M.2 vs SSD speed

[Fanatical Meat]

Assuming it’s a current motherboard and assuming the M.2 storage is a real M.2 unit not some converted crappy unit.
Are the speed differences noticeable or are they only perceived in synthetic tests?

*not interested in server or mining or any obscure things, interested in desktop usage.
**I know M.2 Storage can be 8x faster, is that extra speed noticeable

 

[Batmeat]

If you have a mediocre sata 3 SSD then upgrade to nvme (m.2) slot ssd the speed will be noticeable. If you always buy high end equipment, the speed might be noticeable. I went from a Samsung 860 Pro SSD to a 870 Pro NVME (m.2) slot and difference to me is negligible.

 

[UsandThem]

M.2 is a form factor.

You have M.2 NVMe SSDs and SATA SSDs. M.2 SATA SSDs perform pretty much identically to their 2.5" counterparts. NVMe SSDs are the ones that are almost always much faster than a SATA SSD.

And to answer your question, yes NVMe drives have noticeable improvements in speeds, but it comes down to what you use your use is. Things like installing programs, virus scans, moving and working with large files, etc.

There are a ton of user videos on YouTube where people time the speed differences between SATA and NVMe SSDs, so you see what the difference is with any program or game out there. Sometimes it's a small difference, while some particular uses are much faster.