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Question

Difficulty: EasyStorage Devices and Interfaces

A technician is upgrading a desktop computer's storage drive and needs to select a solid-state drive that connects directly to the PCI Express (PCIe) bus to achieve high-speed data transfer rates. Which of the following storage device specifications best fulfills this requirement?

  1. An M.2 drive using the NVMe protocolAnswer
  2. B
    An M.2 drive using the SATA protocol
  3. C
    A 2.5-inch drive using the SATA III interface
  4. D
    A 3.5-inch hard drive using the AHCI controller mode

Answer

An M.2 solid-state drive utilizing the NVMe protocol over the PCIe interface provides direct access to PCIe bus lanes, yielding maximum storage performance.
The option specifying an M.2 drive using the NVMe protocol is correct because NVMe is designed specifically to interface directly with PCI Express lanes, delivering significantly higher IOPS and transfer bandwidth compared to SATA-bound drives.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Identify the required interface bus standard.
The scenario specifically requests direct connection to the PCI Express (PCIe) bus for high speed.
Storage throughput performance varies greatly depending on whether the underlying bus is SATA or PCIe.
2
Compare storage protocol and connector specifications against PCIe bus capability.
NVMe was designed specifically for high-speed SSDs operating directly over PCIe, whereas SATA III (whether in 2.5-inch or M.2 form factor) is constrained by SATA bus limits.
Form factor (such as M.2) dictates physical shape, while protocol (NVMe vs SATA) dictates electrical interface performance.

Key Concept

NVMe protocol over PCIe vs SATA protocol interfaces
Estimated Time:45s
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Topics

Storage Devices and Interfaces

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