VPS SSD NVMe vs SATA: Performance Comparison
When choosing a VPS, people often focus on CPU and RAM, overlooking a component that has a massive impact on real-world performance: storage. Not all SSDs are the same, and the difference between a VPS SSD (i.e., with SATA SSD storage) and one with NVMe SSD is like the difference between a small city car and a Formula 1 race car. In this guide, we’ll explain why storage technology is the key factor for a truly fast website or application—and why we at Servereasy made a radical choice: to offer only NVMe SSD storage on all our VPS plans.
From Hard Drives to NVMe: A Brief History of Speed
To understand the NVMe revolution, let’s take a step back. For decades, the standard was the Hard Disk Drive (HDD), a rotating mechanical disk. Fast for its time, but limited by unavoidable physical constraints. Then came the SSD (Solid-State Drive) with a SATA interface, which removed mechanical parts and delivered a huge performance leap. But the SATA interface—designed for HDDs—still became a bottleneck. The real breakthrough arrived with NVMe (Non-Volatile Memory Express), a communication protocol designed specifically for SSDs, allowing them to talk directly to the CPU through the PCIe slot—the same one used by high-performance graphics cards.
| Technology | Read Speed | Latency | IOPS (Operations/second) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 7200rpm HDD | ~150 MB/s | ~15 ms | ~100 |
| SATA SSD | ~550 MB/s | ~1 ms | ~75,000 |
| NVMe SSD (PCIe 4.0) | ~7,000 MB/s | ~0.02 ms | ~1,000,000+ |
As you can see, an NVMe SSD VPS isn’t just “a bit faster.” It’s on another planet. We’re talking about read speeds up to 12x higher than a SATA SSD and latency nearly 50x lower. That translates into a radically different user experience.
Our Standard: NVMe RAID 10 for Everyone
Many providers offer SSD VPS plans, but often they use SATA SSDs—cheaper and less performant. Others offer NVMe only on the most expensive plans. We made a different choice. We believe performance shouldn’t be a luxury. That’s why all our VPS plans, from the BL1 base plan at €5 up to the most powerful, come with NVMe SSD storage in RAID 10 configuration.
What does RAID 10 mean? It means combining the advantages of two RAID types:
- RAID 1 (Mirroring): Your data is written simultaneously to two drives. If one drive fails, your data is safe on the other. Maximum reliability.
- RAID 0 (Striping): Data is split across multiple drives, exponentially increasing read and write performance. Maximum speed.
RAID 10 brings these two worlds together, giving you both speed and data redundancy. It’s the fastest and safest configuration, and we provide it as standard—not as an expensive add-on.
The Real-World Impact of NVMe Performance: Use Cases
But what is all that speed actually good for in practice? Here are some concrete examples:
| Use Case | Problem with Slow Storage (SATA) | Solution with NVMe SSD VPS |
|---|---|---|
| E-commerce (WooCommerce, Magento) | Slow product page loads, checkout freezes, endless catalog searches. | Instant database queries, immediate image loading, smooth shopping experience that boosts conversions. |
| High-Traffic WordPress Site | Slow backend (wp-admin), high TTFB (Time To First Byte), difficulty handling traffic spikes. | Drastically reduced TTFB, responsive backend, ability to serve thousands of users without slowdowns. |
| Databases (MySQL, PostgreSQL) | Complex queries taking seconds to run, bottlenecks on write operations. | Millions of IOPS enable complex queries in milliseconds and handle intensive write workloads. |
| Web App / SaaS | High latency in API responses, sluggish user experience. | Ultra-low latency delivers a snappy application and a high-end user experience. |
Don’t Settle for a “VPS SSD”. Ask for More.
The term “SSD” has become a marketing buzzword. Next time you evaluate a provider, don’t stop at the surface. Ask what type of SSD they use. Ask if it’s NVMe. Ask if it’s RAID. The performance gap is enormous and can determine the success or failure of your online project. We chose to give you the best available technology as standard on every plan—because your speed is our priority.
ServerEasy answers:
What is an NVMe SSD VPS?
It’s a Virtual Private Server that uses SSD (Solid-State Drive) storage based on the NVMe (Non-Volatile Memory Express) protocol. Unlike older SATA SSDs, NVMe communicates directly with the CPU via the PCIe slot, eliminating bottlenecks and providing dramatically higher read/write speeds and response times.
Is an NVMe VPS really much faster than a standard SSD VPS?
Yes—the difference is huge. An NVMe SSD can be up to 12–15x faster than a SATA SSD in sequential transfer speeds and can have up to 50x lower latency. This results in near-instant page loading, lightning-fast database queries, and overall system responsiveness that SATA SSDs simply can’t match.
Why does Servereasy use only NVMe storage for its VPS plans?
Because we believe performance shouldn’t be optional. While many providers use cheaper SATA SSDs or reserve NVMe only for premium plans, we chose to standardize the best technology across our entire VPS lineup. We want every customer—from the €5 base plan to the most advanced—to experience maximum speed from day one.
What does it mean that you use RAID 10?
RAID 10 is the safest and most high-performing storage configuration. It combines RAID 1 (mirroring), which duplicates your data across two drives for maximum protection in case of failure, with RAID 0 (striping), which splits read/write operations across multiple drives to increase speed. With RAID 10, you get the best of both worlds: extreme performance and full data protection.
Will my WordPress site be faster on an NVMe VPS?
Absolutely. WordPress—especially with plugins like WooCommerce or page builders—runs many database operations and loads many files. An NVMe VPS drastically reduces TTFB (Time To First Byte), speeds up database queries, and makes the backend (wp-admin) far more responsive. The difference in user experience, for both visitors and admins, will be noticeable.
Does NVMe storage make the VPS more expensive?
Not with us. Even though NVMe technology is inherently more expensive than SATA SSDs, thanks to our infrastructure optimization and bulk hardware purchasing, we can offer NVMe SSD VPS plans at highly competitive prices starting from just €5/month. You get better value with no extra cost.
Do I need an NVMe VPS for a small brochure website?
Even for a small site, speed is crucial for SEO rankings and user experience. An NVMe VPS ensures your site loads instantly, making a great first impression. Since we provide this technology as standard even on our cheapest plan, there’s no reason to settle for lower performance.
How does it improve database performance?
Databases are extremely sensitive to latency and I/O speed (input/output operations per second). An NVMe SSD can handle over one million IOPS, compared to ~75,000 on a SATA SSD. This means complex queries, table joins, and intensive write operations run in a fraction of the time—eliminating bottlenecks and keeping your application consistently snappy.
