[Answered]Is M.2 SSD Faster Than SSD?

M.2 vs. SSD: What’s the difference between SSD and M.2?

When talking about SSD, most people only know that they are more powerful than HDD, but they don't know that there are different types of SSD. Next, I will give you a detailed introduction to the differences between the different SSD.

SSD (Solid State Disk) is a hard disk made of an array of solid-state electronic memory chips, which is favored by many computer users for its ultra-high read and write speeds. However, SSD are divided into two interfaces, SATA and M.2. With different interfaces, the efficiency of transferring data is different.

The SATA interface is inherited from the HDD and is the most mainstream form of hard drive interface. It is extremely compatible and almost all kinds of motherboards have SATA interface. Later on, mSATA interface SSD also gradually emerged, which are mini versions of standard SATA SSD. The biggest difference between the two is the large capacity, small size, high performance and shock resistance of mSATA SSD.

The M.2 interface is a new interface specification introduced by Intel to replace the original mSATA interface. M.2 SSD are smaller and are now widely used by high-end desktops and notebooks and are more expensive than SATA SSD. In addition, M.2 SSD is divided into M.2 SATA SSD and M.2 NVMe SSD.

In summary: M.2 is the interface, which usually refers to M.2 SSD, while SSD refers to SATA SSD. The difference between them is the different interface, size, performance and price.

Is M.2 SSD faster than SSD?

When comparing the performance of SSD, there are three main specifications to consider. They are bus, protocol, and interface. By interface, SSD can be divided into SATA SSD and M.2 SSD.

SATA SSD support Serial ATA (Serial Advanced Technology Attachment) bus and AHCI (Advanced Host Controller Interface) protocol. The mainstream version is SATA 3.0, which can reach speeds of 550MB/s.

M.2 SSD are divided into SSD using the SATA bus and SSD using the PCIe bus. Please note that even with the M.2 interface, there are SSD that use the SATA bus and the AHCI protocol. It is not different from SATA SSD, only the interface has changed. The M.2 interface also has SSD that use the PCIe (Peripheral Component Interconnect Express) bus and support the NVMe (Non-Volatile Memory Express) protocol. What we commonly refer to as M.2 SSD are M.2 NVMe SSD. When using the SATA bus and AHCI protocol, M.2 SSD are no different from regular SATA SSD, and are limited to 550MB/s -600MB/s. However, when using the PCIe bus and NVMe protocol, SSD speeds are 7500MB/s.

In summary: Is M.2 SSD faster than SSD? Yes, M.2 NVMe SSD is faster than SSD, its read and write speed is almost 10 times faster than normal SSD.

How to install M.2 SSD and use it

After figuring out what is the difference between M.2 and SATA SSD, next we need to understand how to install and use M.2 NVMe SSD.

▶ Install M.2 SSD

If the motherboard does not have an M.2 slot, then you will not be able to install an NVMe SSD, so check your computer's motherboard to make sure it has an M.2 slot before installing.

✦ Insert M.2 NVMe SSD to Laptop:

Step 1. Use a Phillips screwdriver to remove the back cover of the laptop from the hard drive area (the area where the hard drive is located varies by laptop brand, please read the product manual first).

Step 2. Insert the M.2 SSD into the M.2 slot diagonally and make sure the SSD is tightly connected to the motherboard connector.

Step 3. Then, tighten the screws and reinstall the back cover of the laptop.

✦ Insert M.2 NVMe SSD to Desktop:

Step 1. With the computer turned off, unplug the power cord.

Step 2. Open the case and locate the M.2 slot. Then, insert the M.2 SSD into the M.2 slot.

Step 3. Insert the screws into the mounting holes on the motherboard and tighten them with a Phillips screwdriver.

Step 4. Finally, put on the back cover of the desktop computer and turn on the power of the computer.

▶ Initialize the M.2 SSD

After the installation is complete, please turn on your computer. We need to initialize the M.2 NVMe SSD, otherwise it will not be recognized by Windows. Then, open Disk Management, select "Initialize disk" and set the partition style (MBR or GPT) to the same as the old disk.

▶ Clone a hard drive to M.2 SSD

To experience the extreme performance of M.2 SSD, you can transfer the system disk to SSD, so that your Windows will run faster. I recommend you to use AOMEI Partition Assistant Professional, a powerful disk migration expert, which supports clone M.2 SSD to a larger M.2 SSD or clone HDD to M.2 SSD without data loss.

Tip: You can optimize SSD after cloning, which will improve the reading and writing speed of the SSD.

Step 1. Install and launch AOMEI Partition Assistant, and then click "Clone" on the top panel and select "Clone Disk".

Step 2. Choose the hard drive you want to clone as the source disk and click "Next".

Step 3. Select the M.2 SSD drive as the destination disk, and then click "Next".

Step 4. Then, you can check the source and destination disk in the next window or change to "Sector to Sector clone", and click the "Confirm" button to continue if there is no problem.

Here, you can also click the "Settings" button to adjust the partition size on the destination disk or tick "4k alignment" to improve the reading and writing speed of the SSD. 

Step 5. After returning to the main interface, check the pending operation and click "Apply" and "Proceed" to commit the operation.

Remember, if you clone the system disk to M.2 NVMe SSD, please set NVMe as boot drive, or it will not boot.

Conclusion

From what has been discussed above, this article not only answers is M.2 SSD faster than SSD, but also explains the difference between SSD and M.2 for you. Besides, if you want to clone M.2 SSD, then AOMEI Partition Assistant is definitely your first choice.