Do you want to know the benefits of using SSD over M.2 Drives? You are on the right spot to know the answer of this query.
The emergence of M.2 drives has generated doubts about whether buying a SATA SSD is correct or not.
The truth is that SATA SSD’s still a great product. The SSD sector is dominated by a few brands that are memory manufacturers, such as Samsung, Micron or Western Digital.
I include Micron because Crucial belongs to it (it was bought years ago), and it is one of the brands that sells the most SATA SSDs.
See Also: What is an SSD Drive
It seems like the smart thing to do is buy M.2 NVMe SSDs, but SATAs are still a great option.
Table of Contents
Benefits of Using SSD over M.2 Drives
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Provide Solutions to old Equipment
Although its speed does not match with M.2 SSDs that make use of the PCI-Express interface, but we do not find M.2 slots in older computers.
However, we do find SATA connections on motherboards, and this is where SATA SSDs reign supreme.
Yes, we can make use of a PCIe slot and connect an M.2 drive, but only on desktops. This possibility exists for those who do not have an M.2 slot on the board, but it makes the total investment more expensive. Here we also tell you that most M.2 slots come to work at x4 or x8.
So, for the performance they are looking for, a SATA SSD gives more than enough transfer speeds and its installation is more compatible than that of the M.2.
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Cheap Price
It is true that there is little price difference between M.2 SATA and NVMe SSDs lately, but the cheapest option is still for 2.5-inch drives.
For those looking to invest the least, this reason has enough weight to opt for SATA SSDs. For example: If we go to the 500 GB drives, we find this Crucial BX500 for $49.
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Sufficient transfer Speeds
The main argument why M.2 SSDs “win” is that their transfer speeds go beyond 1,000 MB/s , while SATA SSDs barely reach 580 MB/s at most.
Don’t confuse yourself with these numbers because in practice, there are few differences in day-to-day practice for normal users.
Here normal users means, people who use professional Adobe programs or play large video games (more than 40 GB).
See Also: What is NAS SSD
We are not going to enjoy a huge difference in the loading screens of video games, nor will Adobe PhotoShop start 30 seconds earlier.
M.2 SSDs make more sense for professional environments in which a huge amount of data is handled. It is very useful to have an SSD drive that is up to 4 times faster than a conventional SSD.
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They don’t get that hot
One of the problems with having an M.2 SSD is that the more speed you demand, the hotter it can get.
This is solved with a heatsink that is installed just above the SSD, a part that does not come standard on most units. Without a heatsink, we can see SSDs that exceed 70 ºC without breaking a connection.
On the other hand, SATA does not have this problem because its transfer speed is more moderate.
It is one more factor to take into account, although there are many M.2 units that go between 1,000 to 3,000 MB / s in read / write and do not have temperature problems.
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Best Price at high Capacities
Before we said that they were cheaper, but the truth is that when we go to units with a lot of capacity (1 TB or more), the price difference is greater.
This gives the SATA SSD a strong case for succeeding over an M.2 drive, despite offering lower transfer speeds.
If we go to 2TB SSDs, the difference is greater, although Seagate breaks the exception with its Barracuda Q5.
Keeping this mind, the M.2 units cost between 200 and 300 Dollars, while the SATA manage to position themselves over 200 Dollars.
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Presence of 2.5″ bays
Going back to the fact that many older motherboards don’t have M.2 slots, these motherboards usually have room for 3.5″ HDDs and other 2.5″ drives.
Whether it is a laptop or a desktop, it is possible to install a SATA SSD without problems because we can use the SATA connection, and the 2.5 ” bay in the case of PC cases.
Rarely, we will have a problem installing a SATA SSD drive in our PC. In fact, if the PC case does not have a 2.5″ bay, we can find adapters from 3.5″ to 2.5″ without any problem.
See Also: What is SSD Cache? Uses of an SSD Cache
We hope this information has been helpful to you. If you have any questions, you can comment below and we will respond shortly.
Are you still using 2.5-inch drives? Do you think they are not worth it compared to the M.2 NVMe?
Zahid Khan Jadoon is an Interior Decorator, Designer and a specialized Chef and loves to write about home appliances and food. Right now he is running his interior designing business along with a managing a restaurant. Also in his spare time he loves to write about home and kitchen appliances.