Silicon Power P34A60 1TB DRAM-Less NVMe SSD Review

Posted on May 17, 2026 by Raymond Chen

The Silicon Power P34A60 1TB is a budget DRAM-less NVMe SSD that trades peak speed for capacity value, offering 2,200 MB/s reads and 450 TBW endurance at one of the lowest price points for a 1TB TLC drive.

Silicon Power P34A60 1TB DRAM-Less NVMe SSD Review

The P34A60 1TB uses the Silicon Motion SM2263XT DRAM-less controller paired with Intel 3D TLC NAND. The controller relies on Host Memory Buffer (HMB) to borrow system RAM for flash translation layer mapping, eliminating the cost of an on-board DRAM chip. The trade-off is lower peak speeds compared to DRAM-equipped drives — 2,200 MB/s reads and 1,600 MB/s writes — but the cost savings are passed on to the buyer.

The 1TB model is the range-topping P34A60 capacity, with 450 TBW endurance and a larger SLC cache than the smaller 256GB and 512GB variants. The drive is single-sided and low-power, making it compatible with virtually any M.2 2280 slot in desktops and laptops. No heatsink is needed thanks to the SM2263XT's modest thermal output.

The P34A60 1TB competes with other budget DRAM-less NVMe drives like the Kingston NV2 1TB, Team MP33 1TB, and the Crucial P2 1TB. Where the P34A60 distinguishes itself is confirmed Intel TLC NAND — some competitors in this price range have quietly switched to QLC, which offers worse sustained write performance. The P34A60's TLC foundation is a genuine advantage.

✅ Storage Comparisons:

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

🚀 Performance and benchmarks

The P34A60 1TB is rated for 2,200 MB/s sequential reads and 1,600 MB/s sequential writes, with 240K random read IOPS and 250K random write IOPS. These figures sit at the entry level for PCIe 3.0 NVMe — roughly four times faster than SATA in sequential reads but below the 3,200 MB/s that DRAM-equipped drives achieve.

Performance comparison

Silicon Power P34A60 1 TB vs M.2 3.0 x 4 peers

Switch between sequential throughput and random IOPS to see how this drive stacks up against other M.2 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.

ADATA SX 8800 Pro 512 GB: 3,500 MB/s read, 2,700 MB/s write
ADATA SX 8800 Pro 1 TB: 3,500 MB/s read, 2,700 MB/s write
ADATA XPG Spectrix S40G RGB 256 GB: 3,500 MB/s read, 3,000 MB/s write
ADATA XPG Spectrix S40G RGB 512 GB: 3,500 MB/s read, 3,000 MB/s write
Silicon Power P34A60 1 TB (this drive): 2,200 MB/s read, 1,600 MB/s write

The 1TB model's larger SLC cache absorbs more burst writes than the smaller capacities, and the TLC NAND maintains consistent write speeds after cache exhaustion — typically around 800–1,200 MB/s, which is respectable for a DRAM-less drive. Random IO performance is adequate for desktop use but may show occasional latency spikes under heavy multitasking due to the HMB dependency. For gaming (read-heavy), the P34A60 1TB loads titles at speeds comparable to pricier NVMe drives. The limitation shows up in sustained random writes, where DRAM-equipped drives pull ahead.

🖥️ Endurance and warranty

Silicon Power rates the P34A60 1TB at 450 TBW with a five-year limited warranty. At a typical consumer workload of 20–40 GB per day, the endurance budget covers 30 to 61 years. The drive includes LDPC error correction, end-to-end data protection, and a RAID engine for data integrity. Warranty service is handled through the retailer or Silicon Power's direct RMA process.

📊 Specs

Category	Value
Capacity [?]	1 TB
Interface [?]	M.2 3.0 x 4
Controller [?]	Silicon Motion 2263XT
Memory type [?]	Intel 3D TLC
DRAM [?]	n/a
Read speed (MB/s) [?]	2200
Write speed (MB/s) [?]	1600
Read IOPS [?]	240000
Write IOPS [?]	250000
Endurance (TBW) [?]	450
MTBF (million hours) [?]	n/a
Warranty (years) [?]	5

Conclusion

The Silicon Power P34A60 1TB delivers 2,200 MB/s reads and confirmed Intel TLC NAND at one of the lowest price points for a 1TB NVMe drive. The DRAM-less design is an acceptable trade-off for budget builders who primarily read from the drive — gamers, general desktop users, laptop upgraders. The TLC NAND is a genuine advantage over QLC competitors at the same price, ensuring consistent sustained writes. For anyone who can spend slightly more, the DRAM-equipped Silicon Power P34A80 1TB offers significantly higher speeds. But for the tightest budget, the P34A60 1TB is a reliable TLC NVMe drive that does what it promises.

+ Pros

2,200 MB/s reads — four times faster than SATA
Confirmed Intel TLC NAND — not QLC
1TB capacity at a competitive price point
Single-sided, low-power design fits all laptops
450 TBW endurance with 5-year warranty

- Cons

DRAM-less — uses Host Memory Buffer
1,600 MB/s writes — below DRAM-equipped NVMe drives
SM2263XT controller is entry-level for PCIe 3.0
240K/250K IOPS — modest random performance
Surpassed by PCIe 4.0 drives in every metric

🛒 Buy this or similar SSD Storage:

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Silicon Power 512GB NVMe SSD

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✨ Video Review

Silicon Power P34A60 M.2 NVMe Review and Installation! CHEAP & AMAZING PERFORMANCE!

⁉️ FAQ

The P34A60 1TB delivers 2,200 MB/s reads, providing fast game load times that are significantly better than SATA SSDs and comparable to other entry-level NVMe drives. Gaming is read-heavy, so the DRAM-less limitation has minimal impact during gameplay. The 1TB capacity holds 15–25 modern AAA titles, making it a practical game library drive at a budget price point. Game installations may be slightly slower than on DRAM-equipped drives.

No. The P34A60 is a DRAM-less design using the Silicon Motion SM2263XT controller. It relies on Host Memory Buffer (HMB), which borrows a small amount of system RAM for flash translation layer mapping. This approach reduces cost and power consumption but adds latency on some random IO operations. For a budget read-heavy drive, the impact is modest. For heavy write workloads, a DRAM-equipped drive like the P34A80 performs more consistently.

Both are budget DRAM-less PCIe 3.0 NVMe drives. The P34A60 uses confirmed Intel TLC NAND, while the Kingston NV2 has been known to switch between TLC and QLC NAND depending on production batch. TLC provides more consistent sustained writes than QLC. Peak speeds are similar between the two. The P34A60's guaranteed TLC NAND gives it an edge in write consistency. Pricing varies by region and promotion.

The P34A60 1TB is rated at 450 TBW (terabytes written), covered by a five-year limited warranty. At a typical consumer workload of 20–40 GB per day, the endurance budget lasts 30 to 61 years. Even at a heavy 100 GB per day, it would take 12 years to exhaust the allowance. For normal desktop and gaming use, endurance is well within comfortable limits.

Yes. The P34A60 1TB is single-sided with low power draw, making it an excellent laptop upgrade. The single-sided M.2 2280 form factor fits in virtually all laptops with an NVMe slot, including ultrabooks with tight clearance. The low power consumption minimizes battery impact. Verify that the laptop supports NVMe (not SATA-only M.2) before purchasing.

The P34A80 uses a Phison E12 controller with DRAM cache and Toshiba 64L TLC, delivering 3,200/3,000 MB/s read/write — roughly 45 percent faster than the P34A60's 2,200/1,600 MB/s. The P34A80 also offers better random IO performance thanks to its DRAM. The P34A60 uses a DRAM-less Silicon Motion SM2263XT and is priced lower. For budget builds, the P34A60 is adequate. For any performance-oriented build, the P34A80 is worth the price increase.