# Anacomda i4-X Fiery Serpent 1 TB: A Phison E18 Flagship With a Heatsink (2026)

The Anacomda i4-X Fiery Serpent 1 TB is a PCIe 4.0 flagship on Phison's E18, Kioxia TLC, and a discrete DRAM cache, reaching 7,000 MB/s reads with a bundled heatsink and 700 TBW.

Quick answer: The Anacomda i4-X Fiery Serpent 1 TB is a genuine PCIe 4.0 flagship that delivers the E18 platform's strengths, a discrete DRAM cache, Kioxia BiCS5 TLC, consistent sustained-write behaviour, and roughly 1,000,000 random IOPS, in a package that includes the aluminium heatsink most rivals make buyers source separately. The 1 TB is the entry point of the line, so buyers accept 5,000 MB/s writes instead of the 7,000 MB/s the 2 TB and 4 TB reach, along with the 700 TBW endurance rating, in exchange for a lower price. For a gaming boot drive, a PS5 upgrade, or a system where the bundled heatsink and the E18's real-world consistency matter more than peak capacity, the 1 TB is a strong value against brand-name E18 drives like the Seagate FireCuda 530 or the Sabrent Rocket 4 Plus, which carry the same controller but cost more and ship bare. Buyers who need the full 7,000 MB/s write speed or substantially more write endurance should step up to the 2 TB or 4 TB i4-X, and buyers who want maximum capacity can consider the announced 8 TB flagship, though its retail availability is limited.

## Specifications

| Specification | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Capacity | 1 TB |
| Interface | M.2 4.0 x 4 |
| Controller | Phison PS5018 E18 8 Channel |
| Memory type | Kioxia 112-L TLC |
| DRAM cache | Yes |
| Sequential read | 7000 MB/s |
| Sequential write | 5000 MB/s |
| Random read IOPS | 1000000 |
| Random write IOPS | 1000000 |
| Endurance | 700 TBW |
| MTBF | 2000000 |
| Warranty | 5 years |

## Performance

Anacomda rates the i4-X Fiery Serpent 1 TB at 7,000 MB/s sequential reads and 5,000 MB/s sequential writes over PCIe 4.0 x4. The lower write figure on the 1 TB is a function of capacity, the E18 controller has fewer NAND dies to interleave across at 1 TB than at 2 TB or 4 TB, and the larger capacities reach the platform's full 7,000 MB/s in both directions. Random I/O is rated at roughly 1,000,000 read and write IOPS, the E18 platform's established ceiling.

The E18's defining trait versus the DRAM-less competition is its on-drive DDR4L-3200 DRAM cache, which holds the complete flash translation layer mapping table and keeps random I/O latency consistent under sustained mixed workloads. NiKKTech's review of the 2 TB i4-X highlighted the controller's dynamic-range SLC cache, SmartECC RAID-style error correction, and fourth-generation LDPC, all of which carry over to the 1 TB. FunkyKit's review of the 1 TB confirmed the 7,000 MB/s sequential read figure and the SLC-plus-DRAM dual-cache design. The practical upside for real-world use is that the E18 holds its performance better than DRAM-less drives under heavy writes, large file transfers, and direct-storage game loading, precisely the workloads where a flagship Gen4 drive earns its premium. The trade-off is power draw and heat, which is why Anacomda ships the aluminium heatsink, and why the 1 TB is best paired with a motherboard M.2 slot that has clearance for it.

## Endurance, TBW & Warranty

Anacomda covers the i4-X Fiery Serpent line with a five-year limited warranty, terminated at whichever arrives first between the term and the drive's TBW endurance rating. The 1 TB carries a 700 TBW rating, verified by TechPowerUp, which is typical for a 1 TB consumer TLC drive and matches the endurance the Samsung 980 Pro 1 TB and WD Black SN850 1 TB carry. At a typical consumer write load of 20 GB per day, the 700 TBW rating translates to roughly 96 years before the write budget is exhausted, so the five-year term expires long before the NAND approaches its rated limit. The 1 TB's lower endurance than the 2 TB (1,550 TBW) and 4 TB (2,800 TBW) is the main reason buyers running sustained write workloads such as video editing or game capture should consider stepping up a capacity. NiKKTech's review confirmed Anacomda's 1.6 million hour MTBF rating across the i4-X line, a fleet-reliability figure that indicates the expected failure rate across a large population of drives rather than a lifespan promise for any individual unit. Warranty claims route through the retailer or distributor, and Anacomda's European market presence means RMA support is generally more accessible there than for the Asia-focused AIGO SM170.

## Pros and Cons

**Pros:**

- Phison E18 flagship controller with discrete DRAM cache
- Kioxia 112-layer BiCS5 TLC NAND
- Aluminium heatsink with graphite pad included
- 7,000 MB/s sequential reads, full E18 platform read ceiling
- Five-year warranty and 1.6 million hour MTBF
**Cons:**

- 1 TB writes at 5,000 MB/s, below the 7,000 MB/s of larger capacities
- 700 TBW is modest; heavier writers should step up capacity
- Smaller Western retail and review footprint than brand-name E18 drives
- Heatsink requires M.2 slot clearance
- Exact IOPS not published by the manufacturer


## Verdict

The Anacomda i4-X Fiery Serpent 1 TB is a genuine PCIe 4.0 flagship that delivers the E18 platform's strengths, a discrete DRAM cache, Kioxia BiCS5 TLC, consistent sustained-write behaviour, and roughly 1,000,000 random IOPS, in a package that includes the aluminium heatsink most rivals make buyers source separately. The 1 TB is the entry point of the line, so buyers accept 5,000 MB/s writes instead of the 7,000 MB/s the 2 TB and 4 TB reach, along with the 700 TBW endurance rating, in exchange for a lower price. For a gaming boot drive, a PS5 upgrade, or a system where the bundled heatsink and the E18's real-world consistency matter more than peak capacity, the 1 TB is a strong value against brand-name E18 drives like the Seagate FireCuda 530 or the Sabrent Rocket 4 Plus, which carry the same controller but cost more and ship bare. Buyers who need the full 7,000 MB/s write speed or substantially more write endurance should step up to the 2 TB or 4 TB i4-X, and buyers who want maximum capacity can consider the announced 8 TB flagship, though its retail availability is limited.

## Frequently Asked Questions

### Why is the Anacomda i4-X 1 TB slower at writing than the 2 TB?

The E18 controller scales sequential write speed with the number of NAND dies it can interleave across, and the 1 TB populates fewer of those dies than the 2 TB or 4 TB. The 1 TB i4-X is therefore rated at 7,000 MB/s reads but only 5,000 MB/s writes, while the 2 TB and 4 TB reach the platform's full 7,000 MB/s in both directions, a capacity tiering pattern TechPowerUp confirms. Read speed stays at 7,000 MB/s across the line. The difference rarely shows up in everyday boot-and-apps use, but it is visible in large sustained writes such as video exports or game installs.

### Does the Anacomda i4-X Fiery Serpent have a DRAM cache?

Yes, the i4-X uses a discrete on-drive DDR4L-3200 DRAM chip to hold the full flash translation layer mapping table, which is the key feature that separates it from DRAM-less HMB drives like the Addlink S93 or AIGO SM170. NiKKTech's review of the 2 TB model identified 2 GB of SK Hynix DDR4L-3200 SDRAM on that capacity. The discrete DRAM keeps random I/O latency consistent under sustained mixed workloads and heavy writes, where DRAM-less designs eventually slow as the host-memory buffer comes under pressure. This is the standard flagship-Gen4 architecture shared with the Samsung 980 Pro, WD Black SN850X, and Seagate FireCuda 530.

### Is the Anacomda i4-X Fiery Serpent 1 TB good for the PS5?

Yes, and it is better suited to a PS5 than bare drives because Anacomda ships it with an aluminium heat spreader backed by a graphite thermal pad, satisfying Sony's heatsink requirement out of the box. 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 i4-X clears the speed bar at 7,000 MB/s reads, and FunkyKit's review explicitly highlighted the thin heat spreader as ideal for PS5 installs. The 1 TB capacity is a reasonable PS5 starting point, holding a working game library alongside the operating system, though 2 TB or 4 TB suit players with large game collections.

### What is the endurance of the Anacomda i4-X 1 TB?

The 1 TB i4-X carries a 700 TBW endurance rating, verified by TechPowerUp, typical for a 1 TB consumer TLC drive and comparable to the Samsung 980 Pro 1 TB and WD Black SN850 1 TB. It scales with capacity across the line, the 2 TB is rated at 1,550 TBW and the 4 TB at 2,800 TBW. At a typical 20 GB of writes per day the 1 TB would need roughly 96 years to exhaust its write budget, so the five-year warranty term expires long before the NAND approaches its rated limit. Buyers running heavy sustained write workloads such as video editing or game capture should consider the larger capacities for their higher TBW.

### How does the Anacomda i4-X compare to DRAM-less drives like the Addlink S93?

The i4-X is a tier above the Addlink S93 and AIGO SM170 because it uses Phison's E18 controller with a discrete DRAM cache, whereas those drives are DRAM-less HMB designs that borrow system RAM. The discrete DRAM gives the i4-X more consistent random I/O and sustained-write performance under heavy load, the main reason a flagship Gen4 drive costs more than a DRAM-less one. The i4-X also ships with an aluminium heatsink, while the S93 is a bare drive. The trade-offs are price, power draw, and physical clearance for the heatsink. For gaming and everyday use the DRAM-less drives are nearly as fast; for sustained writes and demanding workloads the i4-X pulls ahead.

### Is the Anacomda i4-X Fiery Serpent 1 TB good for gaming?

Yes. The 7,000 MB/s sequential reads and roughly 1,000,000 random IOPS are well beyond the point where storage speed limits game loading, which happens once reads exceed about 5,500 MB/s and the CPU becomes the bottleneck. The discrete DRAM cache and the E18's consistent sustained behaviour help under DirectStorage workloads and large asset streaming, where DRAM-less drives can show more variance. The bundled aluminium heatsink means it drops straight into a gaming motherboard or a PS5 without sourcing a separate cooler. The 1 TB capacity suits a boot drive with a moderate game library; players with large Steam collections should step up to the 2 TB or 4 TB.

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Last updated: 2026-07-23. Source: https://ssdrive.net/anacomda-i4-x-firery-serpent-1-tb