The key thing to remember about M.2 is that it is a form factor, a shape. The bus—the data pathway over which the data travels to and from an M.2 drive—is distinct from M.2 itself and can vary. And it can make all the difference. (Credit: Molly Flores)

Buy SYONCON AP425 M.2 2230 NVMe SSD 512GB XPC Technologies 2TB M.2 2230 NVMe SSD [PCIe 4.0 Interface, Fast Read/Write Speed, Large Capacity] M.2, pronounced m dot two [1] and formerly known as the Next Generation Form Factor ( NGFF), is a specification for internally mounted computer expansion cards and associated connectors. M.2 replaces the mSATA standard, which uses the PCI Express Mini Card physical card layout and connectors. Employing a more flexible physical specification, M.2 allows different module widths and lengths, which, paired with the availability of more advanced interfacing features, makes M.2 more suitable than mSATA in general for solid-state storage applications, particularly in smaller devices such as ultrabooks and tablets. [2] [3] [4] That's not a bad thing. Especially in the case of laptops, an older machine might supportonlyM.2 SATA-bus SSDs, and that will be the boundary of your upgrade path...end of story. As a result, the only reasons you'd upgrade the drive, in that situation, would be to get more capacity, or if the old one failed. The market has settled on 22mm wide as the standard for desktop and laptop implementations; the aftermarket drives available and the accessible slots we've seen have all been that width. The most common lengths we've seen are 80mm ("Type-2280") and 60mm ("Type-2260"). The lengthier the drive, the more NAND chips you can tend to stuff on it (plus, M.2 drives can be single- or double-sided), though know that length isn't an absolute measure of capacity. 42mm, 60mm, and 80mm M.2 SSDs (Credit: Intel) Get ready for an immersive experience with exclusive gaming features including PCIe ® Gen 4.0 3, Western Digital's nCache™ 4.0 Technology, and Microsoft’s DirectStorage Support.

Hensel, Martin; Graefen, Rainer (27 July 2018). "Was sind NF1, M.3 und NGSFF?". StorageInsider (in German). Vogel Communications Group. Archived from the original on 10 July 2022 . Retrieved 10 July 2022. Terms Apply. Promotion ends 3 December 2023. Items are subject to availability. Max 5 units per customer.

South Korean memory-chip maker SK Hynix is a relative newcomer to the consumer solid-state drive market, but you would never know that based on its first offerings. The SK Hynix Platinum P41, a PCI Express 4.0 NVMe M.2 SSD, is its best yet. It dominated our PCMark 10 and 3DMark Storage benchmark testing, setting several new records in the process. The P41 supports 256-bit AES hardware-based encryption. SK Hynix provides a clone utility tool, the SK Hynix System Migration Utility, for its SSDs, in addition to Easy Drive Manager software, which lets you see detailed information on drive health, run diagnostics, and erase the drive. And the P41 can be had for a very reasonable price in its 1TB and 2TB capacities. Who It's For The SK Hynix Platinum P41 is a worthy choice for anyone looking to buy a high-performance PCI Express 4.0 NVMe SSD without breaking the bank. It blew away several of our benchmark records. The P41 provides AES hardware-based encryption and a clone utility tool as well as SSD management software. Just be forewarned that with its blistering speed, you will want to add a heatsink, the one item of note that it is missing. M2P4S M.2 (NGFF) PCIe base SSD to PCIe ×4 Adapter". HW Tools. 14 February 2014 . Retrieved 22 June 2014.Note: All M.2 2230 SSDs are single-sided which means they are on the slimmer side. Single-sided SSDs have NAND memory chips and controller located on one side only, leaving the other side free from any components. Also, the performance of a same-capacity 2230 SSD is comparatively lower than its similar 2280 counterpart. Right now, the maximum storage capacity available for M.2 2230 SSD is 2TB. Best M.2 2230 Solid State Drives (NVMe SSDs) The speculation here is that allocated space is used for Xbox Series X|S storage, and it can't be recovered. The Addlink AddGame A93 is a good choice for budget-conscious users looking for a high-performing general-purpose PCI Express 4.0 SSD, either as an upgrade for a desktop computer or to add extra storage space to a PS5. a b c Marshall R. (7 April 2014). "Buying an M.2 SSD? How to tell which is which?". Republic of Gamers. ASUS. Archived from the original on 27 April 2014 . Retrieved 28 April 2014. a b c d e f g h i Handy, Jim; Tanguy, Jon; May, Jaren; Akerson, David; Kim, Eden; Coughlin, Tom (20 September 2014). "SNIA Webcast: All About M.2 SSDs" (PDF). SNIA . Retrieved 15 July 2015.