Introduction to the SM2508 Controller
The reviews for Silicon Motion’s new PCIe 5.0 NVMe SSD controller, the SM2508, are starting to surface, and the results are compelling. This controller is designed to deliver power efficiency while enhancing performance, and early tests suggest it meets these expectations.
Power Efficiency Analysis
According to Tom’s Hardware, the SM2508 equipped with 1TB of Kioxia’s 162-layer BICS6 TLC NAND shows significant improvements in power efficiency. In their file copy test, it consistently outperformed its nearest competitor by drawing nearly two watts less. While it still consumes about one watt more than the best PCIe 4.0 drives, the advantages offered by the 6 nm production node used for the SM2508 compared to the 12 nm node for Phison’s E26 cannot be overlooked.
Performance Metrics
On the performance front, the reference drive showcases its strengths by leading in sequential file transfers, regardless of the direction of the transfer. Random read IOPS also position it favorably against competitors; however, it falls slightly short in random write speeds without being classified as slow. Notably, peak power consumption reaches over nine watts, although only one of the Phison E26 drives managed to remain below ten watts. This puts the SM2508 in a strong position among PCIe 5.0 SSD controllers.
Overall, the Silicon Motion SM2508 looks promising based on these initial reviews, and further testing is already underway by TPU, with an in-depth review anticipated shortly.
