The Optimus GX 7100 series line-up is SanDisk’s latest range of PCIe 4.0 SSDs for gaming PCs and laptops. We got a chance to try the new SSD, and here are our thoughts about it.
The new SanDisk Optimus GX 7100 is primarily focused as a budget-based PCIe 4.0 SSD. The SSD comes in 500GB, 1TB, 2TB, and 4TB capacities, and we received the 2TB model for testing. The Optimus GX 7100 sticker is on the front side. The dimensions of the drive are 80 × 22 × 2.3 mm, and the device weighs about 5.8 grams.
The PCB board is black in color, and the 2TB model is a single-sided SSD, which is suitable for thin gaming laptops and gaming handhelds. The SanDisk branding is seen on the bottom side. There is no heatsink included in the package, which means you will have to rely on a third-party solution for better cooling performance.
While the 2TB SanDisk Optimus GX 7100 is a DRAM-less SSD, the PCIe 4.0 speeds are impressive. SanDisk mentions that the drive features a read speed of 7250 MB/s and 6900 MB/s write speeds. The NAND chips used here are based on TLC 3D CBA memory. And since there is no DRAM, the drive uses Host Memory Buffer (HMB) for its memory caching needs. SanDisk also introduced its nCache 4.0 technology, which helps to reduce lags during gaming sessions.
The 2TB variant of the Optimus GX 7100 also features an endurance of 1200 TBW, which should be more than sufficient for gaming PCs and those who do professional workloads. However, the lower capacity models, such as 500GB and 1TB models, have a lower TBW rating.
To manage the SSD, monitor the performance parameters, and perform SSD firmware updates, there is the SanDisk Dashboard Windows app that is free to download. We tested the new drive on our testbed that features the AMD Ryzen 7 7700X processor, the ASUS ROG Crosshair X670 Hero motherboard, an ASUS Dual GeForce RTX 4070 GPU, and an XFX 1000W PSU. We tested the drive using CrystalDiskMark, AS SSD, and 3DMark Storage tests for benchmarks. Here are the results.
As you can see, the drive is capable of high-speed read and write data transfers. While the CrystalDiskMark’s read and write speeds fall slightly short of what SanDisk claims, the 6000+ MB/s speeds are still amazing for a PCIe 4.0 SSD. With no DRAM, the drive is actually more power-efficient and produces less heat. The differences in speed can be due to the configuration of our testbed.
Verdict
If you are looking for a PCIe 4.0 SSD that can offer great read and write speeds, we recommend the new SanDisk Optimus GX 7100 SSD. The drive comes in 500GB, 1TB, 2TB, and 4TB versions, and the 2TB model is a single-sided SSD, which is suitable for thin laptops and gaming handhelds.
The drive features a black PCB, which should suit most gaming motherboard color schemes. The drive is capable of 7250 MB/s read speeds and 6900 MB/s write speeds. Thank to the HMB memory, the drive performs well during. The device comes with an endurance of 1200 TBW, and the limited warranty is for 5 years.
