SSD by stefan @ 2018-06-12
The NVMe P32A80 SSD solution from Silicon Power is able to provide good performance values for an entry-level solution and is available with capacities of 128, 256 and 512GB. The product comes with a 3-year warranty and for avoiding data transfer slowdowns, it is recommended to have it installed inside a well-ventilated chassis.
We would like to thank at first Silicon Power for supplying a sample of their PCIe Gen3x2 P32A80 256GB SSD for testing and reviewing.
"Founded in 2003 by a group of enthusiastic data storage industry experts, Silicon Power is committed to delivering outstanding product and service quality. Headquartered and with our own state-of-the-art production site in Taipei, we have become a leading manufacturer of flash memory cards, USB flash drives, portable hard drives, solid state drives, DRAM modules and industrial-grade products. As an international player with four branch offices around the globe, we continuously strive to offer the perfect data storage solution for all requirements of modern digitalized life. With a strong focus on combining innovative technology and award-winning design, we live up to our brand promise to reliably preserve and protect your most valuable data.
Because memory is personal."
The Perfect SSD for Ultrabook Upgrades
The ideal SSD for ultrabooks and laptops that need an upgrade in areas like speed, functionality, and responsiveness. Designed with the latest PCIe Gen 3x2 Interface, this PCIe boasts transfer speeds that rival any M.2 SSD and supports both NVMe 1.2 and Host Memory Buffer (HMB). Need a workhorse SSD you can count on? This is it.
Superior Storage Performance for Data Integrity and Extended SSD Lifespan
By combining synchronous NAND flash chip technology and RAID support, it ensures system flexibility and data security in one package. This powerful SSD significantly accelerates transfer rates and boot times without compromising system stability or data integrity.
Massive Performance, Small Form Factor
As versatile as it is effective, the SSD’s small form factor allows for easy installation in the thinnest notebooks, mobile applications, and PC desktops alike.
NVMe 1.2 and Host Memory Buffer (HMB)
NVMe 1.2 qualified, it utilizes the latest SSD controller technology to support Host Memory Buffer (HMB), resulting in an improved overall performance level while reducing cost and power consumption.
Silicon Power has recently launched a new SSD series, this time on the PCIe Gen3x2 2280 format, in order to upgrade mainstream laptops or desktops. The product does support HMB (Host Memory Buffer), the NVMe 1.2 standard but also RAID; as expected, the M.2 SSD is shipped inside a small cardboard enclosure that does highlight the total capacity of the reviewed model, but also the 3-year warranty:
Some additional hardware details are present on the back side, in multiple languages:
The P32A80 SSD is fixed inside a transparent plastic mold, with no extra documentation or accessories:
The 2280 format assures that the product is compatible with lots of ultrabooks/laptops/deskops, while the SP sticker does show the product serial number along with the internal code name:
On the back side of the unit we will get to see some additional SNs:
P32A80 does present itself in a DRAM-less configuration, with one controller and two NAND ICs; we can clearly see that there are two unpopulated areas left (for the 512GB version):
The 29F1T08EMHAF packages are Micron 3D NAND TLC:
For the P32A80 SSD, Silicon Power has used a Marvell 88NV1160 PCIe Gen3x2 BGA controller, with 4 NAND channels:
CPU: Intel I5 8600K Retail
CPU Cooler: Noctua NH-D14
Motherboard: BIOSTAR Racing Z370GT6
RAM: GEIL PC4 25600 3200MHz CL16 8GBx2 Samsung B-die @ 2133MHz
Video: KFA2 GeForce GTX 1060 6GB OC
Power Supply: Cooler Master 850W
SSD: OCZ Vector 150
Case: Cooler Master ATCS 840
The drive has arrived unformatted, so we did format it to NTFS before the tests. Here is the total free space reported by Windows:
With the help of AIDA64, we could extract more information regarding the drive:
Blank SSD
Blank SSD
Blank SSD
Blank SSD
Blank SSD
Blank SSD
Blank SSD
Filled SSD
Filled SSD
Filled SSD
Filled SSD
Filled SSD
Filled SSD
Filled SSD
The NVMe P32A80 SSD solution from Silicon Power is able to provide good performance values for an entry-level solution and is available with capacities of 128, 256 and 512GB. The product comes with a 3-year warranty and for avoiding data transfer slowdowns, it is recommended to have it installed inside a well-ventilated chassis.
Some motherboard manufacturers do provide M.2 heatsinks preinstalled, together with thermal pads; after using such a solution, it is also mandatory to provide in the area a cool breeze of air, in order to help remove the accumulated heat from the sink.
The 256GB variant seems to offer the best price/capacity ratio, being available online for about 83.7 Euros; the 128GB variant can be purchased for about 54 Euros, while the 512GB model is quite expensive at about 201 Euros.
We would like to thank again to Silicon Power for making this review possible!