Plextor M8Se 256GB NVMe SSD Review

Posted on May 17, 2026 by Raymond Chen

The Plextor M8Se 256GB is a mainstream PCIe 3.0 NVMe SSD with Toshiba planar TLC NAND — a drive that fills the gap between SATA and high-end NVMe at a midrange price.

The M8Se 256GB combines the Marvell 88SS1093 "Eldora" eight-channel NVMe controller with Toshiba 15nm planar TLC NAND. This is the same controller Plextor uses in the MLC-based M8Pe, but the TLC flash here reduces manufacturing cost at the expense of write endurance and peak write performance. The drive supports NVMe 1.1 over PCIe 3.0 x4.

The M8Se ships in three physical variants: M8SeGN (bare M.2 2280), M8SeG (M.2 with a factory heatspreader), and M8SeY (PCIe add-in card with a heatsink and LEDs). The 256GB capacity sits between the 128GB and 512GB models in a range that extends to 1TB. All capacities use the same rated sequential speeds of 2,400/1,000 MB/s.

When the M8Se launched in 2017, Tom's Hardware found that the MLC-based M8PeG was sometimes cheaper at several capacities — making the TLC M8Se hard to justify at full price. The M8Se also drops to a three-year warranty from the M8Pe's five years. Direct competitors from the same era include the Intel SSD 600p 256GB and MyDigitalSSD BPX 240GB.

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🚀 Performance and benchmarks

Plextor rates the M8Se 256GB at up to 2,400 MB/s sequential reads and 1,000 MB/s sequential writes, with 210,000 read IOPS and 175,000 write IOPS. Tom's Hardware found the M8Se trailed the MLC-based M8Pe across most benchmarks despite using the same controller — the TLC NAND is the limiting factor.

Performance comparison

Plextor M8Se Series 256 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 M8Se Series 256 GB (this drive): 2,400 MB/s read, 1,000 MB/s write

Real-world performance is adequate for everyday desktop use. Boot times, application launches, and general file operations feel responsive and well above SATA speeds. Sustained writes past the SLC cache drop to native TLC levels, which on 15nm planar flash are modest compared to modern 3D TLC drives. For a 256GB boot drive handling mostly reads, the M8Se is competent; for heavy write workloads, look elsewhere.

🖥️ Endurance and warranty

The M8Se 256GB carries a 220 TBW endurance rating under a three-year limited warranty, limited by whichever comes first. At 20 to 40 GB of writes per day, the drive would take roughly 15 to 30 years to reach its endurance ceiling. The 1.5 million hour MTBF is standard. The three-year warranty is shorter than the M8Pe's five years, reflecting the M8Se's mainstream positioning.

📊 Specs

Category	Value
Capacity [?]	256 GB
Interface [?]	M.2 or PCIe 3.0 x 4
Controller [?]	Marvell Eldora
Memory type [?]	Toshiba TLC
DRAM [?]	n/a
Read speed (MB/s) [?]	2400
Write speed (MB/s) [?]	1000
Read IOPS [?]	210000
Write IOPS [?]	175000
Endurance (TBW) [?]	220
MTBF (million hours) [?]	1.5
Warranty (years) [?]	3

Conclusion

The Plextor M8Se 256GB delivers basic NVMe performance with Toshiba planar TLC NAND and a three-year warranty. It is a competent boot drive, but the MLC-based Plextor M8Pe often sold for less and offered better performance with a longer warranty. Modern buyers looking for a 256GB NVMe boot drive can find newer 3D TLC drives with five-year warranties and faster writes at similar or lower prices.

+ Pros

2,400 MB/s sequential reads on PCIe 3.0
Marvell 88SS1093 controller with LDPC error correction
Available as bare M.2, with heatspreader, or AIC
220 TBW endurance is adequate for a boot drive

- Cons

1,000 MB/s writes — low for NVMe
Three-year warranty versus five years on M8Pe
Planar TLC NAND — older generation
M8Pe with MLC was sometimes cheaper at launch

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✨ Video Review

PLEXTOR M8Pe M.2 NVMe SSD 256GB

⁉️ FAQ

For basic game loading, yes. The 2,400 MB/s reads are well above SATA and handle game load times competently. The 256GB capacity fits the OS plus a few games. For a dedicated game drive, the 512GB or 1TB model gives more breathing room. Newer NVMe drives in the same price range offer better write performance with 3D TLC NAND.

The M8Se uses Toshiba 15nm planar TLC NAND. This is different from the Plextor M8Pe, which uses Toshiba 15nm MLC NAND. TLC stores three bits per cell versus MLC's two, reducing cost but lowering endurance and sustained write performance.

The M8Se 256GB is rated at 220 TBW (Terabytes Written), covered by a three-year limited warranty. At a typical consumer workload of 20 to 40 GB of writes per day, it would take roughly 15 to 30 years to exhaust the endurance rating. This is adequate for mainstream desktop use.

Both are entry-level PCIe 3.0 NVMe SSDs from the same era. The Intel 600p uses an Intel-branded Silicon Motion controller with Intel 3D TLC NAND. The M8Se uses the Marvell 88SS1093 with Toshiba planar TLC. Performance is comparable — both deliver NVMe-level reads with modest writes. Neither is a top performer, but both are adequate upgrades from SATA.

The bare M8SeGN (M.2 without heatspreader) works in any laptop with an M.2 NVMe slot. The M8SeG variant with the factory heatspreader may not fit in some thin laptops due to the added height. In those cases, the heatspreader can be removed, though doing so may affect warranty coverage.