Guides

Four questions decide almost every SSD purchase — what fits, how big, how fast, and how much it should cost.

Which interface your machine takes, how to tell without opening it, and what the speed difference actually buys you.

How to size a drive from what you already use, why leaving headroom matters, and when one bigger drive beats two small ones.

What 2280, 2242, and 2.5-inch mean, which one your machine takes, and how to check the keying before you buy.

Sequential versus random performance, why the number on the box describes the rarer case, and how to read it without being misled.

What Gen 3, Gen 4, and Gen 5 change, why a newer drive always works in an older slot, and when the extra speed is worth paying for.

What the NAND type and the controller's cache change about how a drive behaves, and when either is worth caring about.

What TBW and DWPD actually promise, how much a normal machine writes, and when endurance is worth paying extra for.

Fitting an M.2 or 2.5-inch drive, choosing between cloning and a clean install, and what to check on the first boot.

Why price per terabyte beats any discount percentage, and why a good price on one capacity says nothing about the others.