Choosing your new SSD can be a real challenge. The huge variety of solutions that we can find on the market today, their different features and different price ranges make this decision very complicated, especially if we have little knowledge or are not up to date.

Ultimately, it’s easy to make mistakes with all the variables we have to take into account, which is why I want to share this discovery guide with you today five mistakes you shouldn’t make when choosing your new SSD. As usual, I will explain them in detail in this article, but if you have any questions after reading, don’t forget to leave them in the comments.

Before I start, I want to remind you SSD drive is an essential part today, even in the cheaper devices that will only be used for office automation, web browsing and multimedia content playback. The reason is very simple, even in such modest computers, an SSD makes a huge difference compared to an HDD, because it reduces startup and shutdown times, improves the overall responsiveness of the computer, and allows basic actions to be started immediately.

Five mistakes to avoid when choosing a new SSD

1.-Incompatible format with your motherboard

It’s one of the most common mistakes and one of the most serious you can make when choosing your new SSD, as it will prevent you from using it and leave you with no choice but to return it. Today in the mainstream consumer market there are two major types of formats that are most commonly used, 2.5-inch and M.2.

2.5-inch format SSDs have the installation process practically identical to a 2.5-inch HDD, which means that we can screw it into the chassis if it has dedicated slots, or we have to insert it into a dedicated slot. They connect to a SATA port and use a SATA connector for power, so they are connected to the power supply and to the motherboard.

The M.2 models are much smaller and more compact. and plug directly into the slot on the motherboarda. They do not require an additional power connector, but they are sold in different sizes, so we must be very careful when choosing it. For example, the M.2 2280 variant is the largest, while the M.2 2242 variant is the shortestand therefore the smallest.

Before choosing, think about which slot or connector on the motherboard you will use, consider if you have PCIe lines available to connect this unit and if you have the necessary connectors. Note that this is key because most motherboards disable the SATA ports when we have all the M.2 slots occupied. Having a wireless network card also counts.

2.-Lower or higher standard than your computer supports

Undoubtedly, another of the most common mistakes when choosing a new SSD. Actually we have three main types of standardsSATA, which allows us to access SSDs that can exceed 550 MB/s, the PCIe Gen3 standard, which in its x4 mode allows us to use disks with a speed of around 3,500 MB/s, and the PCIe Gen4 standard, which in its x4 version allows SSDs to reach speeds of 7,500 MB/s.

The PCIe Gen5 standard has not yet been introduced to the mainstream consumer market, but SSDs that support this standard are expected to reach 16,000 MB/s, if installed in a compatible slot and running at x4 (four PCIe lanes).

When choosing your new SSD drive, if you choose one that uses a lower standard than what your motherboard supports, it’s very likely that you’ll generally have more than enough performance to enjoy a good user experience. This is not a serious error, except in very specific casesbut the truth is that, taking into account that the price difference between them is mostly small, it is better to decide on a model according to the advantages and possibilities of our equipment.

So, for example, buying a PCIe Gen3 x2 SSD when we have a x4 connector would not be a serious mistake, but for a little more we could get a better model that will be twice as powerful. Keep this in mind, especially if you’ll be using the PC for gaming, as with the advent of DirectStorage technology, it could finally make a significant difference.

On the other hand, buying an SSD drive that uses a higher standard than what our PC supports is really a serious mistake, because in the end we end up spending more money on a part we won’t actually use. A very simple example would be to buy a PCIe Gen4 x4 drive when we only have one PCIe Gen3 x2 compatible slot available.

3.-QLC and TLC units: choose wisely

The arrival of SSDs with QLC memory helped to reduce the price of this type of storage units a lot, but it had an important counterpart, namely that reduced its resistance to write cycles and had some performance. The most important in this sense are the write cycles, mainly because depending on the model we choose, the difference compared to a unit with TLC memory can be 50%.

This I’m not saying QLC units are pointless, can be a good choice in very specific cases, but the truth is that in general TLC solutions are a more interesting option and it is the one we should choose in most cases. They offer an interesting and balanced price-performance ratio and have good resistance to write cycles, which translates into a longer life.

If you are wondering when you should choose a QLC unit, the answer is very simple when you will be using it keep large files and content that you are not going to delete for a long time, and when you don’t plan to subject it to frequent write cycles. To give an example, I have a 4TB QLC SSD that I only use to install those games that I would never consider deleting in the short or medium term, and for more frequent write cycles I have an SSHD.

For all other usage scenarios I use SSD drives with TLC NAND Flash memory, which offer greater resistance to erase and write cycles. The conclusion you need to draw from this is very simple, think about the type of use you will be using the SSD drive you are going to buy and choose accordingly.

4.-Insufficient power and/or capacity

This is an important question, especially when it comes to capacity, because in the end even a low-end SSD is able to offer excellent performance. When choosing a new SSD, you should think, as I said in the previous section, about how you will use it and how much storage you will need. Don’t be short sighted, do the analysis of thinking in the long termbecause otherwise, chances are you’ll outgrow your new storage unit sooner than you’d like.

There are a few general usage profiles that allow me to give you a fairly straightforward script at this point. For the team dedicated to office automation and basic tasks SSD with a minimum size of 256 GB it would be enough and we wouldn’t need a very fast and expensive model. On the other hand, if we are going to use it for games, we should get a unit that reaches min 2400 MB/swhich is the minimum bar set for current generation games due to the Xbox Series SX specs, and its capacity should not be less than 1 TB.

If you opt for a slower model when choosing your new SSD, you may not have problems now, but chances are you will when development focuses on taking advantage of faster drivesand when DirectStorage technology is standardized, your gaming experience may not be quite optimal. You will have no problem with basic applications, navigation and office automation.

When it comes to storage capacity, it is a very easy topic to understand. If you choose a unit that has insufficient capacity in an effort to save money, you will have a lot of problems. Constantly deleting and reinstalling large amounts of data because your SSD doesn’t have the capacity it needs accelerates its deathand buying a new unit will incur additional costs that can ultimately make this error very expensive.

5.-Cheap can be very expensive

At this point, we could point out the error in choosing the storage capacity that we really need, but the truth is that I mean the problem that some very cheap SSDs that are sold in certain stores give. Sometimes, Those SSDs aren’t really what they seembecause they actually mount pendrives (USB storage drives) that are glued and connected to simulate an SSD.

There are also cases where even when it comes to SSD drives they don’t deliver what they promiseand they almost always have a short shelf life. Granted, they have the price in their favor as they are usually very cheap, but they are generally a bad investment. I have cases of people around me who got carried away by the price hook and bought 256GB SSDs for 10 euros, which was actually what I told you before, USB connected to a 2.5 inch chassis.

However, I was also able to try SSDs from little-known brands that ended up working without problems, so with this one I’m not saying that a cheap SSD isn’t an option, I’m just saying we should avoid offers that seem too good to be true. Consider that right now it is most normal that a SATA III SSD in 2.5 inch format with a capacity of 128 GB costs around 16-20 euros. If we see an offer for 5 euros, we have a lot of reasons to think wrong and avoid it.

In the end, it’s always better to invest a little more when choosing your new SSD than to rush to the max and reach for more than questionable models. If in doubt, it’s best always buy from proven stores that they guarantee a return if something goes wrong, so you can have complete peace of mind.