What does m.2 solid state drive mean?

m.2 solid state drive refers to "a solid state drive using the M.2 interface". M.2 is a new interface for solid-state drives. It is a new interface specification introduced by Intel to replace MSATA. The main advantage of M.2 interface solid-state drives is that it is smaller than traditional SATA3.0 and MSATA and has a faster reading speed. Faster and better compatible with laptops.

The operating environment of this tutorial: Windows 7 system, Dell G3 computer.

m.2 solid state drive refers to "a solid state drive using the M.2 interface".

M.2 is a new interface for solid-state drives. It is a new interface specification introduced by Intel to replace MSATA. It is also the NGFF we often mentioned before. Its full English name is: Next Generation Form. Factor.

The main advantage of M.2 interface solid state drive is that it is smaller than traditional SATA3.0 and MSATA, has faster reading speed, and has better compatibility with notebook computers.

Solid state drives have many types of interfaces, such as SATA, mSATA, M.2, SATA Express, PCI-E and U.2, etc. Currently, there are three main interfaces commonly used for solid-state drives (SSDs):

• SATA3 – The overall size is the standard size of a 2.5-inch hard drive and is interchangeable with a 2.5-inch mechanical hard drive.

• mSATA – The interface size is the same as the laptop’s built-in wireless network card, but the external size of the mSATA SSD is larger than the wireless network card.

• M.2 – Initially called the NGFF interface, it is a new interface developed in the past two years. It is specially designed for ultra-small size. It uses PCI-E channels and is smaller in size. ,faster.

It is worth mentioning that M.2 interface solid-state drives are divided into two types: SATA and PCI-E. Although they look exactly the same, their performance is very different. In addition, the M.2 interface of some motherboards may not necessarily support it, so when buying an M.2 solid-state drive, you also need to understand the interface compatibility.

M.2 is a new generation SSD interface standard led by Intel. It has the characteristics of smaller size and faster interface. However, M.2 solid-state drives are also divided into channels. Currently, M.2 solid-state drives are divided into two channels: PCI-E and SATA. There are obvious differences between the two in terms of performance, price, etc.

Compatible protocol

The M.2 interface is a micro-interface with very wide compatibility. The interface can achieve different functions by setting the KEY slot on the interface. Functional interface, the M.2 interface can support the following protocols.

• PCIe, PCIe LP

• HSIC

• SSIC

• M-PCIe

• USB

• SDIO

• UART

• PCM/I2S

• I2C

• SMBus

• SATA

• Display Port

Naming rules for M.2 interface

Since there are multiple sizes and functional M.2 interfaces, so a standard naming rule needs to be specified to divide these interfaces.

The naming of the M.2 interface mainly follows the following principles:

1. Adapter size. (Length and width)

2. The maximum Z-axis height from the top to the bottom of the adapter.

3. The location of the Mechanical Connector Key.

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