Modern SSDs explained

Are you puzzled by the acronyms and numbers used to describe solid state drives (SSDs) in modern gaming PCs? Well, below is a quick explanation of what all that means.

But first some background information: PCle is a term that refers to a fast interface type (faster than the old SATA) and stands for “Peripheral Component Interconnect Express”. This is a high-speed interface used for connecting motherboard and CPU with other hardware components within a computer such as SSD and graphics card.

PCIe interfaces have lanes, which are individual data pathways within the PCIe interface, and they determine how much data can be transferred between the component and the rest of the system. They are used to determine the data transfer speed of PCIe devices.

PCIe lanes are like data highways. Each lane can carry a certain amount of data per second. The more lanes, the wider the highway, and the more data that can flow through it. For example, PCIe 3.0 lanes have a maximum bandwidth of approximately 1 GB/s per lane, while PCIe 4.0 lanes can provide around 2 GB/s per lane.

Solid State Drives (SSDs) that you find in modern gaming PCs come in two main forms (physical shape and size), or form factors, M.2 and PCIe, which both use the NVMe (Non-Volatile Memory Express) protocol for rapid data transfer (a protocol that replaced the AHCI protocol used by older and slower SATA SSDs).

The M.2 form factor is a compact, slim, and rectangular-shaped circuit board. This can come in different lengths and widths and plugs into an M.2 connector on the motherboard. The PCle form factor is an add-in card that plugs directly into one of the PCIe slots on the motherboard.

Because PCle is both an interface type and an SSD form factor, this can generate some confusion. However, if you see both “M.2” and “PCle” specified in the description of the SSD, then this means that M.2 is the form factor and PCle is just the interface type.

So, for example, when you see an SSD described as “M.2 PCIe NVMe SSD,” this means that the SSD uses the M.2 form factor, the PCIe interface, and the NVMe communication protocol for high-speed data transfer.

Please note that the form factor itself (PCIe vs. M.2) doesn’t inherently make one SSD better or faster than the other. Instead, it’s the interface and the specific SSD’s performance characteristics (e.g. type of NAND and SSD controller) that determine its speed.

Gen 4 vs. Gen 5 SSDs

Until recently Gen 4 SSDs where the fastest on the market, but they have now been surpassed by the brand new 5th generation of solid state drives. Gen 5 SSDs can be almost twice as fast as those from the previous generation, but they are also at least twice as expensive.

Now the important question is: would a Gen 5 SSD really make a difference in PC gaming? In other words, is it worth breaking the piggy bank to buy one just for gaming? According to some testing done by The Verge this doesn’t seem to be the case.

In fact we have to keep in mind that SSDs have two types of speed: sequential writing/reading speeds and random writing/reading speeds (both typically expressed in MB/s, or MB/R for reading speed and MB/W for writing speed). While Gen 5 SSDs have impressive sequential speeds, their random speeds are not noticeably much better than those from Gen 4 SSDs.

Most importantly, while sequential speeds are important for handling large video files or transferring large amounts of data, it’s the random reading/writing speeds that truly matter in tasks like loading a game. This means that whether you have a Gen 4 or Gen 5 SSD you will not be able to tell the difference (loading times will generally differ by less than a second).

The bottom line is, if your primary focus is on PC gaming, then there is no need to rush and splurge on one of the latest Gen 5 SSDs, any Gen 4 SSD will do just fine.