SSD SATA or NVMe? If you’re a notebook user, you may have heard of these two components. These elements are available on the market as options for the SSD (Solid State Drive) and are largely responsible for the communication between the component and the processor. In this text, you will discover the difference between SSD SATA and NVME, in addition to knowing more characteristics of these two items. Follow!
WHEN TO USE AN SSD
An SSD is especially indicated for those who want to upgrade in relation to the HD that is inside the notebook. The upgrade is possible because the SSD is able to wash more processing speed to the machine. In other words, SSD can make your notebook faster. In addition, the SSD also has a peculiar structure, without moving parts, which ends up being considered an advantage by the, because, in this way, the chance of any physical structure of the component being damaged is much smaller, contributing to the safety of the component and of the notebook as a whole. Therefore, if you are thinking of investing in this component to optimize your notebook’s performance and make the device faster, this is a good measure.
WHAT ARE THE DIFFERENCES BETWEEN SATA SSD AND NVME
Now that you know what the abbreviations for each component mean, let’s deal effectively with the difference between SATA and NVMe. We start with the type of bus used. For SATA, the communication interface is done through a cable (usually red) connected to the motherboard. Since the first SSDs released were slower devices, this bus was sufficient to transfer data between the processor and the storage unit.
On the other hand, NVMe uses the PCIe bus (PCI express), which is connected directly to the motherboard, as is done with RAM memory, without using cables. This “shortens” the distance between the processor and the storage unit.
Next, let’s know other striking differences between SATA SSD and NVME.
TRANSFER SPEED
This bus swap gave SSDs the ability to expand the throughput for reading and writing to the storage unit. On SATA 3, for example, the theoretical limit is 600 MB/s. meanwhile, the PCIe bus can offer practical speeds in excess of 7 GB/s in the fourth generation.
COMMAND AND OPERATION QUEUES PER SECOND
Other differences are in the command queue — how many commands can be executed simultaneously — and how many input or output operations can be performed each second (IOPS, which stands for Input/Output Operations Per Second).
In theory, the SATA SDD is limited to 32 commands per queue. As a comparison, each NVMe driver queue supports up to 64K commands. As for the operations per second, the difference is 100 thousand for SATA, against 1 million input and output operations per second in the NVMe protocol.
PHYSICAL FORMAT
SATA SSD and NVMe are different also in their form factor. The SATA SSD is very similar physically to the conventional HD, with the difference being smaller and thinner, with 2.5 inches wide and 7 millimeters thick, on average.
Components with NVMe technology are more like a stick of RAM memory, which are fitted into a slot on the motherboard. Therefore, it is essential to verify compatibility before purchasing the model.
Still at this point, there’s not much you can do: you’ll have to do some research. Motherboard manufacturers post all hardware specifications (with list of supported components) on their websites. To clarify this doubt, just look for the model on the internet and check if there is compatibility with the NVMe standard.
WHICH TWO TO CHOOSE
There are many considerations that can be made when deciding between purchasing a SATA SSD and the NVMe model. People who opt for SATA often do this option looking for a large amount of storage and a general purpose hard drive. These elements will provide a very satisfactory speed and will meet the needs of users who have less complex machine work routines. It is also a cheaper option, as it is a cheaper component compared to NVMe.
However, if you are in the process of building a high-end notebook, are a gamer or work directly with creation and design, and have no financial restrictions to invest, you can consider purchasing an NVMe, which will be a champion in speed. and performance. For those building a server that will host a storage intensive application, it is also a good idea to include an NVMe component in the notebook.
However, pay attention to a super important detail: unlike the SATA 3 SSD, the NVMe SSD is not compatible with all notebook models. Therefore, before making the purchase, make sure that your device supports it.