Apacer AS2280 P2 SSD 480 GB

[W1zzard]

The Apacer AS2280P2 is an M.2 NVMe PCIe 3.0 x2 SSD built using Toshiba 15 nm 3D TLC flash and a Phison PS5008-E8 controller. Priced at around $100 for the 480 GB version, this solid-state drive is one of the more affordable ways to join the NVMe crowd.

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[Assimilator]

"I checked with Apacer and they say that my version of the drive is the one for the European market, which I guess suggests that other markets get a DRAM-less drive, which of course has lower performance, so definitely take a close look at what you're buying."

Sounds like a bait-and-switch similar to the Kingston V300 fiasco. I would avoid buying this drive for this reason.

 

[EatingDirt]

"I checked with Apacer and they say that my version of the drive is the one for the European market, which I guess suggests that other markets get a DRAM-less drive, which of course has lower performance, so definitely take a close look at what you're buying."

Sounds like a bait-and-switch similar to the Kingston V300 fiasco. I would avoid buying this drive for this reason.

This, and I'd also avoid it because it's a 2x drive and you can, on a fairly consistent basis, get the Adata SX8200 for the same $100 on sale. I personally grabbed the WD Black 500GB Gen3 for the same price during black friday.

 

[ArbitraryAffection]

Isn't the drive in the picture using a SATA interface? I thought that was how the M.2 SATA drives looked.

 

[Assimilator]

Isn't the drive in the picture using a SATA interface? I thought that was how the M.2 SATA drives looked.

PCIe x2 M.2 drives have the same keying as SATA M.2 drives - I assume for a good reason, other than confusing the fuck out of everyone who sees them. To make it even better, some M.2 slots accept both NVMe and SATA SSDs, and some only accept one or the other.

 

[Static~Charge]

PCIe x2 M.2 drives have the same keying as SATA M.2 drives - I assume for a good reason, other than confusing the fuck out of everyone who sees them. To make it even better, some M.2 slots accept both NVMe and SATA SSDs, and some only accept one or the other.

I was confused at first too, but I think I figured it out: with an NVMe x4 drive, the data lines fill in the B notch in the connector.

M.2 (NGFF) connector pinout
http://pinoutguide.com/HD/M.2_NGFF_connector_pinout.shtml

I wish they would just leave the bare fiberglass in place to fill that notch....

 

[Assimilator]

I was confused at first too, but I think I figured it out: with an NVMe x4 drive, the data lines fill in the B notch in the connector.

M.2 (NGFF) connector pinout
http://pinoutguide.com/HD/M.2_NGFF_connector_pinout.shtml

I wish they would just leave the bare fiberglass in place to fill that notch....

Well, to be precise, the B-notch area contains two of the PCIe lanes.

 

[Voluman]

So, are you saying it will be with dram in Eu? That should be nice.
But also fishy if rest of the world getting dramless...

Thanks for the review, interesting, it seems normal during office test, any update on that? What was the earlier reason?

 

[W1zzard]

any update on that? What was the earlier reason?

really good question, I noticed it too. Could be the PCIe x2 interface