Making sure i get the SSD terminoligies straight..

so we have SATA 3 and PCIe, the former is the older PHYSICAL interface with fewer connectors so it supports lower speeds, the latter has more connectors and supports higher speeds.

AHCI and NVMe, the former is the old interface protocol designed for HDDs and supports max speed 600MB/s, the latter supports much higher speeds.

2.5' and M.2, the former is a bigger form factor and usually found withing PC cases, the latter is the smaller form factor and usually found within laptops. (need more explanation about those and U.2)

Did i miss something?

 

1) Maybe lower sequential speeds... but real world results makes them effectively equal - especially when compared in a 'sustained, over time...' scenario.

2) Again; just higher sequential speeds... both are at the level of HDD's when compared to what Optane will (should...) offer - when it hits it's stride.

3) The 2.5" (not ') form factor is bigger - to fit in standard drive bays - but the internal parts may be just as small as M.2 drives... U.2 can be effectively ignored for notebooks - the power draw cannot be justified (just like the cooling can't be sufficient in any known notebook either...).

To cut you off at the pass (I know; you haven't even hinted at this...); comparing BM 'scores' is not the way to evaluate components (unless those BM's are the very workflow you do, day in and day out with your system(s)...).

For everyday 'average' computing, AHCI and NVMe used with good/excellent examples of SSD tech in a notebook that doesn't throttle the SSD too much... (apple; take a hike...) is effectively indistinguishable from each other. In other words; the spec's don't match up to reality. When/if you need to actually and really push your platform/notebook for hours at a time - NVMe fails to deliver its promised specs - at least in any notebook I've seen them used in. Often dropping performance to below HDD levels and making $$$$$ notebooks feel like the original iPhone (all promise and no joy...). This contrasts sharply to 2.5" SSD's that technically have much lower performance potential - but are able to use that performance 'indefinitely', in real world workflows (with, OP'ing, of course).

Don't get hung up on terminology*... what do you actually need to know about SSD's?



* Terminology: a subset of a language to make others feel like they know nothing of the particular field in question... when in fact, they most likely do... (if the information was presented plainly and truthfully...)...

 

well my weakpoints when it comes to PC technology is my lack of knowledge about the storage technologies and interfaces out there, and i know about HDDs much more than i do about SSDs, and since the latter seem to be the way of the future i really need to catch up about them.

what i really wanna know are the pros and cons to the interface type, interface protocols, and form factors available, my original post is what i managed to understand so far from googling and reading about.