Phison E37T SSD Controller Exclusive Preview - The Fastest DRAMless SSD Platform Yet

Introduction & Drive Details

Finally, we have it! A super-efficient and cost-effective 4-channel DRAMless NVMe SSD capable of delivering the full throughput available from the PCIe Gen5 interface. The timing of this couldn't be better, as the cost of DRAM and NAND has skyrocketed as well due to datacenter demand amid the AI arms race across the globe.

The Engineering Sample we have in hand today is a world exclusive to TweakTown and to say we are overwhelmed with appreciation for this opportunity is an understatement. Judging from the bold title of this review, it's not hard to figure out our opinion of the subject of today's review. That's right, we believe what we have here for you today is without question the best consumer SSD ever made and the fastest DRAMless SSD platform yet.

As we view the consumer SSD industry, there are three primary factors that go into ranking any SSD against all others. Real-world performance vs. cost vs. efficiency. Never before have we encountered an SSD that we could rank as delivering elite levels of all three factors in one. And we are getting this out of a 1TB SSD that is slightly handicapped in comparison to higher capacity points of this model that are even faster when programming sequential data.

In addition to its 6nm architecture and Phison engineering know-how that comprises the company's E37T controller, making all of this goodness possible, the other half of the equation is, of course, the NAND array. Here again, we have something special, something we've not encountered before - 4800MT NAND. Until now, the fastest NAND we've ever encountered peaked at 3600MT, so this NAND cranks out a whopping 33.33% more bandwidth than anything else that's ever arrayed a consumer SSD.

Now, as speeds go up, efficiency can go down unless offset by a better architecture, which is typically enabled by a smaller node, which is exactly what we have in the 6nm architected Phison E37T controller. The E37T DRAMless controller is so efficient that even while cranking out a massive 14,900 MB/s throughput, it consumes no more than 3.385 watts of power, as reflected by this Phison-provided power consumption chart showing power consumed while running a full CDM benchmark:

43

Amazing efficiency, and this is of course backed up by superior thermal characteristics as evidenced by the max temperature encountered by our 9x9x9 CDM sequential runs using nothing more than our integrated motherboard heatsink with zero airflow.

43

43

43c max with zero airflow and an integrated motherboard heatsink for cooling? Yes please. Okay, now let's see exactly what we have on the performance front.

Drive Details

43

The E37T controller can handle up to 8TB of flash.

43

43

43

Jon's Test System Specifications

Intel Test System

AMD Test System

Please note: We employ an M.2 AIC for testing on our Intel Core Ultra 9 285K platform.

Best Deals: Corsair MP700 PRO XT 1TB SSD

	Today	7 days ago	30 days ago
	-	$689.99 USD	-	Buy
	-	$689.99 USD	-	Buy
	-	£254.24	-	Buy
	-	$689.99 USD	-	Buy
	Check Price	Check Price	Check Price	Buy
	Check Price	Check Price	Check Price	Buy
	Check Price	Check Price	Check Price	Buy
	Check Price	Check Price	Check Price	Buy
	Check Price	Check Price	Check Price	Buy
* Prices last scanned 5/28/2026 at 12:45 am CDT - prices may be inaccurate. As an Amazon Associate, we earn from qualifying purchases. We earn affiliate commission from any Newegg or PCCG sales.

Sony PlayStation 5 - M.2 Storage Expansion

PS5 Read Performance

With Sony's wildly popular PlayStation 5 console now enabled for M.2 NVMe SSDs to be used as fast storage expansion, we are including results for PS5-compatible SSDs we test as a part of our reviews going forward.

43

43

For SSDs that don't have an adequately sized PS5 compatible heatsink or other SSDs where the heatsink provided doesn't fit right and can be removed, we both use and recommend Sabrent's unparalleled PS5 heatsink available HERE.

43

43

We only chart SSDs that can deliver a minimum of 5,500 MB/s read, which is Sony's original recommendation.

43

The result here did not quite make the cut to appear on our PS5 chart. This is undoubtedly due to immature firmware, and we fully anticipate Phison will have its E37T-controlled SSDs delivering more than 5,500MB/s upon release to its partners.

Synthetic Benchmarks: CDM, Max IOPS, ATTO

CrystalDiskMark

43

43

43

43

43

We employ CDM as our standard measurement for both sequential throughput and Q1T1 random read. Specs for Phison E37T-controlled SSDs are not firmly established yet. There is no official spec sheet to be found. What we could find are preliminary numbers of up to 14,700 MB/s sequential reads, and up to 13,000 MB/s sequential writes, presumably via AMD hardware. We have no problem meeting and exceeding both those figures.

Incredibly, our 1TB E37T-controlled SSD edges out the E28-controlled CS3250 2TB for the fastest sequential read speeds we've ever gotten from any Phison SSD running on our Z890 Intel platform. Outstanding. We see more of the same where it matters most, with our 1TB E37T-controlled engineering sample again giving us the most we've ever attained from any Phison-controlled consumer SSD at 4K Q1T1. Impressive.

Max IOPS

43

43

43

43

Currently, specs for Phison E37T-controlled SSDs are not firmly established. Again, there is no official spec sheet to be found. What we could find are preliminary numbers of up to 2000K random reads and up to 2000K random writes, presumably via AMD hardware. We have no problem meeting and exceeding those figures. Absolutely incredible for this level of performance to be achieved with only 4 channels and no onboard DRAM.

ATTO

43

43

43

43

ATTO gives us a clear picture of what transfer sizes a particular SSD favors in terms of QD4 sequential throughput. We chart 128KB transfers. At a queue depth of four, the 1TB E37T controlled engineering specimen favors sequential transfers of 128KB or larger when serving data to the host (reading) and 128KB or larger when programming (writing) data. This is exactly what we want to see, as this result indicates superior small-file performance.

Real-World Testing: Transfers, 3DMark SSD Gaming Test, PCM10 Storage

Transfer Rates

43

43

43

Our 100GB data transfer test is not your ordinary 100GB of data; ours is a crushing mix composed of more than 62K files. Writing performance, random or sequential, is an infrequent operation, and thus, we do not consider it to be an important performance metric in the consumer space. An example is how many times a game is installed vs. how many times it's played. Midrange outcome here, which is to be expected from a 4-channel controlled SSD, no matter how powerful it may be.

43

43

43

Unlike programming (writing) data, serving data to the host (reading) is typically an important performance metric as it relates to the consumer space. Again, a midrange outcome here and for the exact same reason.

3DMark SSD Gaming Test

UL's newest 3DMark SSD Gaming Test is the most comprehensive SSD gaming test ever devised. We consider it superior to testing against games themselves because, as a trace, it is much more consistent than variations that will occur between runs on the actual game itself. This test is the same as running the actual game, just without the inconsistencies inherent to application testing. In short, we believe that this is the world's best way to test an SSDs gaming prowess and accurately compare it against competing SSDs. The 3DMark SSD Gaming Test measures and scores the following:

• Loading Battlefield V from launch to the main menu.
• Loading Call of Duty Black Ops 4 from launch to the main menu.
• Loading Overwatch from launch to the main menu.
• Recording a 1080p gameplay video at 60 FPS with OBS (Open Broadcaster Software) while playing Overwatch.
• Installing The Outer Worlds from the Epic Games Launcher.
• Saving game progress in The Outer Worlds.
• Copying the Steam folder for Counter-Strike Global Offensive from an external SSD to the system drive.

43

43

43

Gaming is a performance metric that matters to most DIY consumers, especially for the enthusiast crowd that TweakTown caters to. Now we've reached the point where results start to matter as they are a direct reflection of user experience.

Half the channels and no DRAM? No problem, our low-power 1TB model can still deliver as good as it gets. Wow, gamers take note of this. As we see it, fourth best ever here for a 4-channel DRAMless equates to the most impressive of all time.

PCM10 Storage Tests

PCMark 10 Storage Test is the most advanced and most accurate real-world consumer storage test ever made. There are four different tests you can choose from; we run two of them. The Full System Drive Benchmark and the Quick System Drive Benchmark. The Full System Drive Benchmark writes 204 GB of data over the duration of the test. These tests directly correlate with mainstream user experience.

PCMark 10 Full System Drive Benchmark

This test writes 204GB of data and covers a broad range of common consumer tasks, including booting Windows 10, file transfers, Adobe and Office applications, and startup times for games such as Battlefield V, COD Black Ops 4, and Overwatch. Unlike synthetic numbers, this is comprehensive real-world data, which is why we use it to rank SSDs in terms of user experience.

43

43

43

Here again, as we see it, fourth best ever here for a 4-channel DRAMless equates to the most impressive of all time.

PCMark 10 Quick System Drive Benchmark

The Quick System Drive Benchmark writes 23 GB of data over the duration of the test.

43

43

43

Of all the benchmarks we run, it can be argued that this one offers the best reflection of a typical consumer use case scenario. The most performance where it matters most. A score of 10K here is charging into Optane P5800X territory, and including the P5800X, has only been achieved four times. Incredible. Again, fourth best here, coming from a 4-channel DRAMless 1TB SSD, equates to the most impressive of all time.

Final Thoughts

We've seen them come and we've seen them go, but never have we seen any of its kind do what our 1TB E37T-controlled SSD did here today. A 4-channel DRAMless SSD that is every bit as fast as the fastest DRAM fortified 8-channel SSDs ever made? Unprecedented. And not only is our DRAMless 4-channel contender just as fast, even more incredibly, it is just as powerful, delivering gaming and real-world performance that is also on par with the fastest and most powerful 8-channel SSDs ever made.

43

We rank SSDs in terms of overall user experience (performance where it matters most) as expressed by PCMark 10 storage and 3DMark gaming storage tests. Currently, we consider a user experience score of 20K or more to verify an SSD as a TweakTown Elite performer. 25.75K coming from a 4-channel DRAMless 1TB SSD equates to the most impressive of all time. AMD or Intel, doesn't matter, Phison's E37T-controlled SSDs are going to deliver ultra-elite real-world performance.

43

Phison's E37T 1TB SSD is the 4-channel DRAMless SSD that challenges the fastest drives in the world.