The smallest mammal. The smallest mammal on earth
And so on. The time has finally come to move from words to action and see (or keep an eye on) which SSD drive for a laptop to choose for the planned upgrade. Because there is no need to convince anyone that in terms of speed characteristics, solid-state drives are preferable to conventional hard drives. I will divide the material into 2 parts, and in the first of them we will focus on SSD drives of the M.2 form factor.
Selection criteria
As usual, let's outline some criteria. First of all, let's decide on the purpose of the disk. The SSD drive will have to work as a system drive with all the ensuing consequences.
Next, I will consider those models that are sold in this moment(end of April 2017), leaving out of review semi- and completely unknown drives, which are offered in abundance on Ali and other similar sites.
Another criterion is capacity. In my opinion, a 240-256 GB drive is by far the best option in terms of sufficient space and cost of such a drive. If you have the opportunity to buy a more capacious option, that’s good. IN as a last resort, you can stop at the 128-gigabyte version, but this should be done with a limited purchase budget or if, in addition to the OS and the bare minimum of programs (office, browser, messenger), nothing else will be installed.
Perhaps that's all. Go.
Which interface do you prefer?
I have already written about SSD drive interfaces, in particular in the M.2 format, and I will briefly repeat that such drives can operate on two buses: SATA or PCI-express. They differ in the key in the connector, and also in the fact that if the laptop has an M.2 connector operating on the SATA bus, then drives designed specifically for this interface can be installed in it. Models designed for the PCIe bus will not be suitable, including mechanically.
If the installed M.2 connector operates on the PCIe bus, then, as a rule, you can use SSD drives with a SATA and PCIe interface. The possibility of installing a SATA drive must be clarified in the specifications. Another thing is that it is not entirely reasonable to attach a slow SATA drive to a high-speed interface.
If your laptop model is equipped with an M.2 connector that supports the PCIe bus, then it is better to use SSD drives designed for the same bus. They are much faster than their counterparts running on the SATA bus, although they are more expensive. True, not always, and we will see this when we look at specific models.
SATA
If we talk about ordinary hard drives, then the capabilities of this interface in the SATA III version are too many for them. Strictly speaking, even SATA II is quite enough for most hard drives.
SSD drives are another matter. They quickly exhausted the capabilities of this interface, which is clearly seen from the characteristics of solid-state drives. Almost all of them have a stated read speed that corresponds to the maximum interface throughput – approximately 520-560 MB/s. It must be said that the real reading speed, according to at least, linear reading, is really close to the declared values.
The difference is manifested in the read/write speed on blocks of different lengths, with random read/write, as well as when working with a large request queue and with mixed loading, when read and write operations alternate. True, this no longer depends on the interface used, but on the characteristics of the memory used, the capabilities of the controller, the quality of firmware optimization, etc.
Models with memory made using TLC or MLC technology are available. Considering that one of the main tasks facing manufacturers is to reduce costs, the process of actively replacing MLC with TLC is underway, whether someone likes it or not. As reliability tests of drives with this type of memory show, including the test I conducted of the Plextor S2G drive, this memory is not as terrible as they say.
A few words should be said about capacity and why it makes sense to consider models with larger capacity. Most manufacturers offer SSD drives of different capacities within the same model. If you take a closer look at the characteristics, you will notice that such a parameter as the TB recording resource (aka TBW), showing maximum amount information that is guaranteed to be written to the drive changes.
So, for more capacious models this parameter is usually higher. For example, for a 128 GB capacity this parameter has a value of 75 TB, and for the same model, but with a capacity of 256 GB it is already 150 TB. Stress testing shows that these numbers have substance. So, my drive “gave up” after recording a little over 300 TB, and the tested 256 GB drive withstood more than 400 TB.
With some limitations, but we can say that the more capacious the drive, the more reliable it is, i.e. you pay not only for the available capacity, but also for more durable memory chips.
Let's move on to the review of the models.
And the table contains the main characteristics. Values are for drives with a capacity of 240-275 GB. For modifications with other volumes, the numbers may differ.
Model | Intel 540s Series | Western Digital Green | ![]() | ![]() |
|
Available volumes, GB | 120, 180, 240 , 360, 480, 960 | 120, 240 | 128, 256 | 250 , 500, 1000 | 120, 240 , 480 |
Controller | Silicon Motion SM2258 | Silicon Motion SM2258XT | Samsung Maia | Marvell 88SS1074 | Phison PS3110-S10 |
Memory | SK Hynix 16nm TLC NAND | SanDisk 15nm TLC NAND | TLC NAND | SanDisk 15nm TLC NAND | Toshiba 15nm MLC NAND |
Buffer | DDR3-1600 | — | — | LDDR3-1866, | DDR3-1600 |
Last read, MB/s | 560 | 540 | 540 | 540 | 560 |
Last recording, MB/s | 480 | 430 | 520 | 500 | 320 |
74000 | 37000 | 97000 | 97000 | 90000 | |
85000 | 68000 | 57000 | 79000 | 70000 | |
Resource (TBW), TB | — | 80 | — | 100 | — |
Model | Crucial MX300 | A-DATA Ultimate SU800 | Plextor M7VG | Kingston SSDNow G2 | Transcend MTS820 | |
Available volumes, GB | 275 , 525, 750, 1050 | 128, 256 , 512, 1024 | 128, 256 , 512 | 120, 240 , 480 | 120, 240 | 120, 250 , 500, 1000 |
Controller | Marvell 88SS1074 | Silicon Motion SM2258 | Marvell 88SS1074 | Phison PS3110-S10 | — | Samsung MGX |
Memory | Micron TLC 3D NAND | Toshiba 15nm TLC NAND | Toshiba 15nm MLC NAND | TLC NAND | Samsung TLC V-NAND | |
Buffer | LDDR3-1600, 256 MB | DDR3-1600 256 MB | DDR3-1600 | DDR3-1600, 256 MB | LPDDR2-1066, | |
Last read, MB/s | 530 | 550 | 560 | 550 | 550 | 540 |
Last recording, MB/s | 500 | 300 | 530 | 330 | 420 | 520 |
Production speed reads, IOPS | 55000 | 50000 | 98000 | 79000 | 78000 | 98000 |
Production speed records, IOPS | 83000 | 75000 | 84000 | 79000 | 78000 | 87000 |
Resource (TBW), TB | 80 | — | 160 | 300 | — | 75 |
Intel 540s Series, estimated cost - 5500 rubles. One of the cheapest storage options based on the Silicon Motion SM2258 controller. The main advantage of this model is the price, and the main disadvantage is performance. This is one of the slowest drives on the market, and this is not due to the budget of the controller used. You can even get good performance out of it, as evidenced by the Plextor S2G SSD, for which the firmware has been significantly rewritten. As a result, performance has improved significantly, although the drive still remains in the budget class. In this case, only a big name can serve as an argument in favor of a purchase.
Western Digital Green, estimated cost - 5500 rubles. In fact, it’s practically analogous in capabilities to the previous drive from Intel.
SamsungCM871a, estimated cost - 6100 rubles. A budget option in everything, including speed indicators.
WesternDigitalBlue, estimated cost – 6200 rubles. Unlike the very budget Green series, this model is positioned as a mid-level drive, which, in particular, can be indicated by the controller used - Marvell 88SS1074. The disc has good reading characteristics, a little worse at writing, but, nevertheless, fully corresponds to the positioning. It’s quite a solid mid-range product, and considering the recording resource (TBW) of 100 TB, it’s also a very reliable model. In general, a worthy candidate for purchase.
PatriotIgniteM2, estimated cost – 6200 rubles. The use of the Phison PS3110-S10 controller in this case means that this is a reference model of the manufacturer Phison, and Patriot only packages and sells it under its own brand ready-made solution. Another strong mid-ranger, and one that works with the MLC memory type, if that’s important to anyone. Considering the potential reliability, performance and price, this model is highly recommended for consideration as an option.
Crucial MX300, approximate price – 6400 rub. A very worthy model for the money. It doesn't match the Samsung 850 EVO, but it outperforms many of its competitors using planar TLC memory. The used controller does a good job of autonomous “garbage collection,” which can be useful if the TRIM command cannot be used for one reason or another. It's worth taking a closer look at this drive.
A-DATA Ultimate SU800, approximate price – 6400 rub. This is the first drive with 3D memory from this manufacturer. If we talk about speed indicators, they are more than decent, and, starting with the 256 GB version, the drive shows everything that it is capable of. Junior version, with a capacity of 128 GB, loses in terms of speed due to the small volume and limitations of the degree of parallelism of flash memory (by the way, another argument in favor of not paying attention to the youngest modification of the SSD drive). Due to the weak controller, this model cannot correspond to the class of productivity solutions; however, the SU800 performs very well in mixed loads and in write operations. The disadvantages appear during random read operations. In this respect, it is similar to the Crucial MX300 drive, built on the same memory. Overall, a more than interesting model for reasonable money.
Plextor M7VG, approximate price – 6400 rub. The pluses are the Marvell 88SS1074 controller and its ability to automatically carry out such an operation as “garbage collection”, which is useful in those systems where the TRIM command does not work. Overall, it’s a very worthy model that doesn’t set any records, but is quite productive. Problems arise only under intense load; however, such modes are rare on a home computer. It's worth taking a closer look at this drive.
Kingston SSDNow G2, approximate price – 6500 rub. Based on the Phison PS3110-S10C controller, it has good read performance, a little worse write performance, but overall it is a balanced model based on a reliable type of memory.
Transcend MTS820, approximate price – 6700 rub. For some reason, the manufacturer is heavily “encrypted”, carefully hiding the controller used and the type of manufacturer of the memory used. In some places it is indicated that the controller is a Marvell 88NV1120, in others it is a Silicon Motion SM2256K. It’s also unclear about the memory; apparently, it’s a Samsung K9BFGD8U0D, made using a 16nm process. Memory, so to speak, is far from the fastest. The model does not stand out as anything special and, given the presence of competitors with similar performance and for less money, great interest has no idea. The choice of SSD for this model, in my opinion, is very controversial.
Samsung 850 EVO, estimated price - 6900. For many manufacturers it remains a benchmark in terms of performance, although the model is no longer new at all. At the same time, it is one of the most expensive SSD drives; it justifies the cost with its capabilities. However, it must be noted that the younger models with capacities of 120 and 250 GB are not as fast as their more capacious counterparts. Nevertheless, if the issue of saving is not urgent, then you can take it, you won’t go wrong.
If we sum up the intermediate results of drives with the SATA interface, then using even the most budget-friendly of them will give a very noticeable increase in performance compared to a conventional hard drive. If we talk about purchasing options, then it probably makes sense to choose either the cheapest option, which will be enough for use as a system drive in a laptop in most cases, or take a closer look at the top options, which will allow you to achieve maximum performance and full using all the capabilities of the rather slow SATA bus.
PCI-Express
More and more laptops are appearing with an M.2 connector using the PCIe interface. There are several versions of it, these are PCIe 2.0 with two or four lanes, and the new PCIe 3.0 with four lanes and the NVMe protocol. These drives are for enthusiasts for whom SATA speeds are absolutely not enough, and who want to get everything these drives have to offer from an SSD drive.
Manufacturers of controllers, memory, and even SSD drives themselves are naturally “in trend”; all controller developers presented their models for this interface. Accordingly, drives are announced that differ in performance and price. This is good, because it allows you to choose a model that suits your “wants” and “wants”, that is, with the required level of performance and the allocated budget. So, let's see what the stores offer us. The transfer will be in ascending order of the average price.
First, I will summarize the main characteristics in a table. Speed indicators, buffer memory capacity, etc. are indicated for versions with a capacity of 240-256 GB.
Model | Intel 600p | Patriot Hellfire | ![]() | PNY CS2030 | ![]() |
Available volumes, GB | 128, 256 , 512, 1024 | 240 , 480 | 250 , 500, 1000 | 240 , 480 | 128, 256 , 512, 1024 |
Interface | PCIe 3.0 x4 | ||||
NVMe | + | ||||
Controller | SMI SM2260 | Phison PS5007-E7 | Samsung Polaris | Phison PS5007-11 | Marvell 88SS1093 |
Memory | Intel TLC 3D NAND | Toshiba MLC NAND | Samsung TLC 3D V-NAND | Toshiba 15nm MLC NAND | Toshiba 15nm MLC NAND |
Buffer | LPDDR3-1600, | LPDDR3-1600, | — | LPDDR3-1600, | |
Last read, MB/s | 770 | 2700 | 3200 | 2750 | 2000 |
Last recording, MB/s | 450 | 1100 | 1500 | 1500 | 900 |
Production speed reads, IOPS | 35000 | 130000 | 330000 | 201000 | 120000 |
Production speed records, IOPS | 91500 | 205000 | 300000 | 215000 | 130000 |
Resource (TBW), TB | 72 | 115 | 100 | — | 384 |
Model | Kingston HyperX Predator | Corsair Force MP500 | Plextor M6e Gen2x | ![]() | Samsung 950 Pro |
Available volumes, GB | 240 , 480, 960 | 120, 240 , 480 | 128, 256 , 512 | 128, 256 , 512, 1024 | 256 , 512 |
Interface | PCIe 2.0 x4 | PCIe 3.0 x4 | PCIe 2.0 x2 | PCIe 3.0 x4 | |
NVMe | — | + | — | + | |
Controller | Marvell 88SS9293 | Phison PS5007-E7 | Marvell 88SS9183 | Toshiba TC58NCP070GSB | Samsung UBX |
Memory | Toshiba 19nm MLC NAND | Toshiba 15nm MLC NAND | Toshiba 19nm MLC NAND | Toshiba 15nm MLC NAND | Samsung MLC V-NAND |
Buffer | DDR3-1600 | LPDDR3-1600, | DDR3-1600 | LPDDR3-1600, | LPDDR3-1600, |
Last read, MB/s | 1400 | 3000 | 770 | 2600 | 2200 |
Last recording, MB/s | 600 | 2400 | 580 | 1150 | 900 |
Production speed reads, IOPS | 160000 | 250000 | 105000 | 21000 | 270000 |
Production speed records, IOPS | 119000 | 210000 | 100000 | 140000 | 85000 |
Resource (TBW), TB | 415 | 349 | — | 148 | 200 |
Intel 600pSeries, approximate price – 7200 rub. As in the case of SATA drives, the first product is from Intel. There is probably some kind of pattern in this, because in terms of price and performance this drive, although it uses high-speed PCI Express 3.0 with the NVMe protocol in addition, is rather a competitor to SATA drives. Its performance is rather dull, and it is prone to overheating. But the price... If the budget is very limited, but you definitely need a PCIe drive, then why not. There are no other arguments in favor of this disc.
PatriotHellfire, approximate price – 7700 rub. The weak point of the drive is reading with a small depth of requests, i.e. exactly the situation that is most typical for home computers. However, it doesn't go down to Intel 600p levels. We can say that this is a budget drive for the PCIe bus. Considering the price, a better option than the previous model.
Samsung 960EVOSeries, estimated cost - 8700 rubles. You expect incredible power from Samsung, but in this case it is a budget-class drive, with its own characteristics. One of its features is that in terms of speed, the younger model (250 GB) is the slowest. When recording, when the SLC cache is exhausted (admittedly, it is by no means small, 13 GB), the speed is very low, and in this parameter it is inferior even to the Samsung 850 PRO SATA drive. Although he is good at reading, he does not cope very well with a mixed load. And again, only the oldest version with a capacity of 1 TB shows decent results. Overall, I would think carefully before buying this particular drive, and if you decide in its favor, then take at least the 500 GB model. If you need a drive with a capacity of around 256 GB, then perhaps this is not the best option, primarily due to recording problems in the younger model. The terabyte version is very fast, as befits a Samsung. With all due respect to the manufacturer, in this case there are more interesting proposals.
PNY CS2030, approximate price – 9000 rub. The new model is very similar in configuration to the Patriot Hellfire. However, despite the same Phison PS5007-E7 controller, the performance is noticeably higher, and in general, the drive looks very, very attractive.
Plextor M8PeGN, approximate price – 9000 rub. Available in two versions, with and without a heat-dissipating cover. The drive is prone to overheating under heavy load, so a heatsink is desirable, although it increases the thickness of the drive, which may cause it to not fit into the intended slot in the laptop. Overall - very good option for quite reasonable money.
Kingston HyperX Predator, approximate price – 9000 rub. This is quite an old model, using not the latest Marvell 88SS9293 controller. With a comparable price to the same Plextor M8PeGN, it loses to the latter in all respects. At the moment, the drive no longer justifies its price, because there are more tempting offers.
Corsair Force MP500, volume – 240 GB, memory – MLC, estimated price – 10,000 rubles. Another model based on the rather successful Phison PS5007-E7 controller. The drive shows very good read/write performance. Although the 240GB model is slower than higher-capacity options, there are still pros and cons to choosing the 240GB SSD model.
Plextor M6eGen2x, approximate price - 11,300 rubles. Enough old model, with good linear read/write performance, given the fact that PCIe 2.0 with two lanes is used. In my opinion, there are currently no arguments in favor of this particular drive; it has already outlived its usefulness.
OCZ RD400, approximate price - 11,400 rubles. The Toshiba controller is used, which is, in fact, a modified Marvell 88SS1093, which in itself is not bad. And even very good, because in terms of the totality of qualities it is inferior only to the recognized leader - Samsung 950 PRO, and in some disciplines it is even ahead of it. In particular, the RD400 performs very well in mixed loads, i.e. in the most typical situation encountered when operating a regular computer. A more than worthy candidate for purchase, if the price doesn’t bother you.
Manufacturers offer drives for the PCIe bus to suit every taste, at any price and with different levels of performance. The cheapest ones show results that are at the level of good SATA drives, the most advanced ones raise the performance bar to a completely different level. True, you have to pay a considerable amount for this. You should also take into account the fact that performance tends to increase with increasing capacity, and the same model, for example, 128 GB and 512 GB, can differ significantly.
I do not have a Samsung 960 PRO drive listed, because the minimum capacity is 512 GB, which does not fit into the selected criteria. However, if you are ready to shell out about 22,500 rubles. for the junior model, you will get a truly top-end drive with the highest operating speeds.
Conclusion. SSD drive for laptop in M.2 form factor
SATA has practically exhausted itself, and, according to by and large, there is no fundamental difference between SSD drives on this bus. Yes, MLC memory is faster and more reliable, but TLC is cheaper and, by and large, also quite reliable. There is practically no difference in reading, especially with linear reading; problems can only arise when writing, especially with mixed loads (which is typical for a home computer) or with a large queue of requests (which is NOT typical for a home computer).
The future belongs to the PCI-Express interface, which is confirmed by the increased interest of manufacturers in this segment. Surely in the near future we will see new models and modifications of such drives. Here the difference is much more noticeable, especially since such drives are often purchased by those who know exactly what and how much they want. If only for the sake of it, there are cheap options, although among them there are very interesting models; for those who are not ready to make compromises, there are top-end solutions. The only question is the cost.
- Small M.2 (NGFF) or mSATA SSD
- Need an SSD for your laptop?
- How to transfer an operating system to an SSD?
How to choose an SSD for a computer?
If your computer is modern or completely new, then be sure to pay attention - these are the fastest drives with a logical interface specially designed for SSDs. Details below in the appropriate section. But most often, we are talking about a 2.5” disk with SATA 6Gb/s. In any case, a solid-state drive is several times faster than any hard drive, and an NVMe SSD is tens of times faster. The case may not have a bay for 2.5" drives - this is not a problem, you just need an adapter from 2.5" to 3.5". To save money, you can use.
The best high-performance SSD drives
It is almost impossible to distinguish a fast drive from a slow one by eye, even old SATA-II from SATA-III. But sometimes speed is important. Who needs tests of solid-state drives - we have plenty of them, NICS tests drives. Comparing SSD performance will help you choose and buy an SSD with the fastest speed characteristics.
Choosing the optimal size of SSD drive
It's simple! Windows 10 will take you 30-40 GB, 8-16-32 GB for hibernation, 8-16 GB for the swap file, office programs 5-10 GB and each game another 10-50 GB. In fact, the minimum volume is 120 or 128 GB, comfortable, allowing you not to save every gigabyte - 240 or 256 GB. On SSD drives of 480 - 512 GB, you can install applications and games without looking back, but if you need to dump everything in a row - photos, music, movies, etc. - there are SSDs of terabytes and higher, if necessary. It is worth remembering that prices for SSD drives directly depend on their capacity, and the larger the memory capacity, the higher their cost.
Small M.2 SSD (NGFF) and mSATA
The fastest growing SSD market, thanks to NVMe Boot technology - instantly launches modern PCs using the fastest M.2 NVMe SSDs with a PCIe interface. Plus, you can install the drive directly on a compatible motherboard, which is important for compact systems. The corresponding M.2 connector and its parameters should be indicated in the description of the motherboard. When installing an NVMe SSD, be sure to ensure that the motherboard supports this technology, otherwise you will not be able to install the OS on the SSD. The situation is the same in laptops, but there may not be information about M.2, mSATA and NVMe, and if there is, it will be scanty - see below about SSDs for laptops. The mSATA form factor is gradually fading into the background and is practically not found on new motherboards and laptops.
Choosing a reliable SSD for a server or workstation
Such drives require reliability, increased write and rewrite life, and the ability to easily handle multiple input/output operations (IOPS). The most difficult situation is a database server, where data can be constantly rewritten by several SSD volumes per day. For such cases, you need to purchase SSDs suitable for database servers. Usually the same 2.5” SSDs are installed in servers, but if Hot Swap baskets are designed only for 3.5”, then you will have to either replace the basket with a compatible one, or use special adapters that replicate the dimensions and location of the 3.5” HDD interface. Prices for SSD drives for corporate systems based on NAND flash are much higher, and it is best to choose them based on resource (TBW) and the number of rewrites of the entire SSD volume per day (DWPD). Separately, it is worth mentioning the Intel Optane SSD based on 3D XPoint - this is a completely new level of speed and resource. Based on this technology, Intel makes fast and reliable SSDs for workstations, for gamers and enthusiasts, and, of course, high-speed server solid-state drives.
How much SSD resource will be enough to solve your problems?
It's very simple: the life of SSDs is shortened every time you write to it new information. If you have a personal computer that you turn on once a day in the evening, after work, then you can buy... any SSD drive, because any modern SSD has sufficient resource for household use and simple office tasks, regardless of the type of memory cells (3D MLC, 3D TLC and others). Low prices SSD drives make them available to every PC or laptop user. If the work involves creating large files, working with photos/videos, then you can and should choose more resourceful SSDs. For example, half the SSD capacity per day for recording (0.5 DWPD) is already a very good indicator of reliability for workstations, computers for designers or photographers.
Need an SSD for your laptop?
Usually we're talking about about replacing a 2.5” HDD with a solid-state drive. Just make sure that the hard drive is accessible, that the hard drive has a SATA interface, and measure the thickness of the drive. If it's 9 mm, any will do. If the thickness is 7 mm, then it is better to choose a thin 7 mm SATA SSD to fit exactly. More complex cases do not have a clear solution - you need to find out which solid-state or hard drive is installed and whether it can be replaced, and this is not always easy. If your laptop has an optical drive, you can replace it with an SSD using it - this is very convenient and allows you to leave the old drive in the laptop.
How to transfer an operating system to an SSD drive?
The easiest way is to buy an SSD drive with special software for transferring the OS. You can also use third-party drive cloning software, such as Acronis True Image.
For those who don't like to read large texts, you can jump straight to the conclusions - at the beginning of 2017, the Samsung 850 Evo SSD with a capacity of 256 or 512 gigabytes is still the best choice for most people. It's fast, reliable, comes with a long warranty, and comes with proprietary software to make the transition from a regular drive to an SSD easy.
Updated September 2018.: Samsung released an update to all of its SSDs this year Evo 860 And 860 Pro, transferring their production to new memory (64-layer TLC 3D V-NAND) and a new controller. However, from the point of view of the average user, the characteristics of the SSD have remained virtually unchanged, in some places even becoming slightly worse. However, the price of new SSDs remains the same, and old models are simply sold out until they run out. Therefore, you can safely buy something old or something new model. However, it's important to keep in mind that the new 860 series no longer has a 120GB SSD. Therefore, if you need just such an SSD, you should hurry up with your purchase. Because the production of such SSDs has ceased
And now about this in more detail.
Why should you believe me?
As I mentioned in the site description, I have been writing about technology for the last ten years, or even more. I spend even more time fiddling with this technique. This means that almost every day I try something new, tweak something, reconfigure something, change something, and so on in the same spirit. This text is a generalization of my (and not only my, but also my colleagues) experience. So yes, you can trust me.
Who needsSSD?
If your computer or laptop is from 3 to 5 years old (earlier models may contain SATA-II connectors, in this case the purchase should be considered separately, see the corresponding section below), and your system runs on a regular hard drive, then it makes sense to think about purchasing an SSD. The dollar is quite high right now, so you should have good reasons to buy it.
What does SSD give? Typically, it has three main advantages: almost instant loading operating system(less than 10 seconds), fast loading of files and programs and lower power consumption (the latter is relevant for laptops and allows them to run longer on battery power).
Thus, if the operation of your computer is limited by the performance of the disk system, purchasing an SSD is more than justified. With it, the system will simply “fly” and last significantly longer on battery power.
The picture above shows an example of just such a case. The bottleneck in this laptop is two elements - the power of the built-in video card (there is nothing you can do about it) and the performance of the hard drive. The processor and memory are in perfect order. After installing the SSD, the system will become noticeably faster.
To whomDon't need an SSD?
If you have a relatively old computer (more than 5 years old), or are using an old SSD that is not very fast or has little memory, then there is little point for you to buy a new SSD. With this money, it is better to add memory or upgrade the processor. Well, or put it off for an upgrade. Yes, the system will boot faster and files will open much better. But opening a simple browser will turn your computer into a pumpkin again.
Update July 27, 2016: In the comments there is regularly a debate regarding whether an SSD can be used for downloading torrents. Since opinions vary, let's listen to the manufacturers themselves. In a recent post on the Geektimes website (an hardware project that broke away from the legendary Habrahabr), SSD manufacturer Kingston directly writes:
But if you have a lot to choose from, it’s better to download torrents on your hard drive. Because there are SUVs for fun, and there are SUVs for traveling in the mud. The HDD rather belongs to the second category.
Those. It's simple, if the SSD is the only disk in the system, then download it. You still have no choice. Moreover, it is truly a magical sight to watch how the download speed is not limited by the capabilities of the hard drive, and reaches enormous values. But if you do have a hard drive in your system, then it is better to record torrents there. Because the SSD resource is not rubber, and regular downloading, deleting, downloading still reduces it.
What volumeShould I choose an SSD drive?
For desktop computers, the minimum comfortable volume is 256 GB. There is no point in taking less for two reasons:
- As a rule, 128 GB models operate at significantly lower write and read speeds.
- In order for an SSD disk to work long and reliably, it must remain at least 30% free space. This is due to the fact that the disk controller must evenly distribute the load between the memory cells to ensure even wear.
Thus, 256 GB is the minimum size of an SSD disk for a desktop computer. To store files that do not require daily access, you can use a traditional hard drive (see).
With a laptop, things are a little more complicated. Since many laptops do not allow you to install both an SSD drive and a hard drive at the same time, the entire amount of information will have to be stored on the SSD. Therefore, 512 GB is the optimal solution that will suit most users. Unfortunately, the price of such a drive is impressive, but you get quick access to all files and noticeable savings in battery life. By the way, if for some reason your laptop has a DVD-ROM, you can remove it (this is done very simply) and replace it with a hard drive bay. In this case, you can replace the standard drive with an SSD, and connect the old drive instead of the DVD. This way you will speed up the system and expand the space.
Does it make sense to buy a SATA-2 SSD?
Judging by the comments, this point is worth discussing separately. So, if your motherboard supports SATA3, then the interface bandwidth is 6 Gb/s, SATA2 is only 3 Gb/s. Those. It would seem that the difference is twofold. However, as we said in the section about flash drives, it is not the linear speed that is important, but the speed of reading scattered files. Because when loading, the system assembles the OS into separate files, spread out haphazardly across the drive.
In order to answer the question of whether it is necessary to install a modern SSD drive in a system with SATA2, let’s turn to a thorough article from the THG.RU resource. The authors sequentially connected the Samsung 840 PRO drive, by the way, an excellent SSD previous generation, to ports SATA2 and 3. To have something to compare with, the third one in the test was the very fast WD VelociRaptor hard drive. If you look at the linear write and read speed graph, the advantage of SATA 3 is more than noticeable.
Please note - in this case, the HDD practically does not lag behind the SSD connected via SATA-2. However, as we understand, linear writing and reading speed is not so important. In a real situation, we are more interested in the speed of an arbitrary (random sector). Let's see how the disks behave with a random sector size of 512 Kb.
As you can see, the difference is also twofold, while the hard drive begins to lag significantly. If you make the sector size 4Kb, the difference between SATA will practically disappear, but the HDD will generally become very slow. What does this lead to? Besides, say, loading your operating system from an HDD will take noticeably longer than from an SSD. Moreover, the difference in connection will not play a role. Windows will boot almost equally quickly.
What conclusion can be drawn? Everything is very simple - if you use the SSD exclusively as boot and system, there will not be much difference between SATA-2 and SATA-3. Both interfaces allow loading quite quickly. And even in this case, buying an SSD is justified.
And here's where the interesting part lies: if you have an old computer with only SATA-2, then you hardly need a modern high-speed SSD. It's not your problem. Yes, the system will boot noticeably faster. But the performance itself... Let's just say that for this money it is easier to buy additional memory and upgrade the motherboard and processor. The difference will be noticeable even on an old HDD. But if you have reached a bottleneck in terms of hard drive performance, and there is no desire to spend money on a significant upgrade, then yes, you can take a closer look at the purchase. But, again, it’s better to think about upgrading your computer, and then come here and choose a modern SSD that will reveal 100% of the potential of your system.
WhichIs SSD better to choose?
At the moment, the best choice would be to buy a Samsung 850 EVO SSD of the size you need (or a similar Samsung 860 EVO). At the start of sales, it was quite expensive, but now prices in dollars have dropped a little and the price has become more or less acceptable.
Why 850 or 860 EVO? The fact is that most modern consumer-grade SSDs have similar characteristics. Trust me, unless you are an SSD expert, in most cases you will not notice any difference in speed between different models. You will notice a significant difference between the performance of the hard drive and the SSD. But between different SSD models - no.
Then what comes to the fore if not speed? These are price, reliability, the ability to survive a large number of recording cycles, the quality of the controller, the quality of the firmware and proprietary software that makes life easier for the user.
In this regard, the Samsung 850 EVO currently has virtually no competitors.
- It is relatively inexpensive (at the time of publication, an average of 8 thousand for a volume of 256 GB and 12 thousand for 500 GB);
- it is fast (on average 516 Mb/s read and 426 Mb/s write);
- it is reliable (Samsung itself is the manufacturer of both the memory and the controller);
- it can pump up to 150 Tb of data through itself (this is a very large amount of data for most users);
- it has a 5 year warranty.
In addition, if you use Windows, then the kit includes proprietary software that allows you, firstly, to conveniently migrate from a hard drive to an SSD, and secondly, and this is the best part, to use up to 4 GB of RAM as a cache for the disk. This allows you to work with the disk even faster.
Another advantage to the purchase may be the presence of hardware data encryption. Most users do not need this at all, but for some it may be critical.
And if there is no noticeable difference in speed, is there something cheaper?
If the price of the Samsung 850 EVO seems too expensive to you, then I would put the Crucial BX100 in second place.
It costs 2 thousand rubles cheaper. He is also fast, he is also reliable.
In fact, for a slightly lower price you get a slightly smaller warranty - only three years, a smaller amount of data that can be pumped through the disk (72 TB instead of 150 for Samsung, although this value is enough for the eyes). Additionally, it doesn't come with the same software as the 850 EVO. But no one is stopping you from using third-party programs, of which there are quite a few. You'll just have to tinker a little with the settings.
So, if that doesn't bother you, the Crucial BX100 is a great alternative to the 850 EVO. Moreover, the Crucial BX100 consumes less energy and the laptop will last at least a little longer (about 10 minutes).
M.2 SSD drive
Despite the fact that M.2 slots appear all in more laptops, motherboards, and a) can be faster than a regular SSD, b) allow you to use both an SSD for Windows and a HDD for storing files at the same time, it’s very difficult to advise anything here. The fact is that at the moment there are two versions of the M.2 standard. These are M.2 SATA and M.2 PCI. Each of them is divided into several substandards depending on physical dimensions, and M.2 PCI is also divided into several substandards depending on the number of connected PCI lines.
Those. You can’t just go to the store and buy an M.2 disk. First, you need to study the documentation of your laptop or motherboard, understand which standard suits you, and only then buy something specific. Therefore, I repeat, it is very difficult to advise anything specific here. If you are still determined to buy an M.2 SSD, I advise you to go to this one, our website, where we tried to collect as much as possible full information on the compatibility of different disks with different hardware. And based on the data obtained, select a specific model.
If you have M.2 SATA size 2280, then you don’t have to think too much and take the same Samsung 850 EVO in M.2 format. In all other cases, you will have to look hard.
SSD for professionals
If your work involves processing a lot of photos in raw RAW format, or you constantly edit large amounts of video, work with 3D graphics, are a fan of heavy daily torrents, or run several virtual machines at the same time, then a regular SSD will not suit you. In this case, I would pay attention to the Samsung 850 Pro version.
Why is he better? First of all, it's faster. This is actually noticeable when working with large files in random read mode. During normal work the difference is not noticeable, but in the case of professional use, the difference can be felt. Secondly, it has a 10 year warranty. Thirdly, it was originally designed for such a harsh operating mode and has appropriate reliability. In fact, it has no competitors in its class. The price, unfortunately, is also 30% higher: 256 gigabytes cost 10-11 thousand rubles, 500 GB - about 16 thousand.
Who else likes Samsung Evo SSDs?
As you can see, the Samsung 850 EVO is the best choice in terms of price/performance ratio. A few quotes from the review authors:
- Samsung 850PRO. This is the most productive and most technologically advanced SATA SSD, which is based on a unique three-dimensional MLC V-NAND. In addition to outstanding performance, this model also stands out for its high reliability, which is backed by a 10-year warranty. In addition, the Samsung 850 PRO boasts a whole bunch of different nice little things, for example, support for OS-controlled encryption and an excellent tool utility.
- Samsung 850 EVO. The younger brother of the invincible 850 PRO also stands out from the competition. Yes, it is based on TLC V-NAND and therefore produces lower performance during write operations, but this does not prevent it from remaining one of the best SSDs in terms of weighted average performance and occupying a leading position in the mid-price category. In addition, the 850 EVO inherits from the 850 PRO the entire proprietary set of additional advantages: encryption support, high-quality software, etc.
Before choosing an SSD drive for a laptop, the buyer should find out their main features that they should pay attention to.
First of all, this is the disk capacity and its price - facts that influence the choice of any drive.
However, SSDs have their own characteristics that require taking into account other factors, approaching the purchase more responsibly than purchasing other computer elements.
Moreover, the price of such a device will be perhaps the most expensive among all laptop components.
Benefits of purchasing
Buying an SSD drive for a laptop is one of the most important steps to increase system performance and data processing speed.
On such a drive, access to information occurs much faster.
Replacing an outdated HDD with a more modern version will bring a greater increase in power than even increasing the memory or installing a new processor.
Advantages of a solid state drive for a laptop:
- increasing the speed of data access, which will speed up the launch of programs several times;
- compact sizes of most devices (except for portable options), making it easy to select an SSD for both a large 17-inch laptop and a small netbook with a 10-inch display;
- light weight, especially important when used on a laptop computer;
- reduced energy consumption, which should increase the average battery life of your laptop;
- high level of reliability of SSD operation.
Among the disadvantages that are noted in solid-state drives, attention is paid to its relatively small resource: 3000–5000 cycles.
For normal home use, this time is roughly equivalent to 7-8 years of work, more than the average user works with the same drive.
The comparative fragility of the SSD in this case does not have special significance– It’s also not advisable to drop the laptop itself.
At the same time, the relatively high price of the device is compensated by increased operating speed.
Features of choice
You should start choosing the right solid-state drive for you with the main indicator that immediately catches your eye when viewing various options in online stores.
This is the cost of the equipment, which today still exceeds the same parameter for conventional HDDs several times; it depends on the volume and manufacturer of the disk.
Price and volume
The cost of an SSD can seriously influence the choice of a user with limited financial resources.
The only available options today are 60–120 GB drives, the price of which is in the range of 2–4 thousand rubles, almost the same as a 500–1000 GB HDD costs.
However, if the laptop is used only for work and not for games, a 120 GB disk will be quite enough to accommodate the system and documents, and perhaps enough for backup.
When choosing an option for storing a large amount of information, you should consider budget SSDs with a capacity of 512 GB.
The cost of a gigabyte is lower than that of other devices – at 20–30 rubles. instead of 40–80 rubles. for smaller or, conversely, new and larger drives.
It is worth paying attention to the 512 GB variants because of the increased data exchange speed.
Drives of this size (it can be not only 512 GB, some manufacturers produce 480 and 525 GB drives) work twice as fast as their 128 GB counterparts.
Size
When looking at SSD drives, you will notice that their sizes differ from each other.
And, if it is acceptable to buy a 3.5" drive for a desktop PC, for a laptop you should choose 2.5 and even 1.8-inch models.
Some of the most popular options today are the mSATA and M2 form factors, which are boards for SATA and PCI-E slots, respectively.
The dimensions of such disks are even smaller - width can reach only 12 mm, length - from 16 to 110 mm.
The only drawback of mSATA and M2 drives can appear if there are no corresponding slots on the laptop motherboard.
But such outdated motherboards have not been produced for several years.
It is unlikely that you can significantly increase the performance of an old (before 2010-2011) laptop even with the help of an SSD drive.
Interface
Standard interfaces for connecting SSDs are PCI-E or SATA.
In terms of price to quality ratio, the best options are drives connected via the SATA III connector.
This interface will provide data transfer speeds of up to 6 Gb/s - more than any solid-state drive available today.
Speed
Reading and writing speed are parameters that will affect the speed of working with information.
Most SSDs read faster than write.
When the cache is full, the actual speed of the drive may drop - although not as noticeably as with older-style hard drives.
However, even inexpensive SSD drives operate 3–4 times faster than high-performance HDDs.
Therefore, when choosing a budget solid-state drive model (for example, a 512 GB option for 10 thousand rubles), you will still get a noticeable increase in performance.
Buying an analogue that costs 25–30 thousand rubles is not always justified for the average user, even with increased speed.
A compromise solution is to choose an option with less capacity but greater data transfer capabilities.
Resource
For a conventional solid-state drive, the number of rewrite cycles reaches 5000–10000. The higher this value, the longer the disk will last.
So, for example, for a frequently used small 60 GB SSD, the resource may decrease by 2-3 cycles during the workday.
A productive 512–1024 GB drive will last you approximately the same number of days as the number of cycles indicated in its technical specifications–3000 (over 8 years) or 5000 (13 years).
Although improper handling of the disk can reduce the resource much faster.
Manufacturer
Many manufacturers produce SSD drives, from Intel to SanDisk. Choosing a drive by brand is quite difficult.
But, if you need an inexpensive option, you should give preference to Crucial brands. Intel products provide high reliability.
And the fastest, although most expensive, are SSDs from Samsung, Western Digital and Corsair.
Controller
The type of controller affects disk performance. Budget options use Phison models.
Expensive and fast drives are equipped with Marvell controllers, which provide a noticeable increase in performance.
Drives from the lower and middle price categories may have a SandForce SSD controller, which reduces data processing speed when the cache is full and disk space is reduced, but at the same time quickly records information.
Installing the disc
After the SSD drive has already been selected and purchased, all that remains is to install it correctly in the laptop.
If there is not enough space, you can replace the HDD already installed on the laptop with a solid-state drive (which can then be inserted instead of the drive using a special adapter).
Another option suitable when choosing a solid-state drive with the M2 form factor is installing the drive together with the HDD; There is enough space inside the laptop for this.
In this case, overpaying for a drive with smaller dimensions becomes justified.
The third option is to buy a special case to make the SSD external. Although you can buy such a drive in a design that is already suitable for connecting via a USB connector.
True, the second option will be more expensive and will not allow, if the opportunity arises, to install the disk inside the laptop.
Advice: External SSD should only be connected via USB 3.0 or 3.1 ports. The outdated 2.0 interface will not only not provide any increase in speed compared to the HDD, but may even reduce it.
Once the drive is connected, it must be optimized by installing software from the official manufacturer or other suitable applications.
For example, the Intel SSD Toolbox program will ensure that the disk firmware is constantly updated and its partitions are aligned. The AS SSD utility performs approximately the same task.
The interface of such optimization programs does not require much time to master - it is quite intuitive.
Green color means the SSD is working normally.
Red warns of possible problems and you need to download the utility not to check, but to correct errors.
One of these applications is Parted Magic, whose task is to restore lost SSD settings and return their values to factory settings.
Solid-state drives (SSD drives) are increasingly becoming part of the life of the average personal computer user. Widespread adoption is made possible by the very high speeds at which SSD drives operate. Increasingly, laptop manufacturers are abandoning hard drives in favor of solid-state drives in order to ensure maximum system speed. The choice of an SSD drive has also become relevant, which may seem very difficult to a beginner. Well, let's talk about everything in order.
Looking ahead, I’ll say that it certainly won’t be superfluous. Today, replacing a hard drive is one of the easiest options for upgrading a PC or laptop. Yes, a solid-state drive is more expensive, but immediately after installation, the user will notice a significant increase in speed. It is worth mentioning that you should not expect a serious increase in games. A good SSD will only marginally improve the launch speed of some games. Its main “trump card” is fast loading of the system and opening of folders, files, and so on. Solid state drives perform especially well in laptops. Having installed it, you will notice that the device has become not only faster, but also quieter, lighter, and more autonomous. So, if you want to get a speed boost, be sure to consider an SSD drive.
Volume
A few users immediately decide on the required volume, while others think about this issue for a very long time before buying a high-quality SSD drive. As stated above, such drives do not have a direct impact on performance in games, so it makes sense to buy them for the operating system. See how much your system takes up, as well as the software required. Usually, 60 GB is enough for these purposes, and it is quite difficult to find a smaller volume today. A fast 60 GB SSD costs around 2,000 rubles. If cash allow, then it’s better to take a closer look at the 128 GB capacity.
Types
So, we’ll assume that you’re interested in the solid-state drive and you’ve decided on the volume, so let’s move on to more important issue. When choosing a drive type, many users experience serious problems. The Internet is full of advice from experts that even a professional will get confused in. First, let's figure out what distinguishes inexpensive but good SSD drives.
SLC (Single Level Cell)
The technology involves recording 1 bit of information in 1 cell. This type of data is the fastest and most reliable. SLC drives are quite expensive, so they are used only in server computers.
TLC (Triple Level Cell)
The technology involves recording 3 types of memory in one cell. The process is slower and disk resources are consumed faster. TLC discs are distinguished by their low cost and low resources, although they will last quite a long time.
MLC (Multi-Level Cell)
Despite the name, this type of SSD drive writes 2 bits of data per cell. MLC combines a good resource, performance and an affordable price for most users. Today this type is optimal for purchase.
Connection types
Along with the question of how to choose an SSD drive, the question of options for connecting it is relevant. The most common is SATA 3, and this type is also the cheapest. Its bandwidth is 600 Mbps, which is enough for most home computer tasks.
With the proliferation of SSD drives, their speed also increased, which required manufacturers to develop a new type of connection. The solution was the M.2 interface. Its main advantages are speed and compactness. It is worth noting that not every M.2 drive is capable of demonstrating high speed. The reason for this is data transfer interfaces, of which today there are 3 types: SATA, PCI Express 2.0, PCI Express 3.0 (from slowest to fastest). To find out how fast a high-quality SSD drive will work, you should check the specification of the interfaces on the motherboard.
The third connection type is PCI Express, which involves connecting directly to the motherboard. A good SSD drive uses all available speed.
Speed
So let's move on to more interesting characteristic solid state drive. Most users first look at the speed of operation. Typically, the drive manufacturer indicates it in large print on the front side of the box. It is indicated in megabytes per second and indicates the read and write speed. An inexpensive but reliable SSD drive usually has a read speed of 450 MB/s and a write speed of 350 MB/s. Faster is better.
However, random read and write is much more important. The parameter is responsible for the disk’s ability to work with scattered data around its entire perimeter. The response speed of the system largely depends on it. The manufacturer very often tries not to inform the user about this parameter. If the value is not indicated on the box or store website, then you should contact official page developer. In the specifications you need to find the IOPS parameter; its value should be: reading – at least 70,000, writing – at least 50,000. Modern SSD drives often have larger numbers.
Many users may wonder: why do SSD drives with the same type of memory from different manufacturers differ in speed? The fact is that different companies install different controllers in drives - a small chip on which the operation of the disk depends. The total speed of the SSD is directly calculated from it. The better the work done by the company’s programmers, the faster the controller’s operation.
Resources
The resource of a solid-state drive is the number of cell rewrites. Typically, this parameter is specified by the manufacturer, and a special utility helps monitor the health of the disk. Many users are worried that their fast and high-quality SSD drive will very quickly exhaust its supply of overwrites. These experiences are far-fetched. Before your drive cannot be rewritten, it will simply become obsolete, and you will most likely be using a different one. It is also a misconception that the data from the drive disappears. In fact, the user will not only be able to record, but the files will remain on the SSD. Therefore, you don’t have to think too much about the resources of the solid-state drive.
To choose a good SSD drive, you should also pay attention to the access protocols. It would take a long time to describe the moment in full, so I’ll keep it short. The vast majority of modern hard drives and solid state drives use the AHCI protocol. The technology is quite old, it appeared even before the era of fast SSD drives, so it does not take into account their specifics. It was replaced by the NVME protocol, which was developed for the needs of solid-state drives. The main advantage was the increase in speed with frequent access to information. They are usually used for server computers or for very serious work. Are different high speed, but are expensive. Before you buy the best SSD drive like this, make sure your motherboard supports the protocol. Sometimes a BIOS update is required for it to work.
Speed increase
Despite a bunch of articles, there are people who still doubt the speed increase. It is quite significant and is observed even with very old hardware. The operating system loads much faster - 2 times, or even faster than a regular HDD. When using a high-quality SSD drive, resource-intensive programs that require a very long wait to run on the hard drive become more responsive. Fans of computer games will also receive, albeit a small, increase in launch speed.
Today everything appears on the market more companies, which produce good and inexpensive SSD drives. However, only a few companies have gained particular popularity and distribution.
- Intel. Expensive and high-quality SSD drives from a well-known company are now the standard. Used for servers and serious tasks. A 5-year warranty is provided.
- Crucial. It produces flash memory together with Intel, so the drives are quite similar. Significant difference from a popular colleague is the budget cost, which determines such distribution.
- Samsung. He is engaged in production independently. It produces inexpensive but good SSD drives, thanks to which it is located at the top of the market.
- Corsair. A popular company that produces various components for personal computers. Solid state drives are of decent quality and affordable cost.
- Sandisk. The company is new to the market of high-quality SSD drives, but has already presented several models that have attracted the interest of users.