ADATA XPG Gammix S70 Blade 1 TB (Original Version): An IG5236 PCIe 4.0 SSD (2026)
The ADATA XPG Gammix S70 Blade 1 TB -- the original launch version of ADATA's IG5236-driven PCIe 4.0 flagship, distinct from the later 2023 Update -- pairs 7,400 MB/s reads with a five-year, 740 TBW warranty that still holds up in 2026.
Controller & Memory
The ADATA XPG Gammix S70 Blade 1 TB (Old Version) is the launch edition of ADATA's enthusiast PCIe 4.0 line, powered by InnoGrit's IG5236 "Rainier" eight-channel controller paired with Micron 96-layer 3D TLC NAND and a discrete Samsung DDR4 DRAM buffer. ADATA later refreshed the platform as the 2023 Update, which replaced the 96-layer flash with Micron 176-layer TLC and raised sequential writes on the larger capacities, but the original Blade reviewed here defined the value proposition: near-flagship Gen4 throughput at street pricing that undercut the Samsung 980 Pro and WD Black SN850 at launch. The drive sits on a standard M.2 2280 single-sided PCB and ships with a thin pre-applied heatsink that keeps total height below 11.25 millimetres, clearing the Sony PS5 expansion slot clearance requirement, though desktop users should plan on motherboard M.2 heatsink coverage for sustained writes.
ADATA sold the original S70 Blade in 1 TB and 2 TB capacities only. Both share the same IG5236 controller, DRAM configuration, and 7,400 MB/s peak sequential read rating, but the 2 TB doubles the SLC cache size and pushes sequential writes to the platform ceiling of 6,400 MB/s, while the 1 TB is rated at up to 5,500 MB/s writes according to ADATA's product-page specification sheet. Endurance scales linearly at 740 TB per terabyte: 740 TBW on this 1 TB model and 1,480 TBW on the 2 TB. The drive is now discontinued and the 2023 Update is the current revision, so the original Blade is primarily a used-market or clearance-aisle find. That does not make it irrelevant -- the IG5236 remains a capable Gen4 controller, and 740 TBW on a 1 TB drive is above the PCIe 4.0 class average.
The S70 Blade's natural competition at launch included the Samsung 980 Pro, WD Black SN850, and Seagate FireCuda 530, all PCIe 4.0 flagships with DRAM caches and all consistently ahead in synthetic benchmarks by a slim margin. The 980 Pro and SN850 offered marginally better sustained write behaviour, while the FireCuda 530 pushed TBW higher, but the S70 Blade undercut all three on price. In 2026 the competitive field is deeper: the Samsung 990 Pro and WD Black SN850X sit on the PCIe 4.0 top tier, and countless DRAM-less HMB drives at the budget end match the Blade's burst reads but fall well short on sustained writes and mixed-I/O latency. The original Blade occupies a defensible middle ground as a PS5-ready Gen4 drive with a discrete DRAM cache and a proven reliability track record. The only reason to skip it for its 2023 Update sibling is the newer NAND's higher write ceiling on the larger capacities.
Storage Comparisons:
XPG Gammix S70 Blade Old Version Performance & Benchmarks
On the 1 TB ADATA XPG Gammix S70 Blade Old Version, sequential reads are rated at up to 7,400 MB/s over a PCIe 4.0 x4 link, and random performance is rated at up to 740,000 read IOPS and 740,000 write IOPS. ADATA's product-page specification sheet for the 1 TB lists sequential writes at up to 5,500 MB/s, below the 6,400 MB/s the 2 TB model can sustain, a gap that is typical for smaller-capacity NVMe drives whose fewer NAND dies reduce write striping parallelism. The SLC cache absorbs burst writes at the full rated speed until it fills, after which writes settle to the native Micron TLC rate, and the 1 TB carries the smaller cache in the line so it drops out of burst earlier than the 2 TB under a long contiguous transfer.
ADATA XPG Gammix S70 Blade Old Version 1 TB vs M.2 4.0 x 4 peers
Switch between sequential throughput and random IOPS to see how this drive stacks up against other M.2 4.0 x 4 SSDs in our database. The highlighted bar is the drive on this page — click any other bar to open that drive.
- Patriot Viper PV593 1 TB: 14,500 MB/s read, 14,000 MB/s write
- Patriot Viper PV593 2 TB: 14,500 MB/s read, 14,000 MB/s write
- Patriot Viper PV593 4 TB: 14,500 MB/s read, 14,000 MB/s write
- Patriot Viper PV573 2 TB: 14,000 MB/s read, 12,000 MB/s write
- ADATA XPG Gammix S70 Blade Old Version 1 TB (this drive): 7,400 MB/s read, 6,400 MB/s write
In daily use the S70 Blade is quick but not class-leading. Independent reviewers at launch found game load times within a second of the Samsung 980 Pro and WD Black SN850, meaning the gap is invisible outside of stopwatch testing. Where the IG5236 platform earns its keep is on mixed-I/O workloads: the eight-channel controller and discrete DRAM buffer keep latency low when the drive is serving reads and writes simultaneously, something DRAM-less HMB designs struggle with. For a pure gaming desktop or a PS5 that largely reads from the drive, the 1 TB Blade is indistinguishable from newer PCIe 4.0 flagships at a distance. For a video scratch disk or a database workload, the sustained write limits of the 1 TB model make the 2 TB or a newer drive with a larger cache the better choice. No heatsink beyond the pre-applied strip is included in the box, and the IG5236 runs warm enough under sustained load that motherboard heatsink coverage is recommended.
ADATA XPG Gammix S70 Blade Old Version vs Competitors
See how the XPG Gammix S70 Blade Old Version stacks up against other M.2 4.0 x 4 drives in our database:
Compare with rival drives:
Endurance, TBW & Warranty
ADATA covers the XPG Gammix S70 Blade 1 TB with a five-year limited warranty, ending early only if the 740 TBW endurance rating is exceeded. That figure sits comfortably above the PCIe 4.0 class average of roughly 600 TBW per terabyte and matches the endurance of the Samsung 980 Pro 1 TB at launch, though Samsung later raised the 980 Pro to 600 TBW for the 1 TB and the Blade's 740 TBW remains ahead. At a typical consumer workload of around 20 GB of writes per day, the 1 TB Blade would need roughly a century to exhaust the NAND, so in practice the five-year warranty term expires long before the flash endurance does. Even at a heavier 50 GB per day the drive clears four decades. ADATA rates the drive at two million hours MTBF, but treat that figure as a population-reliability projection across a large fleet rather than a lifespan promise for any single unit. The warranty is handled through ADATA's standard RMA process, and ADATA has maintained reasonably responsive warranty service for XPG-branded SSDs, though turnaround times vary by region.
ADATA XPG Gammix S70 Blade Old Version 1 TB Specifications
| Category | Value |
|---|---|
| Capacity [?] | 1 TB |
| Interface [?] | M.2 4.0 x 4 |
| Controller [?] | Innogrit IG5236 |
| Memory type [?] | Micron 96-L TLC |
| DRAM [?] | Yes |
| Read speed (MB/s) [?] | 7400 |
| Write speed (MB/s) [?] | 6400 |
| Read IOPS [?] | 740000 |
| Write IOPS [?] | 740000 |
| Endurance (TBW) [?] | 740 |
| MTBF (million hours) [?] | 2000000 |
| Warranty (years) [?] | 5 |
Verdict: Is the XPG Gammix S70 Blade Old Version Worth It in 2026?
Buy the ADATA XPG Gammix S70 Blade 1 TB (Old Version) on the used market or clearance when the price undercuts a new DRAM-equipped PCIe 4.0 drive, because the IG5236 platform and 740 TBW endurance still deliver a competent Gen4 experience for gaming and general use. Skip it at full retail or when the 2023 Update is priced similarly, since the newer version's 176-layer TLC brings better sustained write behaviour and the 1 TB model's 5,500 MB/s write ceiling is behind current PCIe 4.0 class leaders. The Samsung 980 Pro 1 TB is the closest alternative -- similar peak reads, marginally faster sustained writes, and a more established firmware support record -- while the WD Black SN850 1 TB trades a slight TBW deficit for a longer independent review history. The verdict on the original S70 Blade 1 TB is that it was a well-judged PCIe 4.0 flagship at launch and it remains a serviceable, DRAM-backed Gen4 drive in 2026, provided the price reflects its discontinued status.
+ Pros
- 7,400 MB/s sequential reads over PCIe 4.0 x4
- 740 TBW endurance on the 1 TB model
- InnoGrit IG5236 eight-channel controller with DRAM
- Single-sided M.2 2280 PCB fits PS5 and thin laptops
- Pre-applied low-profile heatsink clears PS5 height limit
- Five-year warranty, TBW-limited
- Proven reliability track record from independent reviews
- Cons
- 1 TB model limited to 5,500 MB/s sequential writes
- Discontinued; replaced by the 2023 Update with 176L NAND
- No independent firmware support track record like Samsung or WD
- IG5236 runs warm under sustained writes without motherboard heatsink
- Slower sustained writes than PCIe 4.0 leaders like 990 Pro or SN850X
- Smaller SLC cache than the 2 TB variant
Buy this or similar SSD Storage:
Video Review
Ултра бързо NVMe - XPG Gammix S70 Blade Ревю
