GM228 PCIe 3.0 NVMe M.2 2280

The Bestoss GM228 hits 2400 MB/s read and scores an 85.7 on budget, making it a solid value for everyday use. But endurance sits at the 15th percentile and the DRAM-less design limits heavy workloads. It's a budget boot drive, not a performance champ.

2400 MB/s read and 1900 MB/s write are the headline numbers here. That's solid for PCIe 3.0, landing at the 55th percentile for speed in our database. You'll boot Windows fast, load games quicker than any SATA drive, and move large files without wanting to throw your laptop out a window. But it's not going to touch the PCIe 4.0 drives that are now common, and it's nowhere near the 7300 MB/s territory of something like the Fikwot FX910.

The DRAM-less design with HMB caching is the trade-off. For everyday tasks, you won't notice much difference. The dynamic SLC cache helps absorb burst writes, and TLC NAND means sustained performance won't crater the way QLC drives do. But under heavy sustained workloads, the lack of DRAM starts to show. The endurance score sits at the 15th percentile, which is a real weak spot. This isn't a drive for constant heavy writing.

Stacked against the Samsung 990 PRO, Crucial T500, or WD BLACK SN850X, the GM228 gets left in the dust. Those drives are PCIe 4.0 with DRAM and read speeds in the 7000 MB/s range. The GM228's 2400 MB/s read is less than half of what the Fikwot FX910 offers at a similar price point. But here's the thing: those drives cost more and target a different buyer. If you're on PCIe 3.0 hardware or just need a reliable boot drive, the GM228 makes more sense than paying for speed you can't use. The Lexar NM1090 PRO and MSI SPATIUM M480 PRO are even further ahead on raw performance, but they're also in a completely different price class.

At $155 USD, the GM228 is priced like a budget drive and mostly delivers like one. The affordability score of 66th percentile means it's not the cheapest option out there, but the budget score of 85.7 suggests you're getting decent bang for your buck. The CAD price of $240 and GBP price of £149 track similarly. You're paying for TLC NAND and a heatsink, which is a reasonable trade. Just don't expect the value to extend to heavy workloads.

The Bestoss GM228 is a 1TB PCIe 3.0 NVMe drive that tops out at 2400 MB/s read and 1900 MB/s write. That puts it right around the middle of the pack for speed in our database, which is fine for a budget drive but nothing to write home about. It uses TLC NAND with a dynamic SLC cache and skips the DRAM entirely, leaning on HMB instead. The included heatsink is a nice touch for a drive in this class.

Where this drive really shines is the budget score, an 85.7 out of 100. That's a strong showing for anyone trying to stretch their storage dollar. But the total score of 54.7 tells the real story. This is a value play first, and the gaming score of 56.9 backs that up. If you're expecting flagship performance, you're looking at the wrong drive.

If you're doing heavy content creation, running a database, or constantly moving large files, skip this drive. The 15th percentile endurance score and DRAM-less design will frustrate you under sustained writes. Gamers chasing the best load times should also look elsewhere, the 56.9 gaming score and PCIe 3.0 ceiling mean you're leaving performance on the table. And if you plan to use this in an external enclosure, the 15.6 portable score makes it a poor fit for that use case.

The Bestoss GM228 is a budget drive that knows what it is. The 85.7 budget score is the headline, and for everyday use, the 2400 MB/s read speed will feel snappy. But the 15th percentile endurance and DRAM-less design are real compromises. If you're building a budget system or upgrading an older laptop, this drive makes sense. If you're chasing gaming performance or doing heavy content creation, the 56.9 gaming score should steer you elsewhere.