# MyDigitalSSD BPX 120 GB — Phison E7 MLC NVMe SSD (2026)

The MyDigitalSSD BPX 120 GB uses Toshiba 15nm MLC NAND — one of the last consumer MLC SSDs — giving it exceptional write endurance for its capacity and a niche following among enthusiasts building high-durability boot drives.

Quick answer: The MyDigitalSSD BPX 120 GB is a relic of a brief window when MLC NAND was still viable in consumer SSDs — and that is precisely its appeal to the right buyer. Buy it on the used market if you need a small, high-endurance NVMe drive for a specialised role: a boot drive in a write-heavy embedded system, a cache device in a homelab server, or a collector's piece from the MLC era. The 350 TBW endurance for a 120 GB drive is exceptional, and the 5-year warranty (if still active) backs it up. Skip it for any general-purpose use — 120 GB is impractically small in 2026, the write speed is pedestrian, and a modern 256 GB TLC drive costs very little and offers more capacity. Skip it also if your system supports PCIe 4.0 — the interface gap is too large. For the enthusiast who appreciates what MLC brought to the table, the BPX 120 GB is a charming artifact. For everyone else, it is a historical footnote.

## Specifications

| Specification | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Capacity | 120 GB |
| Interface | M.2 3.0 x 4 |
| Controller | Phison 5007-E7 |
| Memory type | SanDisk MLC |
| DRAM cache | 512MB Nanya  512MB DDR3 1600 DRAM |
| Sequential read | 2600 MB/s |
| Sequential write | 1300 MB/s |
| Random read IOPS | 150000 |
| Random write IOPS | 265000 |
| Endurance | 350 TBW |
| MTBF | 2 |
| Warranty | 5 years |

## Performance

MyDigitalSSD rates the BPX 120 GB at 2,600 MB/s sequential reads and 1,300 MB/s sequential writes. The read speed is competitive with early PCIe 3.0 x4 TLC drives, while the write speed reflects the reduced NAND die count of the 120 GB variant — the 480 GB model reaches 1,600 MB/s writes with more dies in parallel. Random performance is rated at up to 250,000 IOPS read and 210,000 IOPS write, figures that were near the top of the PCIe 3.0 consumer market in 2016–2017 and remain respectable today.

Where the BPX 120 GB differentiates itself from TLC contemporaries is sustained write performance. MLC NAND has a higher native write speed than TLC, meaning the drive relies less on SLC caching to maintain throughput. Once the SLC cache fills — which happens more quickly on a 120 GB drive due to the small total capacity — the BPX drops to its MLC native write speed rather than the much slower TLC native speed. The result is a smaller but less severe write cliff. For a boot drive handling OS and application workloads, this characteristic is rarely exercised. For a write-cache or logging drive, it is a meaningful advantage. The 8-channel E7 controller with Nanya DRAM keeps random I/O latency low, though the Phison E7's firmware was less refined than later E12 and E16 controllers — high queue-depth random performance can be inconsistent under sustained load.

## Endurance, TBW & Warranty

MyDigitalSSD backs the BPX 120 GB with a 5-year limited warranty and rates endurance at 350 TBW — an exceptional figure for a 120 GB drive. To put this in perspective: 350 TBW on a 120 GB capacity means the drive is rated for roughly 2,900 full drive writes over its lifetime, or approximately 160 GB of writes per day over the 5-year warranty period. This is several times the endurance of typical 120–128 GB TLC SSDs from the same era, which often carried 40–80 TBW ratings. The MLC NAND is the enabling factor — MLC cells withstand far more program/erase cycles than TLC. MyDigitalSSD's warranty is US-based; international buyers should confirm coverage through their retailer. For niche applications like boot drives in write-intensive embedded systems or ZFS SLOG devices, the BPX 120 GB's endurance-to-capacity ratio remains compelling even in 2026.

## Pros and Cons

**Pros:**

- Toshiba 15nm MLC NAND — exceptional endurance for capacity
- 350 TBW endurance on a 120 GB drive — ~8 DWPD over 5 years
- Phison E7 8-channel controller with Nanya DRAM cache
- 2,600 MB/s reads — competitive with early PCIe 3.0 TLC drives
- 5-year warranty — among the longest in the consumer market
- MLC sustained write performance exceeds TLC alternatives
**Cons:**

- 120 GB capacity — impractically small for general use in 2026
- 1,300 MB/s writes — lower than larger capacities in the lineup
- Phison E7 firmware less refined than later E12/E16 controllers
- No PCIe 4.0 support — not PS5 compatible
- Higher cost per gigabyte compared to TLC alternatives


## Verdict

The MyDigitalSSD BPX 120 GB is a relic of a brief window when MLC NAND was still viable in consumer SSDs — and that is precisely its appeal to the right buyer. Buy it on the used market if you need a small, high-endurance NVMe drive for a specialised role: a boot drive in a write-heavy embedded system, a cache device in a homelab server, or a collector's piece from the MLC era. The 350 TBW endurance for a 120 GB drive is exceptional, and the 5-year warranty (if still active) backs it up. Skip it for any general-purpose use — 120 GB is impractically small in 2026, the write speed is pedestrian, and a modern 256 GB TLC drive costs very little and offers more capacity. Skip it also if your system supports PCIe 4.0 — the interface gap is too large. For the enthusiast who appreciates what MLC brought to the table, the BPX 120 GB is a charming artifact. For everyone else, it is a historical footnote.

## Frequently Asked Questions

### What is MLC NAND and why does it matter?

MLC (multi-level cell) NAND stores 2 bits per cell, compared to TLC (3 bits) and QLC (4 bits). Storing fewer bits per cell means MLC has higher write endurance, faster native write speeds, and lower latency than TLC or QLC — but at a higher manufacturing cost per gigabyte. The MyDigitalSSD BPX uses Toshiba 15nm toggle MLC, which was among the last consumer MLC NAND products before the industry shifted almost entirely to TLC. In practice, MLC means the BPX 120 GB can sustain writes with less reliance on SLC caching and carries a disproportionately high TBW endurance rating (350 TBW) for its small capacity.

### What is the TBW endurance of the BPX 120 GB?

The BPX 120 GB is rated at 350 TBW (terabytes written) — an exceptionally high figure for a 120 GB drive. This translates to roughly 2,900 full drive writes over the drive's lifetime, or approximately 160 GB of writes per day over the 5-year warranty period. For comparison, typical 120–128 GB TLC SSDs from the same era carried 40–80 TBW ratings. The high endurance is a direct benefit of the Toshiba MLC NAND. For write-intensive niche applications — boot drives in embedded systems, ZFS SLOG devices, write caches — the BPX 120 GB remains one of the most durable small-capacity consumer NVMe drives ever made.

### Is the MyDigitalSSD BPX 120 GB good for a boot drive?

It works as a pure OS boot drive in a PCIe 3.0 system, and the MLC NAND and DRAM cache deliver snappy responsiveness for Windows or Linux. However, 120 GB is extremely tight in 2026 — Windows 11 alone can consume 30–40 GB, leaving little room for applications, updates, and temporary files. If your use case is literally "OS only, everything else on a secondary drive," the BPX 120 GB handles it capably. For any scenario where you want to install applications or store files on the boot drive, even a cheap 256 GB TLC NVMe drive is a more practical choice.

### Is the BPX 120 GB faster than the 480 GB version?

No, the 120 GB variant is slower for sequential writes. The 120 GB model writes at up to 1,300 MB/s compared to the 480 GB model's 1,600 MB/s. Sequential read speed is identical at 2,600 MB/s across all capacities. The write speed difference is due to fewer NAND dies operating in parallel on the smaller capacity — a normal characteristic of SSDs. The 120 GB variant also has a smaller SLC cache in absolute terms, though the MLC NAND's higher native write speed means the post-cache write cliff is less severe than on TLC drives.

### Does the MyDigitalSSD BPX have a DRAM cache?

Yes. The BPX uses Nanya DDR3L DRAM via the Phison E7 controller. The DRAM cache size scales with capacity — the 480 GB variant carries 512 MB, and the 120 GB variant has a proportionally smaller allocation. The DRAM stores the flash translation layer mapping table, reducing random access latency and write amplification. Combined with MLC NAND, the DRAM cache helped the BPX deliver flagship-tier responsiveness for its era, particularly under mixed read/write workloads.

### How does the BPX compare to the Samsung 960 EVO?

The Samsung 960 EVO was the BPX's primary competitor at launch. The 960 EVO used Samsung's 48-layer TLC V-NAND with a Polaris controller, delivering faster sequential speeds (3,200 MB/s reads, 1,800 MB/s writes) and more capacity for the money. The BPX countered with MLC NAND, which gave it superior sustained write performance after the SLC cache exhausted and a much higher proportional endurance rating (350 TBW for 120 GB vs the 960 EVO 250 GB's 100 TBW). In practice, the 960 EVO was the better all-around drive for most users. The BPX was the specialist's choice — better for write-intensive workloads, worse for capacity-hungry ones.

### Is the BPX 120 GB compatible with the PS5?

No, for multiple reasons. The PS5 requires a PCIe 4.0 x4 NVMe SSD with a minimum recommended read speed of 5,500 MB/s. The BPX uses PCIe 3.0 x4 and peaks at 2,600 MB/s reads — well below both requirements. Additionally, Sony recommends a minimum capacity of 250 GB for the expansion slot. The BPX 120 GB would be rejected by the console firmware even if the interface were compatible.

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Last updated: 2026-05-17. Source: https://ssdrive.net/mydigitalssd-bpx-120-gb