Apacer AS2280P4 240 GB — Budget PCIe 3.0 x4 NVMe SSD

Posted on May 17, 2026 by Raymond Chen

The Apacer AS2280P4 240 GB is a PCIe 3.0 x4 NVMe drive from the era when 3,000 MB/s-class SSDs became affordable for mainstream builders — a solid OS boot drive now firmly in the budget category.

Apacer AS2280P4 240 GB — Budget PCIe 3.0 x4 NVMe SSD

Apacer launched the AS2280P4 as a mid-range NVMe SSD built on a PCIe 3.0 x4 interface with 3D TLC NAND. The controller is a 4-channel DRAM-less design — likely a Silicon Motion SM2263XT based on third-party teardowns — which keeps costs down but means the drive relies on host memory buffer (HMB) technology rather than a dedicated DRAM cache. The 240 GB variant is the second-smallest of four capacities; Apacer also shipped 120 GB, 480 GB, and 960 GB versions of this drive. The smaller capacities use fewer NAND dies and typically deliver lower sustained write performance than the larger variants.

The drive uses a single-sided M.2 2280 form factor measuring 80 x 22 x 2.25 mm, which fits comfortably in desktops and most laptops including thinner ultrabooks. Power draw is modest — Apacer rates the drive at 275 mA active and 80 mA idle — so thermal management is straightforward. A dedicated heatsink is not required for typical desktop or laptop use, though sustained sequential writes may push the controller toward throttling territory. The PCIe 3.0 interface means the drive is not compatible with the PS5 expansion slot, which requires PCIe 4.0 and a minimum 5,500 MB/s read speed.

When it shipped, the AS2280P4 competed against drives like the ADATA XPG SX8200 Pro (which offered a DRAM-equipped SM2262EN controller and similar sequential speeds) and the WD Blue SN550 (a DRAM-less PCIe 3.0 x4 drive with an in-house SanDisk controller). The Kingston A2000 sat in a similar price band but included DRAM and hardware encryption — features the AS2280P4 lacked. In 2026, the AS2280P4 is best understood as a budget OS drive for upgrading an older PCIe 3.0 desktop or laptop where the jump from SATA to NVMe is the real win, not the absolute peak throughput.

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🚀 Performance and benchmarks

Apacer rates the AS2280P4 at up to 3,200 MB/s sequential reads and 2,000 MB/s sequential writes, with random performance reaching 360,000 IOPS for 4K writes. These are maximum figures that apply to the larger capacities; the 240 GB variant likely falls short of the peak read speed due to fewer NAND channels active in parallel. Third-party benchmarks of the 512 GB variant show real-world CrystalDiskMark results around 2,300 MB/s reads and 1,750 MB/s writes — below the rated maximums but still a meaningful step up from SATA SSDs and entry-level PCIe 3.0 x2 drives.

Performance comparison

Apacer AS2280P4 240 GB vs M.2 3.0 x 4 peers

Switch between sequential throughput and random IOPS to see how this drive stacks up against other M.2 3.0 x 4 SSDs in our database. The highlighted bar is the drive on this page — click any other bar to open that drive.

ADATA SX 8800 Pro 512 GB: 3,500 MB/s read, 2,700 MB/s write
ADATA SX 8800 Pro 1 TB: 3,500 MB/s read, 2,700 MB/s write
ADATA XPG Spectrix S40G RGB 256 GB: 3,500 MB/s read, 3,000 MB/s write
ADATA XPG Spectrix S40G RGB 512 GB: 3,500 MB/s read, 3,000 MB/s write
Apacer AS2280P4 240 GB (this drive): 3,200 MB/s read, 2,000 MB/s write

For everyday use — Windows boot times, application launches, and game level loads — the AS2280P4 240 GB performs in the same ballpark as other DRAM-less PCIe 3.0 x4 drives. The HMB design means random read latency at low queue depths is slightly higher than DRAM-equipped alternatives, but the difference is imperceptible in typical desktop workloads. The main constraint with the 240 GB capacity is not speed but space: after a Windows installation and a handful of applications, free capacity shrinks quickly, and SSDs slow down as they fill. Sustained sequential writes will also reveal the DRAM-less controller's limits once the SLC write cache is exhausted, at which point write speeds drop to the native TLC rate of roughly 300–400 MB/s.

🖥️ Endurance and warranty

Apacer covers the AS2280P4 with a 3-year limited warranty. The MTBF is rated at 1.5 million hours, a standard population-level statistic for consumer SSDs that reflects expected failure rates across large sample sizes rather than an individual drive's projected lifespan. Apacer does not publicly specify a TBW endurance rating for the 240 GB variant in its current documentation; third-party databases suggest a figure around 200 TBW for the smaller capacities, though this should be treated as an estimate rather than a manufacturer guarantee. At a typical consumer workload of 20 GB per day, even a conservative 150 TBW rating would translate to roughly 20 years of use — well past the practical service life of a 240 GB drive. Warranty claims are handled through Apacer's standard RMA process; the drive is covered for the full three years as long as it has not exceeded its rated endurance or been physically damaged.

📊 Specs

Category	Value
Capacity [?]	240 GB
Interface [?]	M.2 3.0 x 4
Controller [?]	n/a
Memory type [?]	3D TLC
DRAM [?]	n/a
Read speed (MB/s) [?]	3200
Write speed (MB/s) [?]	2000
Read IOPS [?]	360000
Write IOPS [?]	360000
Endurance (TBW) [?]	n/a
MTBF (million hours) [?]	1.5
Warranty (years) [?]	3

Conclusion

The Apacer AS2280P4 240 GB is a capable budget NVMe SSD for one specific use case: breathing life into an older PCIe 3.0 desktop or laptop that is still running on a SATA SSD or hard drive. The jump to NVMe — even on a DRAM-less controller — is the meaningful upgrade here, and the AS2280P4 delivers that at minimal cost. Skip it if you need more than a pure OS boot drive; 240 GB fills up fast, and modern games and creative applications demand more breathing room. Skip it also if your system supports PCIe 4.0, where drives like the WD Blue SN580 or Kingston NV3 offer double the bandwidth for a small price premium. For an ultra-budget system refresh where every dollar counts, the AS2280P4 does its job without drawing attention to itself — which, at this price, is exactly what you want.

+ Pros

PCIe 3.0 x4 delivers ~3,200 MB/s reads at larger capacities
Single-sided M.2 2280 fits thin laptops and ultrabooks
Low power draw (275 mA active, 80 mA idle) runs cool
360,000 random write IOPS on rated specifications
3-year warranty with standard RMA process
Affordable entry point for SATA-to-NVMe upgrades

- Cons

240 GB capacity fills quickly with OS and a few applications
DRAM-less HMB design limits sustained write performance
No hardware encryption support
Not compatible with PS5 (requires PCIe 4.0)
Smaller capacities likely do not reach rated maximum speeds

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✨ Video Review

Apacer PCIe AS2280P4 M.2 SSD Review ‼️

⁉️ FAQ

It works as a budget game drive in a PCIe 3.0 system, but the 240 GB capacity is the real limitation — a modern AAA title can occupy 100 GB or more, so you will only fit one or two games alongside the OS. Game load times benefit from the NVMe interface compared to a SATA SSD, though the DRAM-less design means slightly higher latency than DRAM-equipped drives. For an older system or a secondary game library, it is functional. For a primary gaming drive in 2026, a 1 TB PCIe 4.0 SSD is a much better long-term investment.

No. The AS2280P4 uses a DRAM-less controller design that relies on Host Memory Buffer (HMB) technology, borrowing a small portion of system RAM to manage the flash translation layer mapping table. This keeps costs lower than DRAM-equipped drives but results in slightly higher random access latency and reduced sustained write performance once the SLC cache is exhausted. For an OS boot drive running typical desktop workloads, the practical impact is minimal — Windows boot times and application launches feel responsive. For heavy sustained write workloads like video capture or large database operations, a DRAM-equipped drive is the better choice.

No. Sony's PS5 requires a PCIe 4.0 x4 NVMe SSD with a minimum recommended sequential read speed of 5,500 MB/s for the internal expansion slot. The AS2280P4 uses a PCIe 3.0 x4 interface and peaks at around 3,200 MB/s reads, which falls well short of the requirement. The console will reject any drive that does not meet the PCIe 4.0 specification even if it physically fits in the M.2 slot. For PS5 storage expansion, look at PCIe 4.0 drives that appear on or meet Sony's published compatibility criteria, such as the WD Black SN850X or Samsung 980 Pro.

Apacer does not publish a specific TBW (terabytes written) rating for the 240 GB variant in its current documentation. Third-party databases estimate the endurance around 200 TBW for the smaller capacities, though this figure is not manufacturer-guaranteed. For context, a typical consumer workload of 20 GB per day would take roughly 27 years to reach 200 TBW — well beyond the practical service life of a 240 GB SSD. The 3-year warranty covers the drive regardless of TBW consumed, provided the endurance rating has not been exceeded. If endurance is a primary concern, Apacer's higher-end models like the AS2280Q4 offer published TBW figures.

Not for typical use. The AS2280P4 has modest power consumption — 275 mA active and 80 mA idle — and its PCIe 3.0 interface generates less heat than faster PCIe 4.0 drives. Under normal desktop workloads such as booting, launching applications, and light file transfers, the controller stays within safe operating temperatures. Sustained sequential writes over many minutes may push the controller toward throttling territory, particularly in a laptop with limited airflow. If your motherboard includes an M.2 heatsink, use it. If not, the drive will operate safely without one for everyday tasks.

Yes, it is likely slower for sequential writes and potentially for peak reads. SSDs achieve their highest speeds by reading from and writing to multiple NAND flash dies in parallel — a process called interleaving. The 240 GB variant has fewer flash dies than the 480 GB or 960 GB models, reducing parallelism and lowering peak throughput. The 3,200 MB/s read and 2,000 MB/s write figures Apacer advertises are maximums for the product line and apply to the larger capacities. The 240 GB variant typically benchmarks around 2,000–2,500 MB/s reads and 1,200–1,500 MB/s writes in real-world testing. If speed is a priority, choose the 480 GB or 960 GB version.

The ADATA XPG SX8200 Pro is a step above the AS2280P4 in almost every respect. The SX8200 Pro uses a Silicon Motion SM2262EN controller with a dedicated DRAM cache, delivering rated sequential speeds of 3,500 MB/s reads and 3,000 MB/s writes — noticeably higher than the AS2280P4's 3,200/2,000 MB/s ceiling. The SX8200 Pro also includes hardware encryption and a more generous TBW rating. However, the SX8200 Pro typically costs more, and for an OS boot drive handling everyday tasks, the real-world responsiveness gap between the two is smaller than the spec sheets suggest. If the budget allows, the SX8200 Pro or a more modern PCIe 4.0 drive is the better choice. If cost is the priority, the AS2280P4 remains a competent budget option.