all you need to know and the best offers

Solid State Drives (SSD) have made hard disk drives obsolete as the main component to cover the internal storage of personal computers. All new OEM equipment uses them, while for older equipment they are highly recommended as one of the most cost-effective PC refurbishments. And soon, they will be mandatory for installing operating systems such as Windows 11.

Their advantages over hard disks are numerous in terms of power consumption, heat emission and noise emissions, which are zero due to the use of NAND flash memory and the absence of moving parts in mechanical drives. In another important area, robustness and endurance, the latest reports confirm their high reliability and long service life.

While the above is important, it is in the performance where an SSD pulverizes hard drives, with far superior speed in booting the operating system or applications, recovering systems from sleep modes, or transferring files internally or to external drives.

Finally, the arrival on the scene of the new M.2 formats connected to the PCIe interface (much smaller in size than those of the SATA interface) has made it possible to reduce weight and space occupation, a very important aspect in equipment where size is critical, such as laptops.

Let the above serve as an introduction to a key component in any PC from which we will review everything a user should know and end with the best current purchase offers.

SSD: technical aspects

Solid state drives serve the same purpose as a hard disk drive to store data and files persistently. In this way and compared to other types of memory such as RAM, the data on an SSD is maintained even if we turn off the computer. By storing data in non-volatile memories, they do not require any constant power supply or batteries to keep the stored data, even in the event of sudden PC shutdowns.

SSD

How an SSD works

There is an important difference between how an SSD handles data and how a hard drive handles data. An SSD writes data in chunks called ‘pages’. This group of pages are grouped into so-called  “blocks” and in order to write new data to a busy block the entire block has to be erased first.

In order to avoid data loss, all information that exists in the block must first be moved to another location before erasure. Once the data is moved and the block is erased, only then can it be written. This process is almost instantaneous and has no effect on the user, but requires empty free space in order to work properly. If there is not enough free space the process loses efficiency and slows down.

This issue is very technical, but it is worth knowing because affects the ability when purchasing an SSD. To achieve maximum efficiency we should leave approximately 20 percent of the drive free. Hence, it is recommended to purchase drives with one point of storage capacity more than we actually need. For example, the price of a 250 GB model versus a 500 GB model is usually not excessive and will always be worth it.

Memory types

The type of NAND flash memory used by these units is also important, although here the user has little say as it is a choice of manufacturers for their production processes. From 2020 onwards, manufacturers have been betting on memory using QLC (quad-level cell). This type of technology increases storage density and lowers costs, making it possible to offer models with higher capacity at lower prices.

Conversely, as the bits per cell increase the resistance is reduced versus earlier formats such as TLC (triple cell level), MLC (double cell level) and especially SLC, Single-Layer Cell, which only stores one bit per cell and which you will no longer see in the consumer market because they are not sold. The vast majority of the supply is already QLC and TLC. In any case, the best manufacturers have increased the warranty to 5 years on consumer units, while there are professional models with up to 10 years warranty.

Controller

Next to the memories, is the most important component of an SSD. It is responsible for the final drive performance, interface handling, number of channels supported, RAID level, error correction, NAND flash memory management and also additional DRAM memory which we will see later.

There are manufacturers that specialize in controller production such as Silicon Motion and Phison that sell them to integrators who do not have their own designs and so you will see them in a wide variety of models. Industry giants such as WD, Kioxia or Samsung, produce their own controllers for their solutions.

Cache memory

Almost all solid-state drives include additional memory for data caching. This type of memory is faster than general NAND flash and allows the drive performance to be increased, but only maintains its performance for the duration of its capacity. This cache is managed by the installed driver and is internal, automatic and efficient. When it is exhausted, help is over until it is filled again.

Always depending on the amount installed, a typical user does not usually notice performance loss in common tasks. But it can be noticed in more advanced tasks or those that require moving a larger amount of data and that ends up exhausting the cache. Be warned that some manufacturers are removing this cache memory to reduce costs. At the time of purchase, make sure you know whether or not this memory is included. It is not essential, but it ends up being a plus to move the most used data.

Firmware and software

The program that establishes the lowest-level logic, better known as the software that physically manages the hardware from its boot until the operating system (in this case the driver) starts, is another component of SSD and any electronic product.

It is not as relevant as the driver, but it does pay to keep it up to date. Manufacturers usually do this through control software that is loaded into the operating system as an application. In addition to updating the firmware, these applications often provide performance tests, technical data on the drive, and information on operating temperature or estimated useful life based on Tbytes written.

Some manufacturers often offer additional software to facilitate data migration from the installed storage drive to the new SSD. The best are licenses for specialized commercial suites that allow you to migrate the operating system, applications and data, have tools to create the partitions and provide backup and recovery functions.

Heatsinks

M.2 SSDs connected to a PCIe slot are the most advanced drives as we will see below. They are very small and offer very high performance, but they get very hot. That is why the latest generations include by default or as an option a small metal heatsink that covers the unit and helps to keep temperatures under control.

They are not mandatory, but recommended as they are useful and very inexpensive. They can be purchased together with the SSD, although motherboards (mid-level or higher) usually already include them for the M.2 modules available.

Lifetime

We add here the section of robustness and resistance, always important in any electronic product. Again, one of the big differences between SSDs and hard disks is that they have no moving parts, which gives them a great advantage in terms of the impossibility of mechanical failure.

In contrast, SSDs are more prone to power failures while the drive is in operation, leading to data corruption or even total failure. In addition, the memory blocks in an SSD have a limited number of write operations.

Fortunately, the last few years have greatly improved in reliability and as mentioned above the latest massive endurance tests confirm that they last longer than a hard disk before it starts to fail. In addition, all SSDs include additional free memory cells so that when the others fail they do not lose capacity by reallocating the damaged sectors.

SSD Formats

These drives are marketed in several standardized formats and interfaces that every user should be aware of when faced with purchasing them for upgrades or hard drive replacements. We review them.

2.5 inch

It is a standardized format also used by smaller hard drives. It is the most widespread and versatile because you will find it in any desktop computer and in almost all laptops. In a tower PC you can mount any of these models in the 2.5â³ bays and also in the 3.5â³ bays with an adapter, while in laptops they vary according to their thickness of 9.5 mm and 7 mm the thinnest and usually used in ultra laptops or convertibles.

M.2

Much more modern and smaller in size than the previous one, it is marketed in several variants although the most widespread is the so-called ‘2280’ which measures only 80 x 22 and 3.5 mm, smaller than a RAM module. It is the format that is being imposed in the industry and recommended for use in motherboards that support itboth for size and performance when using the PCI-Express interface that we will see below. Another variant is mSATA, even smaller than the previous one (50.8 mm x 29.85 mm x 4.5 mm), but much less widespread.

Cards

A third format that we can find in this case exclusively for desktop computers is the card type directly plugged into a PCIe slot on the motherboard. This format includes drives that mount their chips directly on the card or if the card is used as an accessory to be able to mount the above M.2 on boards that do not have a specialized connector. They are just as fast as M.2 when using PCIe, but they tend to be somewhat more expensive and are in much shorter supply than M.2. They are becoming less and less available and we would really only recommend them when our board does not have M.2 connectors available.

SSD Interfaces

Related to the previous section, but very different, every buyer of these units must know the interfaces supported by their equipment or what is the same, the connection bus to which the SSD is to be connected. Basically there are two:

SATA

(Serial Advanced Technology Attachment). It is a tremendously widespread bus as it has been with us since 2003 and is supported by 100% of the PCs sold in the last 15 years. Tremendously versatile, it is used only by 2.5-inch drives since the few M.2 drives that were marketed years ago for this port have practically disappeared.

Not all SSDs offer the same performance as they depend on the memories used and especially on their controller, but practically all SATA SSDs reach data transfer speeds of 500 MB/s, between double and triple that of a hard disk, although less fast than those we will see below. They are the most economical SSD in cost per GB, although new releases are getting cheaper compared to PCIe. They can be easily mounted in laptops and desktops with adapters.

PCIe

More modern and much faster than SATA, PCI-Express has become the primary local bus in PCs and the trend is for it to become the only one once all existing legacy components for SATA are phased out. It is used both for internal connection on motherboard chipsets and for connecting external cards plugged into the corresponding slots.

In the case of SSDs they have dedicated connectors on the motherboards, the M.2 mentioned and support the NVMe protocol that makes the drive bootable, allows to obtain high performance, reduces the overhead of the I/O components and the CPU. Among the few drawbacks compared to SATA models is the one mentioned above, that PCI drives get hotter. They are also more expensive in price per GB.

The most widespread drives are connected to the interface PCIe 3.0 and offer speeds in the neighborhood of 3,000 MB/s for sequential reads, while the 4.0 version (the most recommended right now) boosts data transfer to over 7,000 Mbytes per second. The next generation is on its way, which will be connected to the standard PCIe 5.0but there are no units in the consumer market yet.

M.2 PCIe and a SATA installed on the same board

SSD

SSD Offer (September 2022)

Although the new Gen5 drives are coming soon, they can only be taken advantage of by the latest Intel and AMD platforms. Also, now is a very good time to buy any kind of NAND flash-based product because prices have dropped quite a bit in the last few months, by 30-35% in the last quarter according to TrendForce analysts.

Not all of this reduction is transferred to the final product, but the truth is that you will find very good prices and a wide offer from both large manufacturers (Kioxia, WD, Samsung, Kingston…) and integrators that use the memories of the above (Corsair, Crucial, ADATAâ¦).

Since our last guide, the offer of PCIe drives has increased to the detriment of those that connect to SATA, although there is anything you are looking for to upgrade desktops, laptops or other uses such as external storage or for use as cache in models such as NAS. We leave you with a selection of the best current offers separating them by connection interface and some of the most representative external ones.

PCIe

WD_BLACK SN850X. It uses Kioxia’s 3D NAND TLC memory and proprietary controller to take full advantage of the PCIe 4.0 interface and deliver 7,300 MB/s sequential read and over one million IOPS read, which places it among the fastest in the industry. With a five-year warranty and a very high TBW lifespan, it is available in 1, 2 and 4 TByte capacities starting at ¤182. In case you are interested, you can check out our review of the SN850.

Samsung 980 PRO. Another of the big names in the sector. It has TLC memories and Elpis controller (both from the firm) and achieves 7,000 Mbytes per second in reads connected to PCIe Gen4. It includes a large amount of cache (512 MB LPDDR4) and has a 5-year warranty. It is available in 1 and 2 Tbytes capacities starting at 163 euros. We also had the opportunity to review it in this post. And if you want the SSD 980 (not Pro) you have the 1 TB version for only 103 euros.

Corsair MP600 PRO XT. Another of the group of the fastest: 7,100 MB / s and 6,800 MB / s sequential read and write. It stands out in the cooling section as it comes standard with a spectacular memory heatsink. It has a five-year warranty and lifetime endurance because the Tbytes written will not be able to reach them in normal use. It is sold in capacities of 1, 2 and 4 Tbytes starting at 165 euros. Alternatively, you can buy the 1 TB Corsair MP600 for 137 euros.

Crucial P5 Plus. One step below the previous ones, but more economical, it mounts in-house memory (TLC from Micron) and offers speeds of 6,600 MB/s in sequential reads and remarkable write speeds: 5,000 MB/s. The 500 GB model is priced at only 78 euros, although the most attractive at present is the 1 TB model for 116 euros.

GIGABYTE AORUS NVMe. Another good Gen4 with Toshiba memory and Phison controller with 5000 MB/s and a high conductivity LAIRD thermal pad for enhanced heat dissipation. With a five-year warranty, the 1TB version is priced at 165 euros.

KIOXIA EXCERIA. A good sample of PCIe Gen3 for those who do not have Gen4 boards yet. It features reliable Toshiba memory and a performance of 1,700 MB/s, plenty for the mid-range. Very economical, the 500 GB version is available for only 53 euros, while you can buy the 1 TB Kioxia Exceria G2 for 87 euros.

Kingston NV2. We close the sample with another Gen4, but different from the previous ones, as it uses a single-sided design that only places chips on one side of the SSD and reduces its thickness, power consumption and heat generation. It lowers the performance of the interface to 3,000 / 1,300 Mbytes per second, but is ideal for the user who does not need so much and ideal for mounting in laptops. It is marketed in capacities of 250, 500, 1000 and 2000 Gbytes and is one of the cheapest you will find in Gen4: from 46 euros.

SATA

KIOXIA Exceria. The new brand of what used to be Toshiba Memory, they mount memories of the house and data transfer up to 555 Mbytes in sequential reading. The 1 Tbyte version is priced at 105 euros and offers other capacities such as the very economical 240 GB.

WD Green. The world’s leading manufacturer of hard drives has a wide range of SSDs, such as this model with sequential read speeds of up to 560 MB/s, which is also optimized for lower power consumption and features super-reliable SLC memory. The 500 GB drive is priced at 48 euros.

Samsung SSD 870 EVO. Surely the best selling among the 2.5″ SATA. Mounts memories and own controller and achieves the maximum performance that allows SATA with sequential speeds of 560/530 MB / s. It offers capacities from 250 GB to 4 Tbytes of capacity from 45 euros, although the most interesting version right now is the 500GB for 64 euros.

Crucial MX500. In a 2.5″ form factor, it mounts Micron memory and offers sequential reads/writes up to 560/510MB and random reads/writes up to 95/90K. They have a 5-year warranty and offer capacities from 250 GB to 4 Tbytes of capacity. Economical, they start at 43 euros and currently the most interesting in terms of capacity/price is the 1 Tbyte for 90 euros.

Kingston SKC600B. Mounts Toshiba memory and Silicon Motion controller for 550 / 520 Mbytes per second sequential read / write. It stands out for its compatibility with comprehensive security packages for data backup, XTS-AES compatible hardware-based 256-bit XTS-AES self-encryption and TCG Opal 2.0 security management solutions. With a five-year warranty, it offers capacities from 256 GB to 2 TB with prices starting at ¤41. Review here.

SanDisk Plus. Another of the most representative of the 2.5″ SATA, it mounts its own memories for a performance of 535 MB/s in reading, although in writing it drops a little to 450 MB/s. Its price makes up for it since the 1TB version costs 89 euros. It offers other capacities from 240 GB for 42 euros.

External SSD

The advantages of SSD that show the internal drives have also moved to external solutions and although with less supply, we also find interesting solutions that can be carried in a pocket anywhere connected generally by a port as widespread as USB or can be used to increase the storage of products such as consoles. Some of the best offers:

SanDisk External SSD. Small size, robust and highly mobile. The company offers standard drives at 520 Mbytes per second, the Extreme (1000 MB/sec) and the Pro that offer 2,000 MB/sec. They offer all kinds of capacities from 75 euros although the ideal is the Extreme of 1 TB for 138 euros.

WD_BLACK P50. Specially designed for gamers on consoles and PCs who need additional storage for their games. Its performance is very high up to 2,000 MB/s sequential read. It has an attractive and resistant casing and is sold in capacities from 500 Gbytes to 4 Tbytes. The 1 TB version is priced at 218 euros.

Crucial X6. A portable SSD that reaches 800 MB/s connected to a USB 3.2 port. It works with consoles or PCs and is sold in capacities of 500 GB and 1, 2 and 4 Tbytes from only 69 euros.

– Samsung T7. Small size, low weight, (option of greater resistance with the Shield series) and with speeds of 1,050 Mbytes per second. It is available in several capacities, the 1 Tbyte for 99 euros and the 1 TB Shield rugged version for 130 euros.

Kingston XS2000. Another external SSD that can be carried anywhere in a pocket and connects to a USB Type-C port. IP55 certified for water, dust and shock resistance, it offers very high performance with data transfer of 2,000 Mbytes per second in both sequential read and write. You have the 500 GB version for 111 euros, although the most interesting is the 1 TB version for 148 euros.

We hope you have found this SSD Guide useful. The above is just a selection of everything you can find. You can find the offers and much more at our headline retailers:

Note: This selection contains some links from our affiliates, but none of the products included have been proposed or recommended by them or their manufacturers, but chosen at our own discretion.

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