ADATA XPG SX8200 NVMe SSD Review
The ADATA SX8200 NVMe SSD is the latest drive in the XPG product line. The SX8200 is a PCIe 3.0 x4 drive and features Micron’s 64-layer 3D TLC NAND. The drive also sports the SMI 2262 controller. The drive is targeted at the enthusiast market and is geared for demanding applications such as gaming and video editing. The price of the SX8200 is aimed at a larger market than just enthusiasts.
ADATA packages the SX8200 in a simple box with graphics that show the M.2 drive on the front and specifications and features are located on the back.
Internally the XPG SX8200 is housed in a simple plastic tray.
Tucked in below the drive is a small heatsink. Underneath is pre-applied thermal compound ADATA claims it is not needed but included for aesthetics.
Features and Specifications
| Capacity | 240GB / 480GB / 960GB |
| Form Factor | M.2 2280 |
| NAND Flash | 2nd Generation 64-layer 3D TLC |
| Controller | SMI |
| Dimensions ( L x W x H ) | 22 x 80 x 3.5mm |
| Weight | 8g / 0.28oz |
| Interface | PCIe Gen 3 x 4 |
| Performance ( Max ) | Read 3200MB/s , Write 1700MB/s Maximum 4K random read / write IOPS : up to 310K / 280K * Performance may vary based on SSD capacity, host hardware and software, operating system, and other system variables |
| Operating temperature | 0°C – 70°C |
| Storage temperature | – 40°C – 85°C |
| Shock resistance | 1500G / 0.5ms |
| MTBF | 2,000,000 hours |
| Warranty | 5 years |
The XPG SX8200 that I received is the 480 GB variety and the form factor is M.2 2280. To install, slide it into the M.2 slot on your motherboard and secure. There are exposed components underneath so make sure to remove any extra stand offs for shorter M.2 drives on your motherboard.
The controller onboard the XPG SX8200 is the SMI 2262. The SMI 2262 features a dual core ARM Cortex CPU. The controller is PCIe Gen3 x4 and is compatible with the NVMe 1.3.
The drive is installed with the SMI controller facing up. This allows you to install the included heat spreader or use motherboard cooling solutions to keep the SSD cool. With that said, during my testing, I did not experience any throttling. I tested with the heat spreader and fan, heat spreader only, and no fan and no heat spreader without any significant performance differences between each run.
