The oversupply of NAND flash memory devices is further driving down the prices of SSDs. In the past few weeks, M.2 models with a capacity of 2 TB have given way: A handful of corresponding NVMe SSDs now cost less than 80 euros.
The two cheapest models are currently available from €75: Kingston’s NV2 (from €73.95) and Mushkins Element (from €74.90). The Mushkin Tempest (from €75.90) and Lexar NM620 (from €76.89) are slightly more expensive. With the exception of the Element SSD, all of the cards mentioned are said to achieve read rates of more than 3 GB/s and handle random access with several hundred thousand IOPS.
The Kingston NV2 supports PCI Express 4.0, but doesn’t use the higher bandwidth – it’s as fast as other PCIe 3.0 models. Usually, the cheapest SSDs do not come with guaranteed components. Instead, manufacturers solder what they can get cheaply and what meets the promised performance values.
TLC guarantee rare
In the specifications, Lexar at least explicitly states that it uses NAND flash components that store three bits per cell (Triple Level Cells, TLC). Other models could also be equipped with QLC chips that store four bits per cell (Quadruple Level Cells). These devices are typically slower when the SLC (single level cells, 1 bit per cell) cache is full and have lower durability, but are cheaper to produce.
DRAM caches are a rarity in this price range, but thanks to the NVMe protocol, this is no longer a particular disadvantage: With the Host Memory Buffer (HMB), SSD controllers can use the PC work memory as a data buffer.
Fast PCIe 4.0 from 100 euros
Faster PCIe 4.0 SSDs with a capacity of 2 TB are available from around 100 euros, such as Western Digital’s WD Black SN770 (from 98 €) with around 5 GB/s. Verbatim’s Vi7000G (from €108.31) and Kingston’s KC3000 (from €118) are even faster.
In the case of 1 TB SSDs, more models are now available at prices of just under 40 euros, for example PNY’s CS2140 (from €37.90) or Lexar’s NM620 (from €38.78).
(mma)