Does it fit into PS5? This product is an MVME drive, the latest in data storage technology and is on the top end of products available right now. Fit into PlayStation’s beta for the PS5 which allows you to expand internal storage recently. There are very, very specific requirements for which drives can physically fit into the system space (also requires a heatsink) in addition to very specific speed and gen specs to get a drive that can keep up with Sony’s internal SSD. Know more in Gigabyte AORUS Gen4 7000s SSD 2TB PS5 review.
Pros & Cons
Pros
- AES 256-bit encryption
- Effective cooling
- Competitive performance
- Attractive design
- 5-year warranty and high endurance ratings
AGAINST
- SLC cache slow to recover
Specs
- Usable Capacities: 2TB.
- Dimensions: 80.5 x 23.5 x 11.4mm.
- Drive Weight: 38g
- Cache: 2GB DDR4.
- NAND Components: Micron 96-Layer 3D TLC NAND.
- NAND Controller: Phison PS5018-E18.
- Interface: PCIe Gen4 x4 / NVMe 1.4.
- Form Factor: M.2 2280.
Price
Gigabyte’s Aorus Gen4 7000s SSD series is now available. It comes with a manufacturer’s suggested retail price of $209.99 for the 1TB capacity, and $389.99 for the 2TB capacity. Gigabyte is also offering a limited 5-year warranty for the said Gen4 NVMe SSDs.
Compare Gigabyte AORUS Gen4 7000s SSD 2TB PS5
| Product | Gen4 7000s 1TB | Gen4 7000s 2TB |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | $209.99 | $389.99 |
| Capacity (User / Raw) | 1000GB / 1024GB | 2000GB / 2048GB |
| Form Factor | M.2 2280 | M.2 2280 |
| Interface / Protocol | PCIe 4.0 x4 / NVMe 1.4 | PCIe 4.0 x4 / NVMe 1.4 |
| Controller | Phison PS5018-E18 | Phison PS5018-E18 |
| DRAM | DDR4 | DDR4 |
| Memory | Micron 96L TLC | Micron 96L TLC |
| Sequential Read | 7,000 MBps | 7,000 MBps |
| Sequential Write | 5,500 MBps | 6,850 MBps |
| Random Read | 350,000 IOPS | 650,000 IOPS |
| Random Write | 700,000 IOPS | 700,000 IOPS |
| Security | AES 256-bit encryption | AES 256-bit encryption |
| Endurance (TBW) | 700 TB | 1,400 TB |
| Part Number | GP-AG70S1TB | GP-AG70S2TB |
| Warranty | 5-Years | 5-Years |
Gigabyte AORUS Gen4 7000s SSD 2TB PS5 review
Build
The drive uses a well-designed aluminium heatsink that looks good in its silver and black finish but more importantly has a decent number of cooling fins along its length. The 7mm high heatsink has a nanocarbon coating which Gigabyte claim helps with heat dissipation. The heatsink comes in two parts, the finned top assembly and an aluminium base plate. Each of these parts has a thick dual-sided thermal pad that runs the length of the cooler with the drive sandwiched between the two pads.
Design
Gigabyte’s Aorus Gen4 7000s comes in an M.2 2280 double-sided form factor. The included aluminum heatsink measures 11.5 x 23.5 x 76 mm and the black and silver two-tone looks fantastic, too.
Controller
Gigabyte’s Aorus Gen4 7000s is powered by Phison’s second-generation PCIe 4.0 x4 SSD controller, the PS5018-E18. It leverages DRAM and features a triple-core architecture that is paired with the company’s CoXProcessor 2.0 technology (an extra two R5 CPU cores) for fast and consistent response. The main CPU cores are Arm Cortex R5’s clocked at 1 GHz, up from 733MHz on its predecessor, the PS5016-E16, while the CoXProcessor 2.0 cores are clocked slower for better efficiency.
Read and write speed
Gigabyte rates each capacity to hit 7,000 MBps read, but the 1TB is rated to deliver 5,500 MBps write while the 2TB model can hit 6,850 MBps write. In terms of peak random performance, the SSD is rated capable of up to 650,000 / 700,000 random read/write IOPS at the highest capacity. The SSD is sandwiched between two thick thermal pads that transfer heat from the PCB to the heatsink and baseplate.
Tool box software
The AORUS SSD Tool Box can be downloaded for free and used in conjunction with the 7000s series. It offers very basic functionality and is nothing to really write home about. The optimization and secure erase tabs were not available when we used the 7000s as a primary OS drive for testing. You can basically see the S.M.A.R.T. details and general info with the utility.
Gigabyte AORUS Gen4 7000s SSD 2TB PS5 performance review
The Aorus Gen4 7000s delivered solid sequential write performance out of the gate but was no match for the Samsung 980 Pro or WD_Black SN850. After writing roughly 112GB of data at a rate of 5.6 GBps, sustained write performance degraded to 1.1 GBps. Around the 670 second mark, after writing just 831GB, the Gen4 7000s degraded once more to a slower speed of 690 MBps for the remainder of the test. It did not recover any of the SLC cache in our idle rounds that range up to 30 minutes. Instead, it continued to write at roughly 1.1GBps after each idle period.
Sequential read/write performance is very good across all block sizes based on the Arous Gen4 7000s ATTO results. At a QD of 1 and 1MB block size, the Gen4 7000s reads much faster than the InnoGrit-powered Viper VP4300, but lags behind the Samsung and WD. When writing, however, it scores top marks, writing at roughly 5,850 MBps. In terms of its random responsiveness, the Gigabyte Aorus Gen4 7000s is just as fast as the Rocket 4 Plus, but not quite up to snuff when compared to the Samsung, WD, or even the Adata at a QD of 1.
Alternate of Gigabyte AORUS Gen4 7000s SSD 2TB
Crucial P5 Plus
Specs
Capacity: 250GB, 500GB, 1TB, 2TBController: Crucial PCIe 4.0 GenMemory: Micron 176-layer TLC flashInterface: M.2 PCIe 4.0 x4Seq. read: 6,600MB/sSeq. write: 5,000MB/sTODAY’S BEST DEALSPrime
Pros
+Micron’s latest 176-layer TLC NAND memory+In-house eight-channel PCIe 4.0 controller+Five-year warranty
Cons
-Mediocre 4K random access performance-Runs a tad toasty
The 1TB version of the P5 Plus will deliver impressively high sequential read/write numbers, especially if you’re coming from a straight PCIe 3.0 SSD. And more or less for the same price. Even if you’re currently not running a PCIe 4.0 compatible motherboard, this drive will drop in for a great price and deliver high performance out of the box.
Crucial is one of the big names in affordable solid state storage, but has been notably slow at getting us a new PCIe 4.0 SSD. It’s been worth the wait, however, as the new P5 Plus is a fantastic entry-level Gen4 SSD. It may not have the peak speeds of the WD or Sabrent competition, but it can make a big splash in terms of those all-important price/performance metrics.
Since the first Gen4 SSDs launched there has been a quite significant price premium as a barrier to entry, and with the P5 Plus that has come down a hell of a lot. Using parent company, Micron’s latest NAND flash memory, and it’s own in-house controller, Crucial has been able to keep costs down and performance up.
And, also importantly, it can easily outperform any PCIe 3.0 drive you can to mention, and for practically the same price. Even if you’re not running a motherboard with a PCIe 4.0 interface this will still work in an older PCIe 3.0 setup, and at the limits of that connection.
In the rarefied air of PCIe 4.0 speeds it’s maybe a little lacklustre in peak and random performance, but it’s rocking TLC memory, not QLC, is still pretty damned quick compared to older drives, and is fantastically affordable.
Editor’s recommendations
- ADATA XPG GAMMIX S70 Blade 1TB PCIe Gen4x4 M.2 2280 SSD review
- Western Digital 1TB WD Blue 3D Nand internal PC SSD – SATA III 6 GB/s M.2 2280 review
- Mac Mini M1 vs Intel Core i7 comparison – which is good for gaming?
- Sabrent 1TB Rocket 4 Plus NVMe 4.0 Gen4 PCIe M.2 internal extreme performance SSD review
- SP 512GB SSD 3D NAND A55 review
