Interfaces
| Interface | Link speed | Typical peak throughput | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| PATA (IDE) | 133 MB/s | ~130 MB/s | Legacy |
| SATA 1.0 | 1.5 Gbit/s | 150 MB/s | 2003 |
| SATA 2.0 | 3 Gbit/s | 300 MB/s | 2004 |
| SATA 3.0 | 6 Gbit/s | ~550 MB/s | Current SATA SSD cap |
| SAS 12 Gb | 12 Gbit/s | ~1.2 GB/s | Enterprise / dual-port |
| SAS 24 Gb | 24 Gbit/s | ~2.4 GB/s | |
| NVMe PCIe Gen3 x4 | 4 GB/s | ~3.5 GB/s | Common laptop/desktop |
| NVMe PCIe Gen4 x4 | 8 GB/s | ~7 GB/s | Modern M.2 |
| NVMe PCIe Gen5 x4 | 16 GB/s | ~14 GB/s | High-end 2023+ |
| eMMC 5.1 | 400 MB/s | embedded | Phones, tablets, SBCs |
| UFS 3.1 | 2.9 GB/s | embedded | Modern phones |
| UFS 4.0 | 5.8 GB/s | embedded | 2023+ phones |
| USB 3.2 Gen 2 (10 Gb) | 10 Gbit/s | ~1 GB/s | External SSD |
| USB 3.2 Gen 2×2 (20 Gb) | 20 Gbit/s | ~2 GB/s | |
| USB 4 / Thunderbolt 3/4 | 40 Gbit/s | ~3.7 GB/s (usable) | External NVMe enclosures |
| Thunderbolt 5 | 80 / 120 Gbit/s | ~7.5 GB/s | 2024 |
Form factors
| Form factor | Interface | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 2.5" SATA | SATA | Laptop HDD/SSD standard |
| 3.5" SATA | SATA | Desktop HDD standard |
| M.2 (B+M key) | SATA or NVMe | Check slot capability |
| M.2 (M key only) | NVMe (PCIe) | Not SATA-compatible |
| U.2 | NVMe (PCIe) | Enterprise 2.5" |
| E1.S / E3.S (EDSFF) | NVMe | Data center modern |
| mSATA | SATA | Legacy mini-SATA |
| CFexpress A/B | PCIe (NVMe-class) | Pro cameras |
| microSD UHS-I | UHS-I | Up to 104 MB/s |
| microSD UHS-II | UHS-II | Up to 312 MB/s |
| microSD Express | PCIe 3.0 x1 | ~985 MB/s |
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