Which SSD is Better? SATA vs NVMe

Urian B., Tech Times 20 May 2021, 03:05 am

A lot of debates have been going on regarding whether SATA is better than NVMe or vice versa. The SSD battle goes on, and to choose between the SATA and NVMe, there are a few things that need to be understood.

What is the Difference Between SATA and NVMe

According to Samsung, SATA stands for Serial Advanced Technology Attachment, an interface that was actually designed during the time hard disks were still dependent on spinning patterns. SATA has a low physical limit to the amount of data that can be transferred at any time. SATA started back in 2008.

Meanwhile, NVMe stands for Non-Volatile Memory Express and was designed for speed. It uses its own commands and protocols to transfer data between a fast storage device like maybe an SSD or another super-fast cache memory. The NVMe can be 5x faster than the SATA-based SSD and 50x faster than the traditional SATA-based HDD.

SATA vs NVMe Pros and Cons

Here are the pros and cons to consider before deciding which one to use.

SATA Advantages

It is compatible with a number of hardware coming from the early 2000s.
SATA devices are affordable due to the lower performance levels and availability.
SATA is good for workloads where the transfer speed is the second or third concern as well as low cost for larger capacities as the primary priority.
Good for storing little-used files, keeping backup and recovery solutions, and digital components

SATA Disadvantages

A bit outdated and slower.
Some M.2 devices use SATA connectors and command sets.
Slower than NVMe.
SATA can be hard for data-intensive and busy environments depending on low latency and faster transfers

NVMe Advantages

Slashes time to get data from the storage medium to the host processor.
Good for data-intensive workloads and applications.
NVMe protocol has a lower latency and is better for consistent data delivery
NVMe is capable in a very small form factor like the thumb drive.
NVMe makes the perfect system requirements for fast performance and additional storage where total device weight or physical space is limited.

NVMe Disadvantages

NVMe depends on high-performance SSDs and is more expensive.
NVMe depends on devices in the general M.2 format.
NVMe limits the whole selection of drives that compare to some other solutions.
NVMe does not support older systems.
NVMe isn't a cost-effective choice for the unit storing large data.

Is NVMe Faster than SATA SSD?

According to the story by HowToGeek, NVMe was reportedly built with a more modern, PCIe-based SSD in mind. The newer NVMe drives are actually capable of accepting a number of different commands at once compared to the SATA III mechanical hard drives or other older SSDs.

With all of this combined with the lower latency, the NVMe reportedly drives much faster and is more responsive as well. Although the SATA is good, the NVMe is still reportedly faster. A budget-friendly choice, however, is usually the NVMe.

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Written by Urian B.