SSD Too Slow? Plextor’s New PCI Express Flash Storage is 50% Faster

M6e PCI Express drives start at $275 for 128 GB.

No, your SSD is not “too slow,” but that doesn’t mean flash storage can’t be faster.

Plextor is now offering PCI Express-based flash storage drives, and it’s targeting gamers who want the fastest storage possible without obliterating the bank. These M6e drives range in size from 128 GB up to 512 GB, with the latter going for around $460. That’s not cheap, but at less than $1 per GB, it’s cheaper than other PCIe-based storage solutions.

How fast are the new M6e drives? Plextor says sequential read and write speeds on the 512 GB model should hit 770 and 625 MB/sec., respectively. Compare those numbers to the 500 and 400 MB/sec. speeds on the 480 GB Crucial M500, and the speed boost is significant — over 50 percent faster, in fact. Much of that speed boost comes from using PCI Express instead of a SATA (Serial ATA) port to connect to the motherboard. All M6e models come with a Marvell 88SS9183 controller.

$460 for any sort of storage drive is very expensive these days, especially with 2 TB hard drives starting well under $100. Power users with money to burn, however, will undoubtedly be tempted.