By PURPLELEC | 25 September 2024 | 0 Comments
Why is M.2 SSD faster than SATA SSD?
What is a data bus?
Data bus is a shared channel or path for transmitting data in a computer system, embedded system or other electronic device. It is one of the key components of the system architecture, allowing various components such as CPU, memory, and peripherals to exchange information with each other. It provides data transmission and control logic for each component in a universal way, realizing data transmission between the motherboard and the hard disk.
Data Bus: SATA vs PCIe
There are two data buses suitable for HDD and SSD: SATA and PCIe. In fact, SATA and PCIe can be considered both data buses and interfaces.
When SATA and PCIe are used as buses, they act as the "roads" through which data passes. Data is transmitted to the solid-state drive or motherboard through these "roads". The main distinction between them is that SATA is a "narrow" road, while PCIe is a "wide" road.
In general, HDDs and SATA SSDs can use SATA channels, while M.2 SSDs can use either the PCIe channel or the SATA channel.
What is the Transmission Protocol?
The transmission protocol, also known as the hard disk communication protocol, refers to the communication rules and protocols used for data transmission between the hard disk and other devices. In computer systems, the hard disk communication protocol plays a vital role in determining the efficiency and stability of data transmission between the hard disk and the computer.
Transmission Protocol: AHCI vs NVMe
There are currently two mainstream transmission protocols for hard drives: AHCI and NVMe.
AHCI (Advanced Host Controller Interface) is a technical standard developed by Intel based on SATA. It allows storage drivers to enable advanced Serial ATA functions.
NVMe (Non-Volatile Memory Express) is a transmission protocol specially developed for flash memory products. It is considered the best solution for SSD product transfer protocols, as it maximizes SSD performance while reducing latency.
Why is M.2 SSD faster than SATA SSD?
The reasons why M.2 SSD is faster than SATA SSD are mainly reflected in the following aspects:
1. Interface type and protocol
M.2 SSD: M.2 interface supports multiple transmission protocols, including SATA and PCIe (especially NVMe protocol). Among them, M.2 SSD supporting NVMe protocol can use PCIe channel for data transmission. This parallel transmission method greatly improves the bandwidth of data transmission.
SATA SSD: It uses the traditional SATA interface. Although SATA interface has become mainstream since its advent, its physical limitations make the transmission speed gradually unable to meet the needs of high-performance computer equipment.
2. Transmission speed
M.2 NVMe SSD: Because it uses PCIe channel and NVMe protocol, the transmission speed is extremely fast. For example, the continuous reading speed of a high-end M.2 NVMe SSD can reach more than 3500MB/s, far exceeding SATA SSD.
SATA SSD: The continuous read speed is usually around 550MB/s, which is due to the limitations of its interface and transmission protocol.
3. Latency and response time
M.2 NVMe SSD: It has lower latency and faster response time when processing large amounts of data, thanks to its efficient parallel transmission and optimization of the NVMe protocol.
SATA SSD: Although it has been significantly improved compared to traditional mechanical hard disks, its latency and response time are still relatively high when processing large amounts of data.
4. Volume and power consumption
M.2 SSD: It is usually smaller in size and has lower power consumption, which makes it more suitable for high-performance, compact computer devices such as thin and light laptops and tablets.
SATA SSD: Although its size and power consumption are also better than traditional mechanical hard disks, there is still a certain gap compared to M.2 SSD.
5. Technology development trend
With the continuous advancement of technology and the reduction of costs, the performance of M.2 NVMe SSD continues to improve, and the price is gradually becoming reasonable. More and more consumers are beginning to accept and choose this high-performance storage device.
Although SATA SSD still has a certain market, the advantages of M.2 SSD are becoming more and more obvious in devices that require high-speed storage and lightweight portability.
Conclosion
Due to M.2 SSDs utilizing the NVMe protocol and PCIe data bus, they offer faster data transfer speeds compared to SATA SSDs.
If you have a desktop computer and are planning to buy an SSD, it's important to determine which interface your motherboard supports before making a choice. For laptop users, the decision between SATA or M.2 SSD should be based on specific needs, considering the significant differences in speed and price.
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