Unleashing Speed: The Ultimate Guide to the Best M.2 SSDs of 2024

If you’re serious about performance, upgrading to an M.2 Solid State Drive (SSD) is a monumental leap for a desktop or laptop PC. M.2 SSDs make your computer insanely faster and come in giant increments compared to their SATA counterparts. M.2 SSDs are one of today’s hottest PC components, which makes it very tricky to navigate through the rapidly evolving M.2 landscape in 2024. This guide lists our top m2 ssd picks and provides the information you need to choose the right drive for your system.

Embracing Speed: Understanding M.2 SSDs

What Sets M.2 SSDs Apart?

Storage-wise, M.2 SSDs are vastly superior to the old 2.5-inch and 3.5-inch SATA drives that use the slower AHCI (Advanced Host Controller Interface). Thanks to the PCIe (Peripheral Component Interconnect Express) interface, they transfer data at mind-boggling speeds, with capacities that vary from 250 GB to 8 TB. For hardcore performance aficionados, there are NVMe (Non-Volatile Memory Express) versions of M.2 SSDs that take things to the next level.

SATA vs. NVMe: A Battle of Speed and Affordability

Sure, a budget-priced SATA SSD is perfectly all right – even moderately sexy – but why stop there when a NVMe M.2 SSD can max out at more than 12,000MB/s? Now you’re talking high-speed storage.

Top M.2 SSD Picks of 2024: Where Speed Meets Excellence

The Trailblazer: Crucial T700 NVMe - A PCIe 5.0 Marvel

Leading the way in terms of speed ratings is the Crucial T700, built around PCIe Gen5 tech and thus the speed-leader, with a maximum sequential read speed (using an external controller) of 12,400MB/s. The Crucial T700 is a so-called pro-grade SSD, which means it has decently good performance at a relatively decent price, although it does run a little hot, which is quite typical of PCIe 5.0 drives.

The Speed Demigod: Samsung 990 Pro SSD - Leader of the PCIe 4.0 Pack

Samsung builds on its long tradition of providing fast SSDs with the 990 Pro SSD, which sets new industry standards with its PCIe 4.0 compatibility – that is, it’s a Gen4 SSD. This product takes full advantage of the capabilities of Gen4, providing record-breaking transfer speeds, as well as efficiency improvements, which are especially impressive when it comes to laptops.

Value Meets Velocity: Corsair MP600 Pro NH - The Price-to-Performance Champion

If you’re looking for that pro sweet spot between high-speed performance and affordability, the MP600 Pro NH is a real winner. The PCIe 4.0 SSD delivers top-tier speeds in numerous capacities, allowing you to tailor it to your specific storage needs.

Capacity King: Sabrent Rocket 4 Plus - Storage Titan

And for power users who need a lot of capacity to go with all-out speed, there’s the Sabrent Rocket 4 Plus with 8TB of storage. A no-compromise maximum capacity for those with large data libraries that need to go brute-force fast.

Budget-Friendly Speedster: Solidigm P41 Plus - Bang for Your Buck

Coming onto the scene, literally, from the dark side (of Intel, that is), Solidigm’s P41 Plus offers an affordable way to get to PCIe 4.0 speeds. If that’s still too rich for your blood, you can always stick with NVMe SSDs, which currently top out at PCIe 3.0 speeds and consume less power overall. But if you want the best of the best, when it comes to both performance and capacity, you’ll definitely want to thank the value gods.

Aesthetic and Agile: Patriot Viper Venom VPR400 - Performance with a Splash of Color

For those who feel a PC should be every bit as eye-catching as it is effective, the Patriot Viper Venom VPR400 offers solid speeds with the panache of RGB lighting. It’s a distinctive choice for users keen on tinkering with their storage devices right down to the last drive.

Beyond Performance: The Evolution of M.2 SSDs

The Journey from PCIe 3.0 to 5.0 - A Leap in Speed

The move from PCIe 3.0 to PCIe 4.0 and now to 5.0 is monumental in the history of storage technology. Each time, we see a generational jump in speed, with the latest PCIe 5.0 SSDs, such as the Crucial T700, pushing the limit of what we can call fast today.

What Lies Ahead?

The evolution of the M.2 SSD leads inexorably into the future of faster speed, more capacity and greater efficiency. As technologies expand and new protocols are developed, storage is set for an incredibly bright and faster future.

Conclusion: The Pro Path to Peak Performance

Maybe you’re a professional gamer or just a PC creative use. Maybe you crave the bleeding edge and want the fastest you can get; you can. Simply put, an M.2 SSD is an upgrade you won’t be sorry to make in 2024. When you are looking for an M.2 SSD in 2024, you’ll find many options in disc drive size to suit any need and any budget. There will be all-new PCIe 5.0 drives whizzing along at incredible data rates, and tons of value PCIe 4.0 drives to get you there.
Taking the pro route is about choosing speed, performance and the ability to drive your ambition. Hopefully, you have all the information you need to make the right M.2 SSD choice for your system by now. And hopefully, you also know that the age of waiting for large data transfers is officially behind us. Welcome to the future of storage: the speeded-up era.