The digital world that we are living in today, we consume huge amounts of data, ranging from images, videos, social media, internet etc, on both personal and work/professional basis. This phrase “Data is the new oil” might not sound alien to you, and some of us have to handle, produce or use a lot of data in today’s digital world. How we use or store our data can be a big and wide subject to discuss and debate on. Today, I am bringing your attention to a storage solution that is commonly found powering your PCs yet not commonly talked about – NVMe M.2 SSD.
What is NVMe M.2 SSD?
NVMe (Non-Volatile Memory Express) M.2 SSD (Solid-State Drive) is a type of high-speed storage device that uses the M.2 interface to connect to a computer’s motherboard. NVMe M.2 SSDs utilize flash memory to store data, providing incredibly fast read and write speeds, low latency, and high storage capacity. They are ideal for applications that require high performance, such as gaming, video editing, and data analytics.
This IBM article explains in great detail if you wish to know more – https://www.ibm.com/think/topics/nvme-vs-m2
Thoughts and Views on NVMe M.2 SSD Storage Solution
If we are not going in-depth into memory storage solutions, we would most likely be more familiar with the portable SATA SSD that we would see more readily available and used in the market, even though your desktop computer or laptop might be powered by NVMe M.2 SSD memory storage.
As I researched more in-depth into NVMe M.2 memory storage solutions, I also re-look at my current memory storage solutions setup since I am in need of adding more storage solutions soon. While a SATA SSD still has a role to play in today’s digital world, the NVMe SSD storage solutions represent a new era for memory storage solution that also doubles up as a fast and powerful working portable SSD on the move/sidelines.
Samsung 990 EVO Plus PCle 4.0 x 4 /5.0 x 2 NVMe M.2 SSD 2TB Review Experiences and Notes
Earlier in October 2024, I published news coverage on the Samsung 990 EVO Plus SSD, I went up to read up more about NVMe M.2 when I got the opportunity to review this new NVMe M.2 SSD from Samsung that is faster, bigger and more efficient.
As a photographer, content creator and I am also starting to produce more videos/vlogging, my “thirst” for memory storage solutions is always there, and I need to upgrade and add-on more memory storage solutions in the very near future.
My approach would be of interest to fellow photographers, filmmaker, videographers and content creators on how the NVMe M.2 SSD can play an integral role beyond powering your computers.
Here are some of the pros and cons of NVMe M.2 SSD:
Pros
- For high performance computing setup
- Very fast and write speeds
- Low latency
- For gaming
- For creative endeavours – Video and graphics editing
- Data storage at very fast write and read speeds
- Compact size
Cons
- NVMe SSDs are only compatible with PC motherboards that have an M.2 slot
- Generally more expensive than traditional hard drives and SATA SSD
- Due to its very fast read and write speeds, it would generate more heat
- Technically complex: require technical knowledge to install and configure properly
UGREEN M.2 NVMe Hard Drive Enclosure
For this Samsung 990 EVO Plus PCle 4.0 x 4 /5.0 x 2 NVMe M.2 SSD 2TB, I have to get an additional accessory, a M.2 NVMe hard drive enclosure from UGREEN to install it, as I am using the 990 EVO Plus NVMe M.2 SSD as a portable SSD for my creative works as well as an additional memory storage solution for my MacBook Air 15 M2.
The setup wasn’t too difficult, it’s pretty smooth and easy. Once that’s completed, I connected the Samsung 990 EVO Plus NVMe M.2 SSD to my MacBook Air 15 M2, it was good to go, a powerful and fast SSD running on the side.
Samsung Magician software – User-friendly suite of management tools
The Samsung Magician Software is a user-friendly suite of management/optimisation tools to ensure Samsung SSD best performance, from migration of your data, protecting data, monitoring drive health, and getting the latest firmware updates. Samsung Magician software is available for download and installation on your computers (requires Windows 10 and higher, or macOS High Sierra (10.13) and higher).
However, there are limitations, one of them is that Samsung Magician does not work with SSDs connected via the SCSI Controller interface.
A NVMe M.2 SSD as part of your memory storage solutions
My current memory storage solutions setup are multi-fold, from multiple portable SDD drives, to various public cloud storage solutions, personal cloud drive and my computers, an iMac desktop and MacBook Air 15 M2 laptop.
When I got to know more about NVMe M.2 storage solutions, my personal technology views and thoughts are that they could be the next era of portable memory storage solutions that you can build up, on top of them powering your desktop or laptop memory storage solutions.
For the photographer/filmmaker/videographer/content creator
Whether you are a photographer, filmmaker, videographer, content creator, technology writer or everyday user (work, studies, leisure, gaming or personal), or maybe all of the above. A NVMe M.2 SSD has a role to play in your memory storage solutions expansion.
- Upgrading your PC SSD for upgraded performance, very fast write and read speeds
- Portable SSD
- Creative endeavours + scratch disk
- Additional memory storage solution
Whether you are upgrading your PC SSD to handle more powerful demanding applications or graphics and video editing, building a new fast and powerful portable SSD for your creative works, look no further than a NVMe M.2 SSD solution.
I tick all of the above boxes, I wear many hats, I produce and consume a lot of data as a photographer and content creator (photos and videos), and I am also thinking to expand into action cameras and drones.
This new and improved fast performance and higher capacity 2TB NVMe M.2 SSD is a great addition and expansion for my memory storage solutions setup, it’s versatile, adaptable, and has very fast read and write speeds performance.
Samsung’s wide range of memory and storage solutions
Beside NVMe M.2 SSD, Samsung has a wide range of memory and storage solutions for you to choose from to setup/upgrade/add-on your memory storage solutions.
The Samsung 990 EVO Plus NVMe M.2 SSD has expanded my memory storage solutions setup for my photography, content creation and vlogging. This NVMe M.2 SSD is ushering an new era of computing, gaming, creative and storage solutions, that I would look more in-depth into upgrading and adding more NVMe M.2 SSD onto my memory storage solutions setup.
* I would like to thank Samsung for the opportunity to review the 990 EVO Plus NVMe M.2 SSD. *
** Photos shot with Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra. **