Plextor M8Pe 128GB NVMe SSD Review (2026)
The Plextor M8Pe 128GB is the smallest capacity in Plextor's first true NVMe MLC line — a drive with Toshiba 15nm MLC and the Marvell 88SS1093 controller that targets entry-level NVMe buyers.
Controller & Memory
The M8Pe 128GB uses the Marvell 88SS1093 "Eldora" eight-channel NVMe controller alongside Toshiba 15nm MLC NAND flash and 512 MB of LPDDR3 DRAM. The 88SS1093 was one of the first PCIe 3.0 x4 NVMe controllers on the open market, with an eight-channel, triple-core design fabricated on a 28nm process. Plextor (the retail brand of Lite-On) wrote its own firmware rather than using a Marvell reference implementation.
The 128GB is the entry capacity in a line spanning 128GB, 256GB, 512GB, and 1TB. This smallest capacity suffers from reduced parallelism — fewer NAND dies means lower write speeds. Rated at just 500 MB/s sequential writes, it is closer to SATA performance than to the 1TB model's 1,400 MB/s. The drive ships in three variants: M8PeGN (bare M.2 2280), M8PeG (M.2 with a thin heatspreader), and M8PeY (PCIe add-in card with a large heatsink and red LEDs).
At launch in late 2016, the M8Pe competed against the Samsung 950 Pro, Toshiba OCZ RD400, and Intel SSD 750. The Samsung 950 Pro generally outperformed the M8Pe, but the M8Pe was priced aggressively.
Storage Comparisons:
M8Pe Performance & Benchmarks
Plextor rates the M8Pe 128GB at up to 1,600 MB/s sequential reads and 500 MB/s sequential writes, with 120,000 read IOPS and 130,000 write IOPS. The write speed is the lowest in the M8Pe family — less than half the 256GB model's 900 MB/s and far behind the 1TB's 1,400 MB/s.
Plextor M8Pe 128 GB vs M.2 or PCIe 3.0 x 4 peers
Switch between sequential throughput and random IOPS to see how this drive stacks up against other M.2 or PCIe 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.
- Kingston KC2000 1 TB: 3,200 MB/s read, 2,200 MB/s write
- Kingston KC2000 2 TB: 3,200 MB/s read, 2,200 MB/s write
- Plextor M9Pe Series 512 GB: 3,200 MB/s read, 2,000 MB/s write
- Plextor M9Pe Series 1 TB: 3,200 MB/s read, 2,100 MB/s write
- Plextor M8Pe 128 GB (this drive): 1,600 MB/s read, 500 MB/s write
AnandTech's review of the M8Pe 512GB found it competitive with the Samsung 950 Pro and Toshiba OCZ RD400 in some tests, though Samsung's vertically integrated approach gave it an edge in power efficiency and consistency. The 128GB model, with fewer NAND dies, will show lower sustained write performance and smaller SLC cache. The DRAM cache does help maintain mapping table performance during random IO workloads. For basic NVMe use — boot drive, applications, light gaming — the M8Pe 128GB delivers a clear upgrade over SATA.
Plextor M8Pe vs Competitors
See how the M8Pe stacks up against other M.2 or PCIe 3.0 x 4 drives in our database:
Compare with rival drives:
Endurance, TBW & Warranty
The Plextor M8Pe 128GB carries a 192 TBW endurance rating with a five-year limited warranty. At a typical consumer write volume of 10 to 30 GB per day, the endurance ceiling is roughly 17 to 52 years away. The 2.4 million hour MTBF is above average for consumer SSDs. The five-year warranty was a strong selling point at launch, outlasting the three-year terms common on entry-level NVMe drives.
Plextor M8Pe 128 GB Specifications
| Category | Value |
|---|---|
| Capacity [?] | 128 GB |
| Interface [?] | M.2 or PCIe 3.0 x 4 |
| Controller [?] | Marvell 88SS1093 |
| Memory type [?] | Toshiba MLC |
| DRAM [?] | 512MB LPDDR3 |
| Read speed (MB/s) [?] | 1600 |
| Write speed (MB/s) [?] | 500 |
| Read IOPS [?] | 120000 |
| Write IOPS [?] | 130000 |
| Endurance (TBW) [?] | 192 |
| MTBF (million hours) [?] | 2.4 |
| Warranty (years) [?] | 5 |
Verdict: Is the M8Pe Worth It in 2026?
The Plextor M8Pe 128GB is a capable entry-level NVMe SSD with genuine MLC NAND and a DRAM cache — features that many cheaper TLC and DRAM-less drives lack. Its 500 MB/s write speed limits it to light workloads, but as a boot drive for a budget build, the MLC endurance and five-year warranty are real assets. Modern buyers can find faster NVMe drives at similar prices, but few offer MLC NAND with hardware DRAM at this capacity.
+ Pros
- 1,600 MB/s sequential reads on PCIe 3.0
- 512 MB LPDDR3 DRAM cache
- Toshiba 15nm MLC NAND for strong endurance
- Five-year warranty
- Available as bare M.2, with heatspreader, or AIC
- Cons
- 500 MB/s writes — barely above SATA levels
- 128GB capacity limits practical use
- 15nm planar MLC — older NAND generation
- M8PeY AIC version adds cost for minimal benefit
Buy this or similar SSD Storage:
Video Review
Plextor M8Pe 512GB NVMe SSD vs SAMSUNG 950 PRO VS INTEL 750 / BENCHMARK PERFORMANCE TEST REVIEW /
