The field of affordable NVMe SSDs, the lightning-fast through a PCI Express interface include the fourth generation, is constantly expanding, many models already abound on the market. So the XLR8 CS3140 by ANY that you buy can with one or two terabytes for 180 or 320 euros. We let them play against the tested by us SN850 from Western Digital.

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Reading Speed

As expected, there is the CS3140 easy to benchmark the PS5 with about 6.5 gigabytes per second. That the test of reading speed is not exactly accurate, already studies proved the team at Digital Foundry, where significantly slower SSDs similar peak values ​​achieved.

In games, however, a similar picture as in the SN850 revealed; we were able, with a few exceptions, always a few seconds or fractions of a second earlier start to the game, we take the internal SSD which is given with 5.5 gigabytes per second of PS5, as a starting point. Therefore, the measured reading speed seems realistic and is in line with the technical specifications.

Charging times: Ratchet & Clank Alan Wake Remastered Blood borne Metro Exodus Uncharted 2

The individual components are all top-notch: In addition to the current top model of the memory controller manufacturer Prison we discover a gigabyte DDR4 memory from SK Unix, which as a cache is used, and four 256-GB flash modules from Micron on the board.

With or without heat sink? Not really matter.

Our product sample came with a preinstalled heat sink. This is seventeen millimeters high and three millimeters deep, that exceeds the specifications of Sony. At the depth that no major role plays here the PlayStation manufacturer expects very conservative, but the radiator rises just five millimeters out of the bay.

Annoyingly, we could advance not see any documents on the website of ANY, in which information on the extent of the SSD. Likewise, comprehensible information is missing for the theoretical life.

For us, it is a happy coincidence that we have received a copy of cooler, as we were able to expand as our testing process a little. Among other things, in terms of write speeds, we additionally for a conversion to a quiet heat sink be! Have captured. The dismantling falls way very simple: six Phillips screws must be unscrewed with a bit of size 00.

Write Speed: Empty SSD Full SSD

We move many games in a row, the data situation, however, is reversed. Here, the CS3140 was quiet with the MC1 from be! Just 30 seconds more done. The differences in the cooling concept could provide a potential explanation. In the delivery state with preinstalled cooler ANY used so-called thermal putty, a kind of thermal grease, but which was thickened and, therefore, more like silicone is placed between the individual components. Be quiet! Uses thermal pads on the other hand, which have a lower thermal conductivity, however, cover the entire board.

Copying dismantling

Jump-like temperature increases could be more quickly absorbed by the preinstalled cooler due to the better thermal conductivity of the paste used, while the MC1 quiet of be! Heat for longer tasks transported more efficiently because of the higher pressure in the closed shaft draws more air through the cooling fins.

Using the example of The Last of Us Part II is clear that there is no significant difference in games is:

We therefore draw a clear result: Basically result no deviations in performance, different coolers should be used. The opening of the shaft appears to be no big problem. The fact that the much smaller cooler the third party is almost on par, is in our opinion rather how well the cooling concept of PS5 works with closed shaft. This also prevents dust is drawn into the air passages through the SSD slot.