Do PC and laptops use the same SSD?

Just wondering if there is any difference between a SSD for a laptop and a SSD for a PC.

I've been trying to find some decent laptop for my girlfriend but can't find anything with 256GB SSD beside high-top end laptops. So I'm considering buying one with the specs I want and then replace the HDD for SSD. I checked a couple of sites and don't see laptop-specific SSD, so is there no difference at all?

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Comments

MTciscoguy

There used to be some size differences, but now a days, they are the same size and can be used in both laptops and desktops, I have the same model in my network server that I have in my and my wife's laptop.

lsud00d

Just check the size required for the specific laptop model and then you can start shopping for the right SSD.

thomas_

I don't know if there is such a thing as a 3.5" SSD drive, but most(all?) laptops use 2.5" drives. Like others have mentioned just find out the physical dimension of the drive the laptop uses and then match that to the SSD you want to buy.

TacoRocket

Most SSDs are 2.5" but in the same store you can find caddies for 2.5 to 3.5 for SSDs.

OctalDump

It depends.

Many laptops will use the same 2.5" SSDs that are commonly also sold for desktop use. However, some use m.2 SSDs and some use mSATA. These are basically stripped down 2.5" SSDs without the case (which is mostly empty), a different physical size and interface. Optionally, the m.2 might use a direct PCIe connection rather than SATA. The m.2 standard is less standard, so you do need to check compatibility between specific drives and specific notebooks. m.2 is the newer specification of the two.

You are more likely to see m.2 on sub notebooks and ultra compacts - things like chromebooks, MacBooks, Surface etc where they are trying to shrink size.