PCIe vs SATA SSD: Which one is for you?
SSD (Solid State Drive) is a type of storage device which uses internal flash chips unlike HDD using physical spinning disk technology. An SSD is more compact in size, provides faster read/write speed, and consumes less juice. Therefore, it provides better performance and a longer lifespan than our traditional HDD. Hence, we can say that SSD is an evidently superior breed than mechanical HDD.
Lately, a new kind of SSDs, known as PCIe SSD, is emerging and gaining popularity. It has been noted that the PCIe SSD interface is taking this performance game to a higher level.
What is PCIe?
PCIe stands for Peripheral Component Interconnect Express, which is widely popular as PCI Express. It is an interface that can be used to connect different components like graphic cards and storage devices. Every PCIe device has its own dedicated serial link connection, resulting in the elimination of a shared bus. This point-to-point architecture significantly improves the latency and data transfer rate.
PCIe slots can be of different sizes based on the lanes. Generally, there are one, four, eight, or sixteen lanes in a single PCIe slot denoted as x1, x4, x8, or x16 respectively. For reference, a graphic card uses an x16 slot. This interface technology provides blazing speed up to 1 Gb/s per lane. Hence, an SSD connected via x16 lane port is capable enough to provide up to 16 Gb/s speed.
Related terms to PCIe drive: M.2
M.2 is a form factor engineered especially for SSDs. It is more compact than standard PCIe, consequently saving more space on the motherboard for other components. The main purpose of designing this is to provide a separate interface only for storage devices using PCIe technology so that they do not interfere with other devices like graphic cards.
Merits and demerits of PCIe SSD
Merits:
- Compact in size
- Better performance
- High transferring speed
Demerits:
- High price
- Low storage capacity
What is SATA?
SATA is Serial Advanced Technology Attachment, which is mostly used in all of the computer systems for a long time. This interface can be used to connect mechanical i.e. spinning HDD as well as SSDs. The most recent SATA generation is SATA III which offers transmission data rate at around 6.0 Gb/s.
Merits and demerits
Merits:
- Low cost
- Higher storage capacity
- Compatible with almost every motherboard
Demerits:
- Lower performance
- Requires cables to connect
Which one should you buy?
For those who seek the fastest performance with lower latency for in-memory workloads and not concerned with a higher cost, PCIe SSD is the perfect option.
For those who need good performance, huge storage size and don’t have the desire to spend more and can go with SATA SSD.
In normal usages i.e. playing games, browsing the internet, listening to songs, etc; users won’t feel any difference between these two.
