# Addlink S93 4 TB: The Capacity Flagship of Addlink's DRAM-less Line (2026)

The Addlink S93 4 TB tops Addlink's ultra-slim PCIe 4.0 line with 7,400 MB/s reads, a class-leading 2,400 TBW rating, and a single-sided 2.25 mm card.

Quick answer: The Addlink S93 4 TB is the capacity that makes the strongest case for this drive and the one to buy when a single SSD has to hold everything. It delivers the full 7,400 MB/s sequential read ceiling of the MAP1602-C platform, the family's full 1,000,000 random read IOPS, and a class-leading 2,400 TBW endurance rating with the largest SLC cache for sustained-write headroom, all while staying single-sided at 2.25 mm in a market where most 4 TB Gen4 drives use thicker or double-sided boards. The five-year warranty is standard for the segment, the 12 nm controller's efficiency claims are credible, and the YMTC 232-layer TLC buries QLC competitors on endurance. Buyers who do not need 4 TB save meaningfully with the 1 TB or 2 TB siblings and still get a capable drive, but the 4 TB is the S93 to choose when the budget allows, because it is the only capacity that makes a single-drive laptop or compact desktop feel genuinely spacious for years. Look past the S93 only if the system lacks integrated M.2 cooling, in which case Addlink's AddGame A93 4 TB ships with an aluminium heatsink on the same platform. For a thin laptop or a PS5 where clearance and capacity are the binding constraints together, the S93 4 TB is one of the very few drives that solves both at once.

## Specifications

| Specification | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Capacity | 4 TB |
| Interface | M.2 4.0 x 4 |
| Controller | Maxio Tech MAP1602-C |
| Memory type | YMTC 232-L TLC |
| DRAM cache | HMB |
| Sequential read | 7400 MB/s |
| Sequential write | 6500 MB/s |
| Random read IOPS | 1000000 |
| Random write IOPS | 820000 |
| Endurance | 2400 TBW |
| MTBF | 2000000 |
| Warranty | 5 years |

## Performance

Addlink rates the 4 TB S93 at 7,400 MB/s sequential reads and 6,500 MB/s sequential writes over a PCIe 4.0 x4 link, the full ceiling of the Maxio MAP1602-C platform. Random performance is rated at up to 1,000,000 read IOPS and 820,000 write IOPS, figures that are controller-limited and identical across all three S93 capacities. The MAP1602-C is built on TSMC 12 nm silicon running four NAND channels at 2,400 MT/s, the same proven platform Addlink uses in the AddGame A93.

TweakTown's review of this exact 4 TB model recorded a 6,541 MB/s sequential write result that landed within 18 MB/s of the highest the lab had ever measured, and an 883,000 random read IOPS figure on its AMD test bench that tracks the 1,000,000 rating. The same review found the 4K QD1 random read at around 100 MB/s, a strong real-world indicator for boot and application-launch responsiveness. Guru3D's independent review of the 4 TB confirmed sequential results matching the rated speeds and observed sustained writes holding near peak through roughly the first quarter of the drive before the SLC cache exhausted and writes settled to native TLC speed; the 4 TB's proportionally larger cache extends that peak window further than on the 1 TB or 2 TB. Addlink claims over 35 percent lower power consumption than typical Gen4 x4 SSDs, credible given the 12 nm controller's efficiency, and relevant for a laptop drive where wattage under load directly affects battery life during transfers. The DRAM-less HMB design does carry higher 4K random write latency than drives with discrete DRAM such as the Samsung 990 Pro or WD Black SN850X, but those drives occupy a higher price tier entirely.

## Endurance, TBW & Warranty

Addlink covers the S93 4 TB with a five-year limited warranty, terminated by whichever arrives first between the term and the 2,400 TBW endurance rating. That 2,400 TBW is the highest in the S93 family, scaling at 600 TBW per terabyte from 600 TBW on the 1 TB, and it tracks the rated cycle life of the YMTC 232-layer TLC. Within the budget PCIe 4.0 segment the endurance is competitive bordering on generous: the WD Black SN770 2 TB carries 1,200 TBW, the Team Group MP44 2 TB reaches 1,300 TBW, and QLC-based rivals such as the Crucial P3 Plus manage only 440 TBW at 2 TB. At a typical consumer write load of 20 GB per day, a 2,400 TBW rating translates to roughly 328 years before the write budget is exhausted, so the five-year term expires long before the NAND approaches its limit. The headroom matters most if the 4 TB is repurposed as a scratch disk or content-creation volume where daily writes reach hundreds of gigabytes, scenarios in which the doubled-over-doubled-again endurance over the smaller capacities is a genuine practical advantage. Addlink rates the drive at 2.0 million hours MTBF, a population-reliability statistic describing expected failure rates across a fleet rather than a lifespan promise for any single unit. Warranty claims route through the retailer or distributor, as Addlink does not operate a direct end-user RMA portal in most regions.

## Pros and Cons

**Pros:**

- 7,400 MB/s sequential reads, full MAP1602-C platform ceiling
- 2,400 TBW endurance, highest in the S93 family
- Largest SLC cache in the line for sustained writes
- Ultra-slim 2.25 mm single-sided PCB fits tight laptop slots
- Five-year warranty competitive in the budget Gen4 segment
- YMTC 232-layer TLC buries QLC rivals on endurance
- Over 35% lower power draw than typical Gen4 drives
**Cons:**

- DRAM-less HMB design raises sustained random write latency
- No heatsink included, bare drive only
- No AES 256-bit hardware encryption
- 4 TB carries a capacity price premium over 1 TB and 2 TB
- AddGame A93 sibling offers included heatsink and higher endurance


## Verdict

The Addlink S93 4 TB is the capacity that makes the strongest case for this drive and the one to buy when a single SSD has to hold everything. It delivers the full 7,400 MB/s sequential read ceiling of the MAP1602-C platform, the family's full 1,000,000 random read IOPS, and a class-leading 2,400 TBW endurance rating with the largest SLC cache for sustained-write headroom, all while staying single-sided at 2.25 mm in a market where most 4 TB Gen4 drives use thicker or double-sided boards. The five-year warranty is standard for the segment, the 12 nm controller's efficiency claims are credible, and the YMTC 232-layer TLC buries QLC competitors on endurance. Buyers who do not need 4 TB save meaningfully with the 1 TB or 2 TB siblings and still get a capable drive, but the 4 TB is the S93 to choose when the budget allows, because it is the only capacity that makes a single-drive laptop or compact desktop feel genuinely spacious for years. Look past the S93 only if the system lacks integrated M.2 cooling, in which case Addlink's AddGame A93 4 TB ships with an aluminium heatsink on the same platform. For a thin laptop or a PS5 where clearance and capacity are the binding constraints together, the S93 4 TB is one of the very few drives that solves both at once.

## Frequently Asked Questions

### Is the Addlink S93 4 TB faster than the smaller capacities?

It matches the 2 TB at the full 7,400 MB/s read and 6,500 MB/s write platform ceiling, a small uplift over the 1 TB's 7,200 and 6,100 MB/s, because both the 2 TB and 4 TB populate enough of the Maxio MAP1602-C controller's four channels to saturate the link. Random IOPS are identical across all three capacities at 1,000,000 read and 820,000 write since they are controller-limited rather than NAND-limited. The real 4 TB advantage is the larger SLC cache, carved from a bigger NAND pool, which keeps sustained writes at peak speed through larger file transfers before performance drops to native TLC speed.

### Is the Addlink S93 4 TB good for gaming?

It is a strong gaming drive, especially in a laptop. The 7,400 MB/s sequential reads and 1,000,000 random read IOPS are enough that game load times stop scaling with storage speed and the CPU becomes the bottleneck. The DRAM-less HMB design is not a gaming liability because titles issue large sequential reads rather than sustained random writes, and the MAP1602-C posts competitive 3DMark Storage Gaming scores. The bare-drive design means a desktop build needs a motherboard with an integrated M.2 heatsink or a third-party cooler. For a gaming laptop with a tight slot, the 2.25 mm single-sided PCB is a real advantage, and 4 TB holds a large Steam library alongside the operating system.

### Is the Addlink S93 4 TB compatible with the PS5?

Yes, it meets Sony's published requirements, though a third-party heatsink is required. Sony asks for 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 cooler installed. The S93 4 TB clears the speed bar easily at 7,400 MB/s, and the bare 2.25 mm card leaves roughly 9 mm of headroom for an aftermarket heatsink under the 11.25 mm ceiling. The single-sided PCB aids clearance, and 4 TB is a practical PS5 capacity given that modern AAA titles routinely exceed 100 GB. If sourcing a separate heatsink is a hassle, Addlink's AddGame A93 uses the same controller and NAND but ships with an aluminium heatsink in the box.

### What is the TBW endurance of the Addlink S93 4 TB?

The Addlink S93 4 TB carries a 2,400 TBW endurance rating, the highest in the family and four times the 1 TB model's 600 TBW, following a clean 600 TBW per terabyte scaling that Guru3D's review confirmed across the line. At a typical 20 GB of writes per day the drive would need roughly 328 years to exhaust its write budget, so the five-year warranty term expires long before the NAND approaches its rated limit. The headroom becomes relevant if the 4 TB is used as a scratch disk or content-creation volume where daily writes reach hundreds of gigabytes, which is exactly the scenario where the flagship capacity earns its premium over the 1 TB and 2 TB models.

### Does the Addlink S93 have a DRAM cache?

No, the S93 is a DRAM-less design that uses Host Memory Buffer technology instead. The Maxio MAP1602-C controller borrows a small slice of system RAM to hold the flash translation layer mapping table, the same job a discrete DRAM chip performs on a pricier drive such as the Samsung 990 Pro or WD Black SN850X. For consumer workloads like game loads, operating system boots, and application launches, HMB delivers near-DRAM responsiveness because these are predominantly sequential reads that do not stress the mapping table. The trade-off shows under heavy sustained random writes, where discrete DRAM maintains more consistent latency. HMB is standard at this price tier, used by the WD Black SN770, Team Group MP44, and Samsung 990 EVO alike.

### Does the Addlink S93 4 TB need a heatsink?

It ships without one by design, because the S93 is built for laptops and compact systems where a pre-installed heatsink would prevent the drive from fitting. The 2.25 mm single-sided PCB is among the thinnest Gen4 M.2 drives available, and Addlink targets ultrabooks where the M.2 slot sits against the chassis floor with minimal clearance. In a laptop the chassis often acts as a heat spreader, and the efficient 12 nm controller keeps thermals manageable even bare. In a desktop without an integrated M.2 cover, add a low-profile third-party heatsink, as Gen4 controllers can throttle when run bare with limited airflow. For a PS5 install, a heatsink is mandatory to meet Sony's 11.25 mm assembly requirement.

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Last updated: 2026-07-22. Source: https://ssdrive.net/addlink-s93-4-tb