M2 ssds or sata

[nimonster]

My motherboard supports M2 and I heard it is better. Also, when I checked the price it was cheaper. Could someone explain M2?

 

[nukemaster]

You can see more info on M2 Here.

In a nutshell M2 is a replacement for other cardslots(msata mpcie) on boards. It retains SATA so an M2 drive can still run at the same speed as a normal SSD, but if the drive can use the PCI-e links it CAN be faster. You will have to pay close attention to the specs on a drive for M2.

 

[photonboy]

1)
a) It's "better" in the sense the interface supports speeds higher than 6gbps.

b) It also reduces cable clutter (no data or power cables) and it can take up less space (not an issue in a desktop PC usually).

It's really not a big deal though as very few people could tell the difference in speed even if one SSD was slightly faster. I certainly wouldn't pay any extra for similar capacity.

2) QUALITY:
Looking at pcpartpicker it's hard to determine quality by the amount of feedback. In comparison, an SSD like the Samsung 840 EVO has not only excellent feedback but the useful SAMSUNG MAGICIAN software to update firmware, test etc.

So SUPPORT is another factor worth considering.

Example (not recommended): http://pcpartpicker.com/part/kingston-internal-hard-drive-sm2280s3120gb

Example (recommended): http://pcpartpicker.com/part/samsung-internal-hard-drive-mz7te120bw
or
http://pcpartpicker.com/part/samsung-internal-hard-drive-mz7te250bw

Summary:
My advice is get one of the above Samsung EVO's depending on capacity need (120GB fine for most people if games go on a different drive. I have Steam on an HDD and Windows/programs on an SSD).

Then install SAMSUNG MAGICIAN and update firmware if needed, and set profile, test etc