{"id":3252,"date":"2019-07-16T11:00:00","date_gmt":"2019-07-16T11:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.caseking.de\/blog\/caseking-ssd-buyers-guide-everything-you-need-to-know-about-ssds\/"},"modified":"2019-07-16T11:00:00","modified_gmt":"2019-07-16T11:00:00","slug":"caseking-ssd-buyers-guide-everything-you-need-to-know-about-ssds","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.caseking.de\/blog\/caseking-ssd-buyers-guide-everything-you-need-to-know-about-ssds","title":{"rendered":"Caseking SSD- & Buyer’s Guide : Everything You Need to Know about SSDs!"},"content":{"rendered":"

A Solid State Drive<\/strong>, or Solid State Disk (SSD)<\/strong>, generally uses non-volatile flash memory nowadays. Non-volatile means that the data can be safely stored over the long term. Memory, on the other hand, also uses flash memory – yet in this instance the data in so far as the memory cells kept supplied with power. In contrast to traditional hard drives (HDDs), SSDs contain no moving parts and thus produce no noise during operation as a result. Moreover, data on an SSD can be accessed at significantly faster speeds than on an HDD.<\/p>\n

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What to Factor in when Buying an SSD<\/h2>\n

When buying an SSD, it’s usually sensible to take afew things into account first: form factors, data transfer protocols, interfaces, transfer rates, IOPS, TBW, and much more. Sound complicated? Don’t worry, we’re going to go in-depth and explore everything to do with flash storage below. <\/p>\n

The Form Factor: 2,5” SATA SSD vs M.2 SSD vs PCIe-SSD<\/h3>\n

The question is, how do we decide on what form factor to choose when it comes to buying a new SSD? The answer to this depends on, among other things, both your current hardware as well as your intended upgrade path in the future. Factors to keep in mind include the space available in your case and the connectivity options provided by your motherboard.<\/p><\/div>\n

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\"2,5-Zoll-SSD\"<\/a><\/div>\n
Standard SSDs have always used the 2,5” form factor<\/strong>. These SSDs are 70 mm by 100 mm in length and width, while the height is non-standardised and can vary between manufacturers, models and capacities. The most common height of an SSD is between seven and nine millimetres. 2,5“ SSDs<\/strong> can be installed in the majority of cases using a drive cage or slots that are specially designed for holding SSDs. 2,5″-SSDs<\/strong> are powered by a separate cable from the power supply, with a second, separate SATA cable that allows data to be transferred to and from the drive via the motherboard.<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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\"M.2-SSD\" <\/a><\/div>\n
M.2<\/strong> originally went by the name of Next Generation Form Factor (NGFF) and this refers to the physical slot on the motherboard. This can in fact entail either a SATA or a PCIe (or even both) connection internally. M.2 SSDs are always 22 mm wide however. In terms of length, four standards have been established thus far: 42 mm, 60 mm, 80 mm and 110 mm. The form factor of an M.2 SSD<\/strong> consists of the width and length combined: 2242, 2260, 2280 and 22110. In the mainstream segment, M.2 SSDs in the 2280 format have become the most widely used type. Installation uses a compatible M.2 slot located directly atop the motherboard, additional cables for data transfer and power are not required.<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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\"PCIe-SSD\"<\/a><\/div>\n
PCIe-SSDs<\/strong> are installed directly into the PCI Express slot of the motherboard. Depending on the manufacturer and the capacity however, the length and width of such SSDs can vary significantly. The PCIe standard does limit the height to two variants: Full size and low profile. Most PCIe SSDs utilise the low profile design, often coming with an additional full size slot bracket. An additional connection to the motherboard or PSU is not necessary, since both power and data is transferred via the slot itself. PCIe SSDs<\/strong> are generally used in servers or workstations, with gaming PCs using them less frequently.<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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Data Transfer Speeds: SATA6G vs NVMe<\/h2>\n

The speeds<\/strong> of SSDs are measured in terms of their maximum read- and write speeds, and the speeds achievable depend on the SSD’s connection with the motherboard. The physical connector used, whether that is PCIe, M.2 or SATA, is of little relevance to the data transfer rates. The decisive factors here are the protocol used and the internals of the connection. SSDs with SATA connections transfer data utilising the traditional AHCI protocol, while PCIe-based SSDs use the significantly faster NVMe protocol: <\/p>\n