Conclusion
Plextor’s M6e 256GB blends high end performance and affordable pricing into a device that is quite unique but also narrowly targeted towards one market. With that being said, it certainly isn’t perfect yet it could be exactly what gamers have been waiting for.
With SATA Express’s cobbled-together interface not yet ready for prime time and mere 10Gbps of potential in its current iteration, SSD manufacturers have been looking further afield for alternatives to SATA’s bandwidth limitations. OCZ, Mushkin and now Plextor have turned towards the PCIe standard and returned with excellent results. Even a two-lane design like the M6e has access to a titanic 16Gbps (1GB/s) of bandwidth and that goes a long way. SATA can’t support those kinds of speeds nor can the upcoming SATA Express in its initial implementations. So, for the time being at least, a pure PCIe connection is the only show in town. Plextor has used this to their advantage with the M6e, creating a versatile SSD that boasts some impressive performance.
It’s quite obvious that the M6e is narrowly targeted towards system load times and other real-world scenarios rather than benchmark junkies. As such, it is ridiculously fast in many key scenarios that will likely be found in a gaming-oriented build but tends to fall behind in workstation related tasks. This was to be expected and is a byproduct of Plextor’s firmware massaging of an enterprise grade Marvell controller.
Versatility is another benefit of the M6e since it uses a piggyback / add-in card system for its main SSD component. This means the actual drive itself can be changed out with a higher performance model as the M.2 standard matures over the coming months. If you’re willing to void the warranty, the pint-sized SSD can also be removed an installed on a compatible motherboard.
There is one small hiccup in an otherwise excellent showing by Plextor: the M6e just doesn’t hold onto its remarkable performance numbers as its storage space is filled up. This is a byproduct of the Marvell controller’s age alongside a lack of over-provisioning and absolutely cripples every aspect of the drive once the 50% and higher capacity mark is reached.
The M6e 256GB is a great option for gamers who just can’t justify the price for higher end options like OCZ’s RevoDrive. It boasts an innovative design, an affordable price and some impressive real world performance numbers which will make it a darling among certain crowds. With that being said, small form factor system won’t be able to use the M6e unless a PCI-E slot is vacated and it gets hobbled as storage limits are reached. If you’re in the market for affordable high end performance and have the space for the M6e, it’s a great option with a lot of potential.
<div align="center"><img src="http://images.hardwarecanucks.com/image/akg/Storage/m6e/di.png" border="0" alt="" /></div>
Conclusion
Plextor’s M6e 256GB blends high end performance and affordable pricing into a device that is quite unique but also narrowly targeted towards one market. With that being said, it certainly isn’t perfect yet it could be exactly what gamers have been waiting for.
With SATA Express’s cobbled-together interface not yet ready for prime time and mere 10Gbps of potential in its current iteration, SSD manufacturers have been looking further afield for alternatives to SATA’s bandwidth limitations. OCZ, Mushkin and now Plextor have turned towards the PCIe standard and returned with excellent results. Even a two-lane design like the M6e has access to a titanic 16Gbps (1GB/s) of bandwidth and that goes a long way. SATA can’t support those kinds of speeds nor can the upcoming SATA Express in its initial implementations. So, for the time being at least, a pure PCIe connection is the only show in town. Plextor has used this to their advantage with the M6e, creating a versatile SSD that boasts some impressive performance.
It’s quite obvious that the M6e is narrowly targeted towards system load times and other real-world scenarios rather than benchmark junkies. As such, it is ridiculously fast in many key scenarios that will likely be found in a gaming-oriented build but tends to fall behind in workstation related tasks. This was to be expected and is a byproduct of Plextor’s firmware massaging of an enterprise grade Marvell controller.
Versatility is another benefit of the M6e since it uses a piggyback / add-in card system for its main SSD component. This means the actual drive itself can be changed out with a higher performance model as the M.2 standard matures over the coming months. If you’re willing to void the warranty, the pint-sized SSD can also be removed an installed on a compatible motherboard.
There is one small hiccup in an otherwise excellent showing by Plextor: the M6e just doesn’t hold onto its remarkable performance numbers as its storage space is filled up. This is a byproduct of the Marvell controller’s age alongside a lack of over-provisioning and absolutely cripples every aspect of the drive once the 50% and higher capacity mark is reached.
The M6e 256GB is a great option for gamers who just can’t justify the price for higher end options like OCZ’s RevoDrive. It boasts an innovative design, an affordable price and some impressive real world performance numbers which will make it a darling among certain crowds. With that being said, small form factor system won’t be able to use the M6e unless a PCI-E slot is vacated and it gets hobbled as storage limits are reached. If you’re in the market for affordable high end performance and have the space for the M6e, it’s a great option with a lot of potential.
<div align="center"><img src="http://images.hardwarecanucks.com/image/akg/Storage/m6e/di.png" border="0" alt="" /></div>
Last edited by a moderator:
