Best M.2 SSD drives 2022
Contents:
• If you want your PC or laptop to boot faster than now, I recommend buying an M.2 SSD that supports SATA or PCI Express x4 interface and install an operating system on it. This is a fast and efficient SSD, with a maximum throughput of 6Gb/s (for SATA III) or 32Gb/s (for PCIe 4.0).
• I present to you a review of the best M.2 SSD drives in 2023, compiled according to the results of tests of various specialized publications, as well as customer reviews from Russian online stores.
10. Western Digital WD Black NVMe 500GB M.2 SN850
- Capacity: 500 GB
- Read/Write Speed: 7000MB/s / 4100MB/s
- Interfaces: PCI-E
- PCI-E type: PCI-E0 x4
- Flash type: TLC 3D NAND
- Recommended: gaming, laptop and desktop
• The M.2 SSD rating opens the model with the WD_BLACK G2 controller (made according to the 28 nm process technology). It has an impressive lifespan of 1750 hours and a very fast read and write speed. It also has a large DRAM buffer, with the 512 GB model up to 512 MB DDR4.
• There are three models in the SN850 line, with a capacity of 500 GB, 1 TB and 2 TB. All of them support proprietary caching technology, both for writing and reading.
• However, the main problem with this SSD is not the price, but the heat. So it is advisable to purchase a heatsink along with it, since the disk heats up to 77 degrees.
Pros and cons high-speed there is a proprietary SSD Dashboard utility for real-time performance monitoring great for storing files and as a system drive expensive no means of heat dissipation9. Samsung 970 EVO Plus 1TB M.2 MZ-V7S1T0BW
- Format: 2280
- Capacity: 1TB
- Read/Write Speed: 3500MB/s / 3300MB/s
- Interfaces: PCI-E
- PCI-E type: PCI-E0 x4
- Recommended: for laptop and desktop
• Samsung is one of the brands dominating the SSD market. And in his extensive "collection" there are both super-expensive models, such as the new 990 Pro with a proprietary Pascal controller, and solid mid-range ones like the 970 EVO Plus with an eight-channel Phoenix controller.
• What does one of the best M.2 SSDs of 2023 have to offer you?
- First, high sequential read/write speed. It is almost 53% higher than the representatives of the 970 EVO series.
- Secondly, long time between failures – 1 hours.
- Thirdly, the function of dynamic thermal protection (Dynamic Thermal Guard). As planned by the manufacturer, it should minimize the performance degradation of the SSD. According to users, under load, the temperature of the EVO Plus rose to 66 degrees, in idle – about 33 degrees. You can put a radiator, but you can do without it.
- Fourth, a fast SLC cache, which consists of a 3-6 GB static part and a dynamic part, the size of which varies depending on the free space.
- Fifth, hardware encryption functions that can be controlled through Magician's proprietary software.
8. Western Digital WD Black SN770 1TB M.2 WDS100T3X0E
- Capacity: 1TB
- Read/Write Speed: 5150MB/s / 4900MB/s
- Interfaces: PCI-E
- PCI-E type: PCI-E0 x4
- Recommended: for laptop and desktop
• This model is more focused on better value for money than performance. The main way to achieve this is to use a DRAM-free SSD. These drives are slower than buffered ones, don't get me wrong, but the SN770 shows read and write speeds of 5150MB/s and 4900MB/s respectively. This is quite a lot considering its cost. For comparison: in SN850 these figures are 7000 MB / s / 4100 MB / s, respectively, but the price becomes more by a thousand rubles (or even more expensive – depending on the seller).
• The 1TB model boasts a single NAND flash module on the back (actually a renamed Kioxia BiCS5 112-Layer TLC chip) and a SanDisk controller closer to the connector. Western Digital rarely discloses information about its controllers, and the SN770 is no exception.
• The SN770 is available in four sizes: 250GB, 500GB, 1TB and 2TB. It's worth noting that this drive can get quite hot – and PCGamer reached 76°C in long-term testing. It doesn't have a heatsink.
Pros and cons fast affordable price no heatsink7. Netac 1TB M.2 NT01NV3000-1T0-E4X
- Form factor: 2280, M
- Capacity: 1TB
- Read/Write Speed: 3100MB/s / 2100MB/s
- Interfaces: PCI-E
- PCI-E type: PCI-E0 x4
- Flash type: QLC 3D NAND
- Recommended: for laptop and desktop
• If you are looking for a cheaper model in the top 10 M.2 SSDs of 2023, then this is in front of you. It has a good MTBF of 2 million hours and has a thick aluminum heatsink. There is no DRAM cache, but that's not surprising given the cost.
• But the sequential read/write speed is not bad, which makes the NT01NV3000-1T0-E4X a good option for storing information and using it as a system drive.
• According to testing, the net amount available to the user in the 1 TB version is 931,5 GB. And the real read and write speeds are not only no less, but even higher than the declared ones – 3415/2773 MB / s (according to CrystalDiskMark). Overall, the Netac 1TB M.2 NT01NV3000-1T0-E4X is a great low-cost NVMe SSD option.
Pros and cons included screws for fastening low price there are complaints that the speed decreases as the drive fills up6. Kingston 480GB M.2 SA400M8/480G
- Form factor: 2242, B&M
- Read/Write Speed: 500MB/s / 450MB/s
- Interfaces: SATA 6Gb/s
- Recommended: gaming, laptop and desktop
• The good old Phison PS3111-S11 is used as a controller in this device. And for work, proprietary Kingston SSD Manager software is used. During operation, the drive heats up to about 70 degrees, in idle time the temperature drops to 35-38 degrees. Better buy a radiator.
• As the drive fills up, the speed drops to 200 MB / s, but this is a common drawback of budget SSDs. So if you want to replace an old HDD with a compact and inexpensive SATA solid state drive, then the SA400M8 can be recommended for purchase.
Pros and consInexpensiveReliableNo5. KingSpec 256GB M.2 NT-256
- Form factor: 2280
- Capacity: 256 GB
- Read/Write Speed: 560MB/s / 520MB/s
- Interfaces: SATA 6Gb/s
- Recommended: for laptop and desktop
• Budget Chinese SSD with MLC 3D NAND flash memory supports TRIM junk cleaning and NCQ technology to improve performance.
• Its read and write speed is not high, but it only drops slightly if the disk is packed to capacity. This model does not have a DRAM cache, instead it has an SLC cache. There is no radiator either, but it is not needed, the disk surprisingly does not get very hot even under load.
Pros and conscoldinexpensiveno4.GIGABYTE 256GB M.2 GP-GSM2NE3256GNTD
- Form factor: 2280, B&M
- Capacity: 256 GB
- Read/Write Speed: 1700MB/s / 1100MB/s
- Interfaces: PCI-E
- PCI-E type: PCI-E0 x4
- Recommended: for desktop
• The cheapest model in the nvme SSD ranking. The sequential read and write speeds are modest, but for a budget PC, more is not needed.
• The drive supports Host Memory Buffer technology, a buffer on the host side. In a nutshell, this allows you to speed up the drive by storing a fast working copy of the address translation table in the computer's RAM.
• The proprietary SSD Tool Box software allows users to find out the key parameters of the device (sensor temperature, health level, etc.), and erase the information without the possibility of recovery.
Pros and cons3. Samsung 980 PRO
- Capacity: 500 GB
- Read/Write Speed: 6900MB/s / 5000MB/s
- Interfaces: PCI-E
- Connector: M.2
- PCI-E type: PCI-E 4.0 x4
- Buffer size: 512 MB
- Flash type: V-NAND 3-bit MLC
• Need the fastest M.2 SSD, but don't want to pay more than 7000 rubles for a model? Then you may be satisfied with the Samsung 980 PRO, which has impressive sequential read/write and random write speeds (1000000 IOPS).
• In various utilities, from CrystalDiskMark to proprietary Samsung Magician, it showed good results – 6554 MB / s + 4847 MB / s and 6580 MB / s + 5068 MB / s when reading and writing, respectively. After the buffer is filled, the speed drops, but not much, remaining very high.
Pros and cons2. Kingston NV1 500GB M.2 SNVS/500G
- Form factor: 2280, M
- Capacity: 500 GB
- Read/Write Speed: 2100MB/s / 1700MB/s
- Interfaces: PCI-E
- PCI-E type: PCI-E0 x4
- Flash type: TLC 3D NAND
- Recommended: desktop, laptop
• While high-end SSDs are fast and reliable like a Swiss watch, solid mid-rangers such as the Kingston NV1 are still kings of the market. This device is equipped with a Phison PS5013-E13-31 controller – not the most outstanding in terms of performance, frankly, but not the worst either.
• The net volume of the 500 GB model is 465,75 GB, which is standard for such drives. But what is rarely found in inexpensive SSDs is two temperature sensors at once.
• The manufacturer was even modest, indicating the speed of reading and writing. In reality, they are slightly higher – 2532 MB / s 1961 MB / s, respectively. At 80% or more full, linear write speed drops, but this is a common problem with SSD drives.
Pros and cons created by a popular and well-known brand price / performance ratio works faster than stated by the manufacturer gets very hot under load1. Crucial P2 1TB M.2 CT1000P2SSD8
- Form factor: 2280, M
- Read/Write Speed: 2400MB/s / 1800MB/s
- Interfaces: PCI-E
- PCI-E type: PCI-E0 x4
- Flash type: QLC 3D NAND
- Recommended: for laptop and desktop
• I give the first place in the article to an entry-level solid-state drive with a Phison PS4-E5013T 13-channel controller. The P2 does not have a full cache, but it does have a host memory buffer (HMB).
• The read / write speed is not bad and, importantly, stable. But the "endurance" is not impressive – only 300 TBW (Total Bytes Written, guaranteed rewriting without errors) when you can find options for 600 TBW for a similar price.
• To extend the "life" of this SSD, you can use the Crucial Storage Executive Tool. It allows you to configure the spare area of the disk and carry out its diagnostics.
Pros and cons stability and reliability of work does not heat up too much speed corresponds to the declared noHow to choose an SSD M.2 drive
Is there an M2 slot?
• In modern computers and laptops, this slot is almost always present on the motherboard. If you have an old computer and there is no M2 slot, you will have to limit yourself to a SATA drive. Or (for a PC) use an adapter to connect to a PCIe slot, while the motherboard must support booting from PCIe.
Size
• All M2 discs have the same width – 22mm. But the length is different, and you can find it from the marking. For example, M.2 2242 is 42mm, M.2 2280 is 80mm, and M.2 2210 is 110mm.
emkOperating systemt
• The main capacities of M.2 SSDs in the market are 256GB, 512GB, 1TB and 2TB. The larger the capacity, the higher the price for the same brand and model of SSD. If you are going to use a drive for an office PC, then it makes no sense to overpay for the capacity. Take a 256 or 512 GB model – they are optimal in terms of price / quality ratio.
• If you are a gamer or video editor, I recommend choosing a model from 1 TB and above. It is important to note that different capacities of SSDs of the same make and model may have differences in performance, read/write speed, and durability.
NAND Flash
• It is a storage medium for an SSD and all data is stored on it. SSD memory is currently classified as SLC, MLC, TLC, and QLC. In order not to burden you, dear readers, with an extra amount of information, I will say briefly: buy SSDs with TLC and SLC chips, and if you have a sufficient budget, you can also consider MLC.
• QLC – not recommended, this is a new thing on the market, its reliability has not yet been studied too well.
What is NVM?
• The NVMe protocol stands for Non-Volatile Memory Express, and it was designed specifically for SSDs, as opposed to SATA, which previously focused exclusively on hard drives. It is responsible for the fast transfer of data across PCI Express lanes, making NVMe SSDs the best storage technology for gaming.
Random Read/Write Speed
• This mainly refers to the speed of the disk when reading and writing incoherent, scattered files and small files.
Sequential Read/Write
• Refers to the disk speed when reading and writing large files. If you often need to copy large files, it is recommended to purchase an SSD with a high sequential read/write speed.
The most famous manufacturers of SSD M.2 drives
- Kingston
- Samsung
- Western Digital
- Netac
- Transcend
- Silicon Power
- smartbuy
- Crucial
- Sandisk
- Needle
- Toshiba
