Silicon Power US70 1TB PCIe 4.0 NVMe SSD Review
The Silicon Power US70 1TB is a PCIe 4.0 NVMe SSD built on the Phison E16 platform with Toshiba 96-layer BiCS4 TLC NAND, delivering 5,000 MB/s reads and 1,800 TBW endurance at a competitive price point.
The US70 uses the Phison PS5016-E16 eight-channel controller paired with Toshiba BiCS4 96-layer 3D TLC NAND and a 1 GB DDR4 DRAM cache. This hardware combination was the standard recipe for first-generation PCIe 4.0 consumer SSDs, and the US70 implements it faithfully: rated sequential reads hit 5,000 MB/s and writes 4,400 MB/s on the 1TB model, with up to 750K random read IOPS and 700K random write IOPS.
Silicon Power positions the US70 as a value-oriented PCIe 4.0 drive. Where competitors like the Corsair MP600 and GIGABYTE AORUS Gen4 charge a premium for the same Phison E16 reference design, the US70 typically undercuts them. The trade-off is that the drive ships without a heatsink and uses a fairly generic sticker label — no premium branding or bundled software.
The US70 is also available in a 2TB capacity with identical read/write speeds but doubled endurance at 3,600 TBW. Compatibility is the same as other Phison E16 drives: any M.2 2280 slot with PCIe 3.0 x4 will work at roughly half speed, while PCIe 4.0 platforms (AMD X570, B550, or newer Intel boards) unlock the full rated throughput. The drive is double-sided, with NAND on both faces of the PCB, so verify clearance in slim laptop M.2 slots before purchasing.
✅ Storage Comparisons:
🚀 Performance and benchmarks
The Silicon Power US70 1TB is rated for 5,000 MB/s sequential reads and 4,400 MB/s sequential writes. Independent reviewers find the drive hits these numbers in synthetic benchmarks like CrystalDiskMark, with real-world sequential writes typically landing within 5 percent of the rated ceiling. Random performance is rated at 750K read IOPS and 700K write IOPS at queue depth 32.
Silicon Power US70 1 TB vs M.2 4.0 x 4 peers
Switch between sequential throughput and random IOPS to see how this drive stacks up against other M.2 4.0 x 4 SSDs in our database. The highlighted bar is the drive on this page — click any other bar to open that drive.
- Patriot Viper PV593 1 TB: 14,500 MB/s read, 14,000 MB/s write
- Patriot Viper PV593 2 TB: 14,500 MB/s read, 14,000 MB/s write
- Patriot Viper PV593 4 TB: 14,500 MB/s read, 14,000 MB/s write
- Patriot Viper PV573 2 TB: 14,000 MB/s read, 12,000 MB/s write
- Silicon Power US70 1 TB (this drive): 5,000 MB/s read, 4,400 MB/s write
The dynamic SLC cache absorbs burst writes at full speed. Once the cache fills — generally after 100–150 GB of sustained writing on the 1TB model — write throughput drops to native TLC levels around 1,500–2,000 MB/s. For typical desktop workloads dominated by reads and short writes, this cache behavior is invisible. The drive performs comparably to other Phison E16-based SSDs like the Seagate FireCuda 520 1TB and Corsair MP600 1TB, since they share identical hardware. The practical bottleneck for gaming is game engine asset streaming, not SSD throughput, so the US70 provides ample headroom for current titles.
🖥️ Endurance and warranty
Silicon Power rates the US70 1TB at 1,800 TBW with a five-year limited warranty. At a typical consumer write workload of 30 GB per day, the endurance budget covers roughly 164 years — well beyond the warranty period. The drive carries a 1.7 million hour MTBF rating, a population-level reliability estimate. Silicon Power provides a basic SSD toolbox for health monitoring. Warranty service is handled through the retailer or Silicon Power's direct RMA process, though some regions have limited service center coverage compared to larger brands like Seagate or Samsung.
📊 Specs
| Category | Value |
|---|---|
| Capacity [?] | 1 TB |
| Interface [?] | M.2 4.0 x 4 |
| Controller [?] | Phison PS5016-E16 |
| Memory type [?] | Toshiba 3D TLC |
| DRAM [?] | SLC Caching DRAM Cache |
| Read speed (MB/s) [?] | 5000 |
| Write speed (MB/s) [?] | 4400 |
| Read IOPS [?] | 750000 |
| Write IOPS [?] | 750000 |
| Endurance (TBW) [?] | 1800 |
| MTBF (million hours) [?] | 1.7 |
| Warranty (years) [?] | 5 |
Conclusion
The Silicon Power US70 1TB delivers the same Phison E16 performance as more expensive Gen4 drives at a lower price, making it one of the better value propositions in first-generation PCIe 4.0 storage. The 5,000 MB/s reads, 1,800 TBW endurance, and included DRAM cache are the right specs for AMD X570 and B550 builders who want Gen4 speed without paying the Phison E18 or Samsung Elpis premium. The downside is that Phison E16 performance is now a generation behind — drives like the Samsung 980 Pro and WD Black SN850 push past 7,000 MB/s. Buyers who prioritize peak throughput should skip the US70 and invest in a newer controller. For price-conscious Gen4 adopters, the US70 is a practical choice.
+ Pros
- 5,000 MB/s reads and 4,400 MB/s writes on PCIe 4.0
- 1,800 TBW endurance with 5-year warranty
- Typically priced below competing Phison E16 drives
- Toshiba 96-layer TLC with DDR4 DRAM cache
- Backward compatible with PCIe 3.0 slots
- Cons
- First-gen Gen4 — surpassed by Phison E18 drives at 7,000+ MB/s
- No included heatsink
- Double-sided PCB may limit slim-laptop compatibility
- Generic branding and packaging
- Requires PCIe 4.0 platform for rated throughput
🛒 Buy this or similar SSD Storage:
✨ Video Review
Silicon Power US70 1TB - PCIe Gen4 SSD Review
