Everything seems to indicate that the SSD storage technology His days are numbered. It is not weird. The world of technology is constantly advancing, and that implies improvements in performance, operation and also in price. So far, SSDs in M.2 modules are the great leaders in the sector, but the future replacement of this technology is beginning to be seen.
NVMe SSDs in M.2 modules have a significant number of detractors even though they are the main option in terms of speed and storage performance. They are criticized for the little space for placing chips, this being the main weak point of SSD technology.
SSD technology and the approaching end of M.2 modules
An overview of these discs and the SSD technology It allows us to know that the processors offer bandwidth and access speed without more than 2 DIMM or SO-DIMM modules. The rest of the modules are mere extensions of the channels that are already present. At least that's how it happens in PC processors. This is because in servers or workstations there are mechanisms to make better use of the number of modules.
With this criticism in mind, the replacement of SSD technology would aim to make use of the third and fourth modules in a more efficient way. The future could involve inserting an SSD inside. That is, put an SSD in the DIMM modules since data access will not be less fast than through PCI Express.
NV-DIMMs are the future
The bottleneck that prevents current NVMe SSDs from improving is the latency between the processor and RAM. If this increases rapidly due to high bandwidth, it forces RAM encoding so that consumption does not skyrocket. When looking for a solution that improves performance, but without such high bandwidths, the SSD in a DIMM module appears.
In any case, the DIMM, RDIMM or SO-DIMM modules with traditional RAM. The most notable difference is that a third or fourth socket can be added more easily, which is not common in a computer today for NV-DIMM SSDs.
It would not be strange if in the future, there are processors with the ability to directly manage an NV-DIMM module. This will leave NVMe SSDs poorly positioned as leaders in terms of storage management. It is part of the process of technological evolution and it also happened in the past. Only now times are accelerating and new solutions in efficiency and capacity are sought more frequently.
The best SSDs of 2024
While we are waiting for news for the SSD storage sector and renewal in technology, it is interesting to know the most efficient proposals on the market. These are devices with very interesting prices and functions to get the most out of your computer and its components.
Patriot Burst Elite
This SSD drive is an excellent option for those looking balance between quality and price. It offers sequential read and write speeds of up to 450 MB/s, ideal for fast booting of the operating system, and for speeding up application loading. Due to its resistance and durability, it is a large solid state drive with a SATA III interface and available in 120, 240, 480 and 960 GB versions.
ADATA SU650
The ADATA firm and its SU650 SSD model stand out in the current SSD technology market for its affordable price. It can read files at a speed of 520 MB/s and write data at 450 MB/s. It is an excellent ally to accelerate the fast loading of the operating system at startup and to ensure a fluid experience with programs and multimedia files. It is available in versions of 120, 240, 480 and 960 GB, and in 1 TB.
Crucial BX500
The Crucial storage disk company also appears in the list of the best SSDs of 2024. It is a device at an affordable price, with good writing and reading speeds that reach 500 and 540 MB/s respectively. The models have a capacity of 120, 240, 480 and 960 GB and a 2 TB model.
W.D. Green
Western Digital also has its own SSD line that among the alternatives of 2024 you cannot miss. With reading speeds of up to 545 MB/s and writing speeds of 465 MB/s, and versions in 120, 240, 480 and 960 GB, they offer low energy consumption. They are very useful to incorporate into a laptop where battery life is a key point. They are not the fastest SSDs, but they make up for it with their great durability and good performance.
Samsung 870 QVO
La South Korean firm Samsung It is one of the great leaders in the sector, and with SSD drives they continue to demonstrate it. The 870 QVO line is available in 1, 2, 4 and 8 TB versions and offer read and write speeds of 560 and 530 MB/s respectively. They use a technology called QLC (Quad-Level Cell) that allows us to reduce costs and offer high storage capacities at competitive prices within a complex market.
PCIe 5.0 and the boost to SSD technology
As a final contribution to the evolution of SSD storage, we must mention the advances of PCI Express 5.0. PCIe 5.0 controllers can enable SSDs to reach read and write speeds of up to 14 GB/s. These types of speeds are not available for the home market, but rather apply to devices for servers and large companies. But advances in the technology sector, for reasons of logistics and price, always advance to reduce costs and bring those same capabilities to a desktop PC or laptop.
It would not be surprising that in the future of SSDs Reading and writing speeds rise exponentially. We are undoubtedly at a pivotal moment for everything that has to do with data storage. The possibility of a new milestone in the development of storage technologies that combine large amounts of space while reducing energy consumption and physical space on devices.