M.2 is way more than just SSDs. Here's everything you need to know about one of the best computer connections out there.

When you buy a new SSD for your motherboard, you'll come across several options. The old-fashioned one, of course, is the SATA drive. But one specific kind of SSD has been exploding in popularity: NVMe SSDs. Instead of using SATA, they're much smaller in size and connect to your motherboard using the M.2 connector.

You might have seen the name floated around before, but it actually lets you connect many different things, everything from SSDs to Wi-Fi cards and even GPUs. But what is M.2 exactly? And should you care about it?

The M.2 connector, formerly known as Next Generation Form Factor (NGFF), is a type of internal computer connector. It replaces the mSATA standard and allows you to insert small expansion cards on everything from desktop PCs to thin-and-light laptops. The M.2 connector can pass PCI Express, SATA, and USB signals, making it versatile and allowing manufacturers to make all kinds of modules using it.

Since it supports a wide range of expansion cards, M.2 modules and slots typically have different keying notches to prevent users from plugging the wrong module into the wrong slot.

The M.2 interface has been around for years. Version 1.0 of the PCI-SIG M.2 specification was published in December 2013, and since then, the standard has made its way to all kinds of computers of all sizes.

You might know M.2 from one specific use case—storage— but there are several other uses.

These days, the most common reason why you're likely to use an M.2 slot is with SSDs. Most high-end SSDs now use an M.2 connector. Not only is it way more compact than a regular, 2.5-inch SATA drive, but it also has natural advantages in both performance and power consumption that ultimately benefit both SSD makers and end users.

You'll find two kinds of M.2 SSDs. The first one is SATA M.2, which uses the same old-fashioned SATA interface, except that it's connected over an M.2 connection rather than using a SATA connection. Then, you have NVMe SSDs, which actually use PCI Express lanes instead. This allows for way faster performance than you would otherwise have with SATA since it lets you use the full PCI Express speeds that normally enjoy things like graphics cards for your storage, which is why PCIe SSDs are better than SATA SSDs.

They're better, and they take less space—a win-win for everyone.

The second most common use case is Wi-Fi cards. If you tear down a laptop, you'll find the Wi-Fi card sitting in an M.2 slot. Likewise, if you disassemble a PCI Express Wi-Fi card for your desktop, you'll likely see a smaller M.2 module sitting underneath.

It has been the port of choice for wireless cards for years. M.2 Wi-Fi modules, and slots meant for these modules, will normally have different keying notches than SSDs, for obvious reasons.

It seems amazing, but since M.2 can carry PCI Express, you can use a graphics card and connect it to a system. You can find M.2 adapters for full PCI Express 16x cards, where you can connect and use graphics cards. You can even find smaller GPUs that fit in that slot, although, as you might imagine, they're not amazing.

With its versatility, M.2 is currently one of the most important connectors in computing. And while most of the time, you'll only use it for SSDs, it's cool to know that it has many other uses than just that.

Arol is a tech journalist and Staff Writer at MakeUseOf. He has also worked as a news/feature writer at XDA-Developers and Pixel Spot. Currently a Pharmacy student at the Central University of Venezuela, Arol has had a soft spot for everything tech-related since he was a child. When not writing, you'll either find him nose-deep into his textbooks or playing video games.

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