fanxiang S880E 1TB PCIe 4.0 x4 NVMe M.2 2280

7000 MB/s reads for $180 USD is a genuinely good deal, and the 4.6-star rating from 1131 buyers confirms it. The 3900 MB/s write speed is the main compromise, and the DRAM-less design means sustained writes will dip. For PS5 storage or a budget gaming build, this drive is a no-brainer. For heavy file shuffling, look elsewhere.

7000 MB/s sequential reads put this drive in the 78th percentile for speed, which is genuinely impressive for a budget-focused drive. That's fast enough to load games on PS5 without breaking a sweat, and DirectStorage support means PC games can pull assets straight from the drive without choking the CPU. The 3900 MB/s write speed is the trade-off here. It's not bad, but it's a big step down from the read number, and you'll feel it when you're copying a 100GB game library over.

The DRAM-less design is worth mentioning. Drives without DRAM typically struggle with sustained writes and random I/O, but fanxiang leaned on the PCIe 4.0 bandwidth and TLC NAND to keep things moving. The graphite-coated copper foil and aluminum foil layers on the sticker are doing real thermal work too. Users report the drive stays cool even during long gaming sessions, which matters when you're stuffing it into a PS5's tight M.2 bay.

The Samsung 990 PRO and Crucial T500 both beat the S880E on write speed and endurance, but they also cost significantly more. The 990 PRO is the gold standard for PCIe 4.0 drives, with write speeds that nearly match its reads, while the T500 is Crucial's answer to the same problem. The fanxiang gives up some of that write performance to hit a lower price point. The Kingston Fury Renegade and Team Group MP44 are closer competitors on price, but the fanxiang's 7000 MB/s read speed actually edges out several of them in that specific metric. The Lexar NM1090 PRO is a different beast entirely, aimed at PCIe 5.0 speeds and priced accordingly. If you're building a budget gaming rig or upgrading a PS5, the fanxiang makes a strong case. If you're doing heavy video editing with large file transfers, the write speed gap will push you toward the Samsung or Crucial.

At $180 USD for 1TB, the S880E is priced right in the middle of the pack for affordability, landing at the 56th percentile. That's not the cheapest drive out there, but you're getting 7000 MB/s reads and a 5-year warranty for less than what Samsung or Crucial charge for comparable performance. The Canadian listing at $250 CAD is a bit steeper relative to the market, so US buyers are getting the better deal here. For a PS5 expansion drive that just works, this is a solid price-to-performance play.

The fanxiang S880E hits 7000 MB/s reads and 3900 MB/s writes, which puts it in the top quarter of drives in our database for speed. That's a PCIe 4.0 drive delivering numbers that would have cost you a small fortune two years ago. And it does it with TLC NAND, a DRAM-less design, and a 5-year warranty. The 4.6-star rating across 1131 reviews tells you most buyers are walking away happy.

But here's the thing. The write speed is noticeably behind the read speed, and that gap shows up in real-world use when you're moving large files around. The drive also ranks dead last for portability in our database, which makes sense since it's an internal M.2 stick with a heatsink. If you're looking for a PS5 storage upgrade or a budget gaming drive, this thing punches way above its price. If you want a portable drive, keep scrolling.

If you're a video editor or anyone who regularly moves 50GB+ files around, the 3900 MB/s write speed will frustrate you. The DRAM-less design means sustained writes dip further, and the endurance rating sits at the 57th percentile, so heavy daily writes will wear this drive out faster than a Samsung 990 PRO or Crucial T500. Portability is also a non-starter at 17.5/100, so if you need an external drive, this isn't it. And if you're on a PCIe 3.0 system, you'll be leaving a lot of that 7000 MB/s read speed on the table.

The fanxiang S880E is a budget gaming drive that overdelivers on read speed and underdelivers on write speed. For PS5 owners and PC gamers who mostly load games and don't move massive files around constantly, this is an easy recommendation. The 4.6-star rating and 88/100 sentiment score back that up. The 5-year warranty gives you peace of mind, and the included heatsink solves the thermal problem before it starts. Just know what you're getting: a fast reader, not a balanced performer.