Plextor M8Pe 512GB M2 NVMe SSD review - Introduction

The Plextor M8Pe M.2 gets tested

In this review we test the super fast Plextor M8Pe 512GB Series M.2 SSDs. These new M.2 units use the nvm express (NVME) protocol and that means storage technology at terrific speeds while remaining competitive in pricing. Will Plextor be able to deliver a unit that manages to shock and awe ?

M2 is interesting stuff, these smaller form factors storage units are evolving from being "just as fast" as a regular SSD towards double, tripling, heck... even quadrupling that performance. It comes in a different package , M.2. The M.2 interface is so much more capable as it can deal with way more bandwidth using PCI-Express lanes. As such, M.2 solutions are intended for enthusiast class motherboards. The M8Pe series M.2 SSDs are a breathtaking series of storage technology as they offer enthusiast class performance yet remain reasonable in pricing. Though prices still need to go on-line, we already spotted our tested 512GB M8Pe  for 225 EURO, which would mean 44 cents per GB. Keep in mind you are looking at a product that reads well over 2GB/sec and writes over 1 GB/sec. These new M.2 units use the NVMe protocol and that means storage technology at hyper fast speeds while remaining competitive in pricing. 

We test the MS+heatsink unit, the M8PeG. The 512 GB model we test today is capable of up-to 2300 MB/s for reads and 1300 MB/sec (512GB) for writes.  The SSD is Plextor’s first consumer-ready Non-Volatile Memory Express (NVMe) M.2 form factor SSD, it has been fitted with MLC Toshiba NAND (15nm). The performance numbers a good SATA3 SSD offers these days are simply excellent, but with NVMe you can triple maybe even quadruple performance, which offers serious numbers. Plextor’s new M8P series M.2 product line is powered by a Marvell 88SS1093 controller. The unit follows a smaller M.2 2280 form factor so it will fit on most ATX motherboards capable of M.2 just fine. IOPS numbers are now reaching the 260K for read and 250K for writes marker (depends on volume size). At just one-tenth the weight of a traditional 2.5-inch SSD, the M.2 SSDs are ideal for users looking to upgrade their desktop or ultra-thin PCs with high-capacity, high-performance storage. You do need a modern motherboard with capable NVMe supported M.2 (PCIe 3.0 x4 connected) interface though, please do check out your motherboard manufacturer for that. But ever since Z97/Z170 chipsets have been released, the mainstream to high-end class motherboards mostly all support it very well.

Yeah, have a peek, and then let's head onwards into this review.

Plextor M8P Series M2 SSD with Marvell 88SS1093 controller and MLC writtren Toshiba NAND Flash