Plextor Releases M5S SSD Series
by Kristian Vättö on July 11, 2012 11:40 PM ESTPlextor has updated its SSD lineup with something new: the M5S. It's based on the same Marvell 88SS9174 controller as Plextor's M3 and M3 Pro, which we've been quite pleased with. While the M3 and M3 Pro shared the exactly same hardware, the M5S introduces some changes. Instead of the Toshiba 24nm Toggle-Mode MLC NAND we found inside the M3/M3 Pro, the M5S uses Micron's 25nm synchronous MLC NAND. Warranty has also been dropped from 5 years to 3 years, and there is no additional clone/backup utility or 2.5" to 3.5" adapter included.
| Plextor M5S Specifications | |||
| Model | PX-64M5S | PX-128M5S | PX-256M5S |
| Usable Capacity | 64GB | 128GB | 256GB |
| Raw NAND Capacity | 64GiB | 128GiB | 256GiB |
| NAND | Micron 25nm synchronous MLC NAND | ||
| Controller | Marvell 88SS9174 | ||
| Cache | 128MB DDR3 | 256MB DDR3 | 512MB DDR3 |
| Sequential Read | 520MB/s | 520MB/s | 520MB/s |
| Sequential Write | 90MB/s | 200MB/s | 390MB/s |
| 4K Random Read | 61K IOPS | 71K IOPS | 73K IOPS |
| 4K Random Write | 25K IOPS | 51K IOPS | 70K IOPS |
| MSRP | $100 | $160 | $300 |
Performance is mostly unchanged from the M3. Only the 64GB model has noticeable decreases in performance as the 64GB M3 provided 175MB/s sequentials and 40K random write IOPS. The difference is likely due to the slower NAND interface (166MB/s per Micron device vs. up to 400MB/s for the Toggle 2.0 devices). Bigger capacities have more NAND on the board, lessening the impact on overall performance.
Availability should be immediate but at least NewEgg and Amazon are not listing the M5S yet. Hence we only have MSRPs to list, but expect the street prices to be slightly lower.
Our M5S review sample should be here any minute (it's scheduled for delivery today) and I'll start working on the review as soon as I get the drive. Stay tuned!
Source: Plextor
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SteveTheWalrus - Wednesday, July 11, 2012 - link
for $300? damn now thats a dealImSpartacus - Thursday, July 12, 2012 - link
The m4 is $400. It's not $300, but it's definitely not a typo.DigitalFreak - Thursday, July 12, 2012 - link
It's $300 for the 256GB version.SRHelicity - Wednesday, July 11, 2012 - link
Is there an error in the table? It says that model number PX-256M5S has 512 GB capacity. Looking at the product name/number, it would make sense if it really had 256 GB capacity (in line with the model names from the 64 and 128 GB products). 512 GB for $300 would be huge, but I suspect we're still a ways off for the pricing!Kristian Vättö - Thursday, July 12, 2012 - link
It's a typo, sorry for getting you all excited :-P I guess working all night (it's 7 AM here now) and an overdose of caffeine don't do good for me, haha.jwilliams4200 - Thursday, July 12, 2012 - link
Kristian:Can you ask your Plextor contact whether there is an M5P in the works, and if so, what is the ETA? Maybe they will also comment on if it will use toggle flash and the Marvell 88SS9187 controller?
Kristian Vättö - Thursday, July 12, 2012 - link
Sorry, I cannot comment on this at the moment.jwilliams4200 - Thursday, July 12, 2012 - link
You cannot comment on whether you can ask your Plextor contact a question??Kristian Vättö - Thursday, July 12, 2012 - link
I meant that I have asked them but I'm not allowed to share any of the information yet, sorry for the confusion. I guess it's time for bed before I slip something outtyger11 - Thursday, July 12, 2012 - link
Can't comment on that either. :)