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NVMe vs SSD Storage

NVMe vs SSD Storage
Bhuban Mishra
Technical writer
Infrastructure

Fast data retrieval is a need for the 21st century. The data transmission rate can greatly impact application response time, especially when it involves gaming, video editing, website hosting, AI, and machine learning. 

SDDs evolved to overcome the shortcomings of hard drives. SSDs, in contrast to HDDs, utilize flash memory, which translates to performance. However, because of the SATA connection, standard SDDs failed to deliver high-performance storage solutions. That’s where PCIe and NVMe came in.

This guide provides insights on NVMe vs SSDs. Is SATA a suitable option? Is NVMe good for server and hosting needs? What are the different variants? 

SSD Variants

There are several variants of solid-state storage, each with its unique characteristics and use cases.

Solid-state drives come in different forms utilizing different hardware interfaces ie. IDE/PATA, SATA, and PCIe. 

Here are all the different variants of SSD available in the market:

  • IDE (Integrated Drive Electronics) / PATA (Parallel ATA): These SSDs are found in legacy systems. They use 40- or 80-pin connectors and are relatively slow because they are based on older technology.

  • SATA(Serial ATA): In early 2000, the SATA became the industry standard. It uses 7-pin data and a 15-pin power connector. The generation of SATA interfaces matters. SATA I can offer 150 MB/s or 1.5 Gbit/s. SATA II and SATA III can offer 300 MB/s (~3 Gbit/s) and 600 MB/s (~6 Gbit/s) respectively. SATA SSDs are available in three distinct form factors: 2.5-inch, 3.5-inch, and mSATA.

  • mSATA: The compact size of mSATA makes it a perfect fit for notebooks, laptops, and tablets.

  • SCSI/SAS: SCSI can connect multiple devices to a single host adapter. It finds its application in legacy server racks. SAS is the recent version of SCSI. SAS can offer transmission rates up to 12 Gbps or 24 Gbps. Such speed enhancements make it suitable for data centers and enterprise storage.

  • PCIe: PCIe establishes a fast connection directly to the CPU and underlying storage device, bypassing traditional interfaces. This direct connection makes high throughput possible. NVMe, utilizing PCIe, delivers ultrafast data transfer and improves application response time. NVMe can offer up to 2 GB/s or 4GB/s per lane. For instance, a 4-lane interface can reduce the transfer time almost by 4 times. 

NVMe vs SSD

Standard SSDs are designed to interface through SATA, whereas NVMe SSDs leverage PCIe ports for enhanced performance.

PCIe transmits data through lanes, with each lane capable of transmitting data in both directions simultaneously (full-duplex). 

Performance

An NVMe SSD can be 20 times faster than a normal SSD. The ‘e’ in Non-Volatile Memory Express refers to a PCIe bus. 

Gen 4.0 NVMe SSD can deliver up to 7500 MB/s while Gen 5.0 NVMe SSD can double that speed reaching 14500 MB/s. Contrary to this, a SATA SSD can deliver up to 500 MB/s.

Despite the significant data transmission rate gap, it barely affects personal computing. However, in cloud and hosting solutions, it matters. When a server handles 1k simultaneous requests, high-speed SSDs shine with their I/O efficiency, boosting performance and ensuring smooth service even during peak demand.

Power

NVMe SSDs can consume more power than SATA SSDs, typically around 4-8 watts under load and 1-3 watts under idle conditions, due to the power-intensive PCIe interface. 

Cost

Despite the slightly higher price of NVMe-enabled SSDs, this reflects their superior performance capabilities compared to SATA III SSDs.

NVME Advantages over a Normal SSD

  • Parallel Data Transfer: NVMe leverages multiple lanes to transfer the data, unlike serial communication protocol, where only one bit of data can be transferred at a time. This in turn, improves data bandwidth and throughput.
  • Occupies Less Space: NVMe comes in M.2 and U.2 form factor.  M.2 drives are 22mm wide x 80mm long while the majority of standard SSD comes in a 2.5-inch form factor and has dimensions 69.85mm wide x 100mm long x 7mm (or 9.5mm) thick. With modern laptops and motherboards, you can connect two M.2 drives at the same time.
  • Faster Speed: In the previous section, we already made a comparison of speeds offered by NVMe in contrast to normal SSD.

What to Look for in an NVMe Storage

It's important to note that NVMe SSDs can vary in performance, endurance, and functionalities, which can have a substantial impact based on the specific use case.

PCIe Gen 3 vs Gen 4 vs Gen 5

PCIe has evolved, with newer generations offering faster data transfer speeds and improved performance. 

PCIe Gen 3 provides a maximum data transfer rate of 8 Giga transfers per second (GT/s) per lane, while PCIe Gen 4 doubles this to 16 GT/s per lane. PCIe Gen 5, the latest generation, further increases this to 32 GT/s per lane.

Gen 4 doubles the bandwidth offered by Gen 3. PCIe Gen 4 still holds the bet for consumer markets.

Form Factor

These drives come in different physical sizes.

  • M.2: M.2 are small-size drives that fit directly into the motherboard, ideal for laptops and desktops. SATA SSD also comes with M.2 form factor.
  • U.2: Used in server and enterprise environments, connects via PCIe slots and typically offers higher endurance. U.2 comes with a 2.5-inch form factor
  • PCIe Add-in Cards (AIC): Larger and used primarily for server or high-performance applications, requiring a dedicated PCIe slot.

Heat Sink

Many high-performance drives come with built-in heatsinks to help dissipate heat. Some Gen 4 drives, like the Samsung 980 Pro or Western Digital Black SN850 come with a heatsink for improved performance.

Endurance (TBW or DWPD)

TBW (TerraByte Written) shows the total data that can be written to the drive over its lifespan, while DWPD (Drive Writes Per Day) indicates how often the entire drive can be written per day, typically over 5 years.

Hosting Aspect

Opting for NVMe-based SSDs instead of SATA SSDs in hosting and SEO can have a substantial effect on performance and user experience. A bad user experience can hurt SEO rankings and visitor engagement

At Hostman, you can grab NVMe-enabled cloud servers for $2 per month.

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Latency

In a hosting environment, low latency is critical for ensuring fast and efficient data access and transfer. NVMe SSDs offer lower latency than SATA SSDs. This means faster response times for your website, especially in situations with high traffic or complex database queries.

Uptime

A high-performance drive is designed to provide reliable and continuous access to data over an extended period. It is built with enterprise-grade components and features that enable it to withstand heavy workloads and maintain its performance levels even under high-stress conditions. The drive may include features such as power loss protection, which helps ensure that data is not lost or corrupted in the event of a sudden power outage. Here, at Hostman, we provide 99.98% uptime.

User Experience

SEO involves not only rankings but also user experience. Hosting on NVMe-enabled servers can speed up website load times, keeping visitors engaged and potentially reducing bounce rates. For e-commerce stores, this could lead to improved conversion rates.

Conclusion

If you're running a smaller website with minimal traffic or non-resource-heavy content, you might not need to migrate just yet. 

For SEO, speed is a critical factor. Google considers page load time and Core Web Vitals as ranking factors, meaning faster websites are more likely to rank higher. 

If you're seeing slow page loads, frequent throttling, or lag during peak traffic times with traditional SSD hosting, NVMe hosting might be just the upgrade you need to avoid losing users and boost your rankings.

Similarly, if you run a high-traffic website, such as an e-commerce store, media platform, or blog with rich multimedia content, the performance boost from NVMe storage can be a game-changer. 

Upgrading to NVMe web hosting can improve the website’s performance. With Non-Volatile Memory Express hosting, you get top-tier speed, reliability, and efficiency, far exceeding traditional SSD hosting. However, NVMe's power isn’t always necessary for every type of website.

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