Why NVMe storage changes how a VPS feels
Sequential numbers look similar. Latency under load is where NVMe pulls away.
Storage benchmarks are usually quoted as sequential throughput, which is the number least likely to match how a desktop actually behaves.
What you actually feel
Opening an application is thousands of small reads scattered across the disk. That is a latency problem, not a bandwidth one.
Queue depth is the real story
A SATA SSD works through one command queue. NVMe drives handle many in parallel, which is exactly the shape of a busy multi-user server.
On a shared node, the drive that stays responsive under someone else's backup job is the one worth paying for.