Patriot P400 1TB PCIe 4.0 x4 NVMe M.2 2280
The 1TB Patriot P400 hits 7000 MB/s sequential reads and 4800 MB/s writes over PCIe 4.0 x4, with a heatsink for sustained performance. Its DRAM-less design keeps the price low, making it a strong value pick for budget builds. Best for cost-conscious PC builders upgrading from SATA SSDs who want fast boot and load times without paying a premium.
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Snapshot
The 30-Second Version
The Patriot P400 is a budget speed demon. It's DRAM-less, but at $74, it's the best bang for your buck in PCIe 4.0 right now.
Pros & Cons
Pros
- 7000 MB/s read speed for under $75 is a steal 84th
- Random write performance is a standout for the price 83rd
- Heatsink included, so it's ready for PS5 or tight builds 79th
- 3-year warranty is decent for a budget drive
Cons
- DRAM-less design hurts sustained performance
- Endurance rating is mediocre at best
- NVMe 1.3 is old news, even if it works fine
- No real track record from customer reviews yet
The proof
Performance
The headline number is the 7000 MB/s sequential read, which puts it in the top tier of Gen4 drives. The 4800 MB/s write is a bit more modest, but still plenty fast for moving large files around. What surprised us is the random write performance. 550K IOPS is well above average for a drive in this price bracket, and it shows in real-world tasks like booting Windows or loading games. But the lack of DRAM means that performance can dip when the drive gets full or when you're hammering it with lots of small operations at once.
Specifications
Full Specifications
Drive
| Capacity | 1000 |
| Form Factor | M.2 2280 |
| Interface | PCIe 4.0 x4 |
| Protocol | NVMe |
| PCIe Generation | 4 |
| External | No |
Performance
| Sequential Read (MB/s) | 7000 |
| Sequential Write (MB/s) | 4800 |
| Random Write (IOPS) | 550000 |
Hardware
| DRAM Cache | No |
Reliability
| Warranty (years) | 3 |
Features
| Heatsink | Yes |
vs Competition
The obvious comparison is the Samsung 990 EVO, which is also DRAM-less but costs more and doesn't hit the same sequential speeds. The Crucial T500 and WD Black SN850X both have DRAM and better endurance, but they'll set you back $20-30 more. The MSI SPATIUM M480 PRO is the closest match on paper, but it's harder to find at this price. For pure value, the P400 wins. For longevity and sustained performance, the SN850X is the safer bet.
| Spec | Patriot P400 | Samsung 9100 PRO | Western Digital Black SN850X | Kingston FURY Renegade G5 SFYR2S/4T0 | Micron T710 CT4000T710SSD5 | Crucial T500 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Capacity | 1TB | 4TB | 4TB | 4TB | 4TB | 2TB |
| Form Factor | M.2 2280 | M.2 2280 | M.2 2280 | M.2 2280 | M.2 2280 | M.2 2280 |
| Interface | PCIe 4.0 x4 | PCIe 5.0 x4 | PCIe 4.0 x4 | PCIe 5.0 | PCIe 5.0 | PCIe 4.0 x4 |
| Seq Read | 7,000 MB/s | 14,800 MB/s | 7,300 MB/s | 14,800 MB/s | 14,500 MB/s | 7,400 MB/s |
| Nand Type | - | TLC | TLC | TLC | TLC | TLC |
| Dram Cache | false | true | true | true | false | true |
| Endurance | - | 2400 TBW | 2400 TBW | 4000 TBW | 2400 TBW | 1200 TBW |
| Compare | Compare | Compare | Compare | Compare |
| Product | Speed | Random | Feature | Capacity | Endurance | Affordability |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Patriot P400 | 79.3 | 83.2 | 33.5 | 55.3 | 42.1 | 84.1 |
| Samsung 9100 PRO Compare | 99.3 | 99.8 | 99.7 | 92.6 | 86.1 | 5.1 |
| Western Digital Black SN850X Compare | 89 | 95.7 | 89.5 | 92.6 | 88.3 | 10.5 |
| Kingston FURY Renegade G5 SFYR2S/4T0 Compare | 99.5 | 99 | 91 | 92.6 | 93.6 | 6.3 |
| Micron T710 CT4000T710SSD5 Compare | 99.1 | 99.2 | 89.5 | 92.6 | 86.1 | 11.7 |
| Crucial T500 Compare | 94 | 96.9 | 99 | 78.5 | 83.1 | 19.7 |
Price
Value & Pricing
At $74, this is a no-brainer for a budget build. You're getting near-flagship sequential speeds for the price of a mid-range SATA drive from a few years ago. The DRAM-less design is the trade-off, but for gaming and everyday use, you'll rarely notice it. If you're on a tight budget and want the fastest possible boot drive, this is it.
Read more
Overview
The Patriot P400 is a budget PCIe 4.0 drive that punches above its weight class on paper. You get a 7000 MB/s read speed for around $74, which is the kind of number that used to cost double. But there's a catch, and it's a big one: this is a DRAM-less drive. That means it's great for big file transfers and game installs, but it's going to struggle with sustained heavy workloads. For most people building a budget gaming rig, that's a trade-off worth making.
Common Questions
Q: Is this drive good for gaming?
Yes, absolutely. Games are mostly large sequential reads, which is exactly what this drive excels at. You'll see near-instant load times in most titles.
Q: Does the DRAM-less design matter?
For most people, no. You'll only notice it if you're doing heavy sustained writes, like editing 4K video or running a database. For gaming and everyday use, it's a non-issue.
Q: Will this work in a PS5?
Yes, the heatsink is included and it meets the PS5's speed requirements. Just make sure your PS5's firmware is up to date.
Who Should Skip This
If you're doing professional video editing, running a server, or anything that involves constant sustained writes, this isn't the drive for you. The DRAM-less design and mediocre endurance rating will bite you eventually. Go get a WD Black SN850X or a Crucial T500 instead. They cost more, but they'll last longer and stay fast under pressure.
Verdict
The Patriot P400 is the best budget PCIe 4.0 drive we've seen in a while. It's not the most durable or the most feature-rich, but it delivers the speed that matters most for the price that matters most. If you're building a gaming PC on a budget, this is the drive to get. If you're doing heavy video editing or running a server, spend the extra $20 on something with DRAM.
