The best SSDs are about to get even better.Silicon Motion (via IT home (opens in new tab)) has prepared its new SM2504XT PCIe 5.0 SSD controller to rival the likes of the Phison E26.
Silicon Motion has two PCIe 5.0 SSD controllers that comply with the NVMe 2.0 protocol. The SM2508 is geared toward performance SSDs, while the SM2504XT targets mainstream SSDs. According to Roadmap, Silicon Motion reportedly began sampling his SM2508 in January. His XPG PCIe Gen5 SSD from Adata is the only known PCIe 5.0 drive to leverage the SM2508 controller.
The SM2508 is an 8-channel controller supporting speeds up to 3,200 MT/s per channel. TSMC manufactures the SM2508 for Silicon Motion on a 12nm FinFET manufacturing process. The SM2504XT, on the other hand, is on TSMC’s new 7nm process node. The SM2504XT is a 4-channel controller with 16 CEs (chip-enabled), but supports speeds up to 3,600 MT/s per channel. Unfortunately the SM2504XT will not be available until September. Both SSD controllers support LDPC, E2E, and SRAM ECC. However, only SM2504XT supports I3C.
The SM2508 and SM2504XT support the fastest flash available. However, it’s important to note that not all flushes run at that speed. Also, the new flash comes in many variations. Therefore the speed is different.
Currently, there are only a few PCIe 5.0 SSD controller choices. In comparison, Phison’s E26 features his TSMC’s 12nm process technology, so it’s a newer node than the SM2508, but going forward he’s a step behind the SM2504XT. The E26 supports eight NAND channels of 32 CE and flash transfer speeds up to 2,400 MT/s per channel. InnoGrit competes with the brand’s IG5666, but there’s no public information about the controller’s specs.
Many brands have announced PCIe 5.0 SSDs. However, powerhouses such as Samsung, Western Digital and Seagate are not yet on the list. Furthermore, no one knows when PCIe 5.0 SSDs will appear. Also, the vendor has not promised a specific release date. The latest platforms from AMD and Intel both use PCIe 5.0. The only problem is that there are no drives available. So far, only his PG5NFZ series drives from CFD Gaming, which start at $377 for 2TB capacity, have hit retail channels. Unfortunately, the CFD Gaming PCIe 5.0 SSD is limited to the Japanese market.
