After the invention of PCs, storage devices became one of the most vital parts of the machine. PCs contain different storage: hard drives, SSDs, RAMs, and BIOS; all are used to perform functions. To increase the computer performance, high-end users use the best M.2 SSD that makes the computer work fast. The SSDs converted into small sticks of memory familiar with the hard drives and contained the same features as HDD. Many disks prefer SATA-based storage devices, but the best internal SSD is now composed of the NVMe-based interface. If you want to install those on your computer, you see that it increases your PC’s read and write speed.

M.2 drivers are the ones that look like gum sticks that connect with the controller chips and NAND modules. It has a lot of differences between HDD and the best external SSD, and you can find them by checking their importance in the technical market. The programmers prefer the fast performance and the best cheap SSD for their protocols. In the market, for desktop PCs and laptops, 22mm wide drives are used; the more length of the drive means more NAND chips can be inserted into it. The M.2 disk is used as one side or double-side chip, and when we want the portability, we go with the best portable SSD that must contain a USB port option. If you use SSD in your protocol, it makes the program boost up time fast.

Our top picks

01

best m.2 ssd

ADATA XPG Gammix S70 Blade

ADATA XPG Gammix S70 Blade

Shop on Amazon

View Price ➤

02

best affordable m.2 ssd

Addlink S70

Addlink S70

Shop on Amazon

View Price ➤

03

best premium m.2 ssd

Mushkin Gamma

Mushkin Gamma

Shop on Amazon

View Price ➤

Quick Shopping Tips:

The users struggle for the best SSDs; here, we mention some of the stunning features, and through these, you can choose the best one.

Form Factor: The M.2 is the next generation form factor directly placed on the motherboard with the M.2 connector slot. It is the unique type of expansion card that replaces the Mini-SATA standard. It is a rectangular shape module with specific width and length. SSDs usually are 22mm wide, but their length contains different sizes. Its connector interfaces with the USB 3.0, PCI Express 3.0, and SATA 3 technologies, allowing the manufacturer to use it wirelessly.

Key Structure: The drive cards contain different connectors called sockets; M key, B key, and B+M key sockets. All of the keys are placed on one card easily. These keys verify the socket support number of PCIe lanes. The M key grasps more than four PCIe lanes, but the B key clenches one or two PCIe lanes. The wireless cards contain both A and E key slots on the motherboard.

Size & Capacity: It is small, consumes less laptop space, and uses low power than the SATA and SAS interface SSDs. Nowadays, 2TB drives are at the top, and in the future, 4TB and 8TB will also be released at a high price. The capacity of drives varies in ranges that are 120GB, 128GB, 250GB, 480GB, 512GB to 1TB, 2 TB to 8TB. According to its capacity, the performance of the drive increases, but as capacity is high, its price also becomes high.

Protocol: Its drive modules contain different protocols attached to the components. For SSDs, these include two protocols that are PCIe NVMe (Non-Volatile Memory Express) and SATA 3.0. The drive that depends on the NVMe protocol is six times faster than the SATA protocol. When you want to purchase an M.2 SSD, first configure it with the motherboard or your PC manufacturer for your connector compatibility.

The Best M.2 Solid-State Drives: First look

ADATA XPG Gammix S70 Blade

ADATA XPG Gammix S70 Blade

best m.2 ssd

Jump to details Shop on Amazon
Addlink S70

Addlink S70

best affordable m.2 ssd

Jump to details Shop on Amazon
Mushkin Gamma

Mushkin Gamma

best premium m.2 ssd

Jump to details Shop on Amazon
Crucial P5

Crucial P5

best overall m.2 ssd

Jump to details Shop on Amazon
Intel SSD 670p

Intel SSD 670p

best fast m.2 ssd

Jump to details Shop on Amazon
Samsung SSD 980 Pro

Samsung SSD 980 Pro

best value m.2 ssd

Jump to details Shop on Amazon
ADATA XPG Gammix S50 Lite

ADATA XPG Gammix S50 Lite

best performance m.2 ssd

Jump to details Shop on Amazon
Seagate FireCuda 520

Seagate FireCuda 520

best budget m.2 ssd

Jump to details Shop on Amazon

The Best M.2 Solid-State Drives: In-depth Review

01

best m.2 ssd

ADATA XPG Gammix S70 Blade

Brand

XPG

Hard Disk interface

NVMe

Digital Storage Capacity

1 TB

Hard Disk size

1 TB

Form Factor

M.2 2280

Item weight

0.4 ounces

Dimension

3.15 x 0.87 x 0.14 inches

ADATA XPG Gammix S70 Blade
ADATA XPG Gammix S70 Blade

PROS

+Fast sequential performance

+Blazing sequential read & write speed

+256-bit AES hardware-based encryption

CONS

-Slower write speed than rivals

-No physical compatibility with some motherboards

The ADATA XPG Gammix S70 Blade is the one that controls the rivalry with a read-write performance of more than 6800/7400/MB per second. It has become the best M.2 SSD, more than two times faster than the PCIe SSDs. To make it easy to use, it became compatible with the PCIe 3.0. It supports the aluminum heatsink that robust the high temperature and frees it from heat. It reduces the temperature by more than 20 percent. The heatsink looks stunning with its rigid geometric lines and streamlined surface. Its form factor is best for thin devices and laptops and uses minimum space for the constraints.

Many end-users want the best for their PCs that are more compatible and contain more capacity. These drives are perfect for PC users, avid gamers, and overclockers. Just plug it into the PC5 and enjoy its built-in storage’s smoother and better performance. It supports the NVMe 1.4, making it the fastest M.2 SSD, which has higher powers and durability and increases efficiency with the 3D NAND Flash. It performs better for rendering, gaming, and video editing with DRAM Cache Buffer and Dynamic SLC Caching. It supports the LDPC error-correcting code used to detect and fix the data errors for its correct data transmission. It has excellent longevity and durability with TBW (Total Bytes Written) rating.

02

best affordable m.2 ssd

Brand

Addlink

Hard Disk Interface

NVMe

Digital Storage Capacity

1 TB

Hard Disk size

1 TB

Form Factor

M.2 2280

Item weight

0.7 ounces

Dimension

5.6 x 4.3 x 0.7 inches

PROS

+High durability rating

+RAID engine and LDPC Coding

+Attracting RGB lighting and heatsink

CONS

-No SSD toolbox

-Overall performance could improve

Are you looking for an RGB storage device that lights up your system build? The Addlink S70 must catch your interest with its pocket-friendly budget and performance. The RGB of drives comes up with a double-sided factor that makes it the best affordable M.2 SSD with 9.1mm thickness. It contains a heatsink that reduces the heat and includes diamond-cut design elements. It supports a G.Skill Trident Z Royal DRAM kit that makes a perfect pairing with your SSDs. Its TLC NAND Flash has extreme durability, allowing the 1TB to 1600 TBW range. Its performance depends on the system hardware and configuration, and it contains a read-write speed of more than 3400/3000 MB/s.

Many pro-gamers want an SSD compatible with their AMD and Intel platforms, and it is one of them. It is reliable and supports TRIM and SMART commands, and is also set up with the LDPC (Low-Density Parity Check) and RAID engine. Let’s start with the M.2 PCIe NVMe that supports the PCIe Gen3 x 4 interfaces, which means it has four lanes that are used for sending and receiving data and compiling the random read/write performance. It builds with the M.2 2880 form factor best for the thin, limited space system and light notebooks. It supports a multi-purpose SFF connector that takes the place of mini-PCIe slots and small mSATA.

03

best premium m.2 ssd

Mushkin Gamma

Brand

Mushkin Enhanced

Hard Disk interface

PCIe x 16

Digital Storage Capacity

2 TB

Hard Disk size

2 TB

Form Factor

M.2 2280

Item weight

0.247 ounces

Dimension

3.15 x 0.87 x 0.15 inches

Mushkin Gamma
Mushkin Gamma

PROS

+Support PCIe 4.0

+High endurance rating

+Greate transfer speed

CONS

-No DDR5 memory

-No SSD management software

If you want the best with massive storage and transfer speed, then the Mushkin Gamma PCIe M.2 SSD is an excellent addition to your PC. It is the choice of pro-gamers because of its short bootup time and contains a fast read and write speed. The Phison E18 controller is placed on the board, making it the best premium M.2 SSD, which uses the 3D TLC Flash. It supports the PCIe 3.0, which must be compatible with your motherboard. It supports the form factor of M.2 Type-2280 with Gen 4 and has a 1.3 SSD with NVMe.

It contains a capacity of 1TB, 2TB, or 4TB that comes in the future and has a PCI Express 4.0 bus type. It supports the bearing rating of more than 700 TBW at 1TB, 1400 TBW at 2TB, and 3000 TBW at 4TB. It has a maximum read speed of 7175 MB/s and a write speed of 6800 MB/s. It contains AES 256-bit hardware encryption, making it the best M.2 SSD by enabling the SSD that sends the responsive performance and makes data secure when needed. It is compatible with the PS5, desktop PCs, and laptop notebooks.

04

best overall m.2 ssd

Crucial P5

Brand

Crucial

Hard Disk Interface

NVMe

Digital Storage Capacity

1 TB

Hard Disk size

1 TB

Form Factor

M.2 2280

Item weight

0.7 ounces

Dimension

3.14 x 0.08 x 0.86 inches

PROS

+Full-drive encryption

+Blacked-out aesthetics

+Sturdy and reliable build

CONS

-No heatspreader

-Struggles under workloads

When you are in your office or a game, you expect the best; then, the Crucial P5 is the one that delivers the best quality and support. It merges the cutting-edge controller and 3D NAND, making it the M.2 PCIe NVMe for the read or write speed of more than 3400/3000 MB/s. It contains full-drive encryption security that protects the data without impacting performance. It has a more than 600 TBW rating and supports thermal protection and error correction, increasing durability and performance. With this, apps and the operating systems start quickly, and games load within a time as you are ready to create.

It releases in four capacities; 250GB to 2TB, and these all use the same controller placed on the M.2 2280 PCIe slot on the compatible motherboard. It is a mid-range SSD that works with the big drives in its everyday performance. It supports different drives that insert into it according to capacity, making it the best overall M.2 SSD, whereas the 2TB model contains 32 dies that deliver sixteen per NAND package. It supports the DRAM-based architecture featuring eight NAND channels and dual Arm Cortex-R5 CPU cores that league with the flash. It increases the performance level with its endurance TBW rating of 600 TB.

05

best fast m.2 ssd

Intel SSD 670p

Brand

Intel

Hard Disk Interface

NVMe

Digital Storage Capacity

1 TB

Hard Disk size

1 TB

Form Factor

M.2 2280

Item weight

3.52 ounces

Dimension

0 x 0 x 0 inches

Intel SSD 670p
Intel SSD 670p

PROS

+Solid software suite

+High durability rating

+Excels at read-intensive loads

CONS

-No PCIe 4.0 interface

-Lesser endurance than TLC SSDs

It is a budget-friendly model containing the NAND technology, improving endurance and raising gaming and office productivity. The users prefer the SSD that gives them a complete package in one model, and the Intel SSD 670p contains the PCIe 3.0 x 4 controller with a 144-Layer QLC flash that renders the efficient performance and a complete M.2 package. It supports the AES 256-bit hardware encryption with the best fast M.2 SSD that makes the data secure. The drive can turn over more than 3.5/2.7 GBps of subsequent read/write progress and assist more than 20,000/54,000 random read/write IOPS at QD (queue depth) of 1.

It contains a four-lane PCIe 3.0 drive and an 80mm long design. It uses an SM2265 controller that recruits the NVMe protocol over the PCIe 3.0 bus. It depends on the 144-layer TLC (triple-level-cell) NAND flash that turns it into the fastest M.2 SSD in different storage sizes. It supports the driver with storage tools and Intel memory that allow it to examine the drive’s health, update its firmware, and clear its SLC cache. It contains a single-sided chip, thin in size and light in weight. It churns out a 28 nm process node for refreshing thermal and cost-effective production.

06

best value m.2 ssd

Samsung SSD 980 Pro

Brand

Samsung

Hard Disk Interface

NVMe

Digital Storage Capacity

500 GB

Hard Disk size

500 GB

Form Factor

M.2 2280

Item weight

2.4 ounces

Dimension

3.15 x 0.87 x 0.09 inches

Samsung SSD 980 Pro
Samsung SSD 980 Pro

PROS

+5-year warranty

+Sustained 4K speed

+Dynamic SLC cache

CONS

-No 4TB option

-Not the fastest drive

The market-level increases daily, and the pro-gamers want the product to improve their system performance and overcome the system load. The Samsung SSD 980 Pro is a high-performance drive with PCIe 3.0 and connects with different controllers, making it the best M.2 SSD because of its stunning performance. It is designed to make it compatible with the M.2 SSD slot PS5 and extend its thickness to 8.5mm. It contains no heatsink, which makes it suited to the Microsoft Xbox Series X. If the pro-gamers want the heatsink for their drive, they insert it on their own in their systems to increase their gaming level.

The product increases the level for the NVMe SSDs, and it has a maximum speed of sequential performance that’s read speed is more than 3500MB/s, and its write speed is more than 3400MB/s for the 500GB capacity models. The manufacturer makes it the best value M.2 SSD with its random IOPS ratings of 690K of reads for 500GB to 1TB capacity model and 620K of write for 250GB to 500GB capacity products. It is particularly planned for hard-line gamers and PC users, offers high-performance bandwidth, and has heavy-duty applications in data analytics and gaming.

07

best performance m.2 ssd

ADATA XPG Gammix S50 Lite

Brand

XPG

Hard Disk interface

PCIe x 4

Digital Storage Capacity

1024 GB

Hard Disk size

1 TB

Form Factor

M.2 2280

Item weight

0.353 ounces

Dimension

3.15 x 0.87 x 0.17 inches

ADATA XPG Gammix S50 Lite
ADATA XPG Gammix S50 Lite

PROS

+Five-year warranty

+Large dynamic write cache

+Lower operating temperature

CONS

-Not single-sided

-No snappy sequential speeds

The world is becoming so advanced as it introduces great technologies for gamers and enthusiasts. Here we have one more tremendous drive launched in the market: ADATA XPG Gammix S50 Lite. The drive will set a benchmark with the PCIe 4.0 to bring the next-Gen performance. If you are a seeker of durability, then the device provides you with massive high-end storage. Win the sturdy actions with the best performance M.2 SSD as it is well known as the born performer. Forget about the high temperatures as they cool even at peak-level performing tasks. You will not regret buying the drive as it will empower your appealing passions. If you are a seeker of durability, then the device provides you with massive high-end storage.

However, the drive provides incredibility, protection, and data accuracy for the users. The latest iteration of the interface delivers the read and write speed. Let’s begin the fun with the fastest M.2 SSD that reads up to 3900MB and writes up to 3200MB counted per second. The drive allows efficient support to other fantastic features to take your system to the next level. Considering the speed, it is eight times faster than any standard SATA drive. The point to ponder is what does it mean for the next level of performance? The drive allows compatibility with the NVMe 1.4 and 3D NAND flash memory. The drive frequently uses the dynamic SLC cache DRAM cache buffer to achieve the random read/write speed of the 490K/540K IOPS.

08

best budget m.2 ssd

Seagate FireCuda 520

Brand

Seagate

Hard Disk Interface

NVMe

Digital Storage Capacity

500 GB

Hard Disk size

500 GB

Form Factor

M.2 2280

Item weight

1.59 ounces

Dimension

3.15 x 0.87 x 0.14 inches

Seagate FireCuda 520
Seagate FireCuda 520

PROS

+NVMe interface

+TLC-type storage

+Class-leading endurance

CONS

-Power-hungry

-No RGB lighting

The quest for having the outstanding components of robust systems is neverending. The users always ask for more enhancement, more features, or more stunning performance that can last for years. Let’s end your search with the Seagate FireCuda 520, the latest drive with the outclass features. It’s beyond the imagination to say the ultra-fast acceleration of the best budget M.2 SSD allows the sequential read/write up to 5000/4400MB per second. It’s time to enjoy the faster pro-level gaming than ever with the outstanding PCIe Gen3 M.2 NVMe SSD. It is in tune with both laptops and desktops to bring incredible performance.

Upgrade your computing systems with a drive that has a capacity of 500GB. With the hardware interface of the NVMe, the M.2 PCIe NVMe has brought the M.2 2880 form factor for an epic performance. No one can neglect the drive for the 1.8M hours MTBF to start a battle in the game. It allows hardcore gaming that is challenging for any rival. The solid drives allow five years of warranty and three years of rescue service, enhancing your interest in buying it. The heart-winning solid drive provides more cores, cache, and input/output. The drive gives excellent compatibility with the latest generation of AMD Ryzen processors.

Final Words

Searching for the best one is difficult for the users; when they know their requirements about the product, they quickly find the best M.2 SSD in the technical market. The SSDs are the PC’s storage upgrade, and these M.2 drives contain less space on your motherboards. The hardcore gamers want the drive that makes their system fast and loads their games within a time. Many options in the market are best for their performance and quality build. Software users prefer drives with incredible read and write speed that boosts their system performance. Are you the one who looks for the best with stunning features?

The M.2 disk comes with stunning features and excellent performance. Many of these disks contain a heatsink that reduces the heating effect. It supports the AES 256-bit encryption, making it the most valuable for the users. It comes in different capacity ranges, and its price varies according to size. The pro gamers just focus on the capacity and read/write speed of SSD. The drives come in different sizes, and users choose whether they prefer the heatsink or without it. Additional storage like 500GB, 1TB, or up to 2TB has many features, but these depend on different market strategies.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the most reliable m 2 SSD?

Whenever we say reliability, the first name that comes into mind is Samsung SSD 980 Pro, which has no compromise on quality and features. It has a design for the 500GB capacity models with random IOPS ratings up to 690K of reads and 620K of writes. Level up your performance with the sequential speed of 3500MB/s and write speed of 3400MB/s.

Which m 2 NVMe SSD is best?

No one can deny the Crucial P5 when you say you are searching for the best M.2 NVMe SSD. The drive merges the cutting-edge elite controllers and tremendous 3D NAND. The drive allows you fully encrypted security, protecting your data without lowering incredibility. Have you noticed its TBW rating? The drive offers a 600 TBW rating and highly supports thermal protection and error correction.

Which is best SSD or M 2?

Mushkin Gamma is the best SSD that allows a high endurance rating with an excellent transfer speed. The drive highly supports the PCIe 2.0 and has a Phison E18 controller on the board. It efficiently helps 3D TLC Flash to be efficient with the systems. The form factor of the M.2 is 2280, compatible with the Gen 4, and offers the 1.3 SSD with the NVMe.

Which is the fastest m2 SSD?

No matter, everyone has no compromise on the speed as it is the digital era. If you want the turbo M.2 SSD, ADATA XPG Gammix S70 Blade is the best choice. The drive offers you blazing sequential read and write speed with the 256-bit AES hardware-based encryption. The drive efficiently supports the aluminum heatsink that can lower the temperature.