How to choose an SSD drive for a laptop: Basic rules. SSD M2 - what is it What does M.2 look like and what is it for?

The 3DNews laboratory traditionally pays great attention to tests of solid-state drives, examining both the performance and reliability of such solutions. And there is a simple explanation for this: SSD is one of the most impactful technologies of recent times, which in just a few years has made it possible to significantly increase the responsiveness of personal computers. new level. Today, not a single enthusiast will ask the question: whether to place the operating system and frequently used programs on a solid-state drive, or, perhaps, do without new solutions in the configuration and limit it to the time-tested HDD. In any build where the budget allows, SSDs are required. In some places these are small-sized primary drives, and in others they are working data storages with a capacity of more than a terabyte, but any modern system (if it is not an ultra-budget computer) without an SSD is simply unthinkable.

Until recently, most computers included SSDs with a SATA interface, and these were the ones we tested and recommended above all. Indeed, such drives are generally available, widely compatible with existing systems, and their cost until recently seemed more justified compared to options using a high-speed bus PCI Express. But times are changing, and now the more interesting choice begins to seem solid state drives with NVMe interface. Yes, they are slightly more expensive, but on the one hand, the price gap between SATA and NVMe SSDs is systematically closing, and on the other, the overpayment for a faster interface ultimately pays off with the positive emotions that high performance brings. Of course, the same jump in performance that we experienced when moving from HDD to SSD is not present in this case. But the increase in speeds is still significant, and those users who have already tried to work in the system with some good NVMe drive are unlikely to agree to exchange it for an alternative with a SATA interface.

In other words, we have come to the understanding that it is time to finally get serious about comparative tests of progressive mass-market NVMe SSDs. The growing popularity of such solutions is obvious, and their range presented on store shelves is expanding every day. And if until recently the choice was very simple, since the optimal drive with an NVMe interface was almost without alternative, then today its unconditional superiority can be questioned. This, in particular, was shown by our recent acquaintance with a new NVMe product, which is at least as good in performance and quite attractive in price. In addition, for Lately others have appeared on the market interesting options, which would be at least unfair to ignore.

First extensive testing We will devote the new cycle to comparing the most popular options - M.2 drives with an NVMe interface with a capacity of 240-256 GB.

⇡ Why NVMe?

Many people believe that the NVMe interface, to which solid-state drives are gradually moving, is synonymous with speed. Indeed, the peak throughput of the SATA interface in its most common version 3.1 reaches only 600 MB/s, which is clearly lower than the performance that a modern SSD can produce. This can be clearly seen from the fact that the performance of linear operations is practically the same for various modern SATA drives: it is limited by the interface bandwidth.

At the same time, current drives with an NVMe interface can offer not only significantly higher, but also noticeably different performance indicators. For example, the best consumer NVMe SSDs deliver sequential read and write speeds of 3.5 and 2.7 GB/s, respectively, but at the same time, simpler NVMe models fall significantly short of these figures. And this means that in the world of NVMe SSDs, performance is not such an emasculated and devalued characteristic as in the case of SATA.

This is actually due to the implementation of the interface. To operate the NVMe interface at a low level, standard is selected serial bus PCI Express, which not only easily scales by increasing the number of lines used, but even in the single-line version (version 3.0) can provide a peak throughput of about 985 MB/s, that is, at least one and a half times higher than the usual SATA -interface. In addition, the vast majority of modern mass-market NVMe SSDs use two or four PCI Express lanes, which means the resulting throughput is 1.97 or even 3.94 GB/s. Flash memory-based drives, due to their multi-channel architecture, can use such a fast bus without much difficulty, which is why it turns out that the speed of NVMe SSDs during sequential operations is several times higher than that of SATA SSDs.

However, initially the transition of SSDs from the SATA interface to NVMe was not conceived so much with the aim of increasing bandwidth, how much to reduce latencies and add multi-threaded storage to the work. The possibilities for scaling sequential access speeds that opened up were only a useful addition. The main thing about NVMe is that this interface is designed to work with drives built on the basis of non-volatile memory, that is, with those that have a multi-channel parallel architecture with fast random access. And this radically distinguishes the NVMe interface from SATA - the old legacy interface that came to solid-state drives from hard drives and therefore does not take into account the specifics of the internal structure of new generation storage media.

In particular, the AHCI protocol used in SATA is built around servicing one common command queue and explicitly assumes that incoming commands are processed by a device with a high access time - a hard disk drive. For this reason, AHCI does not include any parallelism, because magnetic storage media reads and writes data exclusively sequentially. Additionally, since even the best HDDs cannot offer latency of less than a few milliseconds, AHCI does not have any optimizations to reduce latencies. Given the high access time of physical media, the protocol overhead simply does not matter.

All this seemed quite logical and natural for the HDD, but when the SATA interface came to the SSD, the AHCI protocol immediately became inconvenient and even inappropriate. However, despite the serious complaints, it turned out to be impossible to abandon it at the first stage, at least due to the fact that no other option was simply found at the right time. But to make matters worse, while the industry was developing and implementing a suitable alternative, SATA SSDs were able to spread widely and establish the legacy interface as a common solution. That is why NVMe drives had to make their way to the market with great effort. Fortunately, today all obstacles have been overcome: NVMe support is available in all modern platforms and operating systems, and a wide range of consumer SSD models using this interface are available for sale.

And in this moment the question of which drive with which interface should be preferred for modern system, should not arise at all. NVMe not only benefits in terms of throughput, but is also specifically tailored for the SSD architecture, minimizing latency when working with data. It has two fundamental advantages. First, NVMe supports multi-threading, allowing the formation of multiple command queues that can be processed by a multi-channel SSD controller in parallel. Secondly, by connecting the processor and storage media directly, without any intermediaries, the NVMe interface brings data closer to the point of its use and removes two intermediate links that have become unnecessary: ​​a SATA controller and a SATA command translator, which converts calls accepted in the AHCI protocol to sectors and tracks in data requests from flash memory pages.

All this has a positive effect on delays. As practice shows, the method of data access offered by the NVMe interface, which is natural for a solid-state drive, allows you to reduce overhead costs by almost half. This, in particular, opens the way for creating drives with latency of tens of microseconds. And here we are not giving a hypothetical argument; such NVMe drives are known: for example, Intel Optane SSD or Samsung Z-SSD. It is simply impossible to achieve such quality of service based on the SATA interface.

If you delve into the technical details, you can see a lot of useful solutions in NVMe that make this interface very simple and responsive. For example, transferring the most typical 4K byte blocks in it requires issuing only one command instead of two in SATA. And the entire set of control instructions has been simplified so much that their processing at the driver level can significantly reduce processor load and the resulting delays. As for parallelism and scalability, NVMe is expected to be able to simultaneously service up to 65536 queues, and each of them can have a depth of up to 65536 commands. Of course, for personal computers this degree of parallelism is impossible, but when several applications are running simultaneously and actively communicating with the drive, the processor load can be slightly reduced thanks to NVMe.

Thus, from the user's point of view, NVMe is maximum throughput for linear access, maximum performance for random operations and minimum latency for data access. As well as some additional conveniences, such as less CPU load and no performance degradation during multi-threaded data operations. There is no point in giving up all this, which is why we decided to get serious about testing NVMe SSDs.

Why M.2?

Along with the advent of a wide range of solid-state drives using the NVMe interface, new SSD form factors have become widespread. And this is natural, because NVMe requires a different connection - they are connected to the system not with a SATA cable, but via the PCI Express bus. While the industry has not come to a consensus on what NVMe drives should look like, three different versions of such products can be found on sale: HHHL PCIe expansion cards, M.2 modules and 2.5-inch U-format enclosure products. 2. However, in any case, the NVMe drive uses the PCI Express bus for data transport, which means the execution type is speed characteristics does not affect. It's just that different SSD formats may be useful in different situations.

The most obvious option for an NVMe SSD, given its use of the PCI Express bus, is a standard expansion card. HHHL (Half-Height, Half-Length - half height, half length) PCIe storage cards, like a video card, are installed perpendicularly in regular PCIe slots motherboard and have quite impressive overall dimensions - 167 × 111 mm. The disadvantages of this form factor are obvious: drives are bulky, require free slots and obviously cannot be used in compact or mobile systems. However, there are also advantages: they can be equipped with an effective radiator without any obstacles, which will provide the necessary cooling for a high-performance SSD. However, due to the restrictions imposed, drives in the form of expansion cards are gradually fading into the background.

Even more rare view NVMe drives - solutions in the U.2 form factor. This format involves placing an NVMe SSD in a familiar 2.5-inch case, which makes it possible, among other things, to easily mount drives in standard cages and provide “hot-swappable” functionality. But the connection must be made with a special PCIe cable of the SFF-8639 standard, and the motherboard must have the corresponding SFF-8643 connectors. This implementation option for NVMe SSD, due to its specifics, is more typical for servers and is practically not used in desktop computers.

The most popular NVMe SSD format for personal computers is M.2 modules. Such drives are made in the form of unframed compact daughter cards with a blade connector, which are installed in a special M.2 slot on the motherboard parallel to their surface. The typical size of an M.2 card is 22 × 80 mm (there are also varieties 22 × 42, 22 × 60 mm and 22 × 110 mm), that is, these are relatively miniature products that can be used not only in desktop computers, but also, for example, in thin and light laptops. Any systems based on modern processors, are necessarily equipped with one or more slots for M.2 drives, so compatibility issues with this form factor are gradually fading into the background.

However, it is necessary to keep in mind that the M.2 slot on the motherboard can accommodate not only the four PCI Express 3.0 lanes necessary for the fastest NVMe SSDs, but also a smaller number of lanes or lines of the older PCI Express 2.0 standard. Moreover, there are M.2 slots with a SATA interface that do not support PCI Express connections at all. This usually applies to outdated or ultra-low-cost configurations, but once again check whether your system is compatible with NVMe drives in the M.2 format, which require four (or for some SSD models two) PCI Express 3.0 lanes for their operation, before purchasing the appropriate SSD not prevent. This information can be obtained from the motherboard manufacturer's website or from the user manual.

Another important nuance that should be kept in mind when using M.2 SSD is the need for cooling. Fast, compact NVMe SSDs pack multiple heat-producing components into a small area. Therefore for normal operation For such products, it is recommended to install radiators or organize additional airflow for the M.2 module. Otherwise, the drives may overheat and not perform as expected.

However, we recommend using NVMe SSD in the M.2 form factor. Firstly, if we talk about high-performance models, such drives are the most common. The range of M.2 NVMe SSDs is much wider compared to NVMe drives in other form factors, and choosing the appropriate combination of characteristics is much easier. Secondly, M.2 NVMe SSDs are more compact than other options: they do not require any cable connection and do not change the dimensions of the assembly after installation. Thirdly, today almost any modern desktop or mobile system is ready to accept M.2 NVMe SSD. There are currently the fewest compatibility problems with NVMe drives in the M.2 form factor. In addition, for M.2 NVMe SSDs there is a large selection of adapter cards that allow you to install them not only in specialized connectors, but also in standard PCI Express slots on the motherboard.

Table of characteristics of tested SSDs

Eighteen modern solid-state drives with an NVMe interface took part in the summary testing conducted by the 3DNews laboratory. All of them were made in the format of M.2 modules, and they all had a volume of a quarter of a terabyte, that is, from 240 to 256 GB.

A short list of tested models with their main ones technical characteristics taken from official sources is given in the following table.

With more detailed description test participants can be found on the next review page.

Whether in the past or this year, articles about SSDs can safely begin with the same passage: “The solid-state drive market is on the verge of serious changes.” For several months now, we have been eagerly awaiting the moment when manufacturers finally begin releasing fundamentally new models of mass-produced SSDs for personal computers, which will use the faster PCI Express bus instead of the usual SATA 6 Gb/s interface. But the bright moment, when the market is flooded with fresh and noticeably more high-performance solutions, everything is postponed and postponed, mainly due to delays in bringing the necessary controllers to fruition. Those single models of consumer SSDs with the PCI Express bus, which do become available, are still clearly experimental in nature and cannot amaze us with their performance.

Being in such anxious anticipation of change, it is easy to lose sight of other events that, although they do not have a fundamental impact on the entire industry, are nevertheless also important and interesting. Something similar happened to us: new trends, to which we had paid almost no attention until now, have spread unnoticed in the consumer SSD market. SSDs of a new format - M.2 - have begun to appear on sale en masse. Just a couple of years ago, this form factor was talked about only as a promising standard, but over the past year and a half it has managed to gain a huge number of supporters both among platform developers and among SSD manufacturers. As a result, today M.2 drives are not a rarity, but an everyday reality. They are produced by many manufacturers, they are freely sold in stores and are installed in computers everywhere. Moreover, the M.2 format has managed to carve out a place for itself not only in mobile systems for which it was originally intended. Many motherboards for desktop computers today are also equipped with an M.2 slot, as a result of which such SSDs are actively penetrating classic desktops as well.

Taking all this into account, we came to the conclusion that it is necessary to pay close attention to solid-state drives in the M.2 format. Despite the fact that many models of such flash drives are analogues of the usual 2.5-inch SATA SSDs, which are tested by our laboratory on a regular basis, among them there are also original products that do not have twins of the classic form factor. Therefore, we decided to catch up and conduct a single consolidated test of the most popular M.2 SSD capacities available in domestic stores: 128 and 256 GB. The Moscow company “ Regard", offering an extremely wide range of SSDs, including those in the M.2 form factor.

⇡ Unity and diversity of the world M.2

M.2 slots and cards (formerly this format called Next Generation Form Factor - NGFF) were originally developed as a faster and more compact replacement for mSATA - a popular standard used by solid-state drives in various mobile platforms. But unlike its predecessor, M.2 offers fundamentally greater flexibility in both logical and mechanical parts. New standard describes several options for the length and width of cards, and also allows you to use both SATA and the faster PCI Express interface to connect solid-state drives.

There is no doubt that PCI Express will replace the drive interfaces we are used to. Direct use of this bus without additional add-ons allows you to reduce latencies when accessing data, and thanks to its scalability, it significantly increases throughput. Even two PCI Express 2.0 lanes can provide noticeably higher speed data transfer compared to the usual SATA 6 Gb/s interface, and the M.2 standard allows you to connect to an SSD using up to four PCI Express 3.0 lines. This foundation for throughput growth will lead to a new generation of high-speed solid-state drives capable of faster loading of the operating system and applications, as well as reduced latency when moving large amounts of data.

Formally, the M.2 standard is a mobile version of the SATA Express protocol, described in the SATA 3.2 specification. However, over the past couple of years, M.2 has become much more widespread than SATA Express: M.2 connectors can now be found on current motherboards and laptops, and SSDs in the M.2 form factor are widely available for sale. SATA Express cannot boast of such support from the industry. This is partly due to the greater flexibility of M.2: depending on the implementation, this interface can be compatible with devices using the SATA, PCI Express and even USB 3.0 protocols. Moreover, in its maximum version, M.2 supports up to four PCI Express lines, while SATA Express connectors are capable of transmitting data over only two such lines. In other words, today it is the M.2 slots that seem to be not only convenient, but also a more promising foundation for future SSDs. Not only are they suitable for both mobile and desktop applications, but they are also capable of delivering the highest throughput of any consumer SSD connectivity option available.

However, given the fact that the key property of the M.2 standard is the variety of its types, it should be borne in mind that not all M.2 drives are the same, and their compatibility with various options for the corresponding slots is a different story. To begin with, the M.2 form factor SSD boards available on the market are 22mm wide, but come in five lengths: 30, 42, 60, 80, or 110mm. This dimension is reflected in the markings, for example, the M.2 2280 form factor means that the drive card is 22 mm wide and 80 mm long. For M.2 slots, a complete list of dimensions of storage cards with which they can be physically compatible is usually indicated.

The second feature that differentiates different M.2 variants is the “keys” in the slot slot and, accordingly, in the blade connector of the cards, which prevent the installation of drive cards in connectors that are logically incompatible with them. At the moment, the M.2 SSD uses two key locations out of eleven different positions described in the specification. Two more options have found application on WLAN and Bluetooth cards in the M.2 form factor (yes, this also happens - for example, wireless adapter Intel 7260NGW), and seven key positions are reserved for the future.

M.2 slots can only have one key cutout, but M.2 cards can have multiple key cutouts at once, making them compatible with multiple types of slots at the same time. The type B key, located instead of pins numbered 12-19, means that no more than two PCI Express lanes are connected to the slot. The M type key, occupying pin positions 59-66, means that the slot has four PCI Express lanes and therefore can provide higher performance. In other words, the M.2 card must not only be the right size, but also have a key layout compatible with the slot. At the same time, the keys not only limit mechanical compatibility between various connectors and boards of the M.2 form factor, but also perform another function: their location prevents incorrect installation drives in the slot.

The information given in the table should help to correctly identify the type of slot available in the system. But you need to keep in mind that the possibility of mechanical joining of a slot and connector is only a necessary, but not a sufficient condition for their complete logical compatibility. The fact is that slots with keys B and M can accommodate not only the PCI Express interface, but also SATA, but the location of the keys does not provide any information about its absence or presence. The same applies to M.2 card connectors.

There is one more problem. It lies in the fact that many motherboard developers ignore the requirements of the specifications and install the “coolest” slots with an M type key on their products, but only install two of the four assigned PCIe lanes on them. In addition, the M.2 slots available on motherboards may not be compatible with SATA drives at all. In particular, ASUS is guilty of installing M.2 slots with reduced SATA functionality. SSD manufacturers also adequately respond to these challenges, many of whom prefer to make both key cutouts on their cards at once, which makes it possible to physically install drives in M.2 slots of any type.

As a result, it turns out that to determine the real capabilities, compatibility and presence of the SATA interface in M.2 slots and connectors based on only one external signs impossible. That's why full information information about the implementation features of certain slots and drives can only be obtained from the passport characteristics of a particular device.

Fortunately, at the moment the range of M.2 drives is not so large, so the situation has not yet become completely confusing. In fact, there is currently only one model of M.2 drive with a PCIe x2 interface on the market - Plextor M6e - and one model with a PCIe x4 interface - Samsung XP941. All other flash drives available in stores in the M.2 form factor use the familiar SATA 6 GB/s protocol. Moreover, all M.2 SSDs found in domestic stores have two key cutouts - in positions B and M. The only exception is the Samsung XP941, which has only one key - in position M, but it is not sold in Russia.

However, if your computer or motherboard has an M.2 slot and you plan to fill it with an SSD, there are a few things you need to check first:

• Does your system support M.2 SATA SSD, M.2 PCIe SSD, or both?
• If the system has support for M.2 PCIe drives, how many PCI Express lanes are connected to the M.2 slot?
• What arrangement of keys on the SSD card is allowed by the M.2 slot in the system?
• What is the maximum length of an M.2 card that can be installed in your motherboard?

And only after you can definitely answer all these questions, you can proceed to choosing the appropriate SSD model.

Kingston SSDs are the ideal productivity solution for both consumers and organizations. Available in a wide range of models and capacities, Kingston SSDs extend the life of your PC and provide significant improvements in speed, performance and reliability over conventional hard drives.

Kingston SSDs come with a two-, three-, or five-year warranty, free technical support and feature legendary Kingston reliability; they provide data security and reserve resources for future performance improvements.

If you have questions about Kingston SSDs, you'll find the answers here. If your question is not answered here, please visit the product pages below or contact your Kingston representative.

FAQ

SSD 101

What is an SSD?

SSD is short for solid-state drive. SSDs use NAND Flash or DRAM memory chips to replace the magnetic platters and other mechanical components found in standard hard drives(HDD).

How much faster are SSDs?

It's difficult to say, because... no two systems are alike. Performance can be affected by the OS, loaded drivers, applications used, processor speed/configuration, and many other factors. There are various websites and magazines that have done test comparisons between SSD and HDD and it turns out that SSD is much faster. For example, when comparing random read speed, SSDs are more than 20,000% faster than high-speed HDDs.

It is worth noting that SSD drives do not have the physical limitations characteristic of hard drives. HDD platters are circular (like CDs) and data closer to the center is accessed more slowly than data near the edge of the platter. It takes the same amount of time to access all data on the SSD. HDD efficiency also decreases with increasing data fragmentation, while SSD performance is not significantly affected even if the data is not arranged in a contiguous sequence.

What is IOPS?

Input Output per Second (IOPS, number of input/output operations per second) is a value indicating the number of transactions (read or write operations) per second that a storage device (HDD or SSD) can support. IOPS should not be confused with read/write speed; the IOPS value is largely related to the load on the server.

What does "wear leveling" mean? How important is it?

SSD drives use NAND flash memory to store data. One of the disadvantages of NAND memory is that flash memory cells wear out over time. To extend memory life, the SSD memory controller uses various algorithms to help distribute data across all memory cells. This prevents any given cell or group of cells from being used too often. The use of wear leveling technology is widespread and very effective.

Why is my SSD capacity smaller than some others?

To increase performance and service life, some SSD manufacturers reserve part of the drive's capacity from the user area and transfer it to the controller. This technique is called allocating (increasing) the reserve area of ​​the drive, and it increases the performance and service life of the SSD. All of Kingston's current SSDs feature expandable spare capacity and are available in capacities of 120GB, 240GB, 480GB, 960GB, 1.92TB and 3.84TB. .

Does the SSD wear out or lose speed with long-term use?

NAND flash memory used in USB drives, SD memory cards and SSD drives has service life limitations; this means that you cannot write data to it forever. Flash memory products wear out over time, but with features such as wear leveling and increased spare space, SSDs typically last longer than the systems in which they are installed. We measure the service life of a drive in terms of the amount of data written in terabytes (TBW, Terabytes Written); Depending on the storage capacity, you can record hundreds of terabytes to petabytes of data. SSD speed does not change throughout the life of the drive. .

What are SMART attributes?

S.M.A.R.T. stands for “Self-Monitoring, Analysis, and Reporting Technology” (self-diagnosis, analysis and reporting technology) and is part of the ATA standard. SMART attributes are used to assess the “health” of a drive and are intended to notify the user (administrator, program, etc.) about the threat of drive failure.

Can an SSD be used in an external enclosure via USB or e-SATA?

Yes. Yes, Kingston SSDs can be used in USB, e-SATA, Thunderbolt and Firewire external enclosures. Please note that if the user chooses to enable the password via the ATA security command, the drive will not be accessible through the external enclosure.

Comparison of SSD and HDD

What is the difference?

HDD hard drives use “rotating magnetic platter” technology, which has been used since the mid-50s of the last century. Data is written to and read from these disks using moving magnetic heads. HDDs are mechanical devices With many moving parts, they are therefore more susceptible to mechanical breakdowns and failures due to the negative influence of external conditions, such as high or low temperature, mechanical shock and vibration.

Why are SSDs more expensive than HDDs?

Although the SSD market is growing and gaining popularity, it is still relatively new. As with other technologies, you need to wait until sales increase to a point where production costs decrease. Over the past few years, the price gap between SSD and HDD has become significantly smaller.

Are there any disadvantages to switching from HDDs to SSDs?

The only factor in favor of hard drives is the price per gigabyte. Currently on sale hard disks with capacities of 500GB or more, and solid-state drives are sold with capacities of 120GB or more. Kingston currently offers SSDs in capacities ranging from 120GB to 3.84GB.

You should buy a traditional HDD if you need to store large amounts of data, and choose an SSD if speed is more important to you. Typically, an SSD is used as a boot drive containing the OS and applications, and a HDD is used to store data files.

Can I migrate data or OS from my existing HDD to a new SSD?

Yes. Kingston offers SSD upgrade kits that contain everything you need to upgrade your laptop or desktop HDD to a Kingston SSD, including software to easily transfer your OS and important data. Please note that SSD-only manufacturing units (SKUs) do not include software. If you need to clone your HDD For a new SSD, you will need a set of computer software packages.

Does SSD require defragmentation like HDD?

No. SSDs never need to be defragmented. Defragmentation can shorten the life of an SSD. If your system is set to defragment automatically, it is best to disable defragmentation when using an SSD. Some OS defragmentation automatically, so you need to disable this feature for Kingston SSDs.

M.2 M.2 SSDs Explained

What is M.2? Same as NGFF?

M.2 was developed by the PCI-SIG and SATA-IO standards organizations and is described in the PCI-SIG M.2 and SATA Rev. specifications. 3.2. It was previously called Next Generation Form Factor (NGFF), and in 2013 it was formally renamed M.2. Many people still refer to M.2 as the NGFF standard.

The compact M.2 form factor applies to many types of expansion cards such as Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, satellite navigation, Near Field Communication (NFC), Digital Radio, Wireless Gigabit Alliance (WiGig), Wireless WAN (WWAN), and Solid State Drives (SSD).

M.2 has a subset of special form factors specifically for SSDs.

Why should I install it?

All M.2 SSDs have a recessed mount in the M.2 connectors of motherboards. The M.2 form factor enables increased productivity with reduced resource consumption, as well as technological improvements to SSDs in the future. Additionally, no power or data cables are required to connect the cards. Like mSATA SSDs, M.2 SSD drives simply plug into a slot.

What do "one-sided" and "two-sided" mean?

For some space-constrained embedded systems, M.2 specifications provide different M.2 SSD thicknesses - 3 single-sided versions (S1, S2, and S3) and 5 double-sided versions (D1, D2, D3, D4, and D5). Some platforms may have special requirements due to limited space under the M.2 connector.

Kingston's SSDM.2 meets the specifications of dual-sided M.2 and can be installed in most motherboards compatible with dual-sided M.2 SSDs; Contact your sales representative if you require single-sided SSDs for embedded systems.

What systems does it work on?

There are many laptops and motherboards that support M.2 SSD. Before purchasing an M.2 SSD, review the system specifications and user manual to ensure compatibility.

What are various sizes M.2 SSD?

For M.2 SSD modules, the most commonly used sizes are 22mm (width) x 30mm (length), 22mm x 42mm, 22mm x 60mm, 22mm x 80mm, and 22mm x 110mm. The boards are named according to their dimensions given above: the first 2 digits determine the width (all 22mm), and the remaining digits determine the length from 30mm to 110mm. So, M.2 SSDs are listed as 2230, 2242, 2260, 2280 and 22110.

The picture below shows a 2.5-inch SSD and M.2 SSD 2242, 2260 and 2280:

Why are there different lengths?

There are 2 following reasons to use different meanings length.

1. Different lengths allow for different SSD storage capacities; The longer the drive, the more NAND chips can be installed in it along with a controller and sometimes a DRAM memory chip. The 2230 and 2242 lengths support 1-3 NAND chips, while the 2280 and 22110 support up to 8 NAND chips, allowing for up to 1TB SSDs in the largest M.2 form factors.
2. M.2 size may be limited by slot size in system board: Some laptops may support M.2 for caching, but have few free space, in which only the M.2 2242 SSD can be installed (the M.2 2230 SSD is smaller in size, but in most cases is not required where the M.2 2242 SSD can be installed).

Is M.2 SSD the same as mSATA SSD?

No, they are different. M.2 supports SATA and PCIe drive interface options, while mSATA supports only SATA. Physically they differ in appearance and cannot be connected to the same system connectors.

M.2 2280 (higher) versus mSATA. Note the keys (or slots) that prevent the card from being placed in incompatible slots.

What was it created for?

The M.2 form factor is designed to provide a variety of card options in compact form factors, including SSDs. Previously, SSDs used mSATA due to its smallest form factor, but mSATA cannot scale to 1TB capacities at a reasonable price. Therefore, the new M.2 specification was chosen to provide different sizes and capacities of M.2 SSD cards. The M.2 specification allows system manufacturers to standardize on a common, compact form factor that can be used with larger storage capacities when needed.

Do I need a special driver for SSD operation M.2?

No, M.2 SATA and PCIe SSDs use standard AHCI drivers built into the OS. However, M.2 SSD may need to be enabled in the system BIOS to use it.

Why do I need to enable M.2 SSD in BIOS?

In some cases, the M.2 SSD connector may share PCIe lanes or SATA ports with other devices on the motherboard. Check your motherboard documentation because using both shared ports at the same time may cause one of the devices to become disabled.

What do the different modular keys mean?

The M.2 specification provides 12 types of keys or slots on the M.2 card or connector interface; many of them are reserved for future use:

Already assigned M.2 keys (M.2 SSDs only include B and M)
Source: All About M.2 SSDs, SNIA, June 2014.

Especially for M.2 SSD drives, 3 types of keys are usually used:

1. Key B can support SATA and/or PCIe protocol depending on the device, but is limited to PCIe x2 speed (1000MB/s) on the PCIe bus.
2. The M key end pin can support SATA and/or PCIe protocol depending on the device, and supports PCIe x4 speeds (2000MB/s) on the PCIe bus if the host system also supports x4 mode.
3. The B+M key's end pin can support SATA and/or PCIe protocol depending on the device, but is limited to x2 speed on the PCIe bus.

Various types keys are marked on or near the end contacts (gold plated) of the M.2 SSD, as well as on the M.2 connector.

Please note that M.2 SSDs with B key have a different number of end pins (6) compared to M.2 SSDs with M key (5); This asymmetrical design avoids the mistakes of placing an M.2 SSD with a B key in slot M, and vice versa.

What is the advantage of having a B+M key?

B+M keys on M.2 SSDs provide cross-compatibility with various motherboards, as well as support for the corresponding SSD protocol (SATA or PCIe). The host connectors on some motherboards may be designed to accept only M-keyed SSDs or only B-keyed SSDs. B+M-keyed SSDs are designed to address this issue; however, plugging an M.2 SSD into the slot does not guarantee it will work, it depends on the overall protocol between the M.2 SSD and the motherboard.

How do I know what length of M.2 SSD my motherboard supports?

You should always read the motherboard/system manufacturer's information to confirm which lengths are supported, however many motherboards will support 2260, 2280, and 22110. Many motherboards have multiple offset screw screw options to allow the user to secure the SSD 2242, 2260, 2280 or even 22100 M.2. The amount of space on the motherboard limits the size of M.2 SSDs that can be installed in the slot and used.

What does "socket 1, 2 or 3" mean?

Different connector types are part of the specification and are used to support special types of devices in a connector.

Socket 1 Designed for Wi-Fi, Bluetooth®, NFC and WI Gig

Socket 2 designed for WWAN, SSD (cache memory) and GNSS

Socket 3 designed for SSD (SATA and PCIe, speed up to x4)

Is it possible to hot-plug an M.2 SSD?

No, M.2 SSDs are not hot-pluggable. Installation and removal of M.2 SSDs is only allowed when the system is powered off.

Comparison of M.2 SATA SSD and M.2 PCIe SSD

Is an M.2 SATA SSD faster than a regular 2.5-inch SATA or mSATA SSD?

Performance will be comparable; it also depends on the type of controller of the host system in which the SSD is used, as well as on internal circuit and the controller of each SSD. The SATA 3.0 specification supports up to 600MB/s in 2.5-inch SSD, mSATA or M.2 form factors.

What happens when connecting SSD PCIe M.2 to SATA M.2 port, and vice versa?

If the host system does not support the PCIe protocol, the PCIe M.2 SSD will likely not be recognized BIOS system and therefore will not be compatible with the system. Likewise, if you install a SATA M.2 SSD in a slot that only supports PCIe M.2 SSDs, the SATA M.2 SSD will not be usable.

What happens if you connect a PCIe x4 M.2 SSD to a port that only supports PCIe x2 speeds?

Good day.

For several years now, the debate about the benefits of using SSD drives has sunk into oblivion - now it is recommended for everyone to install it: not only professional gamers or programmers, but also ordinary users. The advantage in disk performance is colossal: 5-10 times!

However, now there are quite a lot of SSD drives of different sizes (note: form factor): if with a 2.5-inch SSD form factor (classic size, looks the same as a hard drive) there are not so many issues, but with the “newfangled” "The M2 SSD is a real mess!

Actually, in this article I wanted to look at the most basic things about SSD M2 drives: which drive is right for me, what interface is used, what kind of 2242, 2260, 2280 they are and the “M”,” “B”, “B&M” keys on the drive labeling. ..

Choosing an M2 SSD drive: clearing up the confusion

In many new laptops and computers, the new M2 connector is increasingly appearing on the motherboard (which is not surprising!). After all, it replaced the interfaces: mSATA, mini PCI Express.

And here I would like to immediately note the advantage of the M2 interface: it allows you to do without power cables, separate cables, etc. (in fact, it allows you to connect devices simply by inserting a card into the slot!). In addition, it is smaller than the same mSATA. All this combined allows the M2 to be used in more mobile and compact devices, making it more convenient and popular.

I’ll add that M2 can also be used for installation Wi-Fi adapter, 3G/4G modems, Bluetooth module, and other devices. (Note: many people simply assume that M2 is used exclusively for SSDs)

By the way!

The M2 interface was at one time called NGFF (Next Generation Form Factor). In some stores and some drive manufacturers you can find M2 SSDs with this marking.

What is the confusion?

1) SATA and PCIe

The M2 format, of course, is undoubtedly promising, but everything about it is not simple. I’ll say right away that it is divided into two large types: SATA and PCIe (and each of these types is divided into several subtypes).

Why was this done? M2, as I said above, was conceived as a universal interface that will replace the outdated mSATA and mini PCIe. But the fact is that the throughput of SATA III is 6 Gbit/s, and the SSD M2 PCIe drive is capable of operating speeds of up to 32 Gbit/s (you must agree, the difference is significant!).

I'll add that M.2 PCIe varies in speed depending on the number of lanes. So, for example, PCI Express 2.0 with two lines (designated PCI-E 2.0 x2) provides speeds of up to 8 Gbit/s, PCI Express 3.0 with four lines (PCI-E 3.0 x4) provides the coveted 32 Gbit/s.

The whole point is that most devices (say, laptops) support only one type of disk, for example, SSD M2 SATA III. Those. when choosing, you need to be very careful about what the device supports (but a few more words about that below).

2) Drive dimensions 2242, 2260 and 2280

Another important point: M2 drives (both SATA and PCIe) can be of different sizes. There are three of them: 2242, 2260 and 2280.

The first two digits (22) are the width of the drive, the second (42, 62 or 80) are its length (see the screenshot below as an example).

The bottom line is that different motherboards support different drive sizes. And if a disk of shorter length can still be inserted into the slot, then if it is longer, it’s a disaster...

However, I note that now there are universal disks on sale, 80 mm long, which you can independently cut to the desired length (note: all the necessary microcircuits are located at a length of 42 mm).

3) Keys

Keys refer to contacts and their location on the drive. There are three types of keys: "M", "B", and the universal "B&M" (illustrative example below). Before purchasing a disk, you need to know which key is supported by your device.

Drives with different keys, a clear example

Keys on SSD M2 drives: interface, mechanical compatibility, diagram

The whole point with these keys is that, for example, mat. a board with a PCIe x2 socket uses the “B” key, but there are M2 SATA SSD drives that also use the “B” key! Of course, if you connect such a drive to a motherboard with a PCIe x2 socket, it will not work!

4) NVMe technology

Old drives use the AHCI protocol, but with the advent of faster drives, it no longer copes with its task (does not allow using the maximum speed characteristics of drives). To solve this problem, released new protocol- NVMe.

It provides higher speed, requires less CPU resources for read/write operations, and has much lower latency. To ensure that your SSD can work with this protocol, pay attention to whether your motherboard supports it. fee for this technology.

Results (what to know before buying an M2 SSD so as not to be a “fool”):

1. what interface does your motherboard support (PCI-E 2.0 x4, PCI-E 3.0 x2, PCI-E 3.0 x4, SATA III);
2. dimensions of the SSD M2 drive that can be installed (2280, 2260, 2242);
3. a key that your motherboard supports (usually, SATA drives come with an “M&B” key, and PCIe x4 drives come with an “M” key);
4. Is the mat supported? The board uses NVMe technology (if so, then naturally, and the drive is worth buying with NVMe support).

Only after answering these few questions can you choose the M2 SSD that will work for you.

Update from 01/27/2019. Now laptops (and motherboards) with universal ports, to which you can connect both PCI-E and SATA M2 SSDs.

Is the game worth the candle? Should I switch to SSD...

Many people often ask whether it’s worth switching to an SSD at all, is the difference really that significant...

As an example, I will show a comparative test of several drives installed on my laptops/PCs. The first test is SSD M2 (NVMe), the second is SSD M2 (SATA III), the third is a classic HDD.

Speed ​​test of SSD drives (NVMe, SATA), HDD | Clickable (Crystal DiskMark - test utility)

Note! On the screenshots you see synthetic tests. In real work (when loading the OS, launching games, working with software): many ordinary users note a huge difference between HDD and SSD (SATA), but hardly notice between SSD (NVMe) and SSD (SATA).

Pay attention to the first line. Read speed 2591 MB/s versus 73 MB/s - a difference of 30÷35 times! Those. if earlier, before SSD installation(NVMe), Windows booted within 1 minute - now it takes less than 10 seconds!

I'm not even talking about other programs: Word, browsers, players, etc. - they launch instantly, immediately after double-clicking the mouse on the shortcut!

Addition!

How to check disk speed: HDD, SSD. Test to determine the difference in speed between SSD and HDD, is it worth switching to a solid-state drive? -

How do I find out which M2 SSD my motherboard supports? fee, what to choose

A very popular question. To begin with, I want to say do not trust any utilities to view PC characteristics. The fact is that they may show the presence of an M2 slot, but in fact it may not be on the board (i.e. there is a place on the board for it, but there is no physical slot)!

And so, closer to the point...

1) Option number 1 - look at the mat itself. board.

If on your mat. The board has an M2 connector - in most cases there is a marking next to it, from which you can find out the necessary information (example below). In addition, immediately make sure that this connector is physically present (which is important to do before purchasing a drive).

2) Option No. 2 - look on the manufacturer’s website

Knowing the model of the motherboard (or laptop), you can go to its manufacturer’s website and look at the specifications. By the way, some motherboards are now being made universal, which can support several types of SSD M2 drives (laptop users in this case are less fortunate, since they most often support one specific type).

Characteristics of the mat. boards on the manufacturer's website

3) Option No. 3 - look at a review of a specific laptop (motherboard).

Many stores and users (who have already purchased this hardware) often do reviews, from which you can glean the necessary data. However, I recommend that you also support them with the first two options (since to say, see with your own eyes).

Additions are welcome...

They are becoming increasingly popular due to their many benefits. They are miniature in size and do not take up much space in a laptop, mini-PC or desktop computer case (they are installed directly on the motherboard), however, they allow you to achieve speeds inaccessible to “regular” 2.5-inch SSDs.

Need to know that SSD drives M.2 are available in various formats (can vary in length), as well as two main variations - those using the SATA interface (cheaper and slower) and those using the PCI Express / NVMe interface (more expensive and faster). The currently used SATA interface allows a maximum throughput of 6 Gb/s, while PCIe x4 is up to 32 Gb/s, so the difference in performance can be very large, as well as the price.

By the way, it is worth mentioning Intel memory Optane (not to be confused with Intel Optane SSD), which has an M.2 media format, but serves to speed up performance HDDs. This technology only works on new Intel platforms, but works surprisingly well, allowing you to significantly increase the speeds of magnetic disks.

M.2 connectors on motherboards may support both standards, or only one - this is worth checking before purchasing so that, for example, you do not try to install a PCIe/NVMe drive into an M.2 connector that only supports the SATA standard. It is worth noting that you can also connect M.2 PCIe drives to the U.2 port (via an adapter) and to the PCI Express slot.

Below are presented as most efficient SSD designs, which use the PCI Express x4 3.0 (NVMe) bus, and cheaper/less powerful models that use the SATA standard.

Inexpensive M.2 SSD drive

Among the cheap M.2 drives you can find designs that use SATA and PCIe. The capabilities of the former are close to 2.5-inch SSDs, but their size is in their favor, as well as the fact that some computers may not support M.2 NVMe drives.

WD Green PC SSD G2 (120 GB)

The WD Green PC SSD G2 series is one of the cheapest M.2 options. Based on the SATA interface, the performance of the 120 GB model reaches 545 MB/s when reading and 430 MB/s when writing data. The manufacturer used a 4-channel Silicon Motion SM2246XT controller and Toshiba 3D TLC NAND memory cells (but without cache memory).

Main characteristics:

• Disc format: M.2 2280
• Capacity: 120 GB
• Disk interface: SATA III
• Write speed: 430 MB/sec
• Read speed: 545 MB/sec
• Memory cells: Toshiba 3D TLC NAND

ADATA XPG SX6000 (128 GB)

ADATA XPG SX6000 is, in turn, one of the cheapest M.2 SSD media using PCIe 3.0 x2. The manufacturer used a 4-channel Realtek RTS5760 controller and modern 3D TLC NAND memory here. Claimed speeds reach 730/660 MB/sec. A warranty of up to 5 years is provided, but is limited by TBW (75 TB data recording).

It is worth noting that the 256 GB and 512 GB models are not only affordable, but also much faster (1000/800 MB/s).

Main characteristics:

• Disc format: M.2
• Capacity: 128 GB
• Interface: PCI-Express 3.0 x2 (NVMe), PCIe 3.0 x2/NVMe 1.2
• Write speed: 660 MB/sec
• Read speed: 730 MB/sec

ADATA Ultimate SU800 M.2 (250 GB)

ADATA Ultimate SU800 M.2 drives are very different good value prices and features offered. Modern 3D TLC Nand memory cells and a 4-channel Silicon Motion SM2258 controller are used.

This is a drive with a SATA interface, so the performance is identical to the 2.5-inch version - read speeds reach 560 MB/s and write speeds reach 520 MB/s. A 3-year warranty is provided, but is not limited by the TBW factor. Along with the disk we receive a package software Acronis True Image HD.

Main characteristics:

• Capacity: 256 GB
• Interface: SATA III M.2
• Write speed: 520 MB/s
• Read speed: 560 MB/s
• Memory cells: Micron 3D TLC NAND

M.2 SSD for Laptop

In the case of laptops, this will often be the only drive in the computer, so it is worth taking care of sufficient capacity - you should not invest in an SSD with a capacity below 240/256 GB. We must also pay attention to the type of interface - whether the media supports the SATA or PCIe interface, and what format (longer, 2280, or shorter, 2260 or 2242).

Crucial MX500 M.2 (250 GB)

The latest generation of SSDs with SATA interface from Crucial, that is, the MX500 is another successful blow to middle segment productivity. The M.2 version of the drive has fairly good performance, and the stated speeds reach 560 MB/s when reading and 510 MB/s when writing data. Crucial provides a 5-year warranty (limited to 100TB TBW).

Main characteristics:

• Disc format: M.2 2280
• Capacity: 250 GB
• Interface: SATA III
• Write speed: 510 MB/s
• Read speed: 560 MB/s
• Memory cells: Micron 3D TLC NAND

Transcend MTS420 (240 GB)

Transcend MTS420 in 240GB version- This is a very good offer for users who need M.2 media in the small 2242 format. The manufacturer specified maximum speeds of 560 MB/s for reading and 500 MB/s for writing. It is worth noting that many other discs in this format have worse characteristics. The manufacturer gives it a 3-year warranty.

Main characteristics:

• Disc format: M.2 2242
• Capacity: 240 GB
• Interface: SATA III
• Write speed: 500 MB/s
• Read speed: 560 MB/s
• Memory cells: Micron 3D TLC NAND

ADATA XPG SX8200 (480 GB)

This is a good offer for laptop users who can install SSD media in M.2 2280 PCIe format in their machine. If the laptop boasts an M.2 PCIe 3.0 x4 connector, the speeds will be 3200 MB/s when reading and 1700 MB/s when writing. The XPG SX8200 drive is covered by a 5-year manufacturer's warranty.

Main characteristics:

• Disc format: M.2 2280
• Capacity: 480 GB
• Write speed: 1700 MB/s
• Read speed: 3200 MB/s
• Memory cells: Micron 3D TLC NAND

Best M.2 SSDs

Best M.2 drives have amazing characteristics, and their efficiency approaches the limit of the PCI Express interface (the best drive presented here reaches maximum speed 3.5 GB per second). Obviously this is reflected in high price. Such discs can be recommended to professionals, for example, working with complex video projects in 4K resolution.

GOODRAM IRDM Ultimate (480 GB)

IRDM Ultimate 480 GB is a good offer for more demanding users. What’s important is that the kit includes an adapter for the PCI Express slot. The manufacturer also installed a heat sink that protects the disk from overheating. On board is an 8-channel Phison PS5007-E7 controller and durable Toshiba A19 MLC NAND memory cells. Maximum speeds reach 2900/2200 MB/s. The IRDM Ultimate series is covered by a 5-year manufacturer's warranty with no data recording limitation.

Main characteristics:

• Disc format: M.2 2280 / AiC HHHL
• Capacity: 480 GB
• Interface: PCIe 3.0 x4/NVMe 1.2
• Write speed: 2200 MB/s
• Read speed: 2900 MB/s
• Memory cells:Toshiba A19 MLC NAND

Intel SSD 760p (512 GB)

Intel SSD 760p is an efficient SSD for desktops and modern laptops using the M.2 connector and PCIe 3.0 x4 interface. On board is a Silicon Motion SM2262 controller and IMFT 3D TLC NAND memory cells. Maximum speeds are 3230 MB/s for reading and 1625 MB/s for writing. The manufacturer provides a 5-year warranty for the drives, but limited to TBW (288 TB of recording).

Main characteristics:

• Disc format: M.2
• Capacity: 512 GB
• Interface: PCI-Express 3.0 x4 (NVMe)
• Write speed: 1625 MB/s
• Read speed: 3230 MB/s
• Memory cells: IMFT 3D TLC NAND

Samsung SSD 970 EVO (500 GB)

SSD 970 EVO is the third generation of high-speed M.2 media with PCIe interface from Samsung. The 970 EVO models are designed for users who are looking for very fast, but not top-end solutions - we will find this combination in the 970 PRO models. The stated read speed reaches 3400 MB/s, and write speed – 2300 MB/s. The 970 EVO series hard drives come with a 5-year manufacturer's warranty - remember that the previous 960 EVO models only had a 3-year warranty.

Main characteristics:

• Disc format: M.2 2280
• Capacity: 500 GB
• Interface: PCIe 3.0 x4/NVMe 1.3
• Write speed: 2300 MB/s
• Read speed: 3400 MB/s
• Memory cells: Samsung TLC V-NAND

Samsung SSD 970 PRO (1 TB)

Samsung 970 PRO 512 GB is an absolutely top M.2 PCIe SSD carrier designed for professionals. The manufacturer used ultra-reliable MLC V-NAND memory here, so users do not have to worry about their data. It is difficult to squeeze even more out of the PCIe 3.0 x4 interface, so the media reaches speeds of 3500 MB/s for reading and 2300 MB/s for writing. The 970 PRO series hard drives come with a 5-year manufacturer's warranty.

Main characteristics:

• Disc format: M.2 2280
• Capacity: 1000 GB
• Interface: PCIe 3.0 x4/NVMe 1.3
• Write speed: 2700 MB/s
• Read speed: 3500 MB/s
• Memory cells: Samsung MLC V-NAND