Although client SSDs based mostly on Phison’s PS5026-E26 controller have been available on the market for nearly a 12 months and a half now, the class-leading drives nonetheless carry a definite value premium, and to a point that is as a result of it is nonetheless one of many solely choices for a PCIe 5.Zero SSD. But it seems just like the state of affairs goes to vary within the coming quarters, as SSDs based mostly on Phison’s PS5031-E31T controller are incoming, with a minimum of one Phison buyer demoing an E31T drive on the Computex present flooring.
Phison’s PS5031-E31T controller makes use of two Arm Cortex-R5 cores accelerated by the Andes N25 CoXProcessor, identical to its greater brother Phison PS5026-E26. But that is the place their main {hardware} similarities appear to finish. The new E31T controller is a DRAM-less controller with 4 NAND channels (16 CE targets) that’s produced on one among TSMC’s 7nm processes, whereas the E26 is an eight-channel controller made on TSMC’s 12nm manufacturing node.
Besides slicing down on reminiscence channels and the usage of DRAM to drive down prices, the E31T additionally picks up a few new methods by advantage of being practically two years newer. In specific, the E31T sports activities Phison’s seventh Generation LDPC error correction expertise, versus the E25’s Fifth-gen LDPC
| Phison NVMe SSD Controller Comparison | |||||||||
| E31T | E27T | E21T | E26 | E18 | |||||
| Market Segment | Mainstream Consumer | High-End Consumer | |||||||
| Manufacturing Process |
7nm | 12nm | 12nm | 12nm | 12nm | ||||
| CPU Cores | 2x Cortex R5 | 1x Cortex R5 | 1x Cortex R5 | 2x Cortex R5 | 3x Cortex R5 | ||||
| Error Correction | seventh Gen LDPC | Fifth Gen LDPC | 4th Gen LDPC | Fifth Gen LDPC | 4th Gen LDPC | ||||
| DRAM | No | No | No | DDR4, LPDDR4 | DDR4 | ||||
| Host Interface | PCIe 5.Zero x4 | PCIe 4.Zero x4 | PCIe 4.Zero x4 | PCIe 5.Zero x4 | PCIe 4.Zero x4 | ||||
| NVMe Version | NVMe 2.0 | NVMe 2.0 | NVMe 1.4 | NVMe 2.0 | NVMe 1.4 | ||||
| NAND Channels, Interface Speed | Four ch, 3600 MT/s |
Four ch, 3600 MT/s |
Four ch, 1600 MT/s |
eight ch, 2400 MT/s |
eight ch, 1600 MT/s |
||||
| Max Capacity | eight TB | eight TB | Four TB | eight TB | eight TB | ||||
| Sequential Read | 10.eight GB/s | 7.Four GB/s | 5.Zero GB/s | 14 GB/s | 7.Four GB/s | ||||
| Sequential Write | 10.eight GB/s | 6.7 GB/s | 4.5 GB/s | 11.eight GB/s | 7.Zero GB/s | ||||
| 4KB Random Read IOPS | 1500ok | 1200ok | 780ok | 1500ok | 1000ok | ||||
| 4KB Random Write IOPS | 1500ok | 1200ok | 800ok | 2000ok | 1000ok | ||||
Phison itself calls its E31T platform ‘the primary mainstream 10 GB/s platform,’ which just about offers a efficiency indicator for a number of the upcoming cheap PCIe Gen5 SSDs. As for random efficiency, we’re speaking about 1.5M IOPS per second, which is in keeping with efficiency provided by a few of enterprise-grade PCIe GenFour SSDs.
Meanwhile, a Silicon Power advert at Computex signifies that that the corporate a minimum of hopes to get to 12 GB/sec with its “US85” drive. Which at Four NAND channels would require pairing up the controller with cutting-edge 3200 MT/sec NAND. It’s a little bit of an odd pairing given the mainstream, cost-conscious standing of the E31T controller, however then the financial savings on the controller supporting DRAM could be invested again into the NAND on the drive itself. And extra importantly, with 12 GB/sec reads and writes, Silicon Power’s US85 SSD will be capable of compete towards earlier E26-based drives which can be nonetheless being offered available on the market, which brings this product to a complete new degree. Though Silicon Power can have to have the ability to procure sufficient quick 3D NAND to fulfill demand.
Both Phison and Silicon Power anticipate E31T to begin delivery in This fall, so by the beginning of subsequent 12 months, mainstream SSDs ought to be receiving a pleasant velocity enhance.
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