# Silicon Power P34A60 1TB DRAM-Less NVMe SSD Review (2026)

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.

Quick answer: 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.

## Specifications

| Specification | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Capacity | 1 TB |
| Interface | M.2 3.0 x 4 |
| Controller | Silicon Motion 2263XT |
| Memory type | Intel 3D TLC |
| DRAM cache | HMB |
| Sequential read | 2200 MB/s |
| Sequential write | 1600 MB/s |
| Random read IOPS | 240000 |
| Random write IOPS | 250000 |
| Endurance | 450 TBW |
| MTBF | 2000000 |
| Warranty | 5 years |

## Performance

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.

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, TBW & 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.

## Pros and Cons

**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


## Verdict

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.

## Frequently Asked Questions

### Is the Silicon Power P34A60 1TB good for gaming?

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.

### Does the Silicon Power P34A60 have DRAM?

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.

### Is the P34A60 1TB better than the Kingston NV2 1TB?

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.

### What is the TBW endurance of the P34A60 1TB?

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.

### Does the P34A60 1TB work in a laptop?

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.

### How does the P34A60 compare to the P34A80?

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.

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Last updated: 2026-05-23. Source: https://ssdrive.net/silicon-power-p34a60-1-tb