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What's The Difference Between A SATA And PCIe SSD?
By ELI SHAYOTOVICH
SSDs (solid-state drives) can be connected to a PC using the old standard SATA (Serial Advanced Technology Attachment) or the newer PCIe (Peripheral Component Interconnect Express). If you're upgrading your gaming rig, knowing the differences between the two and precisely what your motherboard can use is vital to picking the correct storage device.
SATA 3, the latest iteration, easily connects most hard drives and optical drives like Blu-ray players to a motherboard using a standard SATA cable, the very same type of cable used to connect SATA SSDs. SATA devices are typically larger than PCIe devices and are usually the cheaper of the two formats because it is older technology.
PCIe uses point-to-point architecture, plugs into a slot on the motherboard either directly or with an adaptor, and can connect several different components, including sound and graphics cards. In short, PCIe is better than SATA in every situation, but figuring out which PCIe solution to use depends on your needs and how much you want to spend.