Computers rely heavily on storage. Ever since the days of clunky disks over half a decade ago, storage has been imperative for every computer user. For many people, it’s also among the most fragile part because it holds all your personal data. Though there are some excellent options out there, they’re nowhere near as fast or reliable when compared to today’s standards and often fail without notice. Making sure you research whatever drives you to plan on using beforehand will save time in the long run because if anything happens to them – then you’ll be prepared ahead of time.
In recent years, we’ve seen an exponential increase in demand for storage devices; this is mainly due to the fact that gaming has skyrocketed in size – thanks to colossal textures and expansive open worlds. As mentioned in our comprehensive hard drive buying guide, storage needs will continue growing every day, and you’ll need a larger capacity device if it fits your budget. For both gamers and content creators alike, the speed of the spinning disks or spindles is important because they’re limited by the old machine’s power.
Rise of SSDs
Enter Solid State Drives or SSDs. These devices increased in popularity at the start of this decade and have since become an integral component of any high-end gaming computer. Although there are still some cheaply made desktops available today, it is considered necessary for most modern computers to include one type of Solid State Drive inside them. Even a small 120 GB SSD can provide a big boost over an archaic hard drive – which makes it a popular choice for many PCs these days. A common practice now among enthusiasts who want maximum performance for their buck is to install the operating system (OS) onto this faster hardware while using the larger but slower hard drive for large files such as games, movies, media content etcetera. This creates a perfect balance between performance and value – without having to spend too much money! As well, if you’re curious about what differences exist between traditional HDD drives and newer advances in technology – like SSDs – then be sure to read through our guide!
SSD Basics
At the heart of every SSD is something vastly different than what you would find on a hard drive. Where a hard drive stores information through rotating discs, an SSD has no moving parts at all – it’s 100% solid state storage. The data is stored in NAND cells, small enough to fit into your pocket which can be found on any device with built-in memory including smartphones and SD cards. Yet, this type of technology is also used for smaller scale devices such as SSHDs (Solid State Hard Drives). Let’s break down some important terms before we jump into the various specs – words like interface specifications or read/write benchmarks will soon become second nature for anyone looking to buy one of these devices in 2020.
An SSD can be commonly found using one of 3 types of interfaces:
- Serial-ATA (SATA): A SATA SSD is just a standard hard drive at its core, but it manages to reach incredible speeds due to its ability to completely saturate the maximum bandwidth of its connection. This simple change makes it possible for SATA SSDs to reach read/write speeds up 540/540 MB/s – which are significantly better than what you would normally expect from a regular ol’ HDD. If you’re looking for some solid advice on where you should invest in one of these bad boys, take a look at our list of favorite SATA drives here!
- PCIe Gen 3 (NVMe): NVMe drives are generally pricier than SATA ones and slower, but still much faster than standard HDD. They use PCI express connections instead of the older and slower methods so they don’t bottleneck during data transfers. The fastest read speed for an NVME SSD is 3,500 MB/s while the write speed is around 5,000-7,000 MB/s depending on the model.
- PCIe Gen 4: This is the cutting edge of SSD technology. NVMe makes use of PCI Express Gen 3 while these SSDs make use of PCIe Gen 4, which doubles throughput over an old standard, so read speeds are 5000 MB/s while write speeds are 4400 MB/s. A new platform with support for this feature will also be necessary and it will come in two flavors: AMD’s X570 or B550 series of chipsets on their Ryzen CPUs. In order to find the best PCIe Gen 4 SSDs, we recommend you check out our other article!
Form Factor
SSDs come in three main form types
- 2.5-inch drive: Your computer case must accommodate this physically larger form factor. There are only SATA drives in this size, so you’ll need to supply a separate SATA data cable and power cord for it, which will mess up your cable organization slightly.
- M.2 Form Factor: M.2 is much smaller than traditional SSDs and requires no cables as it plugs directly into the motherboard. These sticks resemble gum sticks found in a pack of bubblegum – perhaps this is why they are called sticks? However, SATA and PCIe are the two types. M2 drives using this form factor require a M.2 slot on the motherboard. A SATA drive will always come in either 2.5 inches or M/B mounting brackets; however, an NVMe or PCIe Gen 4 drive will only come in M/B format because these drives need to use PCI Express lanes to communicate with the computer motherboard properly – they cannot work if they do not have access to those PCI express lanes! There are also differences between lengths when looking at how long each stick should be; the most common size used on laptops being 2280.
- SSD Add-in Card (AIC): A PCI Express slot on the motherboard can accept these cards, which are shaped like cards. They also operate using the PCI-E interface, and because of this – tend to be faster than other solid-state drives; especially when it comes to cooling. You cannot install these in laptops because they require a PC with lots of room inside. If you don’t want to buy an M.2 card for your desktop PC from someone else but would rather do it yourself, then here are some great NVMe PCIe SSD Add-in Cards for you!
NAND Flash
In order to retain data, nonvolatile flash memory does not require power. They store data as blocks and rely on electrical circuits to hold them in place. If there is no power at all – they use a metal oxide semiconductor to maintain an extra charge, thus keeping the data intact.
Although there are multiple types of NAND, such as NOR and ROM-less, it is not always necessary to make a purchase decision based on the type of Memory. However, understanding the pros and cons of each type can give you an idea about which will best suit your needs.
- Single Layer Cell (SLC): This is the first type of flash memory that became available as a form of non-volatile storage. Like its name suggests, it stores one byte per cell, making it both fast and long lasting. On the downside, though, it’s expensive due to how little data can be stored on each cell. It’s uncommonly found in modern day Solid State Drives (SSDs) – now only being limited to high end enterprise drives or short periods of cache storage.
- Multi-Layer Cell (MLC): Despite the lower storage capacity compared to MLC, SLR offers a cheaper option for storing data. Drives are equipped with an SLC Cache which acts as a temporary buffer for read/write operations (SLC Caching Technique). This technology has been phased out in favour of TLC drives for consumer use and is now only used for enterprise solutions.
- Triple-Level Cell (TLC): TLC (Three Level Cell) technology is still used in many contemporary Solid State Drives. While it may be slower than other types of SSDs, TLC offers the highest capacities and can do so at a lower cost due to its ability to store more data in one cell. All modern TLC drives utilize an SLC Cache, improving both speed and reliability when it comes to read/write operations. Without this cache system, newer TLC Drives are no faster than older HDDs – making them ideal for regular everyday use. Professionals and Prosumers seeking superior performance should opt for Enterprise-grade MLC models instead; assuming they’re willing to pay extra money for said performance increase.
- Quad-Level Cell (QLC): This newest storage tech promises higher capacities at even cheaper prices with improved speeds in the meantime. It is worth noting that endurance might be lower than what you’re used to, but it will deliver increased space for an affordable price range. Alongside this new technology are plans for the future; one being X-NAND which presents high speed capabilities while maintaining low cost and density (QLC) when compared to similar technologies.
3D NAND Layering
In 3D NAND, cells are stacked on top of each other in a stacked manner, whereas in 2D or planar NAND there is only one layer of cells. Manufacturers are increasingly stacking more and more levels – an approach that increases storage capacity, reduces production costs, and creates lower priced devices. V-NAND is the term given to this type of design by Samsung; BISC-FLASH by Toshiba. Because there’s no practical difference between these technologies, this specification shouldn’t affect your buying decision at all.
Controllers
Controllers are similar to processors in drives. It is the commanding entity inside the drive that manages all read and write operations, handling other tasks such as wear leveling and providing access to data. It has been found that it’s beneficial to have more cores for higher performance levels in computers – just like with drives.
The controller also contains the electronic components that enable data to flow between the flash storage and other parts of the hard drive. Usually, it has four main components:.
- Embedded Processor – usually a 32-bit microcontroller
- A firmware code installed on an electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM) chip
- System memory
- Support for External Memory
- Flash components
- The host electrical interface
- Error Correction Code (ECC) circuitry
The quality of an SSD’s controller chip can play a significant role in the storage device’s performance, however for most consumers this should not heavily influence their purchasing decision. Specific model numbers for controllers can typically be found on the specification pages for various drives. If you would like to learn more about how these work, there are many reviews available online from people who were interested in this information when they shopped for an SSD themselves.
DRAM Cache
Whenever the computer tells the drive to find some data, it needs to know where exactly it is stored inside its memory cells. To do this, it has a map that records where everything is located and points out each individual piece of information or file. This map can only be kept in RAM – or fast temporary storage space – as anything written onto long term storage (like an SD card) will not be able to keep up with what’s going on because it takes longer for things written there to process.
Importance of DRAM Cache
DRAM Caches are essential for more than just storing maps of data. Solid State Drives (SSDs) move around information constantly in order to prolong their lifespan, a strategy called wear leveling. For this reason, DRAM caches can help tremendously. A DRAM cache also improves the speed of the drive because the operating system does not have to wait as long before finding what it wants; thus increasing performance. In OS drives, where there are many small operations happening quickly, this increase could be significant. On top of that, without a valid caching system, SSDs provide much poorer performance in random read/write situations–a common task such as web browsing or other everyday computing needs require good random read/write speeds. So when saving money is less important than getting better performance and reliability you will want to go with one of these devices instead.
Host Memory Buffer (HMB) Technique
As more and more SSDs without an internal DRAM cache flood the market, it has become clear that these types of drives offer significantly lower performance than SSDs with a built-in DRAM cache. Even some mid-range NVMe drives do not have this functionality. But there is hope – the Host Memory Buffer technique will bring back what was lost in terms of available bandwidth.
Compensation
Surely the most inexpensive drives can’t just get away with using the system RAM as a cache? There are many benefits to using this technique over not having a cache at all; but, it still lacks the performance levels of other drives that have an onboard cache. HMB offers a middle ground between these two extremes – random read/write speeds improve while also improving overall system responsiveness. It’s up to you whether you’re willing to settle for less expensive models or prioritize price over performance when choosing a new drive. We’ve got the top list of NVMe SSD brands that will help you decide which one is right for you!
Preference
There is no question that if you are searching for the highest quality and performance, then an SSD should not be purchased without a DRAM cache. Although Hybrid Memory Buffer (HMB) can offer some improvements in speed; compromises still exist with this workaround. Nevertheless, when looking for an affordable NVMe SSD option – drives that include HMB features might prove to be more desirable than other models with DRAM caches since they will provide less of a performance hit (when used as secondary storage). Avoid buying any SATA-based SSDs without RAM at all costs!
Performance Analysis
IOPS
When it comes to judging the speed of an SSD, IOPS (Input/Output operations per second) is considered to be the most accurate indicator. Random Read/Write numbers are widely publicized by manufacturers, but they can also lead to misunderstanding since these numbers are rarely achievable in everyday use cases. When looking at an SSD’s IOPs count and latency times (how long it takes for the data to show up), you’ll find that these two factors will usually give a more realistic overview of how well your device performs under heavy loads – which makes this measure much more reliable than raw throughput rates.
Maximum Read/Write Speeds
These numbers, which you can find all over the marketing materials, refer to how quickly data is processed by the SATA device (around 500 MB/s). However, it isn’t until you compare those numbers to those of an NVMe device (~3500 MB/s) when you see what kind of difference there really is. While this might sound impressive on paper – they are only reflective of general usage, so they do not truly matter in most cases.
SSD as an OS drive
If you are looking for a reliable Solid State Drive to run your Operating System, there are various important considerations to take into account. For starters, you want an OS drive that can cope with multiple small operations simultaneously – i.e., higher sequential read speeds will come in handy here. Similarly, the maximum input/output operations per second (IOPS) for the drive should also be looked at; these more accurately reflect real-world use cases. A caching method is necessary too; either DRAM cache or Host Memory Buffer Cache (HMB) would suffice depending on preference and budget constraints. Ideally, you would want a high-performing NVMe SSD such as the WD Black SN750 ; however one way or another all SSDs offer vast improvements over traditional mechanical hard drives – therefore having at least one installable OS SSD is required in modern computer systems nowadays.
SSD as a Game Drive
In today’s market, manufacturers have begun to offer consumer devices with Solid State Drives for storing their games. With SSDs, loading times in games are significantly reduced compared to HDDs. This may be noticeably noticeable in modern open-world games where the game engine loads many assets from the storage device; however, there is a point of diminishing returns at which higher performance NVMe or Gen 4 drives fail to offer any significant benefits over SATA. This is because once you exceed the speed of a traditional HDD, then the storage device becomes less influential as part of the pipeline when it comes to quick load times – thus all SSDs offer pretty comparable results when it comes to gaming load times. Any advantages offered by NVMe or PCIe Gen 4 SSDs are negligible and do not justify their additional costs – that being said we recommend looking at our list of high-capacity SATA SSDs coming out in 2021 if you’re interested!
The reason for this is that game technologies are limited by the console’s storage capabilities. For example, both Sony’s PlayStation 4 and Microsoft’s Xbox One still use painfully slow HDDs or hard drives. To create games that work with these sluggish devices, developers have to design them accordingly. Even though SSDs may offer faster load times than HDDs, the other aspects of the gameplay experience don’t change much when compared to an HDD device (e.g., graphics). If you want expansive archival storage space at a cheap price, then it makes sense to opt for a traditional spinning hard drive rather than spending all your money on an expensive 500GB – 1TB SATA SSD.
Another perk of using an SSD to store video games is that they don’t require large amounts of memory. This makes them more affordable, and allows gamers to save money on faster but pricier models. Memory space in the cache still impacts how long the drive lasts, but ultimately it will depend on how much you’re willing to spend.
Endurance
.One of the most significant features to consider when buying an SSD is its lifespan. Unlike a rotating hard drive (with its inevitable expiration), and unlike RAM, which stores information in the form of electric charges on capacitors, data storage on an SSD takes place via manipulation of NAND flash chips. But each cell can only be written onto so many times before it becomes unusable—and this worrying reality isn’t something you’re likely to experience yourself. This is because there are various other components that counterintuitively work together to prolong the life expectancy of cells such as over-provisioning, where some amount of capacity reserved just for recycling cells becomes available; or wear leveling, the process through which data gets equally distributed among all viable cells.
SA DRAM cache can help increase the endurance of a hard drive – as long as there is enough space for it to store its maps. This makes the process of wear-leveling much easier and results in less downtime because these caches hold copies of all the frequently accessed data. These features are generally advertised in terms of Mean Time Between Failures (MBTF) and Terabytes Written (TBW).
MBTF
Mean time between failures is a difficult notion to process. It seems counterintuitive at first, but you might find MBTF numbers listed as millions of hours instead. If the SSD has an MTBF rating of 2 million hours, it doesn’t mean it will live for two million hours – even though it sounds like that would make sense. Rather, MTBF is meant to represent the likelihood of failure within a larger pool of drives than one specific unit. For this reason, some retailers list a different figure on their product page – TBW – which stands for total bytes written and can be understood without much difficulty because it directly relates to use case scenarios most people are looking for; such as backing up or copying files frequently.
TBW
Storage TBW (terabytes written) measures how many terabytes of data can be written to an SSD per its lifetime. This estimator is rather straightforward and estimates the lifetime storage capacity at around 60-150 Terabytes. For consumers, Storage TBW is less relevant as it is exceedingly difficult to fill up a drive within any short span of time. Nevertheless, Storage TBW can be important for enterprise users who require continuous operation. Manufacturers often offer special solutions for this type of user base.
Recommendations
When searching for an SSD, keep in mind that each one has its own set of specs suited to a different type of person. Some might need speed or power, while others require affordability. It all depends on what your individual needs are, but there are some helpful pointers for those who don’t know where to start. For example, if you’re looking for something with low cost and high durability – we recommend a SATA SSD instead of an M2SSD.
Our favorite drive is the Samsung Evo Plus because it offers both affordability and decent storage space, which makes it ideal for gamers who have large libraries and those who do a lot of multitasking. Users seeking high performance should go with M2SSDs made by brands like Intel and Samsung because they offer much faster read speeds over cheaper models sold at local stores. A great piece of advice would be to buy according to what’s important first; then worry about other specifications later, as they’ll only offer minor tweaks to your user experience anyway.
Final Words
Solid-state drives have become a necessary element of almost every new gaming system or workstation today. Compared to old hard drive storage, these are much faster and more affordable than ever before – which is why they are quickly becoming the norm for most people. No matter how many games you play or how many videos you create, having at least one SSD in your computer system is essential for 2020 and beyond!
When it comes to choosing an SSD, it really depends on what type of usage that person is expecting from their computer. There are many types of SSDs for people who want something with a large capacity or something more affordable. However, if someone only cares about how fast they can load video games then getting an expensive one may not be necessary because testing has shown that the difference between low-end and high-end SSDs doesn’t make much difference when loading games.
