Acer FA300 2TB NVMe SSD detailed specifications (2026)

Posted on June 06, 2026 by Raymond Chen

The Acer FA300 2TB pairs the efficient Silicon Motion SM2504XT controller with Kioxia 218-layer TLC NAND to deliver PCIe 5.0 transfer speeds in a single-sided, low-power package.

Acer FA300 2TB NVMe SSD detailed specifications

Controller & Memory

The 2TB capacity of Acer's FA300 offers the same Gen5 architecture as the 1TB model but with two Kioxia BiCS8 218-layer TLC NAND packages instead of one, enabling higher sustained write speeds through increased parallelism across the controller's channels. The Silicon Motion SM2504XT controller is a DRAM-less design that relies on the Host Memory Buffer (HMB) feature of the NVMe 2.0 specification to manage mapping data through a small allocation of system RAM.

Manufactured by BIWIN under the Acer brand, the FA300 targets value-conscious buyers who want PCIe 5.0 speeds without the thermal and power penalties of enthusiast-class Gen5 drives. The entire PCB is single-sided, with all components on one face, which makes it compatible with laptops, ultrabooks, and the PS5 expansion slot where double-sided drives may not physically fit. Active power consumption sits around 2.4 W, significantly lower than the 6 to 8 W typical of high-end Gen5 SSDs from Samsung and Crucial.

Among competing drives, the Samsung 9100 EVO uses a similar DRAM-less HMB approach but with different NAND, while the Kingston FURY Renegade 5.0 and Crucial T705 carry DRAM at higher power draw. The FA300 is positioned below Acer's own Predator GM9000, which adds dedicated LPDDR4 DRAM and targets sustained heavy workloads. For mainstream gaming, content consumption, and productivity, the FA300 2TB provides enough capacity for large Steam libraries and creative project files while staying cool and power-efficient.

FA300 Performance & Benchmarks

Acer rates the 2TB FA300 at up to 11,000 MB/s sequential read and 10,000 MB/s sequential write, with random performance up to 1,600,000 read IOPS and 1,600,000 write IOPS. The write speed advantage over the 1TB model comes from having two NAND packages that the controller can interleave across eight channels simultaneously.

Performance comparison

Acer FA300 2 TB vs M.2 5.0 peers

Switch between sequential throughput and random IOPS to see how this drive stacks up against other M.2 5.0 SSDs in our database. The highlighted bar is the drive on this page — click any other bar to open that drive.

  • PNY XLR8 CS3250 1 TB: 14,900 MB/s read, 13,500 MB/s write
  • PNY XLR8 CS3250 2 TB: 14,900 MB/s read, 14,000 MB/s write
  • Netac NV150HK 4 TB: 14,000 MB/s read, 13,000 MB/s write
  • Acer FA300 2 TB (this drive): 11,000 MB/s read, 10,000 MB/s write
  • Acer FA300 1 TB: 11,000 MB/s read, 9,400 MB/s write

In real-world testing by The SSD Review, the FA300 2TB achieved transfer speeds close to its rated maximums in CrystalDiskMark and ATTO benchmarks. More importantly, it maintained consistent performance during laptop battery life testing, outlasting every other Gen5 SSD evaluated in that round-up by a comfortable margin. The SM2504XT controller keeps thermals under control without requiring a heatsink, which is unusual for PCIe 5.0 drives that often throttle under sustained loads.

Like all TLC-based SSDs, the FA300 uses an SLC write cache for burst operations. Once that cache fills during extended large-file transfers, writes drop to the native TLC speed. The 2TB model has a larger SLC cache than the 1TB, so burst write operations sustain peak speeds for longer. For typical consumer workloads including game installs, OS boot, and application loading, the cache is more than sufficient and the drive consistently delivers Gen5-level responsiveness without thermal throttling.

Acer FA300 vs Competitors

See how the FA300 stacks up against other M.2 5.0 drives in our database:

Endurance, TBW & Warranty

Acer backs the FA300 with a five-year limited warranty. The 2TB model carries a 1,500 TBW endurance rating (1.5 PBW), which is the total amount of data that can be written before the warranty coverage ends. Spread across five years, 1,500 TBW equals roughly 822 GB of writes per day to reach the warranty threshold. Even a power user moving 50 GB of data daily would need over 80 years to exhaust the rated endurance. The drive reports health status through SMART attributes accessible via CrystalDiskInfo or the motherboard's storage utility, letting you track total bytes written and remaining spare blocks over the drive's lifetime.

Acer FA300 2 TB Specifications

Category Value
Capacity [?] 2 TB
Interface [?] M.2 5.0
Controller [?] Silicon Motion SM2504XT
Memory type [?] Kioxia 218-L TLC
DRAM [?] HMB
Read speed (MB/s) [?] 11000
Write speed (MB/s) [?] 10000
Read IOPS [?] 1600000
Write IOPS [?] 1600000
Endurance (TBW) [?] 1500
MTBF (million hours) [?] 1500000
Warranty (years) [?] 5

Verdict: Is the FA300 Worth It in 2026?

The Acer FA300 2TB is the right Gen5 SSD for laptop owners and anyone building in a thermally constrained enclosure. Its single-sided layout, 2.4 W power draw, and lack of required heatsink make it one of the most practical PCIe 5.0 upgrades available. Desktop enthusiasts who need maximum sustained write throughput for video editing or data scrubbing should consider the Acer Predator GM9000 2TB or Samsung 9100 Pro instead. For gaming, general productivity, and large-capacity storage without the heat, the FA300 2TB is a strong value pick that balances speed, efficiency, and capacity in a laptop-friendly package.

+ Pros

  • Single-sided M.2 2280 fits laptops and PS5
  • 10,000 MB/s sequential write at 2TB capacity
  • Active power draw around 2.4 W, runs cool
  • 1,500 TBW endurance with five-year warranty
  • Kioxia 218-L TLC NAND for consistent reliability
  • DRAM-less HMB design keeps cost competitive

- Cons

  • DRAM-less design limits heavy sustained workloads
  • SLC cache slows writes on extended transfers
  • No included heatsink in retail packaging
  • Acer is a newer entrant in the SSD market

Buy this or similar SSD Storage:

Samsung 980 Pro 2 TB

-57% $165
List Price: $379.99

Buy on Amazon

Video Review

รีวิว ACER FA100 M.2 NVMe SSD (1TB) จะเร็ว จะแรง น่าใช้งานขนาดไหน?

Frequently Asked Questions

Yes. The FA300 is a single-sided M.2 2280 NVMe SSD with a read speed of 11,000 MB/s, well above Sony's 5,500 MB/s minimum. Its low profile and minimal heat output make it a natural fit for the PS5 expansion slot, and the 2TB capacity holds roughly 30 to 40 large PS5 games depending on file sizes.

The Predator GM9000 uses the SM2508 controller with dedicated DRAM and reaches 14,000 MB/s read, making it faster for sustained workloads. The FA300 uses the DRAM-less SM2504XT and draws significantly less power. Choose the GM9000 for desktop performance; choose the FA300 for laptop efficiency and lower cost.

The FA300 2TB is rated at 1,500 TBW (terabytes written), which Acer also expresses as 1.5 PBW. This is a strong endurance figure for a consumer SSD and means the drive can handle approximately 822 GB of writes per day for five years before the warranty threshold is reached.

It is single-sided. All components, including the SM2504XT controller and two Kioxia NAND packages, are mounted on one side of the PCB. This is important for laptop and PS5 compatibility, where double-sided drives may interfere with the M.2 socket or retaining screw.

The FA300 is designed to run without a heatsink thanks to the SM2504XT's low 2.4 W active power draw. In The SSD Review's laptop battery testing, the FA300 ran cooler than all other Gen5 drives tested. Most desktop motherboards include an M.2 heatsink that will work if you want extra thermal headroom, but it is not required.

The FA300 is manufactured by BIWIN Storage, a Shenzhen-based company that produces SSDs under the Acer brand as part of a licensing partnership. BIWIN also manufactured the earlier Acer FA200. The SM2504XT controller is from Silicon Motion and the NAND is from Kioxia.
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