Storage

SSD storage: don't fall behind with your computer

SSD drives have become an essential component when assembling a gaming PC. Installing an SSD hard drive in a PC tower will allow us to obtain better performance and a considerable reduction in noise (as well as temperature and power consumption).

The difference between a hard disk and an SSD is the memory they have and that they do not erase the data every time we turn off our computer. The data on the SSD remains at all times and there is no need to worry if our PC is turned off or the power goes out. Stored data is not lost.

Currently it is more likely that an SSD can be the ideal component for your PC, as they have reduced their price considerably and increasingly formats are smaller and faster, which means an increase in the space available inside your gaming box and an improvement in the performance of your computer in games (or any other task that requires it).

SSD Formats: which one is yours?

The most commonly used formats within the SSD storage category are 2.5-inch and 3.5-inch (as is the case with traditional hard drives).

The second format, which is becoming more and more popular (especially for gaming computers), is the M.2 format. The advantage of this format over the 2.5-inch format is lower weight and power consumption. Within this format there is another variant called mSATA, which is smaller than M.2 but has less versatility, so within this type of format we recommend the use of M.2.

The third format is a kind of card attached directly to one of the PCI slots of our motherboard. Within this format we find two types: units that are assembled directly on the card or those that are used as a complement to be able to use the M.2 format on motherboards that do not have a specialized connector.

SSD interfaces: connection is important

2.5-inch and 3.5-inch SSDs connect to the SATA interface. On the other hand, M.2 SSDs can be connected to either the SATA or PCIe interface.

M.2 using PCIe, such as Alcyon M.2 SSD NVMe or Alcyon X, are the fastest SSDs you can currently find on the market. They use the PCIe interface to multiply their performance up to a maximum of 5x over SATA-format SSDs and up to a maximum of 15x over traditional hard drives.

Both Alcyon models support the NVMe standard, which features low latency and offers superior performance over other standards. You will need to make sure your motherboard supports NVMe, otherwise you will not be able to use the SSD as a primary drive, but you will be able to use it for data storage.

SSD capacity: information takes up space

To achieve the best possible performance with our SSD drive we should always leave at least 20% of its total space free, as it performs a continuous movement of deleting and copying data to make the most of the available space.

From Nfortec we recommend acquiring an SSD with at least 250 Gbytes, present in all models of our Alcyon family, which has capacities of 256 and 512 Gbytes for each model respectively. A 256 Gbyte SSD could be sufficient if our PC is equipped with any other traditional solid-state drive. But if we want to build a gaming PC with SSD storage only, it is better to opt for the 512 option and even opt for two units if the computer allows it.