I'm currently struggling with long loading times while gaming because I'm using a regular HDD. Most games now seem to require SSDs, so I'm ready to make the switch. I'm looking for a 2TB SSD but I'm feeling a bit lost with all the options on Amazon. I see traditional SATA SSDs around 550MB/s and some sleek M.2 SSDs over 2500MB/s. My boot drive is an M.2, but only has one slot. Can someone explain the key differences between these SSD types? Is there an adapter for the M.2 drives, and will I really notice the speed differences? Any recommendations for a good SSD would also be greatly appreciated. Thanks!
1 Answer
You're seeing a mix of M.2 NVMe PCIe SSDs and 2.5" SATA SSDs. Both types work for storage, but the SATA drives are much slower due to their data transfer limitations. For maximum speed with your existing slot, you might want to find a PCIe adapter for NVMe drives, but even a SATA SSD will give you a big boost over an HDD. The key is picking one that matches your needs and budget!
Thanks for clarifying! I actually found a second M.2 slot under my graphics card, so I'll look into one of those NVMe drives now!