MSI Spatium M470 1TB - PCIe 4.0 NVMe SSD Review (2026)

Posted on May 23, 2026 by Raymond Chen

The MSI Spatium M470 1TB is a first-generation PCIe 4.0 NVMe - Phison PS5016-E16 controller, Kioxia 96-layer BiCS4 TLC NAND, 1 GB SK Hynix DRAM cache, and a flagship 3,300 TBW endurance rating that beats most modern PCIe 4.0 drives at 1 TB.

MSI Spatium M470 1TB - PCIe 4.0 NVMe SSD Review

Controller & Memory

The MSI Spatium M470 1 TB is built on Phison's eight-channel PS5016-E16 controller - the first widely-shipped PCIe 4.0 controller in the consumer market and a known-good design used in the Sabrent Rocket 4, Corsair MP600, and Gigabyte Aorus NVMe Gen4. MSI pairs it with Kioxia 96-layer BiCS4 3D TLC NAND and 1 GB of SK Hynix DDR4 DRAM (two 512 MB chips, one on each side of the PCB) for the mapping table. The PCB is M.2 2280, which is the default size for any modern motherboard or PS5 expansion slot.

MSI ships the Spatium M470 in 500 GB, 1 TB, and 2 TB capacities. Sequential reads peak at 5,000 MB/s across the line, with sequential writes scaling from 2,500 MB/s on the 500 GB to 4,400 MB/s on the 1 TB and 2 TB. The 1 TB you see here lands at the top of the rated speeds and carries a 3,300 TBW endurance rating - unusually generous for a consumer PCIe 4.0 drive and one of the M470's main differentiators. MSI later released the Spatium M470 PRO and the M480 series with Phison PS5018-E18 for higher peak performance.

The Spatium M470 1 TB targets builders who want PCIe 4.0 generation features and DRAM-equipped reliability at a price below the current PS5018-E18 flagships. Its direct rivals are the Sabrent Rocket 4 1 TB (same controller class), the Corsair MP600 1 TB (same controller class with bundled heatsink), the WD Black SN770 1 TB (PCIe 4.0 DRAM-less, faster reads but lower TBW), and the Samsung 980 Pro 1 TB (newer controller, higher peak speeds, lower TBW). MSI sells the M470 worldwide through retail channels and supports it through MSI Center for firmware management.

Storage Comparisons:

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

Spatium M470 Performance & Benchmarks

Manufacturer ratings for the Spatium M470 1 TB land at 5,000 MB/s sequential reads and 4,400 MB/s sequential writes, with random performance up to 600,000 read and 600,000 write IOPS at high queue depths. Independent reviewers at Tom's Hardware, PCMag, Guru3D and WCCFTech consistently measured CrystalDiskMark sequential reads close to the rated value, with the DRAM cache giving the drive consistent random-read latency at QD1 and competitive QD8/QD16 random response.

Performance comparison

MSI Spatium M470 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
MSI Spatium M470 1 TB (this drive): 5,000 MB/s read, 4,400 MB/s write

Sustained writes are where the M470 's DRAM and substantial SLC pseudocache pay off. Reviewers find the drive holds peak SLC-cached writes for roughly 250-350 GB of continuous transfer on a near-empty drive, after which writes fall toward the TLC direct-write rate around 1,400-1,800 MB/s. For boot, application, and gaming workloads that profile is invisible; for sustained video transfers or backup restores the drive holds up better than DRAM-less HMB peers such as the WD Black SN770. The drive runs warm under sustained load - Phison E16 has higher steady-state power draw than newer four-channel designs - so plan to use a motherboard M.2 cooler in any desktop build. DirectStorage operates as expected on a supported PCIe 4.0 platform.

MSI Spatium M470 vs Competitors

See how the Spatium M470 stacks up against other M.2 4.0 x 4 drives in our database:

Compare with rival drives:

ADATA XPG Gammix S50 1 TB Addlink S90 1 TB Apacer AS2280Q4 1 TB

Endurance, TBW & Warranty

MSI rates the Spatium M470 1 TB at 3,300 TBW (terabytes written) over a five-year limited warranty. The TBW figure is exceptional at this capacity - 3.3 petabytes is more than three times the typical consumer PCIe 4.0 drive at 1 TB (Samsung 990 Pro 1 TB at 600 TBW, WD Black SN770 1 TB at 600 TBW, Crucial T500 1 TB at 600 TBW). At a heavy 50 GB/day sustained write workload the M470 1 TB endurance lasts roughly 180 years, far past the realistic service life. The TBW scales linearly across the range, so the 500 GB SKU rates 1,650 TBW and the 2 TB SKU rates 6,600 TBW. MSI handles consumer RMA directly through msi.com's support portal with serial number registration. The five-year warranty matches the industry standard at this tier, and the unusually high TBW makes the M470 an attractive choice for write-heavy workloads such as video capture or VM hosting.

MSI Spatium M470 1 TB Specifications

Category	Value
Capacity [?]	1 TB
Interface [?]	M.2 4.0 x 4
Controller [?]	Phison PS5016-E16
Memory type [?]	Kioxia 96-L TLC
DRAM [?]	DRAM SLC
Read speed (MB/s) [?]	5000
Write speed (MB/s) [?]	4400
Read IOPS [?]	600000
Write IOPS [?]	600000
Endurance (TBW) [?]	3300
MTBF (million hours) [?]	2000000
Warranty (years) [?]	5

Verdict: Is the Spatium M470 Worth It in 2026?

The MSI Spatium M470 1 TB is a strong pick for buyers who prioritise write endurance over peak sequential performance - the 3,300 TBW figure is one of the highest in any consumer PCIe 4.0 NVMe at 1 TB. Gamers and creators chasing absolute peak speed should step up to the MSI Spatium M480 1 TB (Phison E18) or Samsung 990 Pro 1 TB instead, both of which deliver higher rated reads and writes. Skip the M470 if you need a single-sided slim PCB for thin laptops or PS5 - it is single-sided but Phison E16 runs warmer than newer controllers and benefits from active cooling. As a write-endurance-focused PCIe 4.0 NVMe at 1 TB the Spatium M470 punches above its price class on the spec line that matters most for sustained workloads.

+ Pros

3,300 TBW endurance, far above the segment norm
5,000 MB/s sequential reads on PCIe 4.0
1 GB SK Hynix DDR4 DRAM cache
Kioxia 96-layer BiCS4 3D TLC NAND
5-year warranty with global MSI RMA support
600,000 IOPS random read and write

- Cons

Phison E16 runs warmer than newer four-channel designs
Peak reads trail Samsung 990 Pro and WD Black SN850X
No included heatsink in retail box
No hardware encryption advertised
First-generation PCIe 4.0 platform now superseded by E18

4.2 / 5 · 109 votes

Buy this or similar SSD Storage:

Samsung 980 Pro 2 TB

-57% $165
List Price: $379.99

Buy on Amazon

INLAND Performance Plus 1 TB

$79.99

Buy on Amazon

Silicon Power 512GB NVMe SSD

$42.97

Buy on Amazon

Video Review

PS5 Storage Upgrade #1: MSI Spatium m470 & m480

Frequently Asked Questions

Yes, the M470 is a solid mainstream PCIe 4.0 gaming drive. The 5,000 MB/s sequential read rating exceeds Sony's PS5 recommendation and is enough to handle DirectStorage workloads on a current Windows platform. Game level loads track higher-tier drives within a few hundred milliseconds in most titles. The 1 TB capacity holds 12-18 modern triple-A games, which is adequate for a primary gaming drive. The drive's main relevance for gamers is the unusual 3,300 TBW endurance, which absorbs the heavy temporary writes of frequent game installs and uninstalls without measurably depleting the lifetime budget.

Marginally. The PS5 expansion slot recommends a PCIe 4.0 NVMe drive rated at 5,500 MB/s or higher sequential reads, dimensions within 110 x 25 x 11.25 mm including heatsink, and the M.2 2280 form factor. The M470 1 TB falls just below the recommended bandwidth threshold at 5,000 MB/s - the PS5 firmware will accept it and games will install, but Sony does not recommend it and loading screens will be slightly longer than on a compliant drive. For a clean PS5 expansion install choose a faster drive such as the WD Black SN850X 1 TB or Samsung 990 Pro 1 TB.

Yes. The Spatium M470 1 TB carries two 512 MB SK Hynix DDR4 DRAM chips - one on each side of the PCB - totalling 1 GB of dedicated DRAM cache. Independent teardowns at WCCFTech and Tom's Hardware confirm the DRAM configuration. The dedicated DRAM holds the logical-to-physical mapping table on-drive rather than borrowing system RAM as HMB drives do, which trims random-read latency and supports heavy random-write workloads better than DRAM-less designs. The 1 GB buffer is generous for a 1 TB drive.

MSI rates the 1 TB Spatium M470 at 3,300 TBW (terabytes written) over a five-year warranty - an exceptional figure that is roughly three to five times higher than the typical consumer PCIe 4.0 NVMe at this capacity. Samsung 990 Pro 1 TB rates 600 TBW, WD Black SN770 1 TB rates 600 TBW, Crucial T500 1 TB rates 600 TBW. At a heavy 50 GB/day sustained write workload the M470 1 TB budget lasts roughly 180 years, comfortably beyond any realistic service life. The 3,300 TBW scales linearly across the line at 3,300 TBW per terabyte of capacity.

The M480 is the flagship sibling and uses the newer Phison PS5018-E18 controller for higher peak speeds. M480 1 TB rates 7,000 MB/s sequential reads versus the M470's 5,000 MB/s, and 5,500 MB/s writes versus 4,400 MB/s. Random IOPS climb to 650,000 read and 700,000 write on the M480 1 TB. The TBW endurance is similar at 700 TBW on the M480 1 TB versus 3,300 TBW on the M470 1 TB, so the M470 wins clearly on endurance. For pure speed pick the M480; for write-heavy or long-life workloads pick the M470.

Yes in sustained workloads, optional in light loads. The Phison PS5016-E16 is a first-generation PCIe 4.0 controller that draws more power and produces more heat than the newer four-channel E19T or eight-channel E18 designs. Reviewers consistently find the M470 throttles during prolonged sustained writes without active cooling. Desktop builds should use the motherboard's M.2 heatsink; laptops should accept some throttling on long transfers. For a PS5 expansion install, plan a third-party heatsink fitting the 11.25 mm height budget regardless. Light gaming and application use rarely triggers throttling.

For specific write-heavy use cases, yes. The 3,300 TBW endurance is a clear value advantage versus any current PCIe 4.0 NVMe at 1 TB - useful for video capture targets, virtual machine host volumes, dedicated backup drives, and any workload that writes 50+ GB/day on a sustained basis. For gaming, productivity, or PS5 use, current PCIe 4.0 drives such as the WD Black SN850X 1 TB or Samsung 990 Pro 1 TB offer higher peak speeds and run cooler, which makes them better picks. The M470 is the niche endurance specialist, not the all-rounder.