The Acer Predator GM7 Is DRAM Fast For A Cache-less SSD

Maybe It’s The 2,400MT Flash, Maybe It’s The Maxio PCIe Controller

If you are shopping around for an inexpensive NVMe SSD, you might want to hold out until the Acer Predator GM7 series comes on the market.  The list price is less that $0.10/GB, the 1TB model that TweakTown reviewed should cost around $90 and the 2TB around $160.  You do sacrifice a bit for that price point, but not as much as you might expect, thanks to the evolution of NVMe controllers.

The drive uses TLC, but it is 2,400MT flash as opposed to the more common 1,600MT flash designed by a company called YMTC.  The controller is also mysterious, a four channel controller from Maxio.  It is marketed as being compatible with the PS5, which means a minimum read of 5,500 MB/s and that is something we haven’t yet seen on a DRAM-less SSD.

On the test bed, TT saw sequential reads well in excess of that number, hitting over 7,200 MB/s sequential reads in CrystalDiskMark and over 6,300MB/s sequential writes.   In most tests the 1TB Acer Predator GM7 was solidly in the middle of the pack, competing with more expensive cache-bearing SSDs.   The five year warranty and 600TBW written is also a nice reassurance this drive will be usable for a while.

If you are looking for a new PS5 SSD or just some inexpensive NVMe storage, this is a review worth checking out!