Is there a difference between M.2 SSD and M.2 Nvme SSD?

[WhatsGoingOn]

I want to buy an SSD for my laptop for the OS and maybe the programms I usually use, but, there's a difference between M.2 SSD and M.2 Nvme? 

[79wjd]

The NVME SSD uses the NVME protocol, and needs to be supported by the rest of the hardware.

[Spuriae]

There's a huge difference in speed and very little difference in real-world performance for the average person.

[Sneling]

Basically, NVMe is a protocol, just like SATA. However, it is much faster than sata. If your laptop supports NVMe M.2, then you will need to buy this type of M.2

Overall, all M.2 says is its size/form factor. For example, ATX and ITX are two form factors, but they both are motherboards.

Do you know if your laptop has an m.2 slot, and if yes, which protocal does it use?

[ARikozuM]

NVMe has an advantage in the number of files that can be transfered at one time, which can make a difference depending on how programs handle their files.

 

For a laptop, I'd stick with SATA M.2 since you don't want to use your battery powering NVMe drives.

[79wjd]

6 minutes ago, Sneling said:

Basically, NVMe is a protocol, just like SATA. However, it is much faster than sata. If your laptop supports NVMe M.2, then you will need to buy this type of M.2

Overall, all M.2 says is its size/form factor. For example, ATX and ITX are two form factors, but they both are motherboards.

Do you know if your laptop has an m.2 slot, and if yes, which protocal does it use?

It's actually NVME vs. AHCI. SATA is the interface, and PCIE is another. M.2 is the connector.

 

There are M.2 NVME PCIE SSDs, M.2 AHCI PCIE SSDs, and M.2 SATA SSDs. M.2 NVME drives top out around 3.5GB/s (this isn't a cap, just the fastest drive available now), M.2 AHCI drives top out around 1.5GB/s iirc, and M.2 SATA drives top out around 500MB/s.

[Sakkura]

Just now, Sneling said:

Basically, NVMe is a protocol, just like SATA.

SATA is not a storage protocol the same way NVMe is.

 

SATA is an electrical interface standard, and can be replaced by a PCIe connection.

 

On top of the SATA or PCIe connection, there's a storage protocol for how the interface is used. The most advanced standard available across a SATA connection is AHCI, which was designed for HDDs but with some usable stuff for SSDs too. NVMe is a newer standard designed solely for SSDs, but it requires a PCIe connection.

 

Some older PCIe SSDs didn't support the NVMe protocol, and instead relied on good old AHCI. The Samsung SM951, forerunner to the 950 Pro, has two versions, one that uses AHCI and one that uses NVMe. Both across a PCIe connection from an M.2 slot.

[WhatsGoingOn]

I have a MSI GE62VR and i Just want the SSD for the OS and the main programms, and I still don't understand the difference

[ARikozuM]

Just now, WhatsGoingOn said:

I have a MSI GE62VR and i Just want the SSD for the OS and the main programms, and I still don't understand the difference

http://www.anandtech.com/show/7843/testing-sata-express-with-asus/4

http://www.userbenchmark.com/Faq/What-s-the-difference-between-SATA-PCIe-and-NVMe/105

[Sneling]

34 minutes ago, ARikozuM said:

NVMe has an advantage in the number of files that can be transfered at one time, which can make a difference depending on how programs handle their files.

 

For a laptop, I'd stick with SATA M.2 since you don't want to use your battery powering NVMe drives.

 

32 minutes ago, djdwosk97 said:

It's actually NVME vs. AHCI. SATA is the interface, and PCIE is another. M.2 is the connector.

 

There are M.2 NVME PCIE SSDs, M.2 AHCI PCIE SSDs, and M.2 SATA SSDs. M.2 NVME drives top out around 3.5GB/s (this isn't a cap, just the fastest drive available now), M.2 AHCI drives top out around 1.5GB/s iirc, and M.2 SATA drives top out around 500MB/s.

Oh ok, thank you for the differentiation

[Sakkura]

1 hour ago, WhatsGoingOn said:

I have a MSI GE62VR and i Just want the SSD for the OS and the main programms, and I still don't understand the difference

There are M.2 SSDs that are basically just regular SATA SSDs with a different connector, and then there are M.2 SSDs that run PCIe/NVMe, which allows for much higher speeds on paper. The real-world difference is quite small in normal use, and since the NVMe drives are often a lot more expensive, it's often a better idea to get one of the slower M.2 SSDs. Especially if you'd like more space.