How to Pick the Best M.2 SSD for Operating System. Here's Answer!

What Is M.2 SSD?

M.2 was originally the NGFF interface, and the standard name is PCI Express M.2 Specification, which is a new generation interface standard tailored for the Ultrabook to replace the Mini-SATA interface-based mSATA SSD. There are currently three mainstream M.2 interface sizes: M.2 2242, 2260 and 2280. The M.2 2280 is mostly available in medium and high-end SSDs.

The common channel for data transfer is called the bus, and the buses (channels) supported by M.2 SSDs mainly include SATA and PCIe. SATA bus is most commonly SATA 3.0, with a theoretical speed maximum of 6Gbps and a theoretical transfer speed of 600MB/s for this type of SSD. PCIe bus is commonly PCIe 3.0 and PCIe 4.0, which contain different numbers of lanes, the transfer speed may also vary. Take PCIe 3.0 as an example, its bandwidth is up to 32Gbps, and the actual transfer speed of such SSDs can easily exceed 1000MB/s, with the top SSDs reaching 4000MB/s.

At present, the fastest transfer speeds are M.2 SSDs with the NVMe protocol. The Non-Volatile Memory Host Controller Interface specification (Non-Volatile Memory Express). It takes full advantage of the low latency and parallelism of the PCIe bus to effectively improve the read and write performance of SSDs and reduce the high latency caused by the Advanced Host Controller Interface (AHCI) interface. The next section will introduce how to choose the best M.2 SSD.

How to Choose the Best M.2 SSD

If you are assembling a new desktop computer, it is not recommended to install SATA channel M.2 SSD but the PCIe channel M.2 SSD. If you have high-performance requirements and sufficient budget, it is recommended to get the CPU, motherboard and M.2 SSD that support PCIe 4.0 directly. If you are not a performance enthusiast, it is recommended to choose M.2 SSD that supports PCIe 3.0.

Capacity: The mainstream M.2 SSD capacities on the market today are 256GB, 512GB, 1TB, and 2TB. The larger the capacity, the higher the price for the same brand and model of SSD. If you just use it for office work, you can choose 512GB. If you are a gamer or video producer, it is recommended to choose 1TB and above. It is important to note that different capacities of the same brand and model SSDs can lead to differences in sequential read, 4K random read/write performance and endurance.

Particles (NAND flash): The particles represent the degree of material used in the brand's products. Typically, 80% of the cost of an SSD is concentrated in the NAND flash, which not only determines the life of the SSD, but also has a great impact on performance. In addition, NAND flash memory is also the storage medium for SSD, and all data is stored on it.

At present, SSD particles on the market are classified as SLC, MLC, TLC and QLC. SLC has already been withdrawn from sale, and MLC is not often seen on the market. TLC is the current mainstream, with a shorter life span compared to the two types of particles mentioned above, but it can still be used for more than 5 years. QLC is gradually replacing SATA interface SSD and is the future mainstream of the low-end market. To sum up, the ordinary users are recommended to buy TCL, and if you have sufficient budget, you can also consider MLC, and QLC is not recommended.

Main control: The main control is essentially an embedded processor that executes firmware code, which can be simply understood as the brain of the SSD. It mainly controls the storage unit of the flash memory clone connected to the computer. The main control of SSD is divided into two camps: the original manufacturer and the main control manufacturer. And the entire main control market is monopolized by four major brands: SMI, Phison, Marvell and Samsung. Among them, only Samsung is the only manufacturer that all SSD components are designed and produced in-house, and is the largest SSD manufacturer in the market.

Random Read/Write (4K): This refers mainly to the speed of the drive when reading and writing incoherent, scattered and smaller capacity files. It is important to know that computer operating systems, applications and games are composed of thousands of KB files. Therefore, the 4K read and write speed of SSD largely affects the response speed and smoothness of the computer, which is an important reference indicator for purchasing M.2 SSD.

Sequential read/write: This refers to the speed of the drive when reading and writing large volume files in a coherent and concentrated manner. For example, when reading or copying video files, this is a test of the SSD's sequential read/write capability. If you often need to copy large files, it is recommended that you purchase an SSD with fast sequential read/write speed to speed up the transfer speed and save time.

M.2 SSD can directly affect the operating speed of the operating system and the overall performance of the computer. So, how can we pick the best M.2 SSD for our operating system? We need to refer to the above-mentioned metrics for a comprehensive evaluation, and then select the right M.2 SSD based on PCIe 3.0 and PCIe 4.0.

Optimal M.2 SSD for Operating System (PCIe 3.0)

There are many M.2 SSDs (NVMe protocol) with PCIe 3.0 channels on the market, and they vary greatly from brand to brand or model to model. So, how can you pick the best M.2 SSD for your operating system? You can refer to the following table. Since there are differences in sequential read/write, 4K random read/write and endurance among M.2 SSDs of different capacity sizes, the following table will compare each metric with the 1TB capacity of that brand.

Comparison items/brand models	Samsung 970 EVO Plus	ADATA XPG SX 8200 Pro	WD SN750	Samsung 980	Kioxia RD20
Sequential read/write (MB/s)	3500/3300	3500/3000	3470/3000	3500/3000	3400/3200
4K random read/write performance (IOPS)	550-600K	380-390K	515-560K	480-500K	620-640K
Durability (TBW)	1200TBW	640TBW	600TBW	600TBW	400TBW
Particles	TCL	TCL	TCL	TCL	TCL
Main Control	Samsung PHOENIX	SMI	SanDISK 20-82-007011	Samsung PABLO	Toshiba
Optional capacity	250GB-2TB	250GB-2TB	250GB-2TB	250GB-2TB	500GB-2TB
Warranty Policy	5 years	5 years	5 years	5 years	5 years
Specification	M.2 2280	M.2 2280	M.2 2280	M.2 2280	M.2 2280
Price	$119.99	$219.99	$119.99	$140.99	$112.99

From the above table comparison, the best M.2 SSD for operating system is the Samsung 970 EVO Plus. So, if you are looking for a PCIe 3.0 M.2 SSD, it is recommended that you get the Samsung 970 EVO Plus, which is also the best M.2 SSD for gaming in its class.

Optimal M.2 SSD for Operating System (PCIe 4.0)

The PCIe 4.0 channel M.2 SSD (NVMe protocol) is a future-proof product. Although, it is not mainstream yet, its excellent performance has proven its potential. And if you are an SSD performance enthusiast, it is definitely the best choice. Like M.2 SSDs with PCIe 3.0 channels, this product also has many brands and models with differences in different capacity sizes, so the following table will compare the metrics with the brand's 1TB capacity as the standard.

Comparison items/brand models	Samsung  980 Pro	WD  SN850	Kingston  KC 3000	Seagate Fire cuda 530	Crucial P5 Plus
Sequential read/write	7000/5100	7000/5300	7000/6000	5000/4400	6600/5000
4K random read/write performance	702-1000K	1000K	900-1000K	700-760K	630-700K
Durability	600TBW	600TBW	800TBW	1800TBW	600TBW
Particles	TCL	TCL	TCL	TCL	TCL
Main Control	Samsung Elpis	SanDISK 20-82-10034-A1	Phison E18	Phison PS5016-E16	Micron
Optional capacity	250GB-2TB	500GB-2TB	512GB-4TB	500GB-4TB	500GB-2TB
Warranty Policy	5 years	5 years	5 years	5 years	5 years
Specification	M.2 2280	M.2 2280	M.2 2280	M.2 2280	M.2 2280
Price	$250.99	$164.99	$185.9	$209.9	$149.99

From the above table, the best M.2 SSD for operating system is the Kingston KC 3000. So, if you are looking for a PCIe 4.0 M.2 SSD, we suggest you get the Kingston KC 3000, which is also the fastest M.2 SSD in its class.

How to Use Best M.2 SSD for Operating System to Improve Computer Performance

Once you have selected the best M.2 SSD for your operating system based on the motherboard interface, we recommend that you use the System Clone feature of AOMEI Backupper Professional to transfer or copy your system to the best M.2 SSD. This can make your computer run faster and increase its overall performance to a higher level!

AOMEI Backupper Professional can provide you with professional system cloning service. And you can clone your current operating system, software, and applications to other hard drives with just a few clicks, which saves you the time of reinstalling the Windows system. Next, we will introduce the detailed steps of System Clone, but before that, you need to some preparations below.

• The software uses Intelligent Clone by default, so you need to check the storage space of the source disk and target disk. Please make sure that the target disk is greater than or equal to the used space of the source disk, otherwise the clone may fail.
• Since System Clone will delete partitions, if the target disk has more than one partition, please use the partition backup function to backup important data before you start the cloning process to avoid data loss.
• Download and install AOMEI Backupper Professional.

Step 1. Insert your SSD to the computer and make sure your Windows system can detect it. Then run AOMEI Backupper Professional, click Clone > System Clone.

Step 2. The system-related partitions are selected by default. You need to select the M.2 SSD as the destination location. Then click Next.

Step 3. Tick the SSD Alignment checkbox to accelerate the reading and writing speed of the M.2 SSD. Then confirm the operation and click the Start Clone button. In addition, you can also check the Sector By Sector Clone checkbox to ensure a complete copy of the entire sector.

Notes:✎...

Sector by sector clone: If you check the Sector By Sector Clone checkbox, make sure that the target disk is larger or equal to the source disk, otherwise the clone will fail.

Make full use of disk space: If the target disk is larger than the source disk, then the software will by default check Make full use of disk space checkbox to expand the system partition.

Step 4. Once the cloning process is complete, you only need to restart your computer. If your computer fails to boot properly, change the boot order in the BIOS to make sure the M.2 SSD as the first boot option and reboot again.

Note:✎...

During the system cloning process, it will be performed according to the computer disk partition table format. If it's an MBR disk, it will transfer the system partition and the system reserved partition. If it is a GPT disk, except for the system partition, it will transfer both the EFI system partition and the MSR partition to the new hard disk.

However, AOMEI Backupper Professional can help you transfer the system between MBR and GPT disks without converting the partition style.

In addition, AOMEI Backupper Professional offers more features that you may be interested in.

• If you want to transfer your system without loading Windows, you can choose to create a bootable media and just boot from it.
• If you are worried about data security, you can also use the Disk Clone and Partition Clone functions to make a complete copy of your hard disk or partition and transfer them to further improve the security of your computer data. 
• AOMEI Backupper Professional only supports Windows 11/10/8.1/8/8/7/Vista/XP, if you want to transfer system to Windows Server 2022/2019/2016/2012 R2/2008 R2/2003, please try AOMEI Backupper Server.

Summary

If you are choosing the best M.2 SSD for operating system, please read this article in detail. It will introduce M.2 SSD and its important purchase metrics, and recommend the best M.2 SSD for different PCIe channels. To improve the overall performance of your computer by using the M.2 SSD, you can clone your system to the M.2 SSD with the System Clone feature of AOMEI Backupper Professional.

This software has a clear interface and easy operation, and allows you to easily clone your system to the best M.2 SSD to enhance your computer's performance. In addition, it can also meet your disk clone and partition clone needs to protect your computer in all aspects. You can download this software to explore more features.