MSI Spatium M480 Pro 2TB, M.2 2280 / M-Key / PCIe 4.0 x4

Die MSI SPATIUM M480 mit 2TB Kapazität hatte ich ja bereits getestet, genenauso wie die mit dem „Play“ im Namen. Jetzt hat MSI diese SSD noch einmal neu aufgelegt – mit einem trendigen „Pro“ Kürzel im Namen, dafür ohne Kühler und 5 Jahren Garantie. Mit der SPATIUM M480 und M480 Play lässt man es zudem auch noch richtig krachen, denn zum Einsatz kommt mit dem Phison PS5018-E18 ein recht neuer und schneller Controller für die 2 TB NAND-Speicher, bestehend aus 512 GB Modulen. War es bei der Erstauflage noch der ältere 96-Layer TLC NAND von Micron, kommt hier bereits der 176-Layer TLC zum Einsatz, was der SSD bisher auch in der „Play“ Varianate sichtbar gut getan hat.

We have broken down MSI’s Spatium M480 Pro and run it through some rigorous testing, and there is a lot to like about it. It not only performs as well or better than the other drives in its category, it even competes with the most recent generation of NVMe drives. Moreover, it features an excellent endurance rating, Mean Time Between Failures, and up to a five-year warranty. With capacities of 1 TB, 2TB, and 4TB available, MSI has provided plenty of options to fit your needs and budget. The lack of a heatsink could be considered a negative, though there are many applications where the user will choose to use the motherboard heatsink instead. Also, there are models with a heatsink included, so this is really not an issue worth worrying about. Just buy the one you need.

I had already tested the MSI SPATIUM M480 with 2TB capacity, just like the one with the “Play” in the name. Now MSI has relaunched this SSD – with a trendy “Pro” abbreviation in the name, but without a cooler and a 5-year warranty. The SPATIUM M480 and M480 Play are also a real head-turner, because the Phison PS5018-E18, a quite new and fast controller for the 2 TB NAND memory, consisting of 512 GB modules, is used. While the older 96-layer TLC NAND from Micron was used in the first edition, the 176-layer TLC is already used here, which has visibly benefited the SSD in the “Play” version so far.

The MSI Spatium M480 Pro is the company's third iteration on a Phison E18-based high-performance SSD—which are all grouped under the "Spatium M480" model line. The "Pro" version in this review is based on Micron's 176-layer 3D TLC NAND, paired with 2 GB of Hynix DRAM cache and Phison's fastest Gen 4 controller. Unlike the original MSI M480 and M480 Play, there is no heatsink included, which is a reasonable cost-optimization, especially in less demanding scenarios.