m2 SSD interface type illustration

The M.2 interface is a new host interface solution that is compatible with a wide range of communication protocols, such as sata, PCIe, USB, HSIC, UART, SMBus, and more.

The M.2 interface is a new generation interface standard tailored for Ultrabooks, replacing the original mSATA interface. mSATA is far superior to mSATA in terms of smaller size and higher transfer performance.

Solid State Drive interface, there are several types of solid state drive interfaces.

1. SATA 3.0 is the most common SSD interface.

SATA interface type illustration for SSDs (most common)

This is SATA 3.0 revision (SATA 3.0 or SATA 6Gbps for short). It indicates the use of SATA Revision 3.0 standard, which is faster than SATA Revision 2.0. It is the standard specification for the SATA hard disk interface. Actually, SATA 6Gbps interface is a less standard term. The correct term is SATA III (SATA 3.0), with an interface speed of 6Gbps. of course, everyone is used to saying that. This is the most common mechanical hard disk / SSD interface on the market. Most people buy hard drives with this interface.

The biggest advantage of SATA 6Gbps (SATA3.0) is that it is very mature and can fully utilize the maximum performance of mainstream SSDs. Note that some older PC motherboards may only have SATA 2.0, an interface that is limited to the maximum supported speed and cannot fully utilize the SSD performance. Therefore, it is generally not recommended to upgrade SSDs unless you are replacing a motherboard that supports SATA3.0.