As technology advances, we increasingly need more and faster storage. Especially when we talk about gamers and professionals, speed and file space are of utmost importance. Do games load fast enough? Does speed limit us when exporting a video file in software like Adobe Premiere Pro?
In this article, we will explain how to make the optimal choice of SSD (Solid State Drive) for our computer system, according to the needs we have for smooth operation.
It is important to understand what SSDs are and what benefits they provide.
Most often, when it comes to speeding up our computer's performance or when we need more disk space, the best upgrade we can make is to add an SSD to the configuration. It can replace an existing hard drive or serve as additional memory on which to install our operating system.
Modern SSDs significantly increase the speed of the computer when booting and loading applications and games, compared to conventional hard drives. They are more economical and practically silent.
However, how do we choose the right one for us? Here are a few important characteristics and features:
1.Capacity:
One of the most important factors is capacity - it should be taken into account when choosing an SSD to ensure that we have enough disk space for all the applications, programs, games, and files we will use. For this reason, it is advisable to choose a disk with a larger capacity.
Recently, SSDs with a capacity of 512GB are the most preferred. They are mainly used as a system disk on which our operating system is installed. This volume is completely sufficient for Windows and most software we would use, but it may limit space if we want to install modern games or store high-quality movies and large files, such as work projects. In such cases, it would be more appropriate to consider capacities in the range of 1TB, 2TB, or even more. Still, it is good to know that there are disks with sizes of 120GB, 256GB, and even smaller, which can fit into a lower budget.
2. Read and write speed:
Another important feature to consider is the read and write speed. It determines how quickly the SSD will write, transfer, and load our files, operating system, games, etc.
As mentioned above, SSDs are significantly faster than hard drives, with even the lowest class SSD being up to four times faster than a regular hard drive.
The cheapest SSDs use the SATAIII interface and reach speeds of up to 600MB/s for writing and reading, while the latest generation NVMe SSD can reach speeds of over 7000MB/s. This is nearly 47 times higher speed than a standard SATAIII hard drive, which reaches about 150MB/s.
3. Types:
SSDs are available in several variants
- 2.5” SATAIII - these are the lowest class disks that use the SATA interface and reach the lowest speeds compared to all others. They require 2 cables - for power and for connection.
Their advantages are that they are the cheapest and can be used in any computers, older laptop models, as well as some gaming consoles or external enclosures for use with any other devices.
- mSATA - have the same characteristics as 2.5” disks, but are much smaller in size, do not require cables for connection, and are mounted directly on the mSATA slot of the motherboard and also use its SATA controller. They are most commonly mounted in older laptop models that do not have enough space for 2.5” or do not have the faster M.2 slot for NVMe disks. This significantly improves their performance and loading speed.
- M.2 NVMe - these are the fastest (and currently the most common) SSD drives and are an integral part of any high-performance gaming or professional computer. They are mounted on the M.2 slot on the motherboard and use the PCIe interface. Similar to mSATA, they also do not require additional cables.
As mentioned above, depending on their generation, they can reach speeds of over 7000MB/s for reading and writing. They are available in several sizes, with the 2280 standard being the most commonly used.
A downside is that they are a bit more expensive than other types.
4. Brands:
There are many different brands and models of SSDs on the market, with some of the most popular manufacturers being Samsung, Kingston, Crucial, Silicon Power, Western Digital and Team Group. Preferred models among enthusiasts include Samsung 990 Pro and 980 Pro, Kingston KC3000 and Renegade, WD Black SN750 and SN770.
Great budget alternatives include, for example, Silicon Power A55 and P34A80, as well as Team Group T-Force Cardea Z44L, LEXAR NM620 and others.
5. Prices:
The variety of disks on the market is enormous, and in recent months, prices for all types and capacities of SSDs have dropped significantly. Currently, models can be purchased from around 25 BGN for a budget 128GB disk to around 860 BGN for a high-end 4TB Gen4 NVMe, which can meet the needs and budget of any gamer or professional.
New generations of SSDs are also expected soon, which will offer even higher speeds and a greater variety of capacities.
6. Warranties:
In addition to being significantly faster, SSDs are much more reliable than conventional hard drives, as they do not contain moving parts and mechanisms. Moreover, they are offered with longer warranty periods - from 24 months to 60 months, which will provide you with the necessary peace of mind for work and long gaming sessions.
In conclusion, we can summarize that choosing the right SSD can seem like a difficult task at first glance, but with the information we provide in this article, we hope to have made it easier. If you still have difficulties, do not hesitate to contact the PCBUILD team and we will help you choose the right SSD for your configuration!
