Plextor M5 Pro Xtreme-for True Storage Speed Super High Speed Professional SSD

Plextor, a leading developer of high performance storage, this week Plextor look at the technology behind M5 Xtreme and put it to the test against competitors to show that the performance goes beyond the speed shown in the specs. If its speed one wants in an SSD, The Plextor M5 Pro Xtreme (call the M5 Pro) is the ideal choice. This High performance SSD has become faster and faster with each iteration since it first appeared.
 
Fast Flash
The Speed of an SSD is affected by the efficiency of the built in NAND Flash. The M5 features on Toggle –mode NANA made by Toshiba. This double data rate Toggle Mode NAND is faster than conventional asynchronous NAND, but still offers lower power consumption than competing synchronous DDR NAND designs. Selecting the best components, like Toshiba’s fast flash is one of the secret to the M5 Pro’s performance.
 
Powerful Controller and Optimized Firmware
Plextor use the 88SS9187 controller from the Marvell Technology Group - to draw out the full potential of the Toggle-mode NAND. This chip, combined with Plextor's in-house developed, highly -tuned tuned firmware, produces an SSD that is not only fast but that also maintains its high efficiency for a long time to give you what we termed "True Speed." It also includes a data protection function, which we call “True Protect”.
Spec calculation methods vary widely depending on the manufacturer. In some cases, the manufacturer only uses the values for the maximum instantaneous speed. To find out an SSD’s true efficiency, however, average values must be taken after all aspects of the drive have been tested.
 
Don't choose an SSD based on specs alone!
Specs are a handy reference when choosing an SSD. However every manufacturer has its own way of measuring and declaring them. All SSDs these days are high-speed. It's not surprising that consumers find it hard to choose between them. However there is danger in blindly trusting in spec values.

Main specs of the M5 Pro Extreme series

Model number	PX-128M5P	PX-256M5P	PX-512M5P
Capacity	128GB	256GB	512GB
Cache capacity	256MB DDR3	512MB DDR3	768MB DDR3
Drive size	2.5 inches
Interface	Serial ATA 6Gbps
Controller chip	88SS9187 (Marvell Technology Group)
Sequential speed	Read	540MB/sec	540MB/sec	540MB/sec
Write	330MB/sec	460MB/sec	470MB/sec
Random 4K speed	Read	92,000 IOPS	100,000 IOPS	100,000 IOPS
Write	82,000 IOPS	86,000 IOPS	88,000 IOPS
Warranty	5 years

The Graph on the below shows the results we obtained when we used HD Tune Pro 5.50, storage utility software from EFD Software, to test the speed of the drive when used to save all kinds of Data. The M5 Pro's results are on the furthest left. The other two results belong to comparatively newer rival products.
 
There are 3 models in the Plextor M5 Pro Xtreme lineup.
The most popular is the 256GB model, which can also be used as a main drive.
The M5 Pro isn’t just fast, its speed remains stable at an average of 300MB per second (MB/s). It fills all the capacity with data written at a high speed. Product, A is a typical example of a maximum speed-oriented model. Its read speed started out at almost 400MB/s but then dropped rapidly to 260MB/s, where it stayed. Product B,  was unstable. While its maximum speed was over 370MB/s, its lowest speed was under 190MB/s. This averages out to an unstable 250MB/s.

In all areas, products A and B may appear fast. When you actually use them, however, you may discover that they are not as fast as the specs may lead you to believe. The M5 Pro is your best choice if you want true high-speed storage that delivers satisfaction

2013 The Year That Plextor Took The World By Storm

 

Last year ended just like the previous year, with major awards for Plextor’s SSD products. This time the Plextor M5 Pro took the prestigious Hardware.Info UK Award 2013 for best SSD. Plextor beat off Samsung in this hard to win award which is based on reader votes. Winning not only shows the excellent reputation of the M5 Pro, but also the growth in Plextor brand awareness.

Throughout the world our SSDs are continuing to gain awards as reviewers praise their stability, performance, and value for money. Let’s have a look at some of the feedback from recent reviews for the high-performance M5 Pro Xtreme, compact M5M mSATA, and entry-level M5S SSDs.
 
A True Powerhouse – M5 Pro Xtreme
The M5 Pro Xtreme continues its incredible run of awards, collecting no less than 13 in the last three months of the year, bringing the grand total for the SSD (that we’ve noticed) to 86. From Israel to Portugal, the UK to Poland, the M5 Pro’s constantly updated firmware kept it winning awards as 2013 finished. Among the review comments was “Outstanding price/performance combination” – Test Praktiker Germany, “Results of the different benchmarks show that the Plextor claimed specifications are true, SSD IOPS is also incredibly high” – Hardware-Test Denmark, “Excellent all round performance” – Skratchwiz PC UK.


Small and Powerful – M5M
Moving onto the SSD that takes the features and benefits of Plextor’s desktop SSDs and crams them into an ultra-compact form factor - the M5M. In the last quarter the M5M has seen awards in Hardware-Mag Germany, Twaekers BeNeLux, been given an Extreme Performance award by Overclockear Spain, and won HW Legend’s, Italy’s Gold award. HW legend put the M5M through some tough testing and found “High performance in every area” combined with “Good operational stability” they were also impressed with the “Great official support by the manufacturer”. Overclockear Spain went as far as saying that there was nothing that could be improved on.

In Europe, Scandinavia, and Asia the M5S added to its list of awards. This good value-for-money SSD retains Plextor’s high build quality and offers superb read performance. FranzPC Poland selected the M5S over the OCZ and Samsung for reliability. Norwegian site IT Pro described it as “A product we would warmly recommend.”
 
Conclusion
We’ve only talked in detail about a few awards from the last few months of 2013, but as you can see from the map above over the past year Plextor has landed awards from all around the world. With so many awards in 2013 Plextor is going from strength to strength.

To review all the awards Plextor swept in 2013 please visit http://www.goplextor.com/asia/index.php/awards

Plextor’s New M6e PCI Express SSD For Gaming, Compatibility, Reliability, And Ultra-High Performance

Plextor (www.plextor.com), a leading developer of high-performance digital storage technology, announces the launch of the M6e, the first SSD specifically designed to meet the demanding requirements of the gaming community. The M6e PCIe SSD uses a new generation of high-bandwidth components to deliver smooth, uninterrupted gameplay and excels the player to get to the next level. It combines the convenience of driver-free ACHI support with the compatibility of selectable legacy BIOS or fast UEFI boot.

The Plextor M6e delivers maximum sequential read/write speeds of 770/625 MB/s and random read/write speeds of 105K/100K IOPS. The PCIe Gen2x2 interface bypasses the SATAIII bottleneck, includes the latest server-grade multicore Marvell 88SS9183 controller with native PCI 2.0 support, and a pre-graded high performance Toshiba Toggle NAND flash.

The M6e’s exclusive firmware, developed by Plextor’s in-house elite team optimizes the drive for gaming applications and ensures stability. Plextor’s legendary True Speed technology is also one of the features which provide a new improved version for long-term performance stability and effective multi-tasking.

With convenient Advanced Host Controller Interface (ACHI) support, Plextor M6e owners get to experience the speed of a high-performance PCIe SSD without the need to load propriety drivers. Compatibility with legacy BIOSes allows the M6e to be used with existing gaming rigs for flexibility. Alternatively selecting the UEFI boot mode for motherboards with UEFI provides incredibly fast start-up times.

Along with performance and stability, the Plextor M6e SSD meets another key need of professional gamers: extreme reliability. In the worlds most advanced SSD testing facilities the drive was put through rigorous testing and was required to meet Plextor’s Zero-Failure Zero-Error mass testing standard; the result is a MTBF calculated at 2.4 million hours. For stability, every individual SSD faces an extended high-temperature burn-in test and usage simulation. Plextor’s strict testing and tough quality control is the reassurance of the M6e’s full five-year warranty and Plextor’s extensive support structure.

According to Zhang Yaping, M6e Product Manager, “Plextor has built a close relationship with the gaming community so it is natural that we’re the first to provide an SSD that meets their specific needs. Modern games push systems to their limits; by getting data from storage to the graphics card and into RAM fast, even under heavy load, the M6e makes the gameplay experience smoother and better. We’ve also optimized the M6e to perform smoothly with a large variety of games so it’s suitable for use by all types of players.”

The Plextor M6e PCIe SSD will be available January 2014, and comes in 128 GB, 256 GB, and 512 GB capacities.

Plextor Announces M6 Series of Solid-State Storage Solutions

Plextor, a leading developer and manufacturer of high-performance digital media and storage equipment, today announced its M6 series lineup of solid-state drive solutions. The multi-form factor lineup features Plextor’s next-generation 2.5” M6S, , and M6M mSATA SSDs, along with the introduction of two PCIe drives -- the ultra-fast M6e M.2 PCI express and New HHHL PCIe card.

“We are excited to announce the new M6 series, Plextor’s new generation of consumer solid-state storage products. With the addition of the M6e M.2 PCIe and SATA drives to the M6 family, Plextor now offers one of the broadest and highest-performing portfolios in the consumer space,” said Darlo Perez, Director of Plextor Americas.

“Plextor’s latest lineup highlights our commitment to providing top-shelf quality and performance in the solid-state drive market.”

In addition to the new M.2 form factor, The M6 also features the latest generation of advanced 19nm Toggle NAND flash from Toshiba with “Adaptive Write” Plextor’s next-generation proprietary firmware technology designed to maintain SSD performance under heavy workloads and throughout the life warranty of the drive. This allows for increased storage density and capacities up to 512GB.

M6e M.2 PCIe and HHHL PCIe Card: This solution is optimized for serious users to demand the fastest speeds seen on the market today. The M6e sports the latest generation Marvell® 88SS9183 flash controller with multiple cores for efficient performance during intense usage. The M6e’s PCI express interface delivers maximum sequential read/write speeds of 770/625 MB per second and random read/write speeds of 105,000 and 100,000 IOPS. The M6e is automatically recognized as an AHCI device, requiring no additional drivers. When used as an ultra-fast boot disk on a system with UEFI, startup times are cut in half. The M6e comes in capacities up to 512GB.

M6S: A high-performance hard drive upgrade, the M6S 2.5-inch SATA SSD is the perfect replacement for a traditional hard drive. It features faster boot times, shorter application load times, and overall improved system performance. The M6S is available with up to 512GB of storage, and features sequential read/write speeds of up to 520MB and 440MB per second and random read/write speeds up to 94,000 and 80,000 IOPS, respectively.

M6M: The ultimate ultra-book upgrade, the M6M mSATA drive is the ideal solution for users wishing to upgrade any device that requires a solid state drive with a small footprint. The M6M features capacities up to 512GB, with sequential read/write speeds of520MB and 440MB per second, and random read/write speeds of 94,000 and 80,000 IOPS, respectively.

The entire M6e series is backed by a five-year warranty and the reassurance of Plextor’s long reputation for quality, testing, and rock-solid reliability. All Plextor products feature custom in-house design, development, and manufacturing by the company’s engineers.


The M6 series is expected to be available for purchase in the spring of 2014.

For more information about Plextor products, go to: www.goplextor.com