Buying an SSD? Ask yourself these 4 crucial questions first

Here is a 181-word summary of the key points from the article: When buying an SSD, there are four crucial questions to consider: 1. What type of SSD do you need? SATA SSDs are more affordable but NVMe SSDs using the PCIe interface are 3-10x faster, making them better for productivity and gaming. 2. What form factor should you get? Options include 2.5-inch SATA, M.2 SATA/NVMe, mSATA, and U.2 - check your system's specifications. 3. What storage capacity do you need? Common sizes range from 128GB to 4TB, with larger drives (1TB+) recommended if you plan to store many large programs/files locally. 4. What speed do you need? NVMe drives offer much faster transfer speeds than SATA, with the latest Gen 5 PCIe offering double the bandwidth of Gen 4. However, Gen 4 or 3 will suffice for most users. Overall, carefully consider these factors to ensure you get the right SSD for your needs and maximize its performance. Consulting reviews can also help in the selection process.