# Gigabyte Aorus 2TB NVMe Gen4 SSD — Review (2026)

The Gigabyte Aorus 2TB was among the first PCIe 4.0 SSDs to ship, packing Phison's E16 controller and Toshiba 64L TLC behind a finned aluminum heatsink with 3,600 TBW endurance.

Quick answer: The Gigabyte Aorus 2TB was an excellent first-generation PCIe 4.0 drive with class-leading endurance, but it has been surpassed by newer, faster, and cheaper Gen4 alternatives. The 3,600 TBW endurance rating remains a standout spec that even modern drives struggle to match. For existing owners, the drive still performs well and will outlast the system it is installed in. New buyers should consider the Aorus 7000S 2TB, Samsung 980 Pro 2TB, or Sabrent Rocket 4 Plus 2TB for meaningfully higher throughput at competitive prices.

## Specifications

| Specification | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Capacity | 2 TB |
| Interface | M.2 4.0 x 4 |
| Controller | Phison PS5016-E16 |
| Memory type | Toshiba 3D TLC |
| DRAM cache | SK Hynix 2GB DDR4 |
| Sequential read | 5000 MB/s |
| Sequential write | 4000 MB/s |
| Random read IOPS | 750000 |
| Random write IOPS | 700000 |
| Endurance | 3600 TBW |
| MTBF | 1.7 |
| Warranty | 5 years |

## Performance

The Aorus 2TB delivers 5,000 MB/s sequential read and 4,000 MB/s sequential write — the E16 controller's ceiling. Reviews from Lab501, Vortez, and The PC Enthusiast confirm these figures in CrystalDiskMark on a fresh, empty drive. The drive behaves identically to other E16-based 2TB drives in real-world testing, which is expected since the platform is a reference design with minor firmware tweaks.

Sustained writes follow the familiar Phison pattern: peak speed within the SLC cache (roughly one-third of usable capacity), then a drop to approximately 1,500 MB/s for TLC writes. The large 2TB capacity means a generous SLC cache of roughly 660 GB, which is more than enough for consumer and prosumer workloads. Random 4K performance at low queue depths is comparable to other E16 drives and meaningfully faster than any PCIe 3.0 drive, but trails the E18 generation by 30 to 40 percent in peak random IOPS.

## Endurance, TBW & Warranty

The 2TB model carries a 3,600 TBW endurance rating — double the 1TB's 1,800 TBW and five times the newer Aorus 7000S 2TB's 1,400 TBW. This high endurance reflects the BiCS3 64-layer TLC, which is rated for more program-erase cycles than the faster 96-layer flash used in E18 drives. The warranty is 5 years, limited by whichever comes first: the warranty period or the TBW rating. At 100 GB of daily writes — a heavy content-creator workload — the 3,600 TBW rating translates to roughly 99 years. The MTBF is 1.7 million hours.

## Pros and Cons

**Pros:**

- 5,000 MB/s sequential read on PCIe 4.0
- 3,600 TBW endurance is class-leading
- Bundled heatsink prevents thermal throttling
- AES-256 hardware encryption
- 5-year warranty
**Cons:**

- E16 generation surpassed by E18 and newer
- 4,000 MB/s write speed is slow for Gen4
- Tall heatsink incompatible with some motherboards
- Double-sided PCB limits laptop use


## Verdict

The Gigabyte Aorus 2TB was an excellent first-generation PCIe 4.0 drive with class-leading endurance, but it has been surpassed by newer, faster, and cheaper Gen4 alternatives. The 3,600 TBW endurance rating remains a standout spec that even modern drives struggle to match. For existing owners, the drive still performs well and will outlast the system it is installed in. New buyers should consider the Aorus 7000S 2TB, Samsung 980 Pro 2TB, or Sabrent Rocket 4 Plus 2TB for meaningfully higher throughput at competitive prices.

## Frequently Asked Questions

### Is the Gigabyte Aorus 2TB good for gaming?

The Aorus 2TB delivers 5,000 MB/s reads and 4,000 MB/s writes on PCIe 4.0, which is more than enough for game loading. In real-world game benchmarks, it performs identically to other Phison E16 drives like the Corsair MP600. The difference between this and newer Gen4 drives in game load times is typically within one to two seconds — not perceptible for most players. The included heatsink keeps temperatures in check during long sessions.

### What is the TBW endurance of the Gigabyte Aorus 2TB?

The Aorus 2TB is rated for 3,600 TBW (terabytes written), backed by a 5-year warranty. This is one of the highest endurance ratings among consumer SSDs, exceeding even the newer Aorus 7000S 2TB (1,400 TBW). At 100 GB of writes per day — a heavy professional workload — the drive would take roughly 99 years to exhaust its rated endurance. For typical consumer use at 20 GB/day, it would take over 490 years.

### Is the Gigabyte Aorus 2TB compatible with the PS5?

The bare drive (with heatsink removed) delivers 5,000 MB/s reads, which is slightly below Sony's recommended 5,500 MB/s but above the practical minimum. The drive is M.2 2280 PCIe 4.0 x4 NVMe, meeting the interface requirement. The 2TB model is double-sided, which may limit clearance with some aftermarket PS5 heatsinks. Sony does not officially list this model, but it meets the published spec requirements.

### Does the Gigabyte Aorus 2TB have DRAM?

Yes. The 2TB model includes 2 GB of SK Hynix DDR4 DRAM split across two packages on each side of the PCB. This serves as the flash translation layer mapping cache, ensuring consistent random performance. The drive is a full DRAM design, not DRAM-less.

### How does the Aorus 2TB compare to the Aorus 7000S 2TB?

The Aorus 7000S uses the newer Phison E18 controller and Micron 96L TLC, delivering 7,000 MB/s reads and 6,850 MB/s writes — significantly faster than the original Aorus's 5,000/4,000 MB/s. Random IOPS are also higher on the 7000S. However, the original Aorus has substantially higher endurance: 3,600 TBW vs 1,400 TBW. For new purchases, the 7000S is the better drive in every performance metric. For endurance-focused workloads, the original Aorus still holds an advantage.

### Is the Gigabyte Aorus still worth buying?

For new purchases, no. Newer PCIe 4.0 drives on the E18 or Elpis controllers offer 7,000 MB/s+ speeds at similar or lower prices. The Aorus 7000S, Samsung 980 Pro, and Sabrent Rocket 4 Plus are all better choices. However, existing Aorus owners have no reason to replace it — the 3,600 TBW endurance rating means the drive will outlast virtually any system, and 5,000 MB/s reads remain faster than any PCIe 3.0 alternative.

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Last updated: 2026-05-17. Source: https://ssdrive.net/gigabyte-aorus-2-tb