The Japanese retailer kakaku has listed three CFD PG5NFZ M.2 SSDs featuring capacities up to 4TB and speeds reaching 10GB/s using the latest PCIe Gen 5 connection.
The PG5NFZ will be available in 1TB, 2TB, and 4TB capacities communicating through a PCIe Gen 5 x4 interface. CFD opted for Phison’s PS5026-E26 controller coupled to Micron’s 3D TLC B58R NAND flash and 2GB, 4GB, and 8GB DDR4 memory for caching purposes.
Performance-wise, the brand advertises up to 10GB/s read and 9.5GB/s write, with 1,500,000 read IOPS and 1,250,000 write IOPS for both the 2TB and 4TB models, alongside 9.5GB/s read, 8.5GB/s write, plus 1,300,000 read IOPS and 1,100,000 write IOPS for the 1TB variant. Clearly not an entry-level SSD.
Unfortunately, these speeds come at the cost of price and maybe noise, since these are actively cooled using a small 20mm fan.
Backed by a three-year manufacturer warranty, the CFD Gaming PG5NFZ Series M.2 SSDs are listed at ¥57,420 (£344), ¥114,840 (£689), ¥229,680 (£1,379) for the 1TB, 2TB, and 4TB models, respectively, with an estimated availability for late January 2023.
Assuming these are final prices and not placeholders, some may choose to simply go with a RAID0 configuration using two or more 7,000MB/s PCIe Gen 4 drives such as Samsung’s 990 Pro 2TB. On the upside, you get two SSDs that can be used separately later if needed, along with zero noise since they don’t require active cooling to work correctly, all while delivering much higher speeds than a single PCIe Gen 5 SSD. But on the other hand, you run the risk of complete data loss using RAID0. However, there are other RAID types, such as RAID1, which keep RAID0’s read performance and provide higher redundancy at the cost of losing half the storage space. Choices, eh?
All of this is worthwhile assuming you need such stratospheric speeds. For most of us, something like a WD Black SN770 should be plenty fast for any daily task, be it work, media, or gaming. So don’t feel the urge to jump on new technologies right away; you’ll end up paying the early-adopter’s tax.
