Addlink A93 4 TB

[W1zzard]

At just $205 for the 4 TB model in our review, the Addlink A93 SSD is a fantastic offer. Its standout feature is the inclusion of a large heatsink, allowing seamless integration with the Sony PlayStation 5, providing gamers with a cost-effective storage expansion solution.

Show full review

 

[Kapone33]

That is some serious endurance.

 

[ErikG]

US price, not EU.

 

[Chrispy_]

Thanks for the review, looks like a solid option.

It won't replace my go-to choice of Lexar NM790. Here in the UK that's £18 cheaper and is essentially the same drive without the heatsink. I'm not convinced the heatsink alone is worth £18 when similar-style heatsinks are in the £5-8 range on Amazon, where the £18 price difference between the A93 and NM790 is £18.

I build PCs and upgrade laptops, not PS5s, so the boards almost always include M.2 heatsinks and a heatsink won't even fit in a laptop. As always, I suspect regional pricing and personal scenarios will be the deciding factor, but I'm just glad that there's more choice of affordable, non-QLC storage in the 4TB bracket, so Addlink get a pass from me for that alone.

 

[W1zzard]

It won't replace my go-to choice of Lexar NM790

Exact same components, but yes, agreed on the pricing thoughts

 

[Chrispy_]

Exact same components, but yes, agreed on the pricing thoughts

Do Addlink/Lexar do anything with firmware, ie are vendors given configuration options for things like the size of the pSLC cache, aggressiveness of garbage-collection, wear-levelling etc?

If the components and firmware are identical, it's just pricing, regional availability, warranty, and accessories that differ, I guess.

Thanks

 

[W1zzard]

Do Addlink/Lexar do anything with firmware, ie are vendors given configuration options for things like the size of the pSLC cache, aggressiveness of garbage-collection, wear-levelling etc?

I would assume they have such options, my test results suggest that everything is identical though

 

[Wirko]

Is some shady Chinese software required to update the firmware?

 

[mechtech]

I was always curious how these dramless performance drives would perform if they actually had some dram?

 

[Rowsol]

Big TLC drive for a good price. Seems like a winner.

 

[W1zzard]

Is some shady Chinese software required to update the firmware?

I've never seen the MAP firmware updater, but considering that the controller vendor is Chinese, yes. Except for WD, every single SSD vendor uses Chinese or Taiwanese software. Samsung uses Korean software. Not sure where WD makes their software, but given the look and feel it's not impossible that it's made in Asia, too.

I was always curious how these dramless performance drives would perform if they actually had some dram?

Not sure if the controller even supports DRAM, or we would have seen DRAM-based drives. Performance is really really good, so with DRAM it's probably faster than the Phison Gen 5, which has DRAM. But it won't be as sellable, because more expensive

 

[AnarchoPrimitiv]

"With just 24175 IOPS at 4K random write, the NM790 runs this test in SATA territory"

I think there's a typo under the "Value & Conclusion" section, in the sentence quoted above, it refers to the "NM790" but I believe it is supposed to say "A93", as the previous sentence was referring to the A93.

 

[bug]

Big TLC drive for a good price. Seems like a winner.

I was actually looking to buy and noticed there aren't really options out there. If you want 4TB it's either QLC or YMTC's TLC.

 

[W1zzard]

I was actually looking to buy and noticed there aren't really options out there. If you want 4TB it's either QLC or YMTC's TLC.

https://imgur.com/ishspHE

TechPowerUp

Solid-state-drive database with specifications for products launched in recent years. Includes specs, photos, and technical details.

www.techpowerup.com

 

[ShogoXT]

Add Teamgroup MP44 to the list. Even the mp44l at the 1tb size no longer uses Phison..