PC Building Guide: How to Choose the Perfect SSD for 2024?

In the final PC Building Guide of 2023, Mytour shares the insider tips for selecting the latest SSD for your PC. Embrace 2024 by owning a more powerful rig with just a small investment in an SSD.

Why Do You Need an SSD?

Why can an SSD boost your computer's speed? It's because while both the CPU and GPU can handle billions of calculations, building tens of millions of polygons per second, they still have to wait for the hard drive to transfer data. The SATA protocol, designed for HDDs over 20 years ago, is losing ground to newer standards.

Moreover, old HDDs waste a lot of time (compared to modern SSDs) as the spinning disks need time to reach the necessary speed, and the read head must also move to the right position. SSDs eliminate both factors and have higher data transfer speeds. When replacing an HDD with an SSD, we'll see a significant improvement in the processing speed of the machine.

It's no coincidence that some recent graphically intensive games like Cyberpunk 2077 or Final Fantasy 16 recommend players install them on an SSD. So, how do you choose an SSD that suits you? Let's find out with Mytour.

Determine Budget and Capacity

SSDs designed for normal users come in capacities from 120 GB to 2 TB. Of course, lower capacities are cheaper, but when the capacity doubles, the price only increases slightly. For example, a 1TB drive may be only slightly more expensive than a 500GB drive by 300-400 thousand dong.

Additionally, lower-capacity SSDs are being phased out by both manufacturers and users due to the inability to meet data storage needs. Therefore, the most suitable segment for normal users in terms of price and performance today is SSDs with capacities ranging from 500 GB to 1 TB.

Moreover, SSDs above 2TB also exist in the market, but their prices surge, making them unsuitable for basic user needs. They are often used by large companies with massive data and high-speed requirements or deep-pocketed gamers who love storing a plethora of games for the festive season.

Understand the Type of SSD Your Computer Supports

After determining the budget for your SSD, let's explore the next step: examine the type of SSD your computer supports. Nowadays, we can find various SSD standards in the market, operating through different physical connections and software methods. If your system is relatively new with a mid-range or higher configuration, chances are you can use any type of SSD available.

However, for , it's a different story. Due to the slim, lightweight, and portable nature of laptops, the 2.5-inch standard SSD has nearly disappeared from modern laptops. Manufacturers have shifted to equipping them with M.2 SSDs, resembling a stick of chewing gum to save space.

Usually, laptop models will have slots for you to add a new M.2 SSD; some may require removing the old drive, and a few solder the drive onto the mainboard, preventing regular users from upgrading. Therefore, before purchasing an SSD for your laptop, carefully read the user manual of your model or contact technical support for clear guidance.

Type of SSD You Want to Purchase

Next, you can decide which type of SSD to buy. Currently, there are four types of SSDs in the market, each with distinct characteristics.

• 2.5-inch SATA SSD: Compact compared to HDDs but still relatively large. They connect to the motherboard via cables and the aging SATA port, making them not faster than HDDs.
• SSD AIC: Potentially the fastest SSDs today, connecting to the motherboard through the PCI Express slot commonly used for graphics cards. However, this means you can only use it for desktops.
• M.2 SSD: A relatively new and increasingly popular form due to its size advantage. There are different types, such as M.2 NVMe and M.2 SATA, with different size standards, but the most common is the M.2 NVMe '2280,' meaning 22mm wide and 80mm long. Mid-range motherboards in the modern era have at least two slots for you to run RAID.
• mSATA SSD: Resembles M.2 but still uses the traditional SATA standard. They are rare nowadays as they are being replaced by M.2.
• U.2 SSD: Expensive with very high speeds, U.2 drives are often found in supercomputers or servers of large corporations. Regular users usually don't need this type of hard drive.

For regular users looking to build a new PC or upgrade an old one, M.2 NVMe SSDs are the best current choice. They offer large capacity, reasonable cost, high speed, and are widely available in the market with various capacities.

Power Consumption?

Electricity prices in Vietnam are relatively cheap, so desktop users can overlook this factor. However, laptop owners may want to pay attention because the larger the hard drive and the higher the speed, the more battery it will consume. Manufacturers are aware of this, and for , you can choose the power-efficient 860 EVO SSD instead of the 960 EVO.

Key Considerations

Everything shared by Mytour above has helped you find a suitable SSD. However, there are still a few factors you may want to know, summarized below.

Controller

Each SSD can be seen as a mini-computer, and the controller is its central processing unit. The controller's role is to guide the read/write data streams and perform maintenance tasks to preserve the hard drive's performance. There are many controller manufacturers with different configurations, and the more cores a controller has, the faster and better it performs.

Memory Chip Type

Currently, common types include SLC (single layer), MLC (multi-layer), TLC (3 layers), QLC (4 layers) with decreasing speed, diminishing lifespan, and gradually cheaper prices. QLC is the most prevalent type in SSDs for regular users.

SSD Lifespan

The memory chips on SSDs have their lifespan measured by the total bytes written (TBW) or the number of writes per day (DWPD). When reaching this limit, the memory cells are prone to damage, risking data loss. However, in general, you don't need to worry about this since we rarely approach the write limit.

Manufacturers extend the lifespan of their drives by allocating a portion of the capacity as a reserve. When the memory cells are nearing the failure point, the data is transferred to a new, unused area. Unless you constantly read/write data 24/7, current SSDs have a lifespan of at least 5 years, excluding unexpected failures. If you want a longer-lasting drive, avoid SSDs using QLC memory chips.