Addlink 1TB SSD PCIe 4.0 x4 NVMe

The Addlink S91 is a 1TB M.2 2230 PCIe 4.0 NVMe SSD built for Steam Deck, ROG Ally, and compact laptops. It hits 5000 MB/s reads and comes with a 5-year warranty, making it a solid upgrade for handhelds. It's not the fastest Gen4 drive around, but it fits where most can't.

Sequential reads land around 5000 MB/s, which is strong for a 2230 drive and puts it in the upper-middle of our database. Writes at 3200 MB/s are fine but nothing special. In practice, game loads on a Steam Deck will feel snappy, and moving large files won't be painful, but this isn't a drive built for sustained video editing or massive transfers.

Random performance sits at the 62nd percentile, so it's about average. The DRAM-less design with HMB helps keep things responsive in short bursts, but you'll see dips under heavy mixed workloads. Thermal throttling is supported, which matters in tight handheld enclosures where airflow is basically a rumor. Endurance is middle of the pack at the 64th percentile, backed by a 5-year warranty and a 1.5 million hour MTBF rating.

Against the Samsung 990 PRO and Crucial T500, the Addlink S91 loses on raw speed and sustained writes. Those are full-size Gen4 flagships with DRAM and much higher endurance ratings. But they're also 2280 drives, which makes them useless in a Steam Deck without a risky adapter mod. The Kingston Fury Renegade and Lexar NM1090 PRO are in the same boat, faster but physically incompatible with 2230 slots.

The Team Group MP44 is a closer philosophical match, though it's also a 2280 drive. What the S91 really competes with are other 2230 options like the WD SN740 or Corsair MP600 Mini. Compared to those, the S91's 5000 MB/s reads are competitive, and the 5-year warranty is a genuine plus. Just know you're paying a form factor tax no matter which 2230 drive you pick.

Value is tricky here because the price swings from $199 USD to $295 CAD depending on where you shop. At the lower end, the S91 makes sense as a drop-in upgrade for handhelds. At the higher end, you're paying full-size Gen4 money for a short drive with no DRAM. The Samsung 990 PRO and Crucial T500 are faster overall but won't fit in a 2230 slot without an adapter, so the S91's real competition is other 2230 drives. If you need the form factor, it's a reasonable buy. If you don't, get a 2280 drive and save some cash.

The Addlink S91 is a 1TB M.2 2230 PCIe 4.0 NVMe SSD aimed squarely at handheld gamers and compact laptop owners. It's the kind of drive you buy when your Steam Deck or ROG Ally is choking on its stock 512GB and you want more room without a bulky adapter. The 2230 form factor is the whole story here, since most desktop drives are 2280 and simply won't fit in these devices.

Addlink rates the S91 for up to 5000 MB/s sequential reads and 3200 MB/s writes, though the retail listing also mentions 4900 MB/s. Either way, it's a Gen4 drive with TLC NAND and no onboard DRAM, leaning on HMB instead. Pricing is all over the map depending on region, from about $199 USD to $295 CAD, which puts it in a weird spot for a DRAM-less 2230 drive.

Is the Addlink S91 good for Steam Deck? Yes, and that's really its main reason to exist. It's also a solid pick for Microsoft Surface devices and other laptops that use the short 2230 slot. Just don't expect it to hang with full-size Gen4 flagships in sustained workloads.

Skip the S91 if you have a desktop or a laptop with a standard 2280 M.2 slot. You'll get better performance and often better pricing from full-size drives like the Crucial T500 or Samsung 990 PRO. Also skip it if you do heavy sustained writes like video editing or large dataset work, since the DRAM-less design will show its limits. And if you're on a tight budget, the regional price swings on this drive can make it a poor value compared to other 2230 options.

Should you buy the Addlink S91? If you own a Steam Deck, ROG Ally, or a Surface laptop with a 2230 slot and you're tired of deleting games to make room, yes. It's a straightforward capacity upgrade that fits where it needs to fit and delivers solid Gen4 read speeds. The 5-year warranty is a nice safety net for a drive living inside a handheld that gets tossed in bags and bounced around.

But if you're shopping for a desktop or a laptop with a standard 2280 slot, skip it. You'll get more speed, more endurance, and often a better price from a full-size drive. The S91 is a specialist, and it's very good at its specialty. Just don't ask it to be something it isn't.