Which ssd to buy for a laptop. Type of memory and time to failure. Selection by volume
If you are collecting powerful computer or want to speed up the old one, then an SSD will come in handy. Finally, the cost of these drives has dropped so much that they can be considered as a reasonable alternative to hard drives (HDD).
The following SSD features will help you choose the best drive that is compatible with your computer and meets your needs.
1. Which form factor to choose: SSD 2.5″, SSD M.2 or another
SSD 2.5″
This form factor is the most common. An SSD looks like a small box that resembles an ordinary hard drive. 2.5″ SSDs are the cheapest, but their speed is sufficient for most users.
Compatibility of 2.5″ SSD with computers
SSD of this form factor can be installed in any desktop computer or a laptop with a free compartment for 2.5-inch drives. If your system only has room for an old 3.5" hard drive, you can fit a 2.5" SSD into it too. But in this case, look for an SSD model that comes with a special lock.
Like modern HDDs, a 2.5″ SSD is connected to the motherboard using the SATA3 interface. This connection provides a throughput of up to 600 MB/s. If you have an old one motherboard with a SATA2 connector, you can still connect a 2.5″ SSD, but the drive’s throughput will be limited old version interface.
SSD M.2
A more compact form factor, making it suitable even for particularly thin ones that do not have room for a 2.5″ SSD. It looks like an oblong stick and is installed not in a separate compartment of the case, but directly on the motherboard.
To connect to the board, each M.2 drive uses one of two interfaces: SATA3 or PCIe.
PCIe is several times faster than SATA3. If you choose the first one, then there are a few more things to consider: the interface version and the number of lines connected to the connector for data transfer.
- How newer version PCIe, the higher the throughput (data transfer speed) of the interface. Two versions are common: PCIe 2.0 (up to 1.6 GB/s) and PCIe 3.0 (up to 3.2 GB/s).
- The more data lines connected to the SSD connector, the higher its throughput again. The maximum number of lines in an M.2 SSD is four; in this case, in the drive description its interface is designated as PCIe x4. If there are only two lines, then PCIe x2.
M.2 SSD compatibility with computers
Before purchasing an M.2 SSD, you should make sure that it will fit your motherboard. To do this, you need to check first the physical and then the software compatibility connector on the drive with a slot on the board. Then you need to find out the length of the drive and compare it with the allowable length of the slot allocated for M.2 in your system.
1. Physical compatibility of interfaces
Each connector on the motherboard intended for connecting M.2 format drives has a special cutout (key) of one of two types: B or M. At the same time, the connector on each M.2 drive has two cutouts B + M, less often only one of two keys: B or M.
The B-connector on the board can be connected with a B-connector. To the M-connector, respectively, a drive with an M-type connector. SSDs, the connectors of which have two M + B cutouts, are compatible with any M.2 slots, regardless of the keys in the latter.
M.2 SSD with B+M key (top) and M.2 SSD with M key (bottom) / www.wdc.com Thus, first make sure that your motherboard has an M.2 SSD slot at all. Then find out the key for your connector and select a drive whose connector is compatible with this key. The key types are usually indicated on the connectors and slots. In addition, you can find all the necessary information in the documents for the motherboard and drive.
2. Logical compatibility of interfaces
To ensure the SSD fits your motherboard, consider physical compatibility its connector with a connector is not enough. The fact is that the drive connector may not support logical interface(protocol) that is used in the slot on your card.
Therefore, when you figure out the keys, find out what protocol is implemented in the M.2 connector on your board. This could be SATA3, and/or PCIe x2, and/or PCIe x4. Then choose an M.2 SSD with the same interface. For information about supported protocols, please refer to the device documentation.
3. Size compatibility
Another nuance on which the drive’s compatibility with motherboard, this is its length.
In the characteristics of most boards you can find the numbers 2260, 2280 and 22110. The first two digits in each of them indicate the supported drive width. It is the same for all M.2 SSDs and is 22 mm. The next two digits are the length. Thus, most boards are compatible with drives with lengths of 60, 80 and 110 mm.
Three M.2 SSD drives of different lengths / www.forbes.com Before purchasing M.2, be sure to find out the supported drive length, which is indicated in the documents for the motherboard. Then choose one that matches this length.
As you can see, the issue of M.2 compatibility is very confusing. Therefore, just in case, consult the sellers about this.
Less popular form factors
Your computer case may not have a bay for a 2.5” SSD, and your motherboard may not have an M.2 connector. The owner of a thin laptop may encounter such an atypical situation. Then for your system you need to choose a 1.8″ or mSATA SSD - check the documents for your computer. These are rare form factors that are more compact than 2.5” SSDs, but inferior in data exchange speed to M.2 drives.
In addition, thin laptops from Apple may also not support traditional form factors. In them, the manufacturer installs an SSD of a proprietary format, the characteristics of which are comparable to M.2. So, if you have a thin laptop with an apple on the lid, check the supported SSD type in the documentation for the computer.
External SSDs
In addition to internal ones, there are also external drives. They vary greatly in shape and size - choose the one that is most convenient for you.
As for the interface, they connect to computers via a USB port. To achieve full compatibility, make sure the port on your computer and the drive connector support the same USB standard. Highest speed Data exchange is provided by USB 3 and USB Type-C specifications.
2. Which memory is better: MLC or TLC
Based on the number of bits of information that can be stored in one flash memory cell, the latter is divided into three types: SLC (one bit), MLC (two bits) and TLC (three bits). The first type is relevant for servers, the other two are widely used in consumer drives, so you will have to choose from them.
MLC memory is faster and more durable, but more expensive. TLC is correspondingly slower and withstands fewer rewrite cycles, although the average user is unlikely to notice the difference.
TLC type memory is cheaper. Choose it if savings are more important to you than speed.
The drive description may also indicate the type of relative arrangement of memory cells: NAND or 3D V-NAND (or simply V-NAND). The first type implies that the cells are arranged in one layer, the second - in several layers, which allows you to create SSDs with increased capacity. According to the developers, the reliability and performance of 3D V-NAND flash memory is higher than that of NAND.
3. Which SSD is faster
In addition to the type of memory, the performance of an SSD is also affected by other characteristics, such as the model of the controller installed in the drive and its firmware. But these details are often not even indicated in the description. Instead, the final indicators of read and write speed appear, which are easier for the buyer to navigate. So, when choosing between two SSDs, other things being equal, take the drive whose stated speeds are higher.
Remember that the manufacturer indicates only theoretically possible speeds. In practice, they are always lower than stated.
4. What storage capacity is right for you
Of course, one of the most important characteristics When choosing a drive, its capacity is determined. If you are buying an SSD to make it fast operating system, a 64 GB device is sufficient. If you are going to install on SSD games or store it on it large files, then choose the volume that suits your needs.
But do not forget that the storage capacity greatly affects its cost.
Buyer's checklist
- If you need a storage device for office tasks or watching movies, choose a 2.5″ or M.2 SSD with SATA interface 3 and TLC memory. Even such a budget SSD will work much faster than a regular hard drive.
- If you are engaged in other tasks for which high drive performance is critical, choose an M.2 SSD with a PCIe 3.0 x4 interface and MLC memory.
- Before purchasing, carefully check the compatibility of the drive with your computer. If in doubt, consult with sellers on this issue.
Currently on sale you can find solid state drives capacity up to two terabytes, but for financial reasons, for most PC owners it makes more sense to use a small SSD drive from 120 GB for the operating system and programs. It is better to allocate a capacious space for file storage HDD from 1 TB.
Connection: SATA or PCIe
Popular SSD drives with a SATA interface can replace a 2.5-inch HDD in a laptop. Of course, they can also be installed in a desktop PC by connecting them to the power supply and motherboard using a SATA cable. The case we recommend, for example, boasts a compartment that is located behind the motherboard.
The new M.2 form factor was originally developed as a solution for compact ultrabooks. It involves placing memory chips and controllers on a board measuring no more than 80x22 mm.
SATA or M.2:If your motherboard has an M.2 slot (like the one we recommend), you'll save two cables and some space in your case. These drives tend to be slightly more expensive than SATA drives of the same type and capacity, although they are easier to install.
Manufacturer, Capacity and Controller
The top ranks of the Top 10 according to Chip are firmly occupied by Samsung drives. Fresh line solid state drives Samsung 850 in option Evo recommended for home use. At a comparable price, these models are ahead of the products of famous competing manufacturers Crucial, Intel, Kingston, OCZ, Plextor or SanDisk performance, and also thanks to a five-year warranty.
The solid-state drive for Windows and basic programs must be at least 120 GB, but often this is not enough when other programs and Windows updates begin to be installed. Since using an SSD that is full to the brim is bad for its performance and lifespan, it is better to purchase a larger drive.
Samsung SSD 850 Evo 1TB: The double-sided board uses eight memory modules in parallel, resulting in faster speeds and shorter memory access times compared to smaller capacity models. The SATA interface limits the SSD's data transfer speed to 550 megabytes per second. 120- and 250-GB drives achieve this speed only for a short time due to the nature of the cache. After about five seconds, their 3 GB cache fills up, and the write speed of the 120 GB model drops to about 150 MB/s, and the 250 GB model to 300 MB/s.
Models of 500 GB and higher write at a constant speed of 550 MB/s. Only PCIe format drives have practically unlimited speed (see right), which, however, will work optimally only starting with a new generation of microarchitecture Intel Skylake.
Since each rewrite process wears out the flash memory used in SSDs, manufacturers indicate the expected lifespan of the devices. The longevity of SSDs depends on the memory technology, element base and compensation mechanisms.
In long-term rewrite tests before defects appeared, the results of most SSDs significantly exceeded theoretical indicators. Behind the models Samsung 850 Evo the 3D V-NAND cell structure (compared to NAND flash) has proven to be an advantage in this regard.
Photo: Manufacturing companies; Juliane Weber; Tomasz Czarnecki
These days they are gaining more and more popularity SSD drive And. They work much faster than the usual traditional HDDs, and their reliability and price are optimal for ordinary users. SSDs are used to store data in personal computers, laptops and even tablets.
But there are various manufacturers and various devices. It may be difficult for a novice user to choose required device. In this article, we have collected some tips on which SSD drive to choose in 2018, as well as an overview of the best devices.
Flash memory is replacing the fragile and bulky traditional disk everywhere. It's much easier to use a silent SSD that looks like a regular chip instead of one that spins 100 revolutions per second hard drive. The second reason for replacement is greater speed SSD operation. Data will be read or written at speeds hundreds of times faster than on a magnetic hard drive.
SSD drives store data in non-volatile flash memory cells. We can say that this is RAM that retains its contents after a reboot. Thanks to high speed, the computer will respond to clicks much faster.
How to buy SSD?
As for the price, now SSD drives have become much more affordable. But when choosing, you need to pay attention not only to price, but also to speed and reliability. Three flash memory technologies are used to produce SSDs: SLC, MLC and TLC. SLT disks are more expensive, but the most reliable, one bit of information is written to one memory cell, MLC technology allows you to write two bits, it is cheaper, but does not last so long.
The next technology, TLC, is even cheaper and allows three bits of information to be written into one cell, but has an even shorter service life and even lower performance. The ideal solution would be MLC. You need to find a compromise between price, reliability and speed.
There are also several connection options SSD drives. Flash memory has a very high operating speed, and increasingly the bottleneck is not the speed of working with the memory, but the speed of the connection interface. Now M.2 PCIe type drives are gaining popularity, they provide maximum speed, but are still very expensive, so for most users the best solution will SSD connection via a SATA III interface, which is capable of delivering speeds up to 6 Gbit/s (or 750 MB/s).
In this article we will look at the best SATA SSD drives of 2018, since PCIe will still be very expensive for most users. If you are a laptop user, then you will also need to pay attention to the size of the SSD. All SSDs reviewed have a 2.5-inch form factor and a size of 69.9x100.1x7mm. Now let's move on to the list of the best SSD drives of 2018.
Best SSD drives 2018
1. Samsung 850 Evo
This SSD drive distributed in capacities of 120, 250, 500 GB. This is not a new solution on the market, but it can compete with many budget drives. The 500 GB version can be found for $150.
It uses the cheapest data storage technology - TLC, three bits per cell. But in addition to it, the original Samsung-V technology is used, which provides greater reliability and speed. The carrier performs well in tests and outperforms many competitors.
2. Toshiba Q300 480GB
The new Toshiba Q300 SSD is cheaper than other competitors, but provides excellent data processing speed. It also uses Toshiba's own technology, which combines TLC storage cells and SLC cache to improve performance.
You can choose a volume of 120, 240, 480 and 960 GB. You can find a 480GB version for $100. Other drives offering the same speed are slightly more expensive. The manufacturer provides a three-year warranty normal operation. Read/write speed in tests: 563.9 MB/sec.
3. Samsung 960 Pro
Samsung 960 Pro M.2 gives maximum performance, but is quite expensive. To connect it, you will need a modern motherboard with PCIe support. You can purchase SAMSUNG 960 PRO 512 GB in M2 version for $329 and $149 for SATA version.
For data storage, Samsung's V-NAND technology is used along with MLC cell packaging technology, which provides high reliability and productivity. In tests, this media is capable of delivering up to 1984.1 MB/sec.
4. Samsung 960 Evo
This M2 form factor drive offers very fast read and write speeds, even faster than the Pro version, and is more affordable than its counterpart. The same technology, Samsung-V-NAND and MLC cells are used to store information.
Additional features include AES 256 and TCG-Opal 2.0 encryption. You can purchase the Samsung 960 Evo 1GB for $400. Read/write speed reaches 2457.4 MB/sec. This is the best ssd 2018.
5. SanDisk Extreme Pro 480 GB
This is one of the most reliable SSDs. SanDisk Extreme Pro comes with a 10-year warranty and delivers excellent performance.
The device memory is divided into two parts, one of them is a high-performance dynamic cache based on SLC cells and persistent storage of the MLC type. This ensures maximum speed. The drives are available in three sizes: 120, 240 and 960 GB, all in the traditional SATA form factor. The price of SanDisk Extreme Pro 480 GB is about $200, and the operating speed is 525 MB/sec.
6. Kingston KC400 SSDNow
This is an excellent SSD that allows you to get maximum speed. It is available in 128, 256, 512 GB and 1 TB variants. You can find a 512GB SSD for $153.
It uses a Phison 3110 controller with read/write error protection, as well as additional technologies to extend service life. The drive is capable of read/write speeds of up to 557 MB/sec.
7.WD Blue SSD 1TB
Very fast but expensive SSD. Available in 250GB, 500GB and 1TB capacity options. A 1 TB disk costs $320. You can also choose the SATA III or M2 form factor.
The TLC cell type is used to store data, recording three bits per cell. But in addition to TLC, a high-speed cache of SLC cells is used here. This combination gives high reliability and speed. The read/write speed for the disk fluctuates around 508.3 Mbit/sec.
8. PNY CS2211 240GB
PNY CS2211 is more available SSD for those who want to replace their old hard drive. A 240GB device can be purchased for $69. The manufacturer provides a four-year warranty.
MLC technology is used to store data, allowing two bits to be written into one cell. This perfect solution for SSD drives. The read/write speed of this disk is 526.7 MB/sec.
9. OCZ ARC 100 240 GB
SSD disk from OCZ is available in capacities of 100, 120, 240 and 480 GB. You can purchase the 240GB version for $80. Initially the company made very bad SSD drives, but then it was acquired by Thoshiba and things got much better. The media comes with a three-year warranty.
The controller used here is an Indilinx Barefoot 3, which has 512 MB of DDR3 memory for fast cache and gives excellent speed. The device can deliver read speeds of 489 MB/s and write speeds of up to 447 MB/s.
10. Kingston HyperX Savage 480 GB
SSD drives from Kingston are capable of delivering excellent performance at relatively affordable price. The Savage controller is used here, which uses quad-core processor with eight data channels. The manufacturing process for one memory cell is 19 nm. Read speed is 358 MB/s and write speed is 370 MB/s.
conclusions
In this article, we looked at the best ssd drives of 2018. There are cheaper, budget options, as well as expensive, but high-performance ones. Now you know which one ssd is better choose 2018 and if you were planning to upgrade your equipment, now you know what to do.
And so on. The time has finally come to move from words to action and see (or keep an eye on) which SSD drive for a laptop to choose for the planned upgrade. Because to convince us that in terms of speed characteristics solid state drives preferable to regular hard drives, no one is needed anymore. I will divide the material into 2 parts, and in the first of them we will focus on SSD drives of the M.2 form factor.
Selection criteria
As usual, let's outline some criteria. First of all, let's decide on the purpose of the disk. The SSD drive will have to operate as a system drive with all the ensuing consequences.
Next, I will consider those models that are currently on sale (end of April 2017), leaving out of the review semi- and completely unknown drives that are offered in abundance on Ali and other similar sites.
Another criterion is capacity. In my opinion, a 240-256 GB drive is by far the best option in terms of sufficient space and cost of such a drive. If you have the opportunity to buy a more capacious option, that’s good. As a last resort, you can stop at the 128 GB version, but this should be done with a limited purchase budget or if, in addition to the OS and the bare minimum of programs (office, browser, messenger), nothing else will be installed.
Perhaps that's all. Go.
Which interface do you prefer?
I have already written about SSD drive interfaces, in particular in the M.2 format, and I will briefly repeat that such drives can operate on two buses: SATA or PCI-express. They differ in the key in the connector, and also in the fact that if the laptop has an M.2 connector operating on the SATA bus, then drives designed specifically for this interface can be installed in it. Models designed for the PCIe bus will not be suitable, including mechanically.
If the installed M.2 connector operates on the PCIe bus, then, as a rule, you can use SSD drives with a SATA and PCIe interface. The possibility of installing a SATA drive must be clarified in the specifications. Another thing is that it is not entirely reasonable to attach a slow SATA drive to a high-speed interface.
If your laptop model is equipped with an M.2 connector that supports the PCIe bus, then it is better to use SSD drives designed for the same bus. They are much faster than their counterparts running on the SATA bus, although they are more expensive. True, not always, and we will see this when we look at specific models.
SATA
If we talk about ordinary hard disks, then the capabilities of this interface in the SATA III version are too many for them. Strictly speaking, even SATA II is quite enough for most hard drives.
SSD drives are another matter. They quickly exhausted the capabilities of this interface, which is clearly visible from the characteristics solid state drives. Almost all of them have a stated read speed that corresponds to the maximum interface throughput – approximately 520-560 MB/s. I must say that real speed readings, at least linear readings, are really close to the declared values.
The difference is manifested in the read/write speed on blocks of different lengths, with random read/write, as well as when working with a large request queue and with mixed loading, when read and write operations alternate. True, this no longer depends on the interface used, but on the characteristics of the memory used, the capabilities of the controller, the quality of firmware optimization, etc.
Models with memory made using TLC or MLC technology are available. Considering that one of the main tasks facing manufacturers is to reduce costs, the process of actively replacing MLC with TLC is underway, whether someone likes it or not. As reliability tests of drives with this type of memory show, including the test I conducted of the Plextor S2G drive, this memory is not as terrible as they say.
A few words should be said about capacity and why it makes sense to consider models with larger capacity. Most manufacturers offer SSD drives of different capacities within the same model. If you take a closer look at the characteristics, you will notice that such a parameter as the TB recording resource (aka TBW), showing maximum amount information that is guaranteed to be written to the drive changes.
So, for more capacious models this parameter is usually higher. For example, for a 128 GB capacity this parameter has a value of 75 TB, and for the same model, but with a capacity of 256 GB it is already 150 TB. Stress testing shows that these numbers have substance. So, my drive “gave up” after recording a little over 300 TB, and the tested 256 GB drive withstood more than 400 TB.
With some limitations, but we can say that the more capacious the drive, the more reliable it is, i.e. you pay not only for the available capacity, but also for more durable memory chips.
Let's move on to the review of the models.
And the table contains the main characteristics. Values are for drives with a capacity of 240-275 GB. For modifications with other volumes, the numbers may differ.
| Model | Intel 540s Series | Western Digital Green |  Samsung CM871a |  Western Digital Blue |  Patriot Ignite M2 |
| Available volumes, GB | 120, 180, 240 , 360, 480, 960 | 120, 240 | 128, 256 | 250 , 500, 1000 | 120, 240 , 480 |
| Controller | Silicon Motion SM2258 | Silicon Motion SM2258XT | Samsung Maia | Marvell 88SS1074 | Phison PS3110-S10 |
| Memory | SK Hynix 16nm TLC NAND | SanDisk 15nm TLC NAND | TLC NAND | SanDisk 15nm TLC NAND | Toshiba 15nm MLC NAND |
| Buffer | DDR3-1600 | — | — | LDDR3-1866, | DDR3-1600 |
| Last read, MB/s | 560 | 540 | 540 | 540 | 560 |
| Last recording, MB/s | 480 | 430 | 520 | 500 | 320 |
| 74000 | 37000 | 97000 | 97000 | 90000 | |
| 85000 | 68000 | 57000 | 79000 | 70000 | |
| Resource (TBW), TB | — | 80 | — | 100 | — |
| Model | Crucial MX300 | A-DATA Ultimate SU800 | Plextor M7VG | Kingston SSDNow G2 | Transcend MTS820 | |
| Available volumes, GB | 275 , 525, 750, 1050 | 128, 256 , 512, 1024 | 128, 256 , 512 | 120, 240 , 480 | 120, 240 | 120, 250 , 500, 1000 |
| Controller | Marvell 88SS1074 | Silicon Motion SM2258 | Marvell 88SS1074 | Phison PS3110-S10 | — | Samsung MGX |
| Memory | Micron TLC 3D NAND | Toshiba 15nm TLC NAND | Toshiba 15nm MLC NAND | TLC NAND | Samsung TLC V-NAND | |
| Buffer | LDDR3-1600, 256 MB | DDR3-1600 256 MB | DDR3-1600 | DDR3-1600, 256 MB | LPDDR2-1066, | |
| Last read, MB/s | 530 | 550 | 560 | 550 | 550 | 540 |
| Last recording, MB/s | 500 | 300 | 530 | 330 | 420 | 520 |
| Production speed reads, IOPS | 55000 | 50000 | 98000 | 79000 | 78000 | 98000 |
| Production speed records, IOPS | 83000 | 75000 | 84000 | 79000 | 78000 | 87000 |
| Resource (TBW), TB | 80 | — | 160 | 300 | — | 75 |
Intel 540s Series, estimated cost - 5500 rubles. One of the cheapest storage options based on the Silicon Motion SM2258 controller. The main advantage of this model is the price, and main drawback– productivity. This is one of the slowest drives on the market, and this is not due to the budget of the controller used. You can even get good performance out of it, as evidenced by the Plextor S2G SSD, for which the firmware has been significantly rewritten. As a result, performance has improved significantly, although the drive still remains in the budget class. In this case, only a big name can serve as an argument in favor of a purchase.
Western Digital Green, estimated cost - 5500 rubles. In fact, it’s practically analogous in capabilities to the previous drive from Intel.
SamsungCM871a, estimated cost – 6100 rubles. A budget option in everything, including speed indicators.
WesternDigitalBlue, estimated cost - 6200 rubles. Unlike the very budget Green series, this model is positioned as a mid-level drive, which, in particular, can be indicated by the controller used - Marvell 88SS1074. The disk has good characteristics In terms of reading, it copes a little worse with writing, but, nevertheless, it fully corresponds to the positioning. It’s quite a solid mid-ranger, and considering the recording resource (TBW) of 100 TB, it’s also a very reliable model. In general, a worthy candidate for purchase.
PatriotIgniteM2, estimated cost - 6200 rubles. The use of the Phison PS3110-S10 controller in this case means that this is a reference model of the manufacturer Phison, and Patriot only packages and sells it under its own brand ready-made solution. Another strong mid-ranger, and one that works with the MLC memory type, if that’s important to anyone. Considering the potential reliability, performance and price, this model is highly recommended for consideration as an option.
Crucial MX300, approximate price – 6400 rub. A very worthy model for the money. It doesn't match the Samsung 850 EVO, but it outperforms many competitors using planar TLC memory. The used controller does a good job of autonomous garbage collection, which can be useful if TRIM command It cannot be used for one reason or another. It's worth taking a closer look at this drive.
A-DATA Ultimate SU800, approximate price – 6400 rub. This is the first drive with 3D memory from this manufacturer. If we talk about speed indicators, they are more than decent, and, starting with the 256 GB version, the drive shows everything that it is capable of. The younger version, with a capacity of 128 GB, loses in terms of speed due to the small volume and limitations of the degree of parallelism of flash memory (by the way, another argument in favor of not paying attention to the youngest modification of the SSD drive). This model due to the weak controller it cannot correspond to the class of performance solutions, however, the SU800 performs very well in mixed loads and in write operations. The disadvantages appear during random read operations. In this respect, it is similar to the Crucial MX300 drive, built on the same memory. Overall, a more than interesting model for reasonable money.
Plextor M7VG, approximate price – 6400 rub. The pluses are the Marvell 88SS1074 controller and its ability to automatically carry out such an operation as “garbage collection”, which is useful in those systems where the TRIM command does not work. Overall, it’s a very worthy model that doesn’t set any records, but is quite productive. Problems arise only under intense load; however, such modes are rare on a home computer. It's worth taking a closer look at this drive.
Kingston SSDNow G2, approximate price – 6500 rub. Based on the Phison PS3110-S10C controller, it has good read performance, a little worse write performance, but overall it is a balanced model for reliable type memory.
Transcend MTS820, approximate price – 6700 rub. For some reason, the manufacturer is heavily “encrypted”, carefully hiding the controller used and the type of manufacturer of the memory used. In some places it is indicated that the controller is a Marvell 88NV1120, in others it is a Silicon Motion SM2256K. It’s also unclear about the memory; apparently, it’s a Samsung K9BFGD8U0D, made using a 16nm process. Memory, so to speak, is far from the fastest. The model does not stand out as anything special and, given the presence of competitors with similar performance and for less money, is not of great interest. The choice of SSD for this model, in my opinion, is very controversial.
Samsung 850 EVO, estimated price - 6900. For many manufacturers it remains a benchmark in terms of performance, although the model is no longer new at all. At the same time, it is one of the most expensive SSD drives; it justifies the cost with its capabilities. However, it must be noted that the younger models with capacities of 120 and 250 GB are not as fast as their more capacious counterparts. Nevertheless, if the issue of saving is not urgent, then you can take it, you won’t go wrong.
If we sum up the intermediate results of drives with the SATA interface, then using even the most budget-friendly of them will give a very noticeable increase in performance compared to conventional hard drive. If we talk about purchase options, then it probably makes sense to choose either the cheapest option, which is enough for use as a system disk in a laptop in most use cases, or take a closer look at the top options, which will allow you to achieve maximum performance And full use all the capabilities of the rather slow SATA bus.
PCI-Express
More and more laptops are appearing with an M.2 connector using the PCIe interface. There are several versions of it, these are PCIe 2.0 with two or four lanes, and the new PCIe 3.0 with four lanes and the NVMe protocol. These drives are for enthusiasts for whom SATA speeds are absolutely not enough, and who want to get everything these drives have to offer from an SSD drive.
Manufacturers of controllers, memory, and even SSD drives themselves are naturally “in trend”; all controller developers presented their models for this interface. Accordingly, drives are announced that differ in performance and price. This is good, because it allows you to choose a model that suits your “wants” and “wants”, that is, with the required level of performance and the allocated budget. So, let's see what the stores offer us. The transfer will be in ascending order of the average price.
First, I will summarize the main characteristics in a table. Speed indicators, buffer memory capacity, etc. are indicated for versions with a capacity of 240-256 GB.
| Model | Intel 600p | Patriot Hellfire |  Samsung 960 EVO | PNY CS2030 |  Plextor M8PeGN |
| Available volumes, GB | 128, 256 , 512, 1024 | 240 , 480 | 250 , 500, 1000 | 240 , 480 | 128, 256 , 512, 1024 |
| Interface | PCIe 3.0 x4 | ||||
| NVMe | + | ||||
| Controller | SMI SM2260 | Phison PS5007-E7 | Samsung Polaris | Phison PS5007-11 | Marvell 88SS1093 |
| Memory | Intel TLC 3D NAND | Toshiba MLC NAND | Samsung TLC 3D V-NAND | Toshiba 15nm MLC NAND | Toshiba 15nm MLC NAND |
| Buffer | LPDDR3-1600, | LPDDR3-1600, | — | LPDDR3-1600, | |
| Last read, MB/s | 770 | 2700 | 3200 | 2750 | 2000 |
| Last recording, MB/s | 450 | 1100 | 1500 | 1500 | 900 |
| Production speed reads, IOPS | 35000 | 130000 | 330000 | 201000 | 120000 |
| Production speed records, IOPS | 91500 | 205000 | 300000 | 215000 | 130000 |
| Resource (TBW), TB | 72 | 115 | 100 | — | 384 |
| Model | Kingston HyperX Predator | Corsair Force MP500 | Plextor M6e Gen2x |  OCZ RD400 | Samsung 950 Pro |
| Available volumes, GB | 240 , 480, 960 | 120, 240 , 480 | 128, 256 , 512 | 128, 256 , 512, 1024 | 256 , 512 |
| Interface | PCIe 2.0 x4 | PCIe 3.0 x4 | PCIe 2.0 x2 | PCIe 3.0 x4 | |
| NVMe | — | + | — | + | |
| Controller | Marvell 88SS9293 | Phison PS5007-E7 | Marvell 88SS9183 | Toshiba TC58NCP070GSB | Samsung UBX |
| Memory | Toshiba 19nm MLC NAND | Toshiba 15nm MLC NAND | Toshiba 19nm MLC NAND | Toshiba 15nm MLC NAND | Samsung MLC V-NAND |
| Buffer | DDR3-1600 | LPDDR3-1600, | DDR3-1600 | LPDDR3-1600, | LPDDR3-1600, |
| Last read, MB/s | 1400 | 3000 | 770 | 2600 | 2200 |
| Last recording, MB/s | 600 | 2400 | 580 | 1150 | 900 |
| Production speed reads, IOPS | 160000 | 250000 | 105000 | 21000 | 270000 |
| Production speed records, IOPS | 119000 | 210000 | 100000 | 140000 | 85000 |
| Resource (TBW), TB | 415 | 349 | — | 148 | 200 |
Intel 600pSeries, approximate price – 7200 rub. As in the case of SATA drives, the first product is from Intel. There is probably some kind of pattern in this, because in terms of price and performance, this drive, although it uses a high-speed PCI Express 3.0 with the NVMe protocol in addition, it is rather a competitor to SATA drives. Its performance is rather dull, and it is prone to overheating. But the price... If the budget is very limited, but you definitely need a PCIe drive, then why not. There are no other arguments in favor of this disc.
PatriotHellfire, approximate price – 7700 rub. The weak point of the drive is reading with a small depth of requests, i.e. exactly the situation that is most typical for home computers. However, it doesn't go down to Intel 600p levels. We can say that this is a budget drive for the PCIe bus. Considering the price, the best option than the previous model.
Samsung 960EVOSeries, estimated cost - 8700 rubles. You expect incredible power from Samsung, but in this case it is a budget-class drive, with its own characteristics. One of its features is that in terms of speed, the younger model (250 GB) is the slowest. When recording, when the SLC cache is exhausted (admittedly, it is by no means small, 13 GB), the speed is very low, and in this parameter it is inferior even to the Samsung 850 PRO SATA drive. Although he is good at reading, he does not cope very well with a mixed load. And again, only the oldest version with a capacity of 1 TB shows decent results. Overall, I would think carefully before buying this particular drive, and if you decide in its favor, then take at least the 500 GB model. If you need a drive with a capacity of around 256 GB, then perhaps this is not the best option, primarily due to recording problems in the younger model. The terabyte version is very fast, as befits a Samsung. With all due respect to the manufacturer, in this case there are more interesting proposals.
PNY CS2030, approximate price – 9000 rub. New model, the configuration is very similar to the Patriot Hellfire. However, despite the same Phison PS5007-E7 controller, the performance is noticeably higher, and in general, the drive looks very, very attractive.
Plextor M8PeGN, approximate price – 9000 rub. Available in two versions, with and without a heat-dissipating cover. The drive is prone to overheating when high load, so a heatsink is desirable, however, it increases the thickness of the drive, which may cause it to not fit into the slot intended for it in the laptop. Overall, it’s a very good option for quite reasonable money.
Kingston HyperX Predator, approximate price – 9000 rub. This is quite an old model, using not the latest Marvell 88SS9293 controller. With a comparable price to the same Plextor M8PeGN, it loses to the latter in all respects. At the moment, the drive no longer justifies its price, because there are more tempting offers.
Corsair Force MP500, volume – 240 GB, memory – MLC, estimated price – 10,000 rubles. Another model based on the rather successful Phison PS5007-E7 controller. The drive shows very good read/write performance. Although the 240 GB model is slower than larger options, it still SSD selection The 240 GB model has its pros and cons.
Plextor M6eGen2x, approximate price - 11,300 rubles. Enough old model, with good linear read/write performance, considering the fact that PCIe 2.0 with two lanes is used. In my opinion, there are currently no arguments in favor of this particular drive; it has already outlived its usefulness.
OCZ RD400, approximate price - 11,400 rubles. The Toshiba controller is used, which is, in fact, a modified Marvell 88SS1093, which in itself is not bad. And even very good, because in terms of the totality of qualities it is inferior only to the recognized leader - Samsung 950 PRO, and in some disciplines it is even ahead of it. In particular, the RD400 performs very well in mixed loads, i.e. in the most typical situation encountered during work regular computer. A more than worthy candidate for purchase, if the price doesn’t bother you.
Manufacturers offer drives for the PCIe bus for every taste, at any price and with different levels productivity. The cheapest ones show results that are at the level of good SATA drives, the most advanced ones raise the performance bar to a completely different level. True, you have to pay a considerable amount for this. You should also take into account the fact that performance tends to increase with increasing capacity, and the same model, for example, 128 GB and 512 GB, can differ significantly.
I do not have a Samsung 960 PRO drive listed, because the minimum capacity is 512 GB, which somewhat does not fit into the selected criteria. However, if you are ready to shell out about 22,500 rubles. for the junior model, you will get a truly top-end drive with highest speeds work.
Conclusion. SSD drive for laptop in M.2 form factor
SATA has practically exhausted itself, and, according to by and large, there is no fundamental difference between SSD drives on this bus. Yes, MLC memory is faster and more reliable, but TLC is cheaper and, by and large, also quite reliable. There is virtually no difference in reading, especially with linear reading, problems can only arise when writing, especially with mixed loads (which is typical for home computer) or with a large queue of requests (which is NOT typical for a home computer).
The future is PCI-Express interface, which is confirmed by the increased interest of manufacturers in this segment. Surely in the near future we will see new models and modifications of such drives. Here the difference is much more noticeable, especially since such drives are often purchased by those who know exactly what and how much they want. If only for the sake of it, there are cheap options, although among them there are very interesting models, for those who are not ready to compromise, there are top solutions. The only question is the cost.
