The FASTEST SSD Technology Explained - M.2, U.2, and MORE

M.2? AHCI? NVMe? With the knowledge in this video, you should be able to comfortably pimp out your storage setup to the next big thing.

ROCCAT CROSS GIVEAWAY CLOSED, THANKS FOR ENTERING!

Intro Screen Music Credit:
Title: Laszlo - Supernova

[Pienimusta]

That M.2 slot that leaves the drive just sticking up feels super sketchy.

[MiniArts]

2015 Linus: SATA EXPRESS IS THE FUTURE
2017: Lmao that shiz dead

[xxxdroidmonkeyxxx]

A better explanation for this would be:
- AHCI and NVME are like the middleman between your hardware and software. AHCI is a slow middleman (protocols) and NVME is a fast one.
- Since they're just middlemen, they can work off of any connection, whether it's M.2, PCIE, or SATA (specifically in AHCI devices)
- Some motherboards support both protocols, while others only support one of them for boot drives. If yours only supports AHCI for boot drives, no matter what you connect your NVME drive (PCIE or M.2 slot) it won't let you boot from it.
- New motherboards support both protocols so you can connect the NVME drive anyway you want and it'll work at full speed and let you boot from it. So whether you get a PCIE M.2 device or an onboard one, you'll be fine.
To sum it up. PCIE, M.2 and SATA are all just data highways.
AHCI and NVME are the things that dictate how fast your "car" will be able to travel in any of those given highways if the country (the motherboard) allows that speed limit.
I hope that helps better explain it to anyone who's confused.

[JonIceInternational]

I like this kind of videos. I don't understand anything, but I like it.

[LazerLord]

*Reads title

Oh cool, a new TechQuickie video! Wait a minute
"Uploaded by LinusTechTips"
Huh.

[erikcastro]

Much props Linus. Your explanation saved me from buying a slower M.2 SATA, and instead buying a much faster M.2 NVMe instead.

[moodymann_nl]

I always get depressed because I don’t understand shit after a few minutes... and then thinking I’m doing everything wrong

[EpicLPer]

I'm currently building a PC and now I'm even more confused...

[The_RoboDoc]

The fastest SSD is as fast as linus in bed

[JasonOFlaherty]

Thank you for spelling it out in step by step plain English with visuals. It helps keep it all in order.

[EveryLittleThings]

Thank you Linus! You saved me so much time reading about them. And you consolidate all the into in one video! Kudos! Keep it up!

[eligrey]

You seem to have SATA and AHCI mixed up. SATA is a physical data transfer interface and AHCI is a storage protocol that can run over PCIe or SATA. There is no such thing as an AHCI-only M.2 slot, only PCIe or SATA.

There are PCIe AHCI M.2 SSDs that will blow normal SATA drives out of the water, like the SM951.

[god]

Who else is pooping while watching this?

[benjaminoechsli]

We need more videos like this. Videos explaining just what a term(s) means, and what it means for the end user.

[joelmathew]

You're the only youtuber that I know of who explains complex tech terms and gets into tiny details
This is my go to channel for gathering information or to increase my understanding about the various new tech and terms

[elijah_]

The reason this isn't a techquicky video is because it's 8 minutes long.

[le]

Thanks Linus! You answered all the questions I had regarding m.2

[Ausskip]

dude your videos are great, I'm not much of a tech head but I get what you're you on about, you explain things well.. cheers

[blodstainer]

Good to note: Pretty much *EVERY* ATX Z97, Z170 and Z270 Motherboard got M.2 slots. And I think you can even BIOS update a Z87 to support NVMe. Not sure about Z77 though

[solomonshv]

I really don't like U.2, their last few albums have been dreadful.