Side-by-Side Comparison
SSD
mSATA vs. PCIe AIC
Comparing 2 standards across 7 specifications. 7 key differences identified.
Comparing:
mSATA
PCIe AIC
mSATA (Mini-SATA) packed a SATA interface into the same physical card size as Mini PCIe, standardized in 2011 -- but despite sharing its connector and outline with Mini PCIe, it's electrically incompatible, carrying SATA signal lines instead of PCIe lines. M.2 has now largely superseded it.
PCIe Add-in Card (AIC) SSDs, commonly called HHHL (Half-Height, Half-Length), plug directly into a PCIe expansion slot like a graphics card rather than using M.2 or U.2 connectors -- trading compactness for the far greater power delivery and cooling surface area a full expansion card provides.
Specification Comparison Table
7 Parameters| Parameter / Spec | ||
|---|---|---|
|
Standard Base Dimensions
|
~30 x 51mm (Mini PCIe card size) | — |
|
Bus Interface / Protocol
|
SATA | — |
|
Standardized
|
July 2011 (SATA revision 3.1) | — |
|
Status
|
Largely superseded by M.2 | — |
|
Physical Form Factor
|
— | Half-Height, Half-Length (HHHL) PCIe expansion card |
|
Slot Power Available
|
— | Up to 75W (PCIe x16 slot) |
|
Typical Use
|
— | High-performance enterprise/datacenter and enthusiast drives |