SSD M.2 vs SataE vs U.2 vs Turbo m.2

You mentioned applications but did not say anything about the type of applications. What do you do with your computer? Best solution would depend on what you do with your computer.

Your new motherboard has two of the new M.2 3.0 x 4 headers and it supports the new NVMe protocol so you might want to wait for the new Samsung 950 Pro NVMe which should be released for sale in a couple of weeks. It will probably be the fastest consumer ssd available.

In the meantime, I maintain an ssd database listed in a sticky at the very top of this forum section. Here is the link:

http://www.johnnylucky.org/data-storage/ssd-database.html

Scroll down to the type, brand, and models you might be interested in and follow the links to the technicql reviews which should provide you with quite a bit of information. The reviews are in English and many other languages.

Here is a link to a list of recent guides to solid state drives:

https://www.google.com/?gws_rd=ssl#q=ssd+guide&tbs=qdr:y

Here is a link to a list of articles explaining the U2 SF-8639 adapter which is not an ssd:

https://www.google.com/?gws_rd=ssl#tbs=qdr:y&q=what+is+ssd+u2

Here is a link to easy to understand explanations of ssd terms and phrases.

http://www.ryli.net/important-terms-to-know-before-buying-a-solid-state-drive-ssd/

SATA Express solid state drives for consumers do not exist. It was a last ditch effort by the International SATA group to try and compete with M.2 and PCIe ssd.'s. The pc industry ignored SATA Express in favor of M.2 and PCI-e ssd's.

For backup and restore just use Microsoft Windows backup and restore. I have automatic backups scheduled for every Sunday morning. The backups run in the background while I do other stuff. No muss. No fuss. No bother.

Regarding lists and databases - You asking for the wrong information. The price per GB always varies. The read and write speeds are from synthetic benchmarks. There is a reason they are called synthetic benchmarks. They do not accurately represent real life performance. The settings and results can be manipulated to allow the companies to present their ssd's in the most favorable light. Finally data transfer rates will vary.

You mentioned your motherboard has two M.2 3.0 X 4 (Ultra M.2) headers/connectors. You also mentioned working with photographs and videos. If you want top performance that narrows down your options in a hurry.

If the video files you work with are larger than 1 Gigabyte or if you have very large photo folders and files, then you might want to consider the Intel 750 NVMe solid state drive. It is a PCIe 3.0 x 4 ssd which is plugged into an available PCIe 3.0 x 16 slot on your motherboard. The sale price today for the 400 GB model at newegg.com is $339.99 after mail-in rebate:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820167300&cm_re=intel_750-_-20-167-300-_-Product

If the videos, photos, or other files are smaller than 1 Gigabyte, then you might want to consider the Samsung 950 Pro that will be released in a couople of weeks. It is an M.2 3.0 x 4 NVMe ssd that is plugged into an M.2 3.0 x 4 (Ultra M.2) header/connector on your motherboard. The vast majority of consumers (90%) work with files smaller than 1 Gigabyte so the Samsung 950 Pro would probably be the ssd of choice. The MSRP for the 256GB model is $199.00. The MSRP for the 512GB model is $349.00.

There are no consumer SATA Express ssd's so the option is aurtomatically ruled out.

The final option is the standard 2.5 inch SATA 3 6Gb/s ssd's that have been around for a few years. Those ssd's are being replaced by M.2 and PCIe ssd's. Among the noteworthy SATA 3 models are the Samsung 850 Pro and 850 EVO. They perform very well and have a proven track record. Prices fluctuate but expect to pay anywhere between $0.35/GB to $0.50/GB. Here is an example of the 850 Pro 256GB on sale at newegg.com:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820147360&utm_medium=Email&utm_source=IGNEFL101615&cm_mmc=EMC-IGNEFL101615-_-EMC-101615-Latest-_-InternalSSDs-_-20147361-S0D

The U.2 adapter cable is not popular with consumers. It is better suited for business enterprise.

Neither capacity nor thermals are a genuine issue. We already have 1 Terabyte PCIe and M.2 ssd's. Larger capacities are coming next year. Currently the most common ssd purchase is a 256 GB capacity ssd. Thermals are not an issue when the ssd is installed in a desktop case that has good ventilation, airflow, and cooling. Both Samsung and Intel have clearly indicated that adequate airflow is sufficient.

The Microsoft Windows Backup and Restore are included in Windows. It is not a separate software application. Full back-ups, partial back-ups, and restore points are not written to the primary boot drive. They are written to a secondary drive. In my case it is a Samsung 850 EVO M.2 SATA 3 6Gb/s ssd. If the back-ups are written to the primary boot drive and the drive dies, then the back-ups are useless. They have to be written to a secondary drive. Most consumers typically use a hard disk drive as a secondary drive.

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SATA 3 6 Gb/s, 750 MB/s Theoretical Maximum Throughput - Actual Throughput Is Lower:

SATA3 = type of interface/connection on the motherboard.

6 Gigabits per second and/or 750 Megabytes per second = theoretical maximum throughput (data transmission rate)

Actual Throughput is lower = The actual data transmission rates are lower. For SATA 3 6Gb/s ssd's the maximum read is about 550 MB/s and the maximum write is about 530 MB/s. User results will vary depending on pc configurations.

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PCIe 3.0 x 4 and/or M.2 3.0 x 4 32 Gb/s, 4 GB/s Theoretical Maximum Throughput - Actual Throughput Is Lower:

PCIe 3.0 x 4 = An ssd that is inserted into a PCIe 3.0 slot on a motherboard. The 4 at the end indicates the ssd uses 4 PCIe 3.0 channels to transmit and receive data.

M.2 3.0 x 4 = An ssd that uses an M.2 3.0 x 4 header/connector on a motherboard. The 3.0 x 4 indicates that the M.2 ssd also uses 4 PCIe 3.0 channels to transmit and receive data.

32 Gigabits per second and/or 4 Gigabytes per second = Theoretical Maximum Throughput (Data transmission rate)

Actual Throughput is lower = The actual data transmission rates are lower. For PCIe 3.0 x 4 and M.2 3.0 x 4 ssd's the maximum read is about 2,500 MB/s and the maximum write is about 1,500 MB/s. User results will vary depending on pc configurations.

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I list capacities for each ssd in the database. I do not list MSRP for the simple reason that the MSRP varies by country. The ssd database wound up being listed in other forums and reference lists around the world. That is also why I have links to technical reviews in languages other than English. I also list ssd's that are available in other countries but not in the USA.

If you are in the USA, then the best sites to check current ssd prices are newegg.com, amazon.com, and Google search results.