M2SATA

M2SATA, commonly referred to as M.2 SATA, is a type of solid-state drive that uses the M.2 form factor but communicates over the SATA interface rather than PCIe. This makes M2SATA drives slower than their PCIe/NVMe counterparts, but they can be cheaper and suitable for systems that only require basic solid-state performance.

Form factor and interface characteristics: The M.2 standard defines a small card that can carry different signaling interfaces. M2SATA drives use SATA signaling and typically come in common M.2 lengths such as 2242, 2260, or 2280. They often rely on B-key or B+M-key edge connectors, and they require an M.2 slot that supports SATA mode. Some M.2 slots support both SATA and PCIe, while others support only PCIe, in which case an M2SATA drive will not function.

Performance and terminology: Because they use the SATA 3.0 interface, M2SATA drives are generally limited to about 500–550 MB/s in sequential throughput, with lower random operations compared with PCIe/NVMe-based drives. This makes them less suitable for workloads that benefit from high throughput and low latency, but they can still provide noticeable speed improvements over traditional hard drives.

Compatibility and market context: M.2 has largely shifted toward PCIe/NVMe due to higher performance, leaving M.2 SATA as a compatibility and cost-conscious option for older systems or specific use cases. When selecting an M2SATA drive, it is important to verify that the target motherboard or laptop supports SATA-mode M.2 drives.

See also: M.2, SATA, NVMe, SSD.

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