Silicon Power XD80 – M.2-SSD mit PCIe 3.0 x4

Even though PCIe 4.0 is the current standard for SSDs, PCIe 3.0 SSDs are still very interesting and Silicon Power has released another SSD with PCIe 3.0. The new XD80 is said to bring up to 3,400 MB/s read and 3,000 MB/s write while the cooler reduces temperatures by 20 percent.

Optimal for everyday use

Especially for the normal user, an SSD with 3,400 MB/s read and 3,000 MB/s write is completely sufficient. The mentioned values are mentioned by Silicon Power as a flat maximum for the complete series. There are models with 256 GB, 512 GB, 1 TB or 2 TB of storage space in the series. Not every model of the series achieves the mentioned performance rates, so the rates of the variants with less storage space are lower here. The 256 GB SSD achieves 1,000 MB/s and the 512 GB variant 2,250 MB/s write. This is due to the distribution of the accesses to fewer memory chips.

The XD80 uses the Phison E12S with eight channels as controller and one from Intel is used for the NAND flash memory, according to Silicon Power. The controller used supports NVMe 1.3, uses DRAM cache and a “RAID engine technology for improved data integrity and stability”. However, Silicon Power still reserves the right to adjust the components used depending on the market situation. Of course, the promised performance values will still be met.

20 percent lower temperatures

A flat sheet was used for heat dissipation to improve it. According to the manufacturer, up to 20 percent lower temperatures are to be achieved in the process. Through this solution, a positive effect on the temperature is definitely possible, which can delay a temperature-related throttling. Including the cooler, the Silicon Power SSD just comes to a height of 4.75 mm.

Availability and pricing

The new XD80 will be available here in Germany starting in May. The prices for the local market are not yet known, but the US price of 126 US dollars can give an approximate direction. Silicon Power gives the meanwhile usual five-year warranty on its SSDs of the XD80 series.