For the longest time, traditional hard disk drives (HDDs) were the Achilles heel in terms of performance in a computer system. Users only had to for 7200rpm HDDs if they wanted more speed.

SSDs (Solid-State Drives) have brought a massive boost in computers, that even processors are becoming irrelevant. For example, a core i3 laptop with SSD will of course boot and load faster than a core i7 with HDD (every other thing being equal). That's why SSD users will tell you that once you go SSD way, there's no going back because every other laptop will be too slow for you.

There are many terms used when talking about SSDs but I'm going to talk on the important ones only. This is to help clear the confusion for the novice and also help those who want to buy to know the one they should go for. First, what is a solid state drive (SSD)?

“A solid-state drive (SSD) is a solid-state storage device that uses integrated circuit assemblies as memory to store data persistently. SSD technology primarily uses electronic interfaces compatible with traditional block input/output (I/O) hard disk drives, which permit simple replacements in common applications.”


For those who want to upgrade their laptops with SSDs, they'll notice that it's very pricey and this is why you should know more about it to avoid buying an incompatible model. That leads us to types of SSDs

1. SATA SSD



SATA is a type of connection interface used by the SSD to communicate data with your system. Since this is same interface normal HDD uses, this means better hardware compatibility. If you get a SATA SSD, it’s almost a guarantee that it will work with whatever desktop or laptop you currently have — even if that computer is close to a decade old. The downside is that using this type of SSD means you'll remove your HDD ie you can't use your HDD and this type of SSD simultaneously. Also this type of SSD is limited to 600MB/s transfer speed, well... still 6 times faster than HDD which is limited to 100MB/s.


2. MSATA SSD



An mSATA drive is a solid state drive that has a very small form factor. It looks like a large integrated circuit, it's basically a SATA SSD without the 2.5" housing. It originally was a relatively small size, typically 16 GB or 32 GB, and was used to cache the hard drive. That is, it would hold the initial boot files of the operating system and the most used application programs, thereby speeding up the boot process and some program load times. However, now with larger mSATA drives of 128 GB or more, they can be used as a regular SSD to hold the operating system on instead being used to cache a hard drive.
Since this drive has its own separate slot, it can be used with a HDD at same time in a laptop or PC


3. M.2 SSD



M.2 is actually just the form factor ie the slot which this type of SSD uses. M.2 drives come in two types; SATA versions and NVMe versions, which describes the bus they use to electrically communicate with the other PC components. They also comes in different lengths but the width is same

3a. M.2 SATA SSD



M.2 SATA SSD drives and 2.5” SATA SSDs (mentioned in number 1 above) actually operate at virtually identical spec. The difference is just the form factor which makes it possible to use this type and a HDD simultaneously.

3b. M.2 NVME SSD



NVMe (Non-Volatile Memory Express) is an open standard developed to allow modern SSDs to operate at the read/write speeds their flash memory is capable of. Essentially, it allows flash memory to operate as an SSD directly through the PCIe interface rather than going through SATA and being limited by the slower SATA speeds. This makes the nvme the fastest type of SSD currently.

Modern motherboards use SATA III. Via that connection, most SSDs will provide Read/Write speeds in the neighborhood of 530/600 MB/s. For comparison, a 7200 RPM SATA drive manages around 100MB/s depending on age, condition, and level of fragmentation. NVMe drives, on the other hand, provide write speeds as high as 3500MB/s. That’s like 7x over SATA SSDs and 35x over HDDs!

Also there are newer generation of nvme which gives x2 and x4 the normal NVME speed. That's like speed of light The downside is that only few modern high end laptops support NVME currently.

Compiled by computerboy

references:
http://www.velocitymicro.com/blog/nvme-vs-m-2-vs-sata-whats-the-difference/
https://rog.asus.com/articles/hands-on/easy-guide-to-ssds-sata-msata-m-2-and-u-2/
http://www.tomshardware.com/answers/id-1645360/sata-msata-esata.html

Questions are welcomed. You can equally add more in the comments




Contact me for USA used laptop deals and your HDD/SSD needs

Nice and detailed. Thank you sir!

This kind of topics should be seen on FP.

Very educating. Thanks OP.

my question goes this way;is their any provision for most of these SSDs to fit right into or to be compatible with my 2014 lenovo g40?

Mckandre:
my question goes this way;is their any provision for most of these SSDs to fit right into or to be compatible with my 2014 lenovo g40?

of course any laptop can use SSD. You just have to swap out your HDD with a SATA HDD. But if you want to use both SSD and HDD in same laptop then you must buy a laptop that has a slot for either m.2 ssd or msata

for those still asking the difference between SSD and HDD, here's my dedicated thread on SSD

Thanks for the good job, i just don't like the fact that the SSD are just too expensive unlike HDD and the ones with big capacity are not common

Mosesoly:
Thanks for the good job, i just don't like the fact that the SSD are just too expensive unlike HDD and the ones with big capacity are not common

Well... just like hdd when it came out newly, it was very expensive. If you check history of SSD you'll see the price fall already...ie its more affordable now. As the years go by, HDDs will gradually start phasing out and SSD well become more affordable

computerboy:


Well... just like hdd when it came out newly, it was very expensive. If you check history of SSD you'll see the price fall already...ie its more affordable now. As the years go by, HDDs will gradually start phasing out and SSD well become more affordable

How about the use of SSHDs ?

wane01:

How about the use of SSHDs ?

SSHDs are just normal hard drives that have small amount of SSD built in it. To me, they're waste of money (being that they're costlier than normal HDDs) and will phase out with HDD as well.

The choice should be between SATA SSD (MSATA/M.2 inclusive) or NVMe (PCIe) SSD

computerboy:


SSHDs are just normal hard drives that have small amount of SSD built in it. To me, they're waste of money (being that they're costlier than normal HDDs) and will phase out with HDD as well.

The choice should be between SATA SSD (MSATA/M.2 inclusive) or NVMe (PCIe) SSD

hmm ..
currently got a laptop with a 256gb m.2 ssd nd also a hdd slot ..
Been thinking whether to get a 1tb sshd to supplement ..
My notebook came with a slim wd sshd nd it has less vibration nd better performance than a normal hdd

wane01:

hmm ..
currently got a laptop with a 256gb m.2 ssd nd also a hdd slot ..
Been thinking whether to get a 1tb sshd to supplement ..
My notebook came with a slim wd sshd nd it has less vibration nd better performance than a normal hdd

oh.... since you already have SSD where windows and apps are installed, whatever drive you put in the HDD doesn't matter that much

computerboy:


oh.... since you already have SSD where windows and apps are installed, whatever drive you put in the HDD doesn't matter that much

owk ...
Someone recommended i sell d ssd nd use only a hdd..
its a acer e15 8th gen

wane01:
owk ... Someone recommended i sell d ssd nd use only a hdd.. its a acer e15 8th gen

that person must be from 18th century

What is the best way to migrate hdd to ssd.. Just need the os file installed

Horlaarsco:
What is the best way to migrate hdd to ssd.. Just need the os file installed

There are many software's for that. You can EASEUS imaging software. Google is your friend

Horlaarsco:
What is the best way to migrate hdd to ssd.. Just need the os file installed

The same way you migrate from one hdd to nother hdd.

There are lonts of software that you can you like, EAUSUS, PARAGON, MINI TOOL.

I love this topic.
Is unfortunate that most computer shops or repair shop around my area don't even know SSD, have never heard of it.
I used my first SSD in late 2013 or early 2014. It was just 256gb.
Though the price is very costly when compared to hdd, but is one is one.

CassyDesigns:
I love this topic.
Is unfortunate that most computer shops or repair shop around my area don't even know SSD, have never heard of it.
I used my first SSD in late 2013 or early 2014. It was just 256gb.
Though the price is very costly when compared to hdd, but is one is one.

Most tech shops never really upgrade. Thanks to online market one can always get what they want sent to their location

Hello sir ....
Had to dig this thread out..
My ssd failed recently (Kingston ) ..
It came in my Acer e15 ..
So I decided to check amazon for a replacement and I got to discover that Kingston is actually a low grade ssd when compared With Samsung, Wd and other brands and I constantly have been wondering why Acer uses that particular brand
I also saw a 256gb Samsung ssd selling for the price if a 500gb Wd ssd .. So am trying to figure out why such a large difference .. is it the brand name or actual performance?
I tried going through the reviews and I saw the improved performance With the Samsung but I have been wondering if it's really a big deal since I didn't feel anything lag while using the Kingston

wane01:
Hello sir ....
Had to dig this thread out..
My ssd failed recently (Kingston ) ..
It came in my Acer e15 ..
So I decided to check amazon for a replacement and I got to discover that Kingston is actually a low grade ssd when compared With Samsung, Wd and other brands and I constantly have been wondering why Acer uses that particular brand
I also saw a 256gb Samsung ssd selling for the price if a 500gb Wd ssd .. So am trying to figure out why such a large difference .. is it the brand name or actual performance?
I tried going through the reviews and I saw the improved performance With the Samsung but I have been wondering if it's really a big deal since I didn't feel anything lag while using the Kingston

Yes of course. there's a lot of performance difference between SSDs... there are different generation with varying speeds. some are faster than others but you may only notice on high spec laptops. Make sure to order a compatible model tho... Or you can buy from me

computerboy:



Yes of course. there's a lot of performance difference between SSDs... there are different generation with varying speeds. some are faster than others but you may only notice on high spec laptops. Make sure to order a compatible model tho... Or you can buy from me

what's your price sir ..
Samsung evo 500gb or 250gb .. or wd
Am practically trying to see how to avoid me shutting it down and storing some where till God knows... since i have another laptop which I use more often

I've heard that ssds store more datas in less space than regular hdds. Is this true

ringi82:
I've heard that ssds store more datas in less space than regular hdds. Is this true

Not true... a 1gb data in hdd will still consume 1gb in SSD...

SSD is all about speed and safety majorly

wane01:

what's your price sir ..
Samsung evo 500gb or 250gb .. or wd
Am practically trying to see how to avoid me shutting it down and storing some where till God knows... since i have another laptop which I use more often

I have only 256gb in stock currently

Samsung
Toshiba
SanDisk
Kingston

All are 20k each

computerboy:


I have only 256gb in stock currently

Samsung
Toshiba
SanDisk
Kingston

All are 20k each

Can I get to know more about the Samsung?
I don't want to ever have anything to do with that Kingston..
All my files .. Gone
It boots into the Home screen after few seconds and hangs then goes into windows B. O. D

wane01:

Can I get to know more about the Samsung?
I don't want to ever have anything to do with that Kingston..
All my files .. Gone
It boots into the Home screen after few seconds and hangs then goes into windows B. O. D

LOL... well I'm sure if you check online you'll see people who had bad experiences with Samsung as well... but then, Samsung and SanDisk are the known makers tho theirs are more costly...

I'll give more info about the Samsung tomorrow morning with a pic as well

I have a question with HDD I see some people recovering data even after formatting it, can ssd do such

Presently, I use HP 620 Window 7 Home Premium Laptop, 4GB Ram and 500GB HDD. If I wanted to change the HDD to SSD, which capacity of SSD can I installed and what is the price. Does it have implication on the performance of my Laptop.

BOLA625:
Presently, I use HP 620 Window 7 Home Premium Laptop, 4GB Ram and 500GB HDD. If I wanted to change the HDD to SSD, which capacity of SSD can I installed and what is the price. Does it have implication on the performance of my Laptop.

You can upgrade to the number 1 SSD type mentioned in this thread.
You can install any capacity you can afford.
Of course, the first thing you'll notice is speed. Then your files are safe from that regular HDD crashes