 1637px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><noscript><img aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-18179\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-18179\" src=\"https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2022\/06\/Samsung-An-M.2-PCIe-4.0-SSD-sporting-a-PCIe-interface.jpg\" alt=\"Samsung - An M.2, PCIe 4.0 SSD sporting a PCIe interface\" width=\"1637\" height=\"492\" srcset=\"https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2022\/06\/Samsung-An-M.2-PCIe-4.0-SSD-sporting-a-PCIe-interface.jpg 1637w, https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2022\/06\/Samsung-An-M.2-PCIe-4.0-SSD-sporting-a-PCIe-interface-300x90.jpg 300w, https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2022\/06\/Samsung-An-M.2-PCIe-4.0-SSD-sporting-a-PCIe-interface-1024x308.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2022\/06\/Samsung-An-M.2-PCIe-4.0-SSD-sporting-a-PCIe-interface-768x231.jpg 768w, https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2022\/06\/Samsung-An-M.2-PCIe-4.0-SSD-sporting-a-PCIe-interface-1536x462.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1637px) 100vw, 1637px\"><\/noscript><img aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-18179\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-18179 lazyload\" src=\"data:image\/svg+xml,%3Csvg%20xmlns%3D%22http%3A%2F%2Fwww.w3.org%2F2000%2Fsvg%22%20viewBox%3D%220%200%201637%20492%22%3E%3C%2Fsvg%3E\" alt=\"Samsung - An M.2, PCIe 4.0 SSD sporting a PCIe interface\" width=\"1637\" height=\"492\" srcset=\"data:image\/svg+xml,%3Csvg%20xmlns%3D%22http%3A%2F%2Fwww.w3.org%2F2000%2Fsvg%22%20viewBox%3D%220%200%201637%20492%22%3E%3C%2Fsvg%3E 1637w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1637px) 100vw, 1637px\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2022\/06\/Samsung-An-M.2-PCIe-4.0-SSD-sporting-a-PCIe-interface.jpg 1637w, https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2022\/06\/Samsung-An-M.2-PCIe-4.0-SSD-sporting-a-PCIe-interface-300x90.jpg 300w, https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2022\/06\/Samsung-An-M.2-PCIe-4.0-SSD-sporting-a-PCIe-interface-1024x308.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2022\/06\/Samsung-An-M.2-PCIe-4.0-SSD-sporting-a-PCIe-interface-768x231.jpg 768w, https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2022\/06\/Samsung-An-M.2-PCIe-4.0-SSD-sporting-a-PCIe-interface-1536x462.jpg 1536w\" data-src=\"https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2022\/06\/Samsung-An-M.2-PCIe-4.0-SSD-sporting-a-PCIe-interface.jpg\"><p id=\"caption-attachment-18179\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Samsung - An M.2, PCIe 4.0 SSD sporting a PCIe interface<\/p><\/div>\n<p>PCIe 3.0 can support transfer speeds of up to 1GB\/s on a single lane, and PCIe 4.0 doubles that\u2014and PCIe 5.0 doubles <em>that<\/em>, though there aren't any PCIe 5.0 supporting SSDs currently.<\/p>\n<p>And if that wasn't enough. Consider the fact PCIe SSDs can use <a href=\"https:\/\/g100.us\/guide-to-pcie-lanes\/\"><em>four<\/em> PCIe lanes <\/a>to transfer data. So, basically, a PCIe interface using SSD can be <strong><em>significantly<\/em><\/strong> faster than SATA SSD.<\/p>\n<p><em>But<\/em>, that doesn't matter if the interface specification can't keep up with that speed.<\/p>\n<p>The previous interface before NVMe, AHCI, was really not made for SSDs and wouldn't have been able to handle the throughput that SSDs were capable of.<\/p>\n<p>So the industry decided to create NVMe, something that was made from the ground up to support SSDs and allow them to achieve the crazy speeds they're achieving now.<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"What_Are_the_Differences_Between_NVMe_SSDs_and_SATA_SSDs\"><\/span>What Are the Differences Between NVMe SSDs and SATA SSDs?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>So, now that we have that out of the way, we can actually compare something that's comparable.<\/p>\n<p>NVMe SSDs and SATA SSDs.<\/p>\n<p><noscript><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-18166\" src=\"https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2022\/06\/Types-of-M.2-SSDs.jpg\" alt=\"Types of M.2 SSDs\" width=\"1200\" height=\"581\" srcset=\"https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2022\/06\/Types-of-M.2-SSDs.jpg 1200w, https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2022\/06\/Types-of-M.2-SSDs-300x145.jpg 300w, https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2022\/06\/Types-of-M.2-SSDs-1024x496.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2022\/06\/Types-of-M.2-SSDs-768x372.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 767px) 100vw, (max-width: 960px) 60vw, 707px\"><\/noscript><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-18166 lazyload\" src=\"data:image\/svg+xml,%3Csvg%20xmlns%3D%22http%3A%2F%2Fwww.w3.org%2F2000%2Fsvg%22%20viewBox%3D%220%200%201200%20581%22%3E%3C%2Fsvg%3E\" alt=\"Types of M.2 SSDs\" width=\"1200\" height=\"581\" srcset=\"data:image\/svg+xml,%3Csvg%20xmlns%3D%22http%3A%2F%2Fwww.w3.org%2F2000%2Fsvg%22%20viewBox%3D%220%200%201200%20581%22%3E%3C%2Fsvg%3E 1200w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 767px) 100vw, (max-width: 960px) 60vw, 707px\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2022\/06\/Types-of-M.2-SSDs.jpg 1200w, https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2022\/06\/Types-of-M.2-SSDs-300x145.jpg 300w, https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2022\/06\/Types-of-M.2-SSDs-1024x496.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2022\/06\/Types-of-M.2-SSDs-768x372.jpg 768w\" data-src=\"https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2022\/06\/Types-of-M.2-SSDs.jpg\"><\/p>\n<p>And I know that after my whole spiel up there about how NVMe is an interface specification, and SATA is an interface, it's weird to compare the two. Technically, they can't really be compared either.<\/p>\n<p>If we were to be accurate about it, we'd say &#8220;PCIe SSD vs SATA SSD&#8221;, or &#8220;PCIe NVMe SSD vs SATA AHCI SSD.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>The only reason I'm not doing that is that the industry has, for some reason, decided to call them NVMe SSDs, instead of PCIe SSDs, similar to what they were doing with SATA SDDs. (Possibly to not confuse them with SSDs that are mounted\/built onto a PCIe add-in card that goes into a PCIe-slot.)<\/p>\n<p>But anyway. I digress. My gripes with computer component naming schemes aside, I will simply be comparing NVMe SSDs to SATA SSDs because that's most likely why you've stumbled upon this article.<\/p>\n<p><strong>You most likely saw a PC or Laptop specification sheet, and one of them had an NVMe SSD listed and the other &#8220;just&#8221; an SSD, and that's confusing, I agree. So which one is &#8220;better&#8221;? And are there any <em>other<\/em> differences you should be aware of?<\/strong><\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Physical_Differences\"><\/span>Physical Differences<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p><noscript><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-18165\" src=\"https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2022\/06\/SSD-Form-Factors.jpg\" alt=\"SSD Form Factors\" width=\"2048\" height=\"1080\" srcset=\"https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2022\/06\/SSD-Form-Factors.jpg 2048w, https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2022\/06\/SSD-Form-Factors-300x158.jpg 300w, https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2022\/06\/SSD-Form-Factors-1024x540.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2022\/06\/SSD-Form-Factors-768x405.jpg 768w, https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2022\/06\/SSD-Form-Factors-1536x810.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2048px) 100vw, 2048px\"><\/noscript><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-18165 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 Form Factors\" 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\/06\/SSD-Form-Factors.jpg 2048w, https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2022\/06\/SSD-Form-Factors-300x158.jpg 300w, https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2022\/06\/SSD-Form-Factors-1024x540.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2022\/06\/SSD-Form-Factors-768x405.jpg 768w, https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2022\/06\/SSD-Form-Factors-1536x810.jpg 1536w\" data-src=\"https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2022\/06\/SSD-Form-Factors.jpg\"><\/p>\n<p>Some people assume that NVMe SSDs equal M.2 drives and SATA SSDs equal 2.5&#8243; drives. That's not true.<\/p>\n<p>Both types of SSDs can come in both form factors. You can have <strong>SATA M.2 SSDs,<\/strong> and you can have NVMe 2.5&#8243; SSDs.<\/p>\n<p>So NVMe SSDs and SATA SSDs share their form factors. But an important thing to note here is that even though they share the same form factors, they have some other physical differences.<\/p>\n<p>Possibly the most important of which you should know about is the different &#8220;keys&#8221; in M.2 drives.<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_17450\" style=\"width: 2048px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><noscript><img aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-17450\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-17450\" src=\"https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2022\/05\/M.2-SSD-Keys.jpg\" alt=\"M.2 SSD Keys\" width=\"2048\" height=\"1080\" srcset=\"https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2022\/05\/M.2-SSD-Keys.jpg 2048w, https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2022\/05\/M.2-SSD-Keys-300x158.jpg 300w, https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2022\/05\/M.2-SSD-Keys-1024x540.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2022\/05\/M.2-SSD-Keys-768x405.jpg 768w, https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2022\/05\/M.2-SSD-Keys-1536x810.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2048px) 100vw, 2048px\"><\/noscript><img aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-17450\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-17450 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 SSD Keys\" 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\/05\/M.2-SSD-Keys.jpg 2048w, https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2022\/05\/M.2-SSD-Keys-300x158.jpg 300w, https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2022\/05\/M.2-SSD-Keys-1024x540.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2022\/05\/M.2-SSD-Keys-768x405.jpg 768w, https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2022\/05\/M.2-SSD-Keys-1536x810.jpg 1536w\" data-src=\"https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2022\/05\/M.2-SSD-Keys.jpg\"><p id=\"caption-attachment-17450\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Source: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westerndigital.com\/c\/internal-drives\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Western Digital<\/a><\/p><\/div>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/g100.us\/types-m2-drives-slots\/\">M.2 drives<\/a> have &#8220;keys&#8221; that prevent them from plugging into incompatible sockets. Because of this, you can plug in a B+M key SATA M.2 drive into any M.2 socket (B, M, or B+M), but you can't plug in M-key drives into B-Key sockets or B-Key Drives into M-Key Sockets.<\/p>\n<p>And when it comes to 2.5&#8243; drives, SATA SSDs have different connectors from the NVMe U.2 SSDs for the same reason as the M.2 drives.<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_18167\" style=\"width: 1490px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><noscript><img aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-18167\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-18167\" src=\"https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2022\/06\/SATA-vs-U.2.jpg\" alt=\"SATA vs U.2\" width=\"1490\" height=\"685\" srcset=\"https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2022\/06\/SATA-vs-U.2.jpg 1490w, https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2022\/06\/SATA-vs-U.2-300x138.jpg 300w, https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2022\/06\/SATA-vs-U.2-1024x471.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2022\/06\/SATA-vs-U.2-768x353.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1490px) 100vw, 1490px\"><\/noscript><img aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-18167\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-18167 lazyload\" src=\"data:image\/svg+xml,%3Csvg%20xmlns%3D%22http%3A%2F%2Fwww.w3.org%2F2000%2Fsvg%22%20viewBox%3D%220%200%201490%20685%22%3E%3C%2Fsvg%3E\" alt=\"SATA vs U.2\" width=\"1490\" height=\"685\" srcset=\"data:image\/svg+xml,%3Csvg%20xmlns%3D%22http%3A%2F%2Fwww.w3.org%2F2000%2Fsvg%22%20viewBox%3D%220%200%201490%20685%22%3E%3C%2Fsvg%3E 1490w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1490px) 100vw, 1490px\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2022\/06\/SATA-vs-U.2.jpg 1490w, https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2022\/06\/SATA-vs-U.2-300x138.jpg 300w, https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2022\/06\/SATA-vs-U.2-1024x471.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2022\/06\/SATA-vs-U.2-768x353.jpg 768w\" data-src=\"https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2022\/06\/SATA-vs-U.2.jpg\"><p id=\"caption-attachment-18167\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Source: <a href=\"https:\/\/rog.asus.com\/articles\/hands-on\/easy-guide-to-ssds-sata-msata-m-2-and-u-2\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">ROG ASUS<\/a><\/p><\/div>\n<p>There is also a form factor that is unique to SATA. It's called mSATA. It was a type of small SATA interface that was commonly used in laptops but is now being deprecated in favor of the smaller M.2 sizes.<\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Performance_Differences\"><\/span>Performance Differences<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p><noscript><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-17825\" src=\"https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2022\/06\/HDD-vs-SATA-SSD-vs-PCIe-4.0-NVMe-SSD.jpg\" alt=\"HDD vs SATA SSD vs PCIe 4.0 NVMe SSD\" width=\"2048\" height=\"1080\" srcset=\"https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2022\/06\/HDD-vs-SATA-SSD-vs-PCIe-4.0-NVMe-SSD.jpg 2048w, https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2022\/06\/HDD-vs-SATA-SSD-vs-PCIe-4.0-NVMe-SSD-300x158.jpg 300w, https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2022\/06\/HDD-vs-SATA-SSD-vs-PCIe-4.0-NVMe-SSD-1024x540.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2022\/06\/HDD-vs-SATA-SSD-vs-PCIe-4.0-NVMe-SSD-768x405.jpg 768w, https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2022\/06\/HDD-vs-SATA-SSD-vs-PCIe-4.0-NVMe-SSD-1536x810.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2048px) 100vw, 2048px\"><\/noscript><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-17825 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=\"HDD vs SATA SSD vs PCIe 4.0 NVMe SSD\" 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\/06\/HDD-vs-SATA-SSD-vs-PCIe-4.0-NVMe-SSD.jpg 2048w, https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2022\/06\/HDD-vs-SATA-SSD-vs-PCIe-4.0-NVMe-SSD-300x158.jpg 300w, https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2022\/06\/HDD-vs-SATA-SSD-vs-PCIe-4.0-NVMe-SSD-1024x540.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2022\/06\/HDD-vs-SATA-SSD-vs-PCIe-4.0-NVMe-SSD-768x405.jpg 768w, https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2022\/06\/HDD-vs-SATA-SSD-vs-PCIe-4.0-NVMe-SSD-1536x810.jpg 1536w\" data-src=\"https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2022\/06\/HDD-vs-SATA-SSD-vs-PCIe-4.0-NVMe-SSD.jpg\"><\/p>\n<p>The performance differences between NVMe SSDs and SATA SSDs are the most dramatic difference between them.<\/p>\n<p>NVMe SSDs are <strong><em>significantly<\/em><\/strong> faster than any SATA SSD. It's not even a competition.<\/p>\n<p>For pretty much anything and everything you can think of, NVMe SSDs are better.<\/p>\n<p>But they aren't exactly <em>needed<\/em>. See, most applications these days aren't really all that optimized for NVMe speeds. So even if you have a super-fast NVMe SSD, you're not gonna see that much of a difference over a good SATA SSD.<\/p>\n<p>The main areas where they can benefit are mostly in productivity areas. Do you transfer multiple hundred GB files a day? Do you use applications that write thousands of smaller files to disk?<\/p>\n<p>In those cases, an NVMe SSD would absolutely benefit you. But if you're looking to cut down on system start-up time or increase gaming performance, an ultra-fast NVMe SSD isn't really going to do much for you.<\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Cost_Differences\"><\/span>Cost Differences<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p> <\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_18151\" style=\"width: 1827px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><noscript><img aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-18151\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"img-with-border wp-image-18151\" src=\"https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2022\/06\/word-image-43.png\" alt=\"Samsung 870 EVO SATA III SSD\" width=\"1827\" height=\"934\" srcset=\"https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2022\/06\/word-image-43.png 1827w, https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2022\/06\/word-image-43-300x153.png 300w, https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2022\/06\/word-image-43-1024x523.png 1024w, https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2022\/06\/word-image-43-768x393.png 768w, https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2022\/06\/word-image-43-1536x785.png 1536w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1827px) 100vw, 1827px\"><\/noscript><img aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-18151\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"img-with-border wp-image-18151 lazyload\" src=\"data:image\/svg+xml,%3Csvg%20xmlns%3D%22http%3A%2F%2Fwww.w3.org%2F2000%2Fsvg%22%20viewBox%3D%220%200%201827%20934%22%3E%3C%2Fsvg%3E\" alt=\"Samsung 870 EVO SATA III SSD\" width=\"1827\" height=\"934\" srcset=\"data:image\/svg+xml,%3Csvg%20xmlns%3D%22http%3A%2F%2Fwww.w3.org%2F2000%2Fsvg%22%20viewBox%3D%220%200%201827%20934%22%3E%3C%2Fsvg%3E 1827w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1827px) 100vw, 1827px\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2022\/06\/word-image-43.png 1827w, https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2022\/06\/word-image-43-300x153.png 300w, https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2022\/06\/word-image-43-1024x523.png 1024w, https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2022\/06\/word-image-43-768x393.png 768w, https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2022\/06\/word-image-43-1536x785.png 1536w\" data-src=\"https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2022\/06\/word-image-43.png\"><p id=\"caption-attachment-18151\" class=\"wp-caption-text\"><a class=\"thirstylink\" title=\"SAMSUNG 870 EVO SATA III SSD 1TB 2.5\u201d Internal Solid State Hard Drive, Upgrade PC or Laptop Memory and Storage for IT Pros, Creators, Everyday Users, MZ-77E1T0B\/AM\" href=\"https:\/\/g100.us\/recommends\/samsung-870-evo-sata-iii-ssd-1tb-2-5-internal-solid-state-hard-drive-upgrade-pc-or-laptop-memory-and-storage-for-it-pros-creators-everyday-users-mz-77e1t0b-am\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noindex noopener noreferrer\">Samsung 870 EVO SATA III SSD<\/a><\/p><\/div>\n<p> <\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_18150\" style=\"width: 1833px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><noscript><img aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-18150\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"img-with-border wp-image-18150\" src=\"https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2022\/06\/word-image-42.png\" alt=\"Samsung 980 SSD\" width=\"1833\" height=\"798\" srcset=\"https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2022\/06\/word-image-42.png 1833w, https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2022\/06\/word-image-42-300x131.png 300w, https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2022\/06\/word-image-42-1024x446.png 1024w, https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2022\/06\/word-image-42-768x334.png 768w, https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2022\/06\/word-image-42-1536x669.png 1536w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1833px) 100vw, 1833px\"><\/noscript><img aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-18150\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"img-with-border wp-image-18150 lazyload\" src=\"data:image\/svg+xml,%3Csvg%20xmlns%3D%22http%3A%2F%2Fwww.w3.org%2F2000%2Fsvg%22%20viewBox%3D%220%200%201833%20798%22%3E%3C%2Fsvg%3E\" alt=\"Samsung 980 SSD\" width=\"1833\" height=\"798\" srcset=\"data:image\/svg+xml,%3Csvg%20xmlns%3D%22http%3A%2F%2Fwww.w3.org%2F2000%2Fsvg%22%20viewBox%3D%220%200%201833%20798%22%3E%3C%2Fsvg%3E 1833w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1833px) 100vw, 1833px\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2022\/06\/word-image-42.png 1833w, https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2022\/06\/word-image-42-300x131.png 300w, https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2022\/06\/word-image-42-1024x446.png 1024w, https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2022\/06\/word-image-42-768x334.png 768w, https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2022\/06\/word-image-42-1536x669.png 1536w\" data-src=\"https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2022\/06\/word-image-42.png\"><p id=\"caption-attachment-18150\" class=\"wp-caption-text\"><a class=\"thirstylink\" title=\"SAMSUNG 980 SSD 1TB M.2 NVMe Interface Internal Solid State Drive with V-NAND Technology for Gaming, Heavy Graphics, Full Power Mode, MZ-V8V1T0B\/AM\" href=\"https:\/\/g100.us\/recommends\/samsung-980-ssd-1tb-m-2-nvme-interface-internal-solid-state-drive-with-v-nand-technology-for-gaming-heavy-graphics-full-power-mode-mz-v8v1t0b-am\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noindex noopener noreferrer\">Samsung 980 SSD<\/a><\/p><\/div>\n<p>Unless you want to buy the fastest NVMe SSDs around, the cost difference between a SATA SSD and a mid-range, PCIe 3.0, NVMe SSD is pretty much non-existent these days.<\/p>\n<p>One might be a little more expensive than the other to the tune of maybe like 10 - 20 bucks, but if you have the space for it, getting an NVMe SSD is definitely the smarter choice.<\/p>\n<p>That changes, however, if we start talking about the fastest NVMe SSDs around.<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_18152\" style=\"width: 1828px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><noscript><img aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-18152\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"img-with-border wp-image-18152\" src=\"https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2022\/06\/word-image-44.png\" alt=\"Samsung 980 PRO SSD\" width=\"1828\" height=\"877\" srcset=\"https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2022\/06\/word-image-44.png 1828w, https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2022\/06\/word-image-44-300x144.png 300w, https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2022\/06\/word-image-44-1024x491.png 1024w, https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2022\/06\/word-image-44-768x368.png 768w, https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2022\/06\/word-image-44-1536x737.png 1536w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1828px) 100vw, 1828px\"><\/noscript><img aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-18152\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"img-with-border wp-image-18152 lazyload\" src=\"data:image\/svg+xml,%3Csvg%20xmlns%3D%22http%3A%2F%2Fwww.w3.org%2F2000%2Fsvg%22%20viewBox%3D%220%200%201828%20877%22%3E%3C%2Fsvg%3E\" alt=\"Samsung 980 PRO SSD\" width=\"1828\" height=\"877\" srcset=\"data:image\/svg+xml,%3Csvg%20xmlns%3D%22http%3A%2F%2Fwww.w3.org%2F2000%2Fsvg%22%20viewBox%3D%220%200%201828%20877%22%3E%3C%2Fsvg%3E 1828w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1828px) 100vw, 1828px\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2022\/06\/word-image-44.png 1828w, https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2022\/06\/word-image-44-300x144.png 300w, https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2022\/06\/word-image-44-1024x491.png 1024w, https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2022\/06\/word-image-44-768x368.png 768w, https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2022\/06\/word-image-44-1536x737.png 1536w\" data-src=\"https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2022\/06\/word-image-44.png\"><p id=\"caption-attachment-18152\" class=\"wp-caption-text\"><a class=\"thirstylink\" title=\"SAMSUNG 980 PRO SSD 1TB PCIe 4.0 NVMe Gen 4 Gaming M.2 Internal Solid State Hard Drive Memory Card, Maximum Speed, Thermal Control, MZ-V8P1T0B\" href=\"https:\/\/g100.us\/recommends\/samsung-980-pro-ssd-1tb-pcie-4-0-nvme-gen-4-gaming-m-2-internal-solid-state-hard-drive-memory-card-maximum-speed-thermal-control-mz-v8p1t0b\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noindex noopener noreferrer\">Samsung 980 PRO SSD<\/a><\/p><\/div>\n<p>Now, <em>these<\/em> will cost you a pretty penny. They're usually 50 - 100% more expensive than their PCIe 3.0 and SATA cousins. But unless you actually need those speeds, it's a waste of money to get them.<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"What_Should_You_Get\"><\/span>What Should You Get?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>Well, as always, it depends on what you plan on doing with it.<\/p>\n<p>Do you simply want something that's fast and will do pretty much anything that you might throw at it without any hitches?<\/p>\n<p>Get an <strong>NVMe, PCIe 3.0 SSD<\/strong>. It'll last you for as long as you plan on using it, it isn't all that expensive, and fast enough for practically everything you need.<\/p>\n<p>Do you need cheap storage for <a href=\"https:\/\/g100.us\/ssd-size\/\">storing lots of files<\/a> without resorting to a painfully slow HDD?<\/p>\n<p>Look into SATA SSDs or NVMe, PCIe 3.0 SSDs. Some SATA SSDs can be cheaper than the NVMe counterparts, and you'll most likely have more SATA ports on your motherboard than you do M.2 slots, so SATA SSDs edge it out here.<\/p>\n<p>Do you need the fastest, no-compromise performance?<\/p>\n<p>Well, that's easy. Just get a good <strong>NVMe, PCIe 4.0 SSD<\/strong>. It'll be so fast, you won't know what to do with it, and it'll absolutely chew through anything you throw at it.<\/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=\"What_Is_NVMe-2\"><\/span>What Is NVMe?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>NVMe is an interface specification that allows your computer to efficiently communicate and use your storage.<\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"What_Is_AHCI\"><\/span>What Is AHCI?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>AHCI is the predecessor to NVMe and is an interface specification that allows your computer to communicate and use your storage.<\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"What_Is_SATA\"><\/span>What Is SATA?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>SATA is a type of interface that you use to connect your storage to your computer. It is slower than modern alternatives.<\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"What_Is_PCIe\"><\/span>What Is PCIe?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>PCIe is a type of interface that you use to connect your storage to your computer. It allows for extremely fast and efficient storage reads and writes.<\/p>\n<p>It's the same thing your GPU uses to communicate with your computer.<\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"What_Is_M2\"><\/span>What Is M.2?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>M.2 is a form factor for computer storage. There are many different M.2 lengths, the most common of which being 2280.<\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Are_NVMe_SSDs_Better_Than_SATA_SSDs\"><\/span>Are NVMe SSDs Better Than SATA SSDs?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>In pretty much every way, yes.<\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Are_NVMe_SSDs_Better_for_Gaming\"><\/span>Are NVMe SSDs Better for Gaming?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>Not really, no.<\/p>\n<p>There are certain technologies being developed\u2014like Microsoft's DirectStorage\u2014that might bring significant gaming performance improvements through using high-speed drives, but for now, you're not going to see many performance improvements in gaming with an NVMe drive.<\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Are_NVMe_SSDs_Better_for_Professional_3D_Work\"><\/span>Are NVMe SSDs Better for Professional 3D Work?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>Absolutely. Especially if you're working with dense scenes, simulation data, uncompressed files, etc.<\/p>\n<p>Time is money, and if you're waiting around for things to load, you're burning money.<\/p>\n<p>So a fast NVMe SSD that can load those files up is immensely useful\u2014this is of course if your software can actually <em>use<\/em> the performance provided by NVMe drives.<\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Are_SATA_SSDs_Obsolete\"><\/span>Are SATA SSDs Obsolete?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>Not really. SATA SSDs serve a niche that I don't think will go away for a while.<\/p>\n<p>They provide <em>fast enough<\/em> storage at very reasonable prices. So for most storage needs, SATA SSDs are completely fine. Whereas NVMe SSDs are really only useful for certain special applications that can actually use their speed.<\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Is_NVMe_the_Same_as_M2\"><\/span>Is NVMe the Same as M.2?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>They're not. NVMe is an interface specification.<\/p>\n<p>M.2 is a form factor. Most NVMe drives come in the M.2 form factor.<\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Are_PCIe_and_NVMe_the_Same_Thing\"><\/span>Are PCIe and NVMe the Same Thing?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>They're not. NVMe is an interface specification. PCIe is an interface.<\/p>\n<p>NVMe drives use PCIe as the interface.<\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Can_I_Use_NVMe_and_SATA_SSDs_Together\"><\/span>Can I Use NVMe and SATA SSDs Together?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>Absolutely. You can use all sorts of different storage types and it'll work fine.<\/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>Hopefully, that explains everything you need to know about the difference between what NVMe is and how it relates to SSDs!<\/p>\n<p>It's all a bit confusing, to say the least, but the main point to take away here is that all NVMe drives are SSDs, but not all SSDs are NVMe drives.<\/p>\n<p><strong><em>Have any other questions about PC components? Feel free to ask us in the <a href=\"#comments\">comments<\/a> 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>NVMe this, SSD that, what are all of these things anyway? Any time you think about building your own PC or upgrading it, you're bound to come across those acronyms. So what are they? How are they important? And are they even comparable? Well, the short &amp; simple answer: An NVMe SSD is a faster...<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2343,"featured_media":18147,"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\/18144"}],"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\/2343"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=18144"}],"version-history":[{"count":12,"href":"https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/18144\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":24780,"href":"https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/18144\/revisions\/24780"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/18147"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=18144"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=18144"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=18144"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}