The Solidigm P44 Professional is an SK hynix Platinum P41 by one other title. That drive was the quickest drive we had ever examined when it launched and is now simply barely surpassed by the much-more-expensive Samsung 990 Professional. By being below the Solidigm umbrella, the P44 Professional has entry to a full software program suite and likewise arrives with a considerably decrease MSRP than the Platinum P41 in any respect capacities.
Whereas there are some minor firmware tweaks, the general efficiency stays about the identical with the additional benefit that this drive ought to see higher international availability. Designed to compete with the finest SSDs, the P44 Professional additionally lacks an choice for a heatsink however is in any other case a wonderful alternative for many purposes.
Specs for Solidigm P44 Professional
| Product | 512GB | 1TB | 2TB |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pricing | $79.99 | $129.99 | $219.99 |
| Type Issue | M.2 2280 | M.2 2280 | M.2 2280 |
| Interface / Protocol | PCIe 4.0 x4 / NVMe 1.4 | PCIe 4.0 x4 / NVMe 1.4 | PCIe 4.0 x4 / NVMe 1.4 |
| Controller | SK hynix Aries | SK hynix Aries | SK hynix Aries |
| DRAM | SK hynix LPDDR4 | SK hynix LPDDR4 | SK hynix LPDDR4 |
| Reminiscence | SK hynix 176L TLC | SK hynix 176L TLC | SK hynix 176L TLC |
| Sequential Learn | 7,000 MBps | 7,000 MBps | 7,000 MBps |
| Sequential Write | 4,700 MBps | 6,500 MBps | 6,500 MBps |
| Random Learn | 960,000 IOPS | 1,400,000 IOPS | 1,400,000 IOPS |
| Random Write | 1,000,000 IOPS | 1,300,000 IOPS | 1,300,000 IOPS |
| Safety | AES-256 | AES-256 | AES-256 |
| Endurance (TBW) | 500TBW | 750TBW | 1200TBW |
| Half Quantity | SSDPFKKW512H7X1 | SSDPFKKW010X7 | SSDPFKKW020X7 |
| Guarantee | 5-Yr | 5-Yr | 5-Yr |
The Solidigm P44 Professional is obtainable at 512GB, 1TB, and 2TB. That is barely completely different from the Platinum P41 which had a bit extra overprovisioning. In observe, this doesn’t translate to any important distinction within the person expertise. It’s the identical quantity of flash, with only a bit extra obtainable to the person with the P44 Professional. Sustaining some free house on any SSD is really useful and, in day by day use, there won’t be any obvious distinction between these two drives. The MSRP is $79.99, $129.99, and $219.99 for the three launch capacities, all considerably decrease than the Platinum P41.
In any other case, the P44 Professional matches the specs of the Platinum P41, with as much as 7,000/6,500 MBps for sequential learn and write. IOPS will not be formally listed however theoretically it ought to hit the 1.4 million/1.3 million IOPS for learn and write just like the Platinum P41. AES-256 encryption is supported as is TCG Pyrite. Solidigm backs this drive with a 5-year guarantee and 500TB, 750TB, and 1200TB of writes for every capability. It is a PCIe 4.0 drive within the M.2 2280 type issue however will nonetheless work nice in a 3.0 slot.
Software program and Equipment for Solidigm P44 Professional
The P44 Professional has three downloadable items of software program: the Solidigm Storage Driver, the Solidigm Bootable Firmware Replace Device, and the Solidigm Storage Device. We lined these in our Solidigm P41 Plus evaluation with explicit consideration on the driving force because it permits host-managed caching (HMC) for the P41 Plus.
The Bootable Firmware Replace Device permits you to replace Solidigm SSD firmware through bootable USB or optical media. The Solidigm Storage Device additionally permits the updating of firmware, together with with a command-line interface (CLI), however provides a GUI that particulars the well being and options of the SSD.
A Nearer Take a look at Solidigm P44 Professional
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The Solidigm P44 Professional appears to be like nearly similar to the Platinum P41. It’s a single-sided drive with a controller, DRAM, and two NAND packages.
Some minor adjustments are obvious with the ability administration circuitry, however such evaluation is exterior the scope of this evaluation. Extra typically, it’s doable to have both a discrete resolution utilizing a number of parts or one thing tighter with an influence administration built-in circuit (PMIC). There are variations by way of value and board house required, however the present PMIC provide crunch in all probability makes this drive’s design a bit simpler to supply in numbers. Producers like Phison make their very own PMICs however typically are licensing out the controller as properly.
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For the total technical particulars of SK hynix’s controller and flash, please see our Platinum P41 evaluation. The Aries is a robust controller that raised IOPS efficiency to new heights, maybe solely crushed by Samsung’s Pascal on the 990 Professional. This degree of efficiency is extraordinary for a shopper drive, however future developments corresponding to Microsoft’s DirectStorage can be extra demanding on SSDs.
Solidigm is utilizing SK hynix’s LPDDR4 for the drive’s DRAM cache with 2GB of reminiscence being a lot for a 2TB drive. We like seeing this quantity of DRAM, and something that may supply a little bit of energy financial savings can be welcome.
The flash is similar to that discovered within the Platinum P41: 176-layer TLC. That is generationally up-to-date and it will likely be a while earlier than we see extra layers in full manufacturing as a result of unfavorable market situations.
Solidigm additionally has its personal flash, such because the 144-layer QLC inherited from Intel on the P41 Plus, a scenario which will confuse some, particularly as SK hynix has demonstrated 176-layer QLC with a special structure. Additional confusion is introduced on by the Solidigm P41 Plus having an analogous title to the Platinum P41. With the P44 Professional, this lastly goes away, however it could be finest considered a wider-circulated Platinum P41.
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