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Most desktop and laptops support M.2 “2280” modules, a label that refers to the device’s width and length (22mm and 80mm, respectively). For example, the spec sheet for my circa-2020 Dell XPS 8940 desktop supports the “M.2 2280/2230 M-key (PCIe 3.0 x4, NVMe)”.
#Best ssd hard drive 2018 Pc
PC manufacturers don’t always put this information in the owner’s manual, however, a bit of Google-Fu (be sure you use the exact model of your PC in searches) should turn up the information you need. M.2 SSDs may use one of a few different interfaces, and which one of these interfaces your PC supports determines the level of performance you can expect-or whether it will work in your PC at all.Ī prerequisite to any M.2 SSD purchase then is to consult your desktop or laptop’s motherboard specs to verify not only the presence of an M.2 socket, but to determine its capabilities.
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Second, not all M.2 SSDs are the same, because "M.2" is an actually an umbrella term for modules that come in certain standardized shapes and sizes.
#Best ssd hard drive 2018 full
Since SSDs have no moving parts versus mechanical hard drives which do, there’s less chance for something to go wrong.Ī conventional SSD (it looks a lot like a mechanical hard drive) is primarily designed a as drop-in replacement for their hard drive predecessors, so they’re not only bigger than they need to be, but they’re also hamstrung by an aging interface called SATA (Serial Advanced Technology Attachment) which prevents an SSD’s speedy storage chips from reaching their full performance potential.Īlthough most desktops or laptops built within the past five to seven years should accommodate an M.2 SSD, there are exceptions. SSDs drives greatly improve performance and reliability by storing data on chips instead of spinning magnetic platters. SSDs have been in existence in one form or another since the late 1970s, but it was only in the last decade or so that you could buy one. The first hard drive was sold in 1956, but it wasn’t until the 1980s that they became available to consumers, and the 90s before hard drive actually went mainstream. For decades, PC storage was synonymous with bulky, mechanical hard drives.