Types of SSD Form Factors

You’re looking to improve the speed of your system with a new SSD. But how do you choose? Playing a part in your decision is the type of storage connection(s) in the system and its form factor — the SSD's shape and size. The SSD you choose will also have either a SATA or NVMe (using PCIe) storage interface.

Over the years, SATA has been the more prevalent of the two; however, NVMe was designed specifically for SSD usage instead of SATA which originally was designed for HDDs and adapted for NVMe use. NVMe SSDs support multiple form factors, making it versatile for many storage platforms from servers to all-flash arrays. NVMe is quickly catching up in popularity becoming the industry standard interface for everything from the latest gaming consoles, laptops, and desktops for end-users to servers in the most advanced data centers.

SSD Form Factors: 2.5”, M.2, mSATA, and U.2.

2.5”
When shopping for SSDs, the first thing you’ll want to know is which form factor fits in your system. SSDs come in many shapes and sizes. For example, 2.5” is the most common type of SSD and fits into most laptop or desktop computers. It has a similar shape to a traditional hard disk drive (HDD) and connects over SATA cables so it offers a very familiar experience to what many are already used to.

M.2
Another form factor, M.2, has become the standard type of storage for slim laptops and notebooks. Its tiny form factor is often compared to a stick of gum and easy to install right on the motherboard in most cases. It is available in various lengths to enable different SSD drive capacities; the longer the drive, the more NAND flash chips can be mounted on it leading to higher capacity drives.

mSATA
mSATA, or mini-SATA, is essentially a smaller version of the full-size SATA SSD. It uses a compact form factor like M.2 but is not interchangeable. M.2 drives can support both SATA and PCIe interface options whereas mSATA only supports SATA. This form factor is designed for smaller form factor systems where space is limited.

U.2
Finally, there’s U.2 which looks like a 2.5” drive but is a bit thicker. It uses a different connector and sends data through the PCIe interface. U.2 SSD technology is typically reserved for high-end workstations, servers, and enterprise applications that need greater storage. It allows higher operating temperatures and is more favorable for transferring heat than the M.2 form factor.