Final Score: 92 out of 100
The almost inevitable success of the US70 series is not because of its confusing(ly similar to an entry level series) name. It does not lie in the fact it is the very opposite of unique. It does not even have anything to do with its performance. These are all at best non-issues that will neither help nor hurt the US70 series. No, what makes the Silicon Power ‘the’ PCIe 4.0 x4 NVMe solid state drive series for enthusiasts is its overall value. One that in hindsight should have been ‘easy’ for NAND manufacturing backed SSD manufactures to match or exceed. Match or exceed it before Silicon Power even released their US70 series. So far none have been able to even match the US70’s asking price. Instead it is Silicon Power who is actually blazing the trail for others to follow.
To be fair to both Silicon Power and the major players in the enthusiast marketplace, instead of performance being the number one decider of a model’s fate, this generation is rather odd. Odd in that ‘easy’ solutions are usually the best solutions. This is because, this generation’s options are rather limited to say the least. Right now, there is a grand total of one PCIe 4.0 controller widely available. In time this will change. But right now, that is the state of the industry. Mix in the facts that everyone is using the same BiCS 4 NAND, with basically the same firmware and this all culminates into a level of homogeneity that has not been seen in a long, long time. It is to the point where it does not matter all that much what the label says. A Phison E16 reference design is a Phison E16 reference design, with performance of them all being within the margins of error.
Thus, the solution to ‘winning’ the hearts and minds of enthusiasts is ‘easy’. Offer the same as everyone else but do so at a lower price point. Since others still have problems doing this ‘easy’ solution it means that every knowledgeable enthusiast should be hunting down the US70 like a pack of hungry wolves. Same great performance but at a much lower asking price? What is not to like?! Congratulations Silicon Power for displaying a level of self-awareness and flexibility that few others can match. We honestly hope you sell a bajillion of the US70 drives as you deserve to be rewarded for your continuing efforts to bring true value to the enthusiast marketplace.
The Review
Silicon Power US70 1TB
What makes the Silicon Power ‘the’ PCIe 4.0 x4 NVMe solid state drive series for enthusiasts is its overall value. Same great performance but at a much lower asking price? What is not to like?! Congratulations Silicon Power for displaying a level of self-awareness and flexibility that few others can match. We honestly hope you sell a bajillion of the US70 drives as you deserve to be rewarded for your continuing efforts to bring true value to the enthusiast marketplace.
