What is a PCIe SSD best described as?

A PCIe SSD (Peripheral Component Interconnect Express Solid State Drive) is best described as a high-speed serial expansion card because it utilizes the PCIe interface, which allows for significantly faster data transfer rates compared to traditional interfaces used for storage. Unlike external storage devices and traditional hard disk drives, PCIe SSDs are typically installed directly onto the motherboard, taking advantage of the high bandwidth and low latency provided by the PCIe standard.

This installation method enables PCIe SSDs to access data much more quickly, making them ideal for performance-critical applications such as gaming, creative content creation, and enterprise workloads. Their design and functionality leverage the speed of PCIe, which supports multiple lanes for data transmission, thus enhancing their performance capabilities compared to older data interfaces typically associated with hard disks and other storage types.