HP Pavilion 15 Gaming Notebook 15-bc018ca (Touch)

SATA solid state drives (SSD) are commonplace. They utilize the SATA interface, whether in the 2.5” (physical) or M.2 (logical) form factor. One specific characteristic divides the “good” drives from the “bad”: the presence or lack of DRAM. DRAM on a SSD does not act as a write or data cache as you would find on a Hard Drive. Instead, it helps with the flash translation layer (FTL) – the method by which the drive communicates between the OS and the flash. The FTL handles myriad functions and the presence of DRAM assists it in these tasks, improving both performance and endurance. Drives utilized with mixed workloads – reads and writes – and especially many small operations benefit most from DRAM. This includes OS and mixed use.

Entry Level SATA Solid State Drives
Entry Level SATA solid state drives are suitable for light OS use and general data storage or may act as a dedicated game drive. Depending on the need for storage capacity these are generally used in smaller capacity for lighter use with general data storage and larger in capacity for gaming drives. Most QLC drives fall into the entry level category because they require more flash to hit peak performance due to denser flash and the parallel nature of SSD design. QLC drives are also slower and less consistent outside of the temporary SLC cache. Entry Level SATA drives also usually lack DRAM, which is more crucial for SATA drives.

Mid Level SATA Solid State Drives
Mid Level SATA solid state drives are suitable for any use but are a cheaper alternative to the very best drives on the market. They usually have DRAM but may be deficient in some other areas, such as have older or lower quality flash, an older controller, etc. These are an option if budget is important, but you do not want to drop to a DRAM-less drive. Mid level drives are generally used in laptops, PCs and other devices that operate eight hours a day, five days a week, in standard laptop and desktop applications.

Pro Level SATA Solid State Drives
Pro Level SATA solid state drives are the very best on the market. They have newer, more powerful controllers, use the most current NAND flash and have the highest Endurance (TBW) and (DWPD) rating of any SSDs on the market. Pro level drives are suitable for any type of usage. They are commonly used in heavy-duty workstations that create and edit photos and videos, process big data and regularly need to move loads of data through the system in short periods of time.

M.2 NVMe Solid State Drive Classifications

When it comes to a PC’s system “responsiveness”, storage is one of the most crucial hardware components. The faster the drive, the faster the system boots, the faster apps launch, and the faster files save. When choosing what M.2 NVMe SSD is best for your needs, there are a couple things to consider. First is the form factor (mainly the length of the drive). While most M.2 drives are 22mm wide and 80mm long, there are some that are shorter or longer. You can tell by the four or five digit number in their names, with the first two digits representing width and the others showing length. The most common size is labeled M.2 2280. Some laptops will only support a M.2 2230 or M.2 2242 drives, but most laptops and desktops support M.2 2280 drives. Second is what type of usage is the drive for. Generally, QLC NAND SSDs are purchased when larger capacities are desired at a less expensive price and TLC NAND SSDs are purchased for consistency and reliability. Another major consideration when selecting a M.2 SSD is what controller it has. There are different controllers – four or eight channel, one or more cores, etc. Lastly is the endurance (TBW) and (DWPD) rating for the drive's reliability and lifespan. Note: M.2 NVMe Generation 4.0 drives are backwards compatible and can be installed in PCs that support Generation 3.0, but they will run at Generation 3.0 speeds due to the system board limitations.

Entry Level M.2 NVMe Solid State Drives
Entry-Level M.2 NVMe solid state drives are SATA replacement drives that are suitable for light OS use, general data storage and are a good option for laptops, ultrabooks and SFF desktops. These drives tend to have weaker, four-channel controllers with less or no DRAM. Most QLC drives fall into the entry level category because they require more flash to hit peak performance due to denser flash and the parallel nature of SSD design.

Mid Level M.2 NVMe Solid State Drives
Mid-Level M.2 NVMe solid state drives are the best consumer drives with high performance in Laptops, Ultrabooks and SFF Desktops. Generally these SSDs have powerful eight-channel controllers, sufficient DRAM, higher quality NAND flash and have a decent endurance (TBW) and (DWPD) rating. Drives in this category will give you the best user experience while being more affordable than pro level drives. These are an option if budget is important, but you don't want to go with a lower performance entry level drive.

Pro Level M.2 NVMe Solid State Drives
Pro-Level M.2 NVMe solid state drives are the very best SSDs on the market. They are extremely fast and have the most powerful eight-channel controllers, use the highest quality NAND flash and have the highest endurance (TBW) and (DWPD) rating of any SSDs on the market. Pro level drives are suitable for any type of usage and are commonly found in the following devices and environments - gaming devices, laptops and desktops, heavy-duty workstation devices that process loads of data through the system in short periods of time, and to create/edit photos and videos. Pro level NVMe SSDs used in conjunction with top-rated high-end CPUs and GPUs deliver the greatest performance benefits.