M.2 2280 | KitGuru https://www.kitguru.net KitGuru.net - Tech News | Hardware News | Hardware Reviews | IOS | Mobile | Gaming | Graphics Cards Mon, 11 Dec 2023 15:01:46 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.4.3 https://www.kitguru.net/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/cropped-KITGURU-Light-Background-SQUARE2-32x32.png M.2 2280 | KitGuru https://www.kitguru.net 32 32 ADATA Legend 970 2TB SSD Review https://www.kitguru.net/components/ssd-drives/simon-crisp/adata-legend-970-2tb-ssd-review/ https://www.kitguru.net/components/ssd-drives/simon-crisp/adata-legend-970-2tb-ssd-review/#respond Mon, 11 Dec 2023 15:01:46 +0000 https://www.kitguru.net/?p=638020 The Legend 970 is ADATA's first crack at the slowly growing PCIe Gen 5.0 market segment. The drive uses a combination of a Phison controller and 232-layer NAND and comes with an active cooling solution. We review the 2TB model, landing at just under £300 here in the UK.  ADATA's Legend 970 product comprises (at …

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The Legend 970 is ADATA's first crack at the slowly growing PCIe Gen 5.0 market segment. The drive uses a combination of a Phison controller and 232-layer NAND and comes with an active cooling solution. We review the 2TB model, landing at just under £300 here in the UK. 

ADATA's Legend 970 product comprises (at the time of writing) just two models, a 1TB drive and the flagship 2TB unit (the drive ADATA kindly supplied for review). At the heart of the drive is a Phison PS5026 E26 8-channel controller looking after 232-layer Micron 3D TLC NAND and 4GB of LPDDR4-4266 DRAM cache.

Sequential performance for the 2TB drive is quoted as up to 10,000MB/s for both read and writes while 4K random performance is listed as up to 1,400,000 IOPS for both. The 1TB drive gets ratings of up to 9.500MB/s and 8,500MB/s for Sequential read/writes respectively while 4K random read performance is quoted at 1,300,000 IOPS with random writes at 1,400,000 IOPS as per the 2TB drive.

Endurance is listed as 700 TBW and 1400 TBW for the 1TB and 2TB models respectively and ADATA backs the drive with a 5-year warranty.

Physical Specifications:
Usable Capacities:  2TB.
NAND Components:  232-layer Micron B58R 3D TLC NAND.
NAND Controller:  Phison PS5026 E26, 8-channel.
Cache: 4GB of LPDDR4-4266.
Interface: PCIe Gen 5 x4, NVMe 2.0,
Form Factor: M.2, 2280.
Dimensions: 80.6 x 24.2 x 17.9mm.
Drive Weight: 57.1g.

Firmware Version: EQFM22.0.

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Corsair’s new MP600 Mini SSD aims to be the perfect Steam Deck upgrade https://www.kitguru.net/components/ssd-drives/matthew-wilson/corsairs-new-mp600-mini-ssd-aims-to-be-the-perfect-steam-deck-upgrade/ https://www.kitguru.net/components/ssd-drives/matthew-wilson/corsairs-new-mp600-mini-ssd-aims-to-be-the-perfect-steam-deck-upgrade/#respond Tue, 25 Apr 2023 14:02:56 +0000 https://www.kitguru.net/?p=612749 Corsair is unveiling two new PCIe 4 SSDs today, the MP600 Mini with its ultra-compact M.2 2230 form factor, and the MP600 Core XT, a more traditional M.2 2280 SSD.  The MP600 Mini stands out with its M.2 2230 form factor, measuring in at 22mm x 30mm. This is precisely the sort of SSD you …

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Corsair is unveiling two new PCIe 4 SSDs today, the MP600 Mini with its ultra-compact M.2 2230 form factor, and the MP600 Core XT, a more traditional M.2 2280 SSD. 

The MP600 Mini stands out with its M.2 2230 form factor, measuring in at 22mm x 30mm. This is precisely the sort of SSD you would want to use when upgrading a portable handheld gaming system like Valve's Steam Deck. The SSD is capable of PCIe Gen 4 performance of up to 4,800MB/s read/write speeds. Performance will degrade when using a PCIe Gen 3 interface.

The MP600 Core XT is a full-sized M.2 2280 SSD, available in 1TB, 2TB and 4TB capacities. The SSD uses 3D QLC NAND Flash to offer competitive performance at a lower price. This particular drive is capable of PCIe Gen 3 speeds of up to 5,000MB/s reads and 4,400MB/s writes, making it around 10x faster than a SATA SSD.

The Corsair MP600 Mini is priced at £114.99 for 1TB. The Corsair MP600 Core XT starts at £64.99 for the 1TB model, £119.99 for the 2TB model and £289.99 for the 4TB model.

Discuss on our Facebook page, HERE.

KitGuru Says: What do you all think of Corsair's latest round of SSDs? The MP600 Mini could end up being the new go-to for Steam Deck upgrades. 

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Teamgroup T-Force Cardea A440 Pro Special Series 1TB SSD Review https://www.kitguru.net/components/ssd-drives/simon-crisp/teamgroup-t-force-cardea-a440-pro-special-series-1tb-ssd-review/ https://www.kitguru.net/components/ssd-drives/simon-crisp/teamgroup-t-force-cardea-a440-pro-special-series-1tb-ssd-review/#respond Mon, 07 Feb 2022 12:00:51 +0000 https://www.kitguru.net/?p=545439 Specially designed as an upgrade for PS5 consoles, we put this Teamgroup SSD through its paces

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Teamgroup's T-Force Cardea Zero Z440 1TB was one of the first PCIe Gen4 drives we looked at back in early 2020, and now we have one of the company's latest drives, the T-Force Cardea A440 Pro Special Series. Designed as a drop-in upgrade for PS5 owners, the 1TB model comes in at around £190.

Although it's primarily aimed at the PS5 storage expansion market, the PCIe Gen4 TeamGroup T-Force Cardea A440 Pro Special Series will, of course, work just as well in any PC with a Gen4 slot (to get the drives full performance). At the time of writing this review, the A440 Pro Special Series line-up consists of three models; 1TB (the drive we are reviewing), 2TB and a flagship 4TB drive. At the heart of the drive is a Phison PS5018-E18-41 8-channel controller which is teamed up with the latest Micron 176-layer B47R 3D TLC NAND.

Teamgroup quotes Sequential read and write figures for the 1TB drive as up to 7,200MB/s and up to 6,000MB/s respectively. The 2TB and 4TB drives are rated as up to 7,400MB/s for reads and up to 7,000MB/s for writes. As for random 4K performance, all three drives are listed as up to 1,000,000 IOPS for both read and writes.

When it comes to endurance the 1TB drive is rated at 700TBW, with the 2TB drive at 1,400TBW and the 4TB flagship up at 3,000TBW. Teamgroup backs the drive with a 5-year warranty.

Physical Specifications:

  • Usable Capacities: 1TB.
  • NAND Components: Micron 176-layer B47R 3D TLC  NAND.
  • NAND Controller: Phison PS5018-E18-41.
  • Cache: 1GB DDR4-2666
  • Interface: PCIe Gen4 x4, NVMe 1.4.
  • Form Factor: M.2 2280.
  • Dimensions: 80 x 22 x 3.7mm
  • Drive Weight: 13g.

Firmware Version: EIFM31.2.

Be sure to check out our sponsors store EKWB here

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XPG releases the Spectrix S20G PCIe 3.0 SSD with RGB lighting https://www.kitguru.net/components/ssd-drives/joao-silva/xpg-releases-the-spectrix-s20g-pcie-3-0-ssd-with-rgb-lighting/ https://www.kitguru.net/components/ssd-drives/joao-silva/xpg-releases-the-spectrix-s20g-pcie-3-0-ssd-with-rgb-lighting/#respond Wed, 23 Dec 2020 11:37:18 +0000 https://www.kitguru.net/?p=499144 XPG's latest addition to its storage solution line-up is the Spectrix S20G PCIe 3.0 M.2 SSD. Aimed at gamers, esports pros, and tech enthusiasts, this new SSD features RGB lighting and incredible read/write speeds for shorter loading times. Available in 500GB and 1TB capacities, the NVMe 1.3-compliant Spectrix S20G PCIe 3.0 SSD has maximum sequential read/write …

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XPG's latest addition to its storage solution line-up is the Spectrix S20G PCIe 3.0 M.2 SSD. Aimed at gamers, esports pros, and tech enthusiasts, this new SSD features RGB lighting and incredible read/write speeds for shorter loading times.

Available in 500GB and 1TB capacities, the NVMe 1.3-compliant Spectrix S20G PCIe 3.0 SSD has maximum sequential read/write speeds of 2500/1800Mbps. Thanks to the use of an SLC cache and HMB (Host Memory Buffer), this drive is capable of up to 160/190K maximum 4K random read/write IOPS.

The sleek and stylish Spectrix S20G features a heatsink with X-shaped RGB lighting that's customisable through RGB software.

Featuring LDPC (Low-Density Parity-Check) technology to correct most errors found during the SSD operation, the Spectrix S20G has a rated MTBF of 2M hours, while the TBW is set at 300TB for the 500GB drives, and 600TB for the 1TB drives. Additionally, it features AES 256 encryption to “ensure data security and integrity”.

The XPG Spectrix S20G drive undergoes an extensive screening, testing, and certification process to ensure the drive is working correctly out-of-the-box. This SSD is backed by a 5-year warranty. Pricing and availability details haven't been disclosed yet. You can learn more about this SSD HERE.

KitGuru says: Do you like the RGB lighting on the XPG Spectrix S20G SSD? Would you consider this SSD for your own system?

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Patriot P300 (Regional) 1TB NVMe SSD Review https://www.kitguru.net/components/ssd-drives/simon-crisp/patriot-p300-regional-1tb-nvme-ssd-review/ https://www.kitguru.net/components/ssd-drives/simon-crisp/patriot-p300-regional-1tb-nvme-ssd-review/#respond Mon, 17 Aug 2020 10:30:32 +0000 https://www.kitguru.net/?p=479832 Can this entry-level Patriot NVMe drive do enough to stand out from the competition?

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The P300 is Patriot's latest NVMe drive, with the company hoping this SSD will be able to grab a share of the highly lucrative entry-level NVMe market segment. Using a Silicon Motion controller, and coming in a little over £110, is Patriot onto a winner?

There are two versions of the P300, the US (Phison PS5013-E13T controller) and Regional (Silicon Motion SM2263XT controller) and all versions use 96-layer 3D TLC NAND. Five models make up the P300 product lines; 128GB, 256GB, 512GB, 1TB (Patriot supplied us with a Regional version for review) and the flagship 2TB drive.

Sequential performance for the 1TB unit is stated as up to 2,100MB/s for reads and up to 1,650MB/s for writes. The entry model 128GB drive is rated as up to 1,600MB/s for reads and 600MB/s for writes. The 256GB and 512GB drives share the same 1,700MB/s read figure with the 256GB drive rated as up to 1,100MB/s for writes and the 512MB/s, a 100MB/s faster at 1,200MB/s. The flagship 2TB model shares the same Sequential read/write figures as the 1TB drive.

The 1TB drive is rated as up to 290,000 IOPs for random reads while writes are up to 260,000 IOPS. In fact, all five drives in the P300 line-up have the same 290,000 IOPS figure while the 256GB, 512GB and 2TB drive share the 260,000 IOPS figures. The 128GB drive makes do with a write 4K figure of up to 150,000K.

Power figures for the 1TB drive are 2.28W full speed and 0.38W for Idle.

The official endurance rating for the 1TB drive is 320TB TBW and Patriot back the drive with a 3-year warranty.

Physical Specifications:

  • Usable Capacities: 1TB.
  • NAND Components: 96-Layer 3D TLC NAND.
  • NAND Controller: Silicon Motion SM2263XT (4-channel).
  • Cache: DRAMless (uses HMB (Host Memory Buffer) technology).
  • Interface: PCIe Gen3 NVMe 1.3.
  • Form Factor: M.2 2280.
  • Dimensions: 80 x 22 x 3mm.
  • Drive Weight: 9g.

Firmware Version: T0214B0L

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Lexar NM610 500GB SSD Review https://www.kitguru.net/components/ssd-drives/simon-crisp/lexar-nm610-500gb-ssd-review/ https://www.kitguru.net/components/ssd-drives/simon-crisp/lexar-nm610-500gb-ssd-review/#respond Tue, 12 May 2020 07:30:35 +0000 https://www.kitguru.net/?p=465100 It's a 500GB NVMe drive for just over £70 - but how fast is it?

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A few months ago we looked at Lexar's NM600 SSD, and now it is the turn of its successor, the NM610, to go under the spotlight. Priced at just over £70 for the 500GB model, what sort of performance can this drive offer to those looking for an affordable NVMe SSD?

The previous NM600 was only available in two capacities, 240GB and 480GB. The NM610 not only has slightly larger capacities; 250GB and 500GB, it also has a 1TB flagship model.

The official Sequential speed ratings for the three drives are; 250GB up to 2,000MB/s reads and up to 1,200MB/s writes while the 500GB and 1TB models share the same up to 2,100MB/s read, 1,600MB/s write performance figures. Incidentally, the 250GB and 500GB figures are exactly the same as the 240GB and 480GB NM600 drives.

Random 4K performance is quoted as up to 110,000 IOPS and 151,000 IOPS for reads and writes respectively for the 250GB drive with the 500GB and 1TB drive having the same up to 188,000 IOPS and 156,000 IOPS for reads and writes respectively. Again the two smaller drive figures are the same as the previous NM600 drive.

Endurance ratings for the 500GB drive are 250TB TBW with the 250GB rated at 125TB and the 1TB drive 500TB.

Physical Specifications:

  • Usable Capacities: 500GB.
  • NAND Components: 3D TLC.
  • NAND Controller:  Silicon Motion SM2263XT.
  • Cache: None.
  • Interface: PCIe Gen3x4 NVMe.
  • Form Factor:  M.2 2280.
  • Dimensions: 80 x 22 x 2.25 mm.
  • Drive Weight: 9g.

Firmware Version: S0614B0.

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Patriot Viper VPR100 RGB 1TB SSD Review https://www.kitguru.net/components/ssd-drives/simon-crisp/patriot-viper-vpr100-rgb-1tb-ssd-review/ https://www.kitguru.net/components/ssd-drives/simon-crisp/patriot-viper-vpr100-rgb-1tb-ssd-review/#respond Fri, 28 Feb 2020 08:25:45 +0000 https://www.kitguru.net/?p=447869 Could this SSD's RGB lighting actually hurt performance? we put it to the test

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We initially looked at the ‘plain jane' Patriot Viper VPN100 a while back, now we have our hands on the ‘blinged' up version of the drive in the shape of the RGB-equipped Viper VPR100. Interestingly, Patriot says that with the RGB mode switched on, performance may ‘decrease up to 20-30%' so we put that to the test.


As with the Viper VPN100 model line-up, the VPR100 RGB range consists of four capacities, the entry 256GB model, 512GB, 1TB (the drive we are looking at here) and a flagship 2TB drive. Gone is the massive passive cooler that the VPN100 used, in its place is a lower profile (7mm compared to 10.5mm) but very slightly wider (25mm versus 22mm) RGB equipped passive heatsink.

Just like the VPN100, the VPR100 is built around a Phison PS5012-E12 controller and Toshiba 3D TLC NAND. The PS5012-E12 is Phison’s second-generation PCIe Gen3 x4 NVMe controller. The 8-channel controller is built on a TSMC 28nm process and has been designed to work with TLC and QLC NAND technologies with support for Phison’s SmartECC and the latest LDPC (Low-Density Parity Check) error correction as well as AES256, TCG OPAL and TCG Pyrite hardware encryption support. With 8 NAND channels and 32 NAND chip enable lines, the maximum amount of NAND the controller can support is 8TB.

Patriot quotes Sequential performance figures on the specification sheet for the 1TB drive as up to 3,900MB/s for reads and up to 2,900MB/s for writes using the CrystalDiskMark benchmark. Also quoted are Sequential performance figures using the ATTO benchmark with the same maximum 2,900MB/s write score but with a reduced read score of 3,300MB/s, and its these two ATTO figures that appear on the box that the drive comes in.

The quoted 4K random read/write figures for the 1TB are very impressive at up to 700,000 IOPS for both reads and up to 650,000 IOPS for writes. Looking at the specification sheet for the VPR100 you come across an interesting caveat to those figures, in that if the RGB mode is switched on, quote “RGB sync may decrease up to 20-30% Read/Write speed” unquote. But more on that later.

The 1TB VPN100’s endurance is rated at 1600TB TBW and Patriot backs the drive with a 5-year warranty.

Physical Specifications:

  • Usable Capacities: 1TB.
  • NAND Components: Toshiba 3D TLC.
  • NAND Controller: Phison PS5012-E12.
  • Cache: 1GB.
  • Interface: PCIe Gen3 x4 NVMe 1.3.
  • Form Factor: M.2 2280.
  • Dimensions: 25 x 80 x 7mm.
  • Drive Weight: 45g

Firmware Version: ECFM12.3

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Mushkin launch the PILOT-E series NVMe M.2 SSD https://www.kitguru.net/components/ssd-drives/james-dawson/mushkin-launch-the-pilot-e-series-nvme-m-2-ssd/ https://www.kitguru.net/components/ssd-drives/james-dawson/mushkin-launch-the-pilot-e-series-nvme-m-2-ssd/#respond Wed, 05 Feb 2020 11:45:50 +0000 https://www.kitguru.net/?p=450180 Mushkin has announced a new range of NVMe SSD drives this week that boasts support for a high-speed data transfer rate of up to 3,500 MB/s. The new PILOT-E series from Muskin is available to consumers now via Amazon UK and offers competitive pricing. The PILOT-E range of NVMe SSD drives from Mushkin are based …

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Mushkin has announced a new range of NVMe SSD drives this week that boasts support for a high-speed data transfer rate of up to 3,500 MB/s. The new PILOT-E series from Muskin is available to consumers now via Amazon UK and offers competitive pricing.

The PILOT-E range of NVMe SSD drives from Mushkin are based on a Silicon Motion “SM2262EN” controller with support for eight NAND channels connected to the PILOT-E 3D NAND Flash. Mushkin has utilised a PCIe Gen 3 X4 bus interface and the PILOT-E Series comes in the M.2 2280 form factor for excellent compatibility with a wide range of motherboards.

Muskin’s PILOT-E series NVMe SSD’s are capable of producing sequential read and write speeds of up to 3,500/3,100 MB/s respectively although this isn’t the maximum speed across the entire range, the 500GB version is the slowest of the series with sequential read speeds of 3,500 MB/s however, sequential write speed is 2,300 MB/s.

There are three capacity levels to choose from in the PILOT-E series, 500GB, 1Tb and 2TB version are available. The complete range shares support for features such as NVMe Secure Erase, user-upgradeable firmware, integrated temperature monitoring and maximum shock resistance of 1500G.

In terms of data security, the Mushkin PILOT-E series includes TCG Opal, AES, and eDrive (IEEE1667) encryption support and Mushkin’s Enhanced Data-protection Suite (MEDS) ensures valuable data is kept well protected. The PILOT-E series also includes SLC cache for improved performance, static data refresh, a 1.5 million hours MTBF rate (mean time between failures) and is backed by a three-year warranty.

Discuss on our Facebook page HERE.

KitGuru says: Are you currently in the market for a high-speed NVMe SSD drive? Let us know what you think of the new PILOT-E series from Mushkin and whether you would be interested in purchasing one?

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