Review on TEAMGROUP MS30 256GB M.2 2280 SATA III SSD - SLC Cache, 3D NAND TLC, Read/Write Speed 500/400 MB/s - Compatible with Laptop & PC Desktop TM8PS7256G0C101 by Zach Spangler

I'm seeing a lot of negative feedback here on the performance and DOA of the 256GB and 512GB finished models this section of the test is associated with. I think most of it has to do with people assuming it's an NVMe drive due to its M.2 form factor. This is NOT NVMe. This is a SATA-based SSD, just like a 2.5-inch SSD, but in M.2 form. It doesn't even work on 1/4 speed NVMe drives. It does not use PCIe lanes, but instead uses SATA standards through an M.2 interface. Many motherboards cannot run SATA M.2 in their M.2 slots, and most require the user to disable NVMe and enable SATA in the BIOS for an M.2 slot for drive operation. I think this will solve most of the problems described here. I would not recommend this drive for a traditional desktop computer as the primary/boot drive. I bought it to use with a Raspberry Pi 4 and it just won't load preempt as little as a Windows/Linux desktop. The price is a bit high, but finding a 512GB or larger SSD in the M.2 form factor is difficult and there is little demand for it. Almost everyone wants NVMe for speed reasons. 4 doesn't have PCIe lanes, you'll need to use an SSD over USB 3 to get more speed than the onboard microSD. For these reasons, this small drive is inexpensive and for old motherboards and tablets from about ten years ago with M.2 but without NVMe, it can be useful. With that in mind I can say that for the right conditions it's worth it. Just remember that this is NOT an NVMe drive and will NOT work as such and you must enable SATA over M.2 in the BIOS on most desktops or the system will not be able to see it.