Addlink S93 1TB: An Ultra-Slim DRAM-less PCIe 4.0 NVMe for Laptops (2026)

Name: Addlink S93 1 TB
Brand: Addlink
SKU: addlink-s93-1-tb
Rating: 4.6 (30 reviews)

Posted on July 21, 2026 by Raymond Chen

The Addlink S93 1 TB squeezes 7,200 MB/s PCIe 4.0 reads into a 2.25 mm single-sided M.2 2280 card — one of the thinnest Gen4 drives on the market and a purpose-built upgrade for ultrabooks where every millimetre of clearance counts.

Addlink S93 1TB: An Ultra-Slim DRAM-less PCIe 4.0 NVMe for Laptops

Controller & Memory

The Addlink S93 1 TB runs a Maxio MAP1602 four-channel DRAM-less controller paired with YMTC 232-layer 3D TLC NAND at 2,400 MT/s, leaning on Host Memory Buffer to borrow system RAM for the flash translation layer. The defining physical trait is the PCB: a single-sided M.2 2280 card measuring just 2.25 mm thick, slimmer than most Gen4 competitors that land at 2.3 mm or more. That tenth of a millimetre sounds academic, but in an ultrabook chassis where the M.2 slot sits under the keyboard or against the bottom panel, it is the difference between fitting and fouling. Addlink ships the drive bare — no heatsink, no graphene sticker, no thermal pad — and positions it explicitly for laptops and compact desktops where the host device already provides cooling or where a heatsink would not clear the chassis.

The S93 spans 1 TB, 2 TB, and 4 TB. Sequential throughput scales with capacity because the larger drives populate more of the controller's four channels with higher-density dies, giving the MAP1602 more flash planes to interleave across. The 1 TB reviewed here is the slowest of the three at 7,200 MB/s reads and 6,100 MB/s writes; the 2 TB and 4 TB siblings step up to 7,400 MB/s and 6,500 MB/s. Random IOPS are identical across the line at 1,000,000 read and 820,000 write because they are controller-limited. Endurance scales at a clean 600 TBW per terabyte: 600 TBW on the 1 TB, 1,200 TBW on the 2 TB, and 2,400 TBW on the 4 TB. All three capacities share the same MAP1602 controller, the same YMTC 232L TLC, the same HMB architecture, and the same five-year warranty. The 1 TB is simply the entry point — fast enough for the Gen4 experience, small enough for a boot-and-apps role, and thin enough for the laptop slot that the 2 TB and 4 TB variants might not clear if those use double-sided PCBs at higher densities.

Compatibility is standard PCIe 4.0 x4 with NVMe 1.4 and backward compatibility to PCIe 3.0, where throughput halves. The single-sided PCB and 2.25 mm height make the drive a drop-in fit for the PlayStation 5 expansion bay — Sony's ceiling is 11.25 mm with a heatsink, and the bare S93 leaves headroom for a third-party cooler. That said, the S93 is not the natural PS5 pick in Addlink's own lineup; the AddGame A93 shares the same MAP1602 platform but includes an aluminium heatsink in the box, making it the more complete console upgrade. The closest competitors in the DRAM-less HMB budget tier are the WD Black SN770 1 TB, the Team Group MP44 1 TB, and the Crucial P3 Plus 1 TB. The SN770 is the closest technical match with similar peak reads and the same 600 TBW endurance but adds AES 256-bit hardware encryption that the S93 omits. The MP44 posts higher headline speeds but ships on a thicker PCB. The P3 Plus uses QLC NAND with a fraction of the S93's endurance and should be crossed off the list for anything beyond light duty.

Storage Comparisons:

Best Deal of 1 TB SSDs NVME Best PCIe 4.0 SSD Drive Top 2 TB SSDs

S93 Performance & Benchmarks

Addlink rates the 1 TB S93 at 7,200 MB/s sequential reads and 6,100 MB/s sequential writes over a PCIe 4.0 x4 link, placing it in the upper half of the DRAM-less HMB segment. Random performance is rated at up to 1,000,000 read IOPS and 820,000 write IOPS — controller-limited figures that are identical across all three S93 capacities. The Maxio MAP1602 is a known quantity in this tier, built on TSMC 12 nm silicon with four NAND channels running at 2,400 MT/s, and has seen wide adoption across YMTC-based drives from multiple brands including Addlink's own AddGame A93.

Performance comparison

Addlink S93 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
Addlink S93 1 TB (this drive): 7,200 MB/s read, 6,100 MB/s write

The Guru3D review of the 4 TB S93 family flagship found sequential CrystalDiskMark results that matched rated speeds and sustained writes that held at roughly 5,000 MB/s through about 25 percent of capacity before the SLC cache exhausted and writes settled to native TLC speed. The 1 TB model has a proportionally smaller SLC cache, so sustained write throughput drops sooner than on the 2 TB and 4 TB variants — relevant for large video exports or bulk file transfers, but largely invisible in boot, game-load, and application-launch workloads that dominate consumer use. Addlink claims over 35 percent lower power consumption than typical Gen4 x4 SSDs, a figure that tracks with the MAP1602's reputation for efficiency on the TSMC 12 nm node. For a laptop drive, power draw under load matters as much as peak throughput — a drive that sips watts during sequential reads extends battery life during large file copies. Independent testing of MAP1602-based drives consistently shows competitive PCMark 10 Storage and 3DMark Storage Gaming scores within the top third of PCIe 4.0 SSDs, though the DRAM-less HMB architecture does show higher 4K random write latency than drives with discrete DRAM like the Samsung 990 Pro or WD Black SN850X — drives that sell at a meaningfully higher price.

Addlink S93 vs Competitors

See how the S93 stacks up against other M.2 4.0 x 4 drives in our database:

Compare with rival drives:

Neo Forza NFP455 1 TB Team Group Cardea A440 Pro Special 1 TB Acer FA200 1 TB

Endurance, TBW & Warranty

Addlink covers the S93 1 TB with a five-year limited warranty, capped by whichever arrives first between the term and the 600 TBW endurance rating. That TBW scales linearly across the S93 family at 600 TBW per terabyte — 1,200 TBW at 2 TB and 2,400 TBW at 4 TB — which tracks YMTC 232-layer TLC's rated cycle life and is competitive within the budget PCIe 4.0 segment. The WD Black SN770 1 TB also carries 600 TBW, while the Team Group MP44 1 TB edges ahead at 650 TBW; the Crucial P3 Plus 1 TB, built on QLC, manages only 220 TBW. At a typical consumer workload of 20 GB of writes per day, a 600 TBW rating works out to roughly 82 years of endurance — the five-year warranty term expires long before the NAND approaches its write limit. Even at an aggressive 50 GB per day the drive clears 32 years, so TBW exhaustion is a non-issue for the 1 TB boot-and-apps role this drive is most likely to fill. Addlink rates the S93 at 2.0 million hours MTBF, but treat that figure as a population-reliability statistic describing expected failure rates across a large fleet rather than a lifespan promise for any individual unit. Warranty claims are handled through the retailer or distributor; Addlink does not operate a direct end-user RMA portal in most regions.

Addlink S93 1 TB Specifications

Category	Value
Capacity [?]	1 TB
Interface [?]	M.2 4.0 x 4
Controller [?]	Maxio Tech MAP1602-C
Memory type [?]	YMTC 232-L TLC
DRAM [?]	HMB
Read speed (MB/s) [?]	7200
Write speed (MB/s) [?]	6100
Read IOPS [?]	1000000
Write IOPS [?]	820000
Endurance (TBW) [?]	600
MTBF (million hours) [?]	2000000
Warranty (years) [?]	5

Verdict: Is the S93 Worth It in 2026?

The Addlink S93 1 TB earns its place as a laptop-first budget PCIe 4.0 drive — the 2.25 mm single-sided PCB is the story here, and it is the thinnest Gen4 M.2 drive in its price bracket. The 7,200 MB/s read ceiling, 600 TBW endurance, and five-year warranty are all class-competitive, and the power-efficiency claims hold up on a controller with a proven TSMC 12 nm track record. Buyers who can step up to the 2 TB version get higher peak throughput, double the endurance, and a larger SLC cache, but the 1 TB is the right capacity for a boot-and-apps laptop upgrade. Look past the S93 if the system lacks integrated M.2 cooling — Addlink's own AddGame A93 ships with an aluminium heatsink in the box on the same MAP1602 platform, making it the more complete desktop or PS5 pick. The closest alternative outside Addlink's lineup is the WD Black SN770 1 TB, which matches the S93 on peak reads and TBW but adds AES 256-bit hardware encryption at the cost of a slightly thicker PCB and no bundled cooling either. For a thin laptop where clearance is the bottleneck, the S93 is one of the few drives that genuinely solves a physical constraint rather than just chasing a spec-sheet number.

+ Pros

7,200 MB/s sequential reads on PCIe 4.0
Ultra-slim 2.25 mm single-sided PCB fits tight laptop slots
600 TBW endurance with 5-year warranty
YMTC 232-layer TLC at a budget price point
Over 35% lower power consumption than typical Gen4 drives
PS5 compatible with room for a third-party heatsink

- Cons

DRAM-less HMB design limits sustained random I/O latency
No heatsink included — bare drive only
1 TB is slower than 2 TB and 4 TB siblings
No AES 256-bit hardware encryption
SLC cache smaller than on the 2 TB version

4.6 / 5 · 30 votes

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Video Review

REVIEW (2026): Addlink S93 4TB SSD Expansion. ESSENTIAL details.

Frequently Asked Questions

It is a capable gaming drive, though it is built more for laptops than for desktop gaming rigs. The Addlink S93 1 TB delivers 7,200 MB/s sequential reads and 1,000,000 random read IOPS, enough that game load times stop scaling with storage speed — the CPU and asset decompression become the bottleneck first. The DRAM-less HMB design is not a liability for gaming because titles issue large sequential reads rather than sustained random writes, and the MAP1602 controller has proven itself in 3DMark Storage Gaming benchmarks on par with top PCIe 4.0 drives. The bare-drive design means you will need a motherboard with an integrated M.2 heatsink or a third-party cooler for a desktop build. For a gaming laptop with a tight M.2 slot, the S93's 2.25 mm single-sided PCB is a genuine advantage — it fits where thicker drives with pre-installed heatsinks will not. The WD Black SN770 is the closest alternative for desktop gaming, offering similar speeds and the same TBW.

Yes, it meets Sony's published requirements, though you will need to add a third-party heatsink. Sony requires an M.2 NVMe SSD recommending at least 5,500 MB/s sequential reads and fitting within 110 by 25 by 11.25 millimetres with a heatsink installed. The Addlink S93 1 TB clears the speed bar at 7,200 MB/s, and the bare 2.25 mm drive leaves roughly 9 mm of headroom for an aftermarket heatsink under the 11.25 mm ceiling. The single-sided PCB also aids clearance. Sony does not maintain a publicly updated official compatibility list covering every drive model, but the S93 meets every published criterion. If you would rather avoid sourcing a separate heatsink, Addlink's own AddGame A93 uses the same MAP1602 controller and YMTC NAND but includes an aluminium heatsink in the box, making it the more convenient PS5 choice from the same brand.

No, the S93 is a DRAM-less design that uses Host Memory Buffer technology instead. The Maxio MAP1602 controller borrows roughly 32 MB of system RAM to hold the flash translation layer mapping table, the same job a discrete DRAM chip performs on a pricier drive like the Samsung 990 Pro or WD Black SN850X. For consumer workloads — game loads, OS boots, application launches — HMB delivers near-DRAM responsiveness because these are predominantly sequential reads that do not stress the mapping table. The trade-off surfaces under heavy sustained random writes, where discrete DRAM maintains more consistent latency. HMB is the standard approach at this price tier; the WD Black SN770, Team Group MP44, and Samsung 990 EVO all take the same DRAM-less HMB approach. The S93's specific advantage is that the MAP1602 controller on TSMC 12 nm silicon runs cooler under HMB load than some competing DRAM-less controllers.

The Addlink S93 1 TB carries a 600 TBW endurance rating, the entry point of a lineup that scales to 1,200 TBW at 2 TB and 2,400 TBW at 4 TB — a clean 600 TBW per terabyte across all three capacities. That figure is competitive within the budget PCIe 4.0 segment: the WD Black SN770 1 TB matches it at 600 TBW, the Team Group MP44 1 TB edges ahead at 650 TBW, and the Crucial P3 Plus 1 TB trails badly at 220 TBW because it uses QLC NAND. At a typical 20 GB of writes per day the S93 1 TB would need roughly 82 years to exhaust its write budget, so the five-year warranty term expires long before the NAND approaches its rated limit. The TBW cap matters more on the 2 TB and 4 TB capacities, which are more likely to see write-heavy scratch-disk or content-creation workloads.

It ships without one, which is by design — the S93 is built for laptops and compact systems where a pre-installed heatsink would prevent the drive from fitting at all. The 2.25 mm single-sided PCB is one of the thinnest Gen4 M.2 drives available, and Addlink explicitly targets ultrabooks where the M.2 slot sits against the chassis floor or keyboard backplate with minimal clearance. In a laptop, the chassis itself often acts as a heat spreader through a thermal pad on the bottom panel, and the MAP1602 controller's TSMC 12 nm efficiency keeps thermals manageable even without a dedicated heatsink. In a desktop without an integrated motherboard M.2 cover, you should add a low-profile third-party heatsink — Gen4 controllers can throttle under sustained load when run bare in a desktop case with limited airflow. For a PS5 install, a third-party heatsink is mandatory to meet Sony's requirement that the drive-and-cooler assembly fits within 11.25 mm.

Yes, though the difference is modest in practice. The 1 TB S93 is rated at 7,200 MB/s sequential reads and 6,100 MB/s writes, while the 2 TB and 4 TB siblings both reach 7,400 MB/s reads and 6,500 MB/s writes — a gap of roughly 3 to 6 percent. The reason is NAND parallelism: the 2 TB and 4 TB models populate more of the Maxio MAP1602 controller's four channels with higher-density dies, giving the controller more flash planes to interleave reads and writes across. Random IOPS are identical across all three capacities at 1,000,000 read and 820,000 write because they are controller-limited. The real-world impact of the sequential speed gap is invisible in game loads and OS boots; it shows up only in large file copies where the 2 TB finishes a few seconds sooner. The more noticeable capacity-level difference is the SLC cache size, which grows with total NAND and gives the 2 TB more sustained-write headroom before performance drops to native TLC speed.

The two share the same core platform — Maxio MAP1602 controller, YMTC 232-layer TLC, HMB, PCIe 4.0 x4 — and deliver essentially identical per-capacity performance. The difference is physical and practical. The S93 is a 2.25 mm bare drive built for thin laptops where a pre-installed heatsink would block installation; it claims over 35 percent lower power consumption than typical Gen4 drives and prioritises efficiency. The AddGame A93 ships with an aluminium heatsink pre-applied, making it the more complete package for a desktop or PS5 build where cooling is the user's responsibility. The A93 1 TB also carries a higher 750 TBW endurance rating against the S93's 600 TBW, and PCMag awarded the A93 an Editors' Choice for its price-to-performance ratio. If the system has an integrated M.2 heatsink or you are buying for a laptop, the S93 is the better physical fit. If you are building a desktop without motherboard M.2 cooling or upgrading a PS5, the A93 saves you the step of sourcing a separate heatsink.