XPC Technologies 2TB P560 2230 SSD (Hardware)
Official GBAtemp Review
Product Information:
- Official Store: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0C2JM2H9W?ref=myi_title_dp
Review Approach:
Steam Deck enthusiasts might be aware of XPC Technologies--one of the few options to choose from if you've wanted to upgrade your Deck's storage capacity to 1TB. Previously, they've sold rebranded Western Digital SN740 drives, but now they're coming out of the gate swinging, not only evolving to having their own in-house drive, but also in rare 2TB capacity.
2230 NVMe drives aren't the unicorn they were when the Steam Deck initially launched, but even nowadays, the companies that can actually keep up with the pace of demand are few and far between. The aforementioned WD drive retails at a whopping $300, while the defacto iFixit-approved Micron can go on sale for sub $200. Sabrent's Rocket drive is less affordable than the Micron, but compensates with better performance, though it suffers from stock issues. XPC's new P560 drive settles right in between the price points of the latter two aforementioned drives.
The XPC drive boasts a respectable 5,000 MB/s read speed, but a less impressive 3,200 MB/s write speed. This is a bit of a moot point for Steam Deck users, however, because it only has a PCIe Gen 3x4 slot, while the P560 is a PCIe 4x4 drive. If you're waiting around for the Rog Ally, though, you'll be able to make use of its full speed capabilities, which is solid future-proofing. CrystalDiskMark shows that XPC's claims are pretty spot-on, attaining just a tick under the advertised read and write speeds when plugged into a supported motherboard. Meanwhile, Linux's KDiskMark showed about what you might expect from Gen 3 PCIe performance on the Steam Deck.
Retailing for $217.99, the P560 is priced moderately, coming in at the same MSRP as Micron's 2TB drive. However, the latter has had a little more time on the market, so you can commonly find it on sale. The XPC-branded drive will net you slower write speeds than its competitors, but if you put it into a motherboard or device that can take advantage of it, you'll find that game load times are just a tad faster on it, by a fraction.
Tech Specs
- 2TB 3D QLC Micron NAND, Single sided drive (2230)
- PCIe Gen 4, NVMe 1.4 (Compatible with all PCIe Gen 3 slots and systems)
- Sequential Read Performance up to 5000 MB/s
- Sequential Write Performance up to 3200 MB/s
Having more competition is always a good thing, and XPC's drive is another great addition to the fair few options that customers have to choose from. With the ROG Ally on the way, it'll be a great drive for the device, and if you haven't already upgraded your Steam Deck's drive, having 2TB of install space is just incredible to have on the go.
Verdict
- Great read speeds
- Future-proof PCIe Gen 4 for the Ally
- 2TB capacity is amazing on the Steam Deck
- Unimpressive write performance
- The product details and information are a little sparse
