Many users have a version of the more popular SBC. They use it for various applications, however, all of them have a huge performance bottleneck related to the storage they use. In particular, we’re talking about systems designed to emulate the consoles of yesteryear. That’s why we are going to tell you why you should use an SSD in you Raspberry Pi 4.
The idea is simply to use a SATA SSD, either M.2 or 2.5 inch type, for this we will need the use of an external adapter or an enclosure connected through the USB 3.0 port of the interface. Let’s not forget that these interfaces have a bandwidth of 6 Gbps per second and 5 Gbps, compared to the 480 Mbps of USB 2.0 that older models have, so it can only be used in the fourth generation of Raspberry Pi.
This is why you should use an SSD in your Raspberry Pi 4
You have to assume that the speed of a MicroSD in a Pi 4 is 50MB/s or 400Mbps, which is nothing compared to the 5000Mbps or 620MB/s provided by the external USB 3.0 port. In this one and due to the limitations of the format, it is not worth connecting a conventional hard disk, since due to physical limitations it cannot saturate the entire bus. And what are the results? Well, they end up being a generational leap in terms of performance, especially when opening applications if we use a Raspberry Pi as a computer, so much so that the times are reduced by more than an order of magnitude , i.e. up to 10 times .
Additionally, we recommend using your Raspberry Pi’s SSD as the boot drive from which the operating system boots. The reason for this is that you will notice a change in the startup speed of not only applications, but also the operating system itself. If you don’t know how to do it, just follow the tutorial we wrote about it.
We recommend its use if you work with large files, that is, its size in megabytes can be counted in three digits. Especially if you use the SBC and its camera module to record video. Either to monitor your 3D printer or to keep an eye on your newborn.
What adapter can I use for this?
Any SATA to USB 3.0 adapter can be used for this, but keep in mind that we have two different types of connections. On the one hand, those that are used for conventional drive bays, then we have those that are used for M.2. In performance, since both use the same technology to transmit data, both solutions give the same performance.
As a final recommendation, we wouldn’t use an M.2 PCIe to USB 3.0 adapter, not only because it’s a stupid way to lose performance, but also because if they’re DRAM-less you’ll lose even more performance. , since the USB interface cannot directly access RAM like PCI Express.
