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DEFINITION

mSATA SSD (mSATA solid-state drive)

Posted by: Margaret Rouse WhatIs.com

c o n
Contributor(s): Carol Sliwa

An mSATA SSD is a solid-state drive (SSD) that conforms to the mSATA interface specification developed by the Serial ATA
2 (SATA) International Organization.

An mSATA SSD has a smaller form factor than a standard SSD and is designed for use with portable, power-constrained
devices such as laptops, tablets and netbooks. The mSATA SSD has also seen use in commercial products such as digital
signs, point-of-sale devices, retail kiosks and multifunctional printers.

An mSATA SSD is roughly the size of a business card. Advantages of mSATA SSDs include the small form factor, low power
consumption, shock/vibration resistance and fast boot/shutdown capabilities. The maximum bandwidth of an mSATA SSD is 6
gigabits per second (Gbps).

Specification for mSATA

The mSATA specification describes how to map SATA signals onto a Peripheral Component Interconnect Express (PCIe) mini-
card connector to enable use with a wide range of applications.

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8/5/2019 What is mSATA SSD (mSATA solid-state drive)? - Definition from WhatIs.com
Like SATA, mSATA uses the Advanced Technology Attachment (ATA) command set to transfer data between a host computer
and target storage device. The main differences between an mSATA SSD and a SATA SSD are physical size and the
connector.

The SATA International Organization (SATA-IO) started development of the mini interface connector in 2009. The mSATA
specification emerged in 2011 as part of SATA revision 3.1. Vendors who contributed to the mSATA specification included Dell,
Hewlett-Packard (now known as Hewlett Packard Enterprise), Lenovo, Samsung, SanDisk, sTec (which was acquired by
HGST, a Western Digital company, in 2013) and Toshiba.

SATA-IO

k Image of an mSATA SSD.

SATA-IO initially referred to the specification as mini-SATA, but the organization later simply called it mSATA.

M.2 SSD vs. mSATA SSD

M.2 SSDs and mSATA SSDs and are both high-performance storage devices designed for use with small devices such as
notebook and tablet computers. An mSATA SSD uses only the SATA interface, while M.2 SSDs support SATA or PCIe.

The M.2 form factor emerged in 2013, approximately two years after the mSATA specification. The PCI Special Interest Group
consortium of technology vendors defined the M.2 specification; SATA-IO described the SATA version of M.2 in the 3.2 revision
of the SATA specification. M.2 SSDs also support SATA Express (SATAe), which is defined in the SATA 3.2 revision and
enables SATA or PCIe connectors. The SATAe-based M.2 drive tells the host if it is PCIe or SATA. However, few commercial
products support SATAe.

The newer M.2 form factor allows for variations in drive dimensions, whereas full-size mSATA SSDs ship in only one size. Half-
size mSATA SSDs are also available.

An M.2 SSD is able to extend the data rate beyond the 6 Gbps limitation of a SATA SSD or mSATA SSD. A PCIe-based M.2
SSD can support up to four lanes of PCIe at a per-lane rate of up to 1 gigabyte per second. In addition, a PCIe-based M.2 SSD
that supports NVM Express can boost performance and reduce latency over devices that use the ATA or Small Computer
System Interface command set. SATAe-based M.2 SSDs can support up to two lanes of PCIe, but they are not in common
use.

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MICRON TECHNOLOGY INC.

k Micron M600 SSD form factors (left to right): mSATA SSD, M.2 SSD (22 mm x 60 mm double-
sided), M.2 SSD (22 mm x 80 mm single-sided) and a 2.5-inch SATA SSD.

The technology industry has largely shifted to M.2 SSDs over mSATA SSDs. M.2 SSDs are used in client devices and, to a
lesser degree, in enterprise systems.

Technology comparison: mSATA vs. mini PCIe

An mSATA SSD is similar in size and appearance to a mini PCIe card, and both fit into the same mPCIe slot on the
motherboard of a space-constrained computing device. However, an mSATA SSD uses the SATA storage bus interface and
must have a direct connection to the SATA host controller. An mPCIe card supports PCIe and universal serial bus signals.

Margaret Rouse asks:

How long do you think mSATA SSDs will stick around given

Z
the rise in use of M.2 SSDs?

Join the Discussion

PCIe is a point-to-point technology in which each serial link has a full duplex pair of differential signals, known as a lane. PCIe
supports up to 32 lanes, but mPCIe supports only one.

This was last updated in January 2017

∙∙
m Continue Reading About mSATA SSD (mSATA solid-state drive)
SSD form factors include mSATA drives, DIMMs, PCIe cards

∙∙
mSATA focuses on SSD form factor

Switching from mSATA to NVMe can speed reboot times

∙
Industry consortium develops mSATA specification

Pros and cons of Crucial mSATA SSD

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Related Terms

NAND flash memory

NAND flash memory is a type of nonvolatile storage technology that does not require power to retain data. See complete definitionq

solid-state storage
Solid-state storage (SSS) is a type of computer storage media made from silicon microchips. SSS stores data electronically ...
See complete definitionq

SSD (solid-state drive)

An SSD (solid-state drive) is a type of nonvolatile storage media that stores persistent data on solid-state flash memory. See complete definitionq

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Oldest 5

[-] Margaret Rouse

- 28 May 2014 8:11 AM
t
How long do you think mSATA SSDs will stick around given the rise in use of M.2 SSDs?

Reply

[-] NoelClive
- 10 Oct 2015 10:04 PM
t
Solid State Device is more appropriate since it doesn't drive. There are no moving parts. In the same way, a USB stick is not a drive. Language has to
move on as technology moves on.

Reply

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8/5/2019 What is mSATA SSD (mSATA solid-state drive)? - Definition from WhatIs.com

[-] teKnbout
- 3 Nov 2017 2:01 AM
t
They are two different form factors though the smaller size may win out as the art of things is about packing a lot into a smaller package. But the real
jewel is the placement in the scheme of things namely, latency. The PCIe smaller form factor packs a higher density of bandwidth 5-6 times as much
than from the mSATA and has a closer connection to the brain, the CPU.

Reply

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