Consumer-grade PCIe 5.0 SSDs are almost here, with speeds of up to a whopping 13 gigabytes per second in sequential reads and 12 gigabytes per second in sequential writes. TeamGroup, Adata, Samsung, Kioxia, and Intel are all preparing solid-state drives that could be key to taking proper advantage of technologies like Microsoft’s DirectStorage. That said, the PCIe 4.0 SSD club still has plenty of blistering fast models from Samsung, Sabrent, Seagate, and Corsair. These are more than fast enough for most consumers, with speeds of over 7 gigabytes per second for sequential reads and over 3 gigabytes per second for sequential writes.
This week, the high-performance solid-state drive club got larger with the addition of Mushkin’s new Vortex Redline series SSDs. It ticks many of the right boxes for a good PCIe 4.0 SSD — up to 7,415 megabytes per second read speeds, up to 6,800 megabytes per second writes, a DRAM cache, dynamic SLC caching, and a five-year warranty. At least on paper, it looks like this is a good candidate for expanding storage on Sony’s PlayStation 5 console. This level of performance is afforded by the InnoGrit IG5236 controller, but the new drives don’t shine in the write endurance department. Mushkin rates them for 0.26 to 0.27 drive writes per day, which is somewhat lower than premium SSDs from other manufacturers. Chances are you won’t be able to burn them out with normal use, but it is something worth keeping in mind when making a purchasing decision. Pricing does reflect the balance Mushkin tried to strike with these drives. The Vortex Redline SSD will come in 512GB, 1TB, and 2TB versions and carry a 5-year limited warranty. The 512GB model will set you back $79.99, while the 1TB version will cost $124.99. Pricing for the 2TB drive has yet to be announced, but we expect it will be in the vicinity of $250.
