Transcend PCIe SSD 110S 1TB Review — Entry-Level NVMe (2026)

Name: Transcend PCIe SSD 110S 1 TB
Brand: Transcend
SKU: transcend-pcie-ssd-110s-1-tb
Rating: 3.8 (68 reviews)

Posted on May 23, 2026 by Raymond Chen

The Transcend 110S 1 TB is the drive you buy when you want to leave SATA behind without paying for PCIe 4.0 hardware you will never saturate.

Transcend PCIe SSD 110S 1TB Review — Entry-Level NVMe

Controller & Memory

The 110S is built around the Silicon Motion SM2263XT, a four-channel DRAM-less controller that relies on NVMe Host Memory Buffer (HMB) to borrow a slice of system RAM for the flash translation layer. It pairs that controller with 3D TLC NAND — Transcend does not disclose the NAND vendor, but the part marked THGDU3B-1D03 seen in teardowns is consistent with third-party 3D TLC supply. The absence of a DRAM package keeps the bill of materials low, and Transcend passes those savings on in the form of a drive that often undercuts name-brand alternatives by a meaningful margin.

Transcend offers the 110S in 128 GB, 256 GB, 512 GB, 1 TB, and 2 TB capacities, all in a standard single-sided M.2 2280 form factor. Sequential throughput is rated at up to 1,700 MB/s reads and 1,400 MB/s writes, with the 1 TB variant delivering the lineup's best sustained write performance thanks to greater NAND parallelism. The 2 TB version reaches the same rated sequential speeds. All capacities share the same 5-year warranty and are covered for 400 TBW per terabyte — a competitive endurance figure for a DRAM-less budget drive.

The 110S competes in the crowded entry-level NVMe segment against the WD Blue SN550 (TLC, DRAM-less, similar speeds), the Crucial P2 (QLC lottery on newer batches), the Kingston NV1, and the Silicon Power A60. Against a SATA SSD, the 110S delivers roughly 3x the sequential throughput and lower random access latency. Against fellow DRAM-less NVMe drives, the differentiators are price and warranty — Transcend's 5-year coverage outlasts the 3-year terms common on budget alternatives, and the 400 TBW endurance per terabyte is near the top of the DRAM-less TLC class.

Storage Comparisons:

Best Deal of 1 TB SSDs NVME Top PCIe 3.0 SSD Drives Top 2 TB SSDs

PCIe SSD 110S Performance & Benchmarks

The 110S is rated for 1,700 MB/s sequential reads and 1,400 MB/s sequential writes — figures that land well short of the PCIe 3.0 x4 ceiling but still triple what any SATA SSD can manage. In independent CrystalDiskMark testing, a 1 TB review sample recorded 1,784 MB/s reads and 1,516 MB/s writes, slightly exceeding the rated numbers in both directions. ATTO Disk Benchmark results corroborate the findings at 1,801 MB/s read and 1,532 MB/s write.

Performance comparison

Transcend PCIe SSD 110S 1 TB vs PCIe 3.0 x 4 peers

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

Asura Genesis Xtreme 256 GB: 3,400 MB/s read, 3,000 MB/s write
Asura Genesis Xtreme 512 GB: 3,400 MB/s read, 3,000 MB/s write
Asura Genesis Xtreme 1 TB: 3,400 MB/s read, 3,000 MB/s write
Asura Genesis Xtreme 2 TB: 3,400 MB/s read, 3,000 MB/s write
Transcend PCIe SSD 110S 1 TB (this drive): 1,700 MB/s read, 1,500 MB/s write

Random 4K performance is adequate for an OS and application drive. The SM2263XT controller leverages HMB to manage the mapping table without the latency penalty of on-the-fly NAND translation, and in practice the 110S delivers boot times and application launches indistinguishable from more expensive DRAM-equipped PCIe 3.0 drives. The one performance caveat noted in independent reviews is a throughput decline once the drive passes roughly 50 percent capacity — a common characteristic of DRAM-less controllers whose HMB allocation cannot scale to accommodate the full mapping table of a near-full drive. For a budget OS disk that never exceeds half capacity this is irrelevant; for a game library that will be filled to the brim, a DRAM-equipped alternative will hold its performance envelope more consistently.

Transcend PCIe SSD 110S vs Competitors

See how the PCIe SSD 110S stacks up against other PCIe 3.0 x 4 drives in our database:

Compare with rival drives:

Goodram PX500 1 TB Edge NextGen M.2 1 TB Corsair Neutron NX500 800 GB

Endurance, TBW & Warranty

Transcend rates the 110S 1 TB for 400 TBW of endurance and backs it with a 5-year limited warranty. At a typical consumer workload of 20 to 50 GB written per day, that endurance ceiling translates to approximately 22 to 55 years of service — comfortably beyond the useful life of the host system. The 400 TBW figure is competitive for a DRAM-less TLC drive in this price band; many budget alternatives in the same segment carry 200 to 300 TBW ratings for their 1 TB variants. Transcend also includes its SSD Scope software suite for drive monitoring, health checks, and secure erase, which adds practical value for users who want visibility into drive health without installing third-party tools. Warranty service is handled through Transcend's global RMA network rather than through the original retailer.

Transcend PCIe SSD 110S 1 TB Specifications

Category	Value
Capacity [?]	1 TB
Interface [?]	PCIe 3.0 x 4
Controller [?]	Silicon Motion SM2263XT
Memory type [?]	3D TLC NAND
DRAM [?]	SLC Caching and Host Memory Buffer
Read speed (MB/s) [?]	1700
Write speed (MB/s) [?]	1500
Read IOPS [?]	150000
Write IOPS [?]	250000
Endurance (TBW) [?]	400
MTBF (million hours) [?]	2000000
Warranty (years) [?]	5

Verdict: Is the PCIe SSD 110S Worth It in 2026?

Buy the Transcend 110S 1 TB if you are upgrading a laptop or desktop from a hard drive or SATA SSD and want a dependable, warranty-backed NVMe drive at the lowest reasonable price. The 5-year warranty and 400 TBW endurance remove the gamble that comes with lesser-known budget brands, and the single-sided PCB fits every standard M.2 slot without clearance issues. Skip it if your workload involves sustained writes or if you plan to keep the drive near full capacity — the DRAM-less HMB design loses performance headroom above 50 percent fill, and the 1,400 MB/s write ceiling will bottleneck video editing or large data-set workflows. For those use cases, spend the extra on a DRAM-equipped drive like the WD Black SN750 or the Transcend 112S, which adds a DRAM cache and doubles the sequential speeds within the same product family. For everyone else — OS boot drive, office PC, secondary game library — the 110S is a quiet workhorse that asks very little and delivers exactly what it promises.

+ Pros

Affordable entry point to NVMe from SATA or HDD
5-year warranty outlasts most budget competitors
400 TBW endurance per terabyte for a DRAM-less TLC drive
Single-sided PCB fits all standard M.2 2280 slots
3D TLC NAND — no QLC lottery unlike some competitors
Includes Transcend SSD Scope monitoring software

- Cons

DRAM-less HMB design loses performance above 50 percent capacity
1,400 MB/s write ceiling is low for PCIe 3.0 x4
No included heatsink or thermal pad
NAND vendor not disclosed — may vary between production batches
Sequential speeds trail other DRAM-less TLC drives in the same price band

3.8 / 5 · 68 votes

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Video Review

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Frequently Asked Questions

Yes, for a budget gaming build the Transcend 110S 1 TB is a solid choice. Game load times are dominated by random read latency, not peak sequential throughput, and the SM2263XT controller with HMB delivers random read performance that is indistinguishable from more expensive PCIe 3.0 drives in blind testing. The 1 TB capacity holds a reasonable game library alongside the OS, and the 1,700 MB/s sequential read speed loads large game assets roughly 3x faster than a SATA SSD. The one caveat is the 50-percent-fill performance characteristic: if the drive will be kept nearly full, a DRAM-equipped alternative will hold its latency envelope better under mixed read/write loads.

No, the Transcend 110S is a DRAM-less SSD. It uses NVMe Host Memory Buffer (HMB) to borrow 32 to 64 MB of system RAM for storing the flash translation layer mapping table. For a 1 TB drive, this allocation is sufficient for normal operation below roughly 50 percent capacity. Once the drive exceeds that fill level, the HMB allocation can no longer hold the full mapping table, and the controller must perform on-the-fly NAND translation which increases latency. This is standard behavior for all DRAM-less NVMe SSDs and is not unique to the 110S. For a boot drive or application disk that will not be filled to capacity, HMB is a non-issue.

Transcend rates the 110S 1 TB at 400 TBW of endurance. At a typical consumer write workload of 20 to 50 GB per day, this equates to roughly 22 to 55 years of usable life — the host system will be obsolete long before the write endurance is exhausted. The 400 TBW rating is competitive for a DRAM-less TLC drive; many budget alternatives like the Kingston NV1 or Silicon Power A60 carry 200 to 300 TBW ratings for their 1 TB variants. The endurance is backed by a 5-year limited warranty, and Transcend's SSD Scope software can monitor remaining drive life as the TBW counter increments.

No, the Transcend 110S is not compatible with the PlayStation 5. Sony requires a PCIe 4.0 x4 NVMe SSD in the M.2 2280 form factor with a recommended minimum sequential read speed of 5,500 MB/s. The 110S is a PCIe 3.0 drive with 1,700 MB/s reads, falling far short of the bandwidth floor. The physical form factor is correct — single-sided M.2 2280 — but the interface generation and speed make it unusable in the PS5 expansion bay. For PS5 storage, look at PCIe 4.0 drives with at least 5,500 MB/s read speeds.

The WD Blue SN550 was the Transcend 110S's most direct competitor at launch — both are DRAM-less PCIe 3.0 TLC NVMe drives targeting the budget segment. The SN550 1 TB is rated slightly higher at 2,400 MB/s reads and 1,750 MB/s writes versus the 110S's 1,700/1,400 MB/s, giving WD a measurable sequential throughput advantage. Endurance is comparable: the SN550 1 TB is rated at 600 TBW versus the 110S's 400 TBW. Warranty terms are identical at 5 years. In practice, the choice between these two often comes down to regional pricing and availability — the 110S is frequently priced below the SN550 in European and Asian markets. For a boot drive where sequential writes are infrequent, the real-world difference is negligible.

For typical desktop and laptop use, no — the SM2263XT controller is a low-power 28 nm design that runs cool enough under normal mixed-use workloads that a dedicated heatsink is unnecessary. The single-sided PCB means there is no clearance issue in thin laptops that cannot accommodate a heatsink. In a fanless mini PC or a chassis with stagnant airflow, adding a small passive heatsink or thermal pad can reduce peak controller temperatures during sustained sequential writes, but thermal throttling on the 110S is uncommon because the DRAM-less controller does not generate the heat of higher-power DRAM-equipped alternatives. If the drive will live in a laptop with an existing thermal pad in the M.2 bay, that is more than adequate.

Yes, by a factor of roughly 3x in sequential throughput. The 110S delivers up to 1,700 MB/s reads and 1,400 MB/s writes, compared to the 550 MB/s ceiling of any SATA III SSD. In everyday use, this translates to faster OS boots, shorter game load times, and snappier application launches — though the gap in boot times specifically is smaller than the sequential numbers suggest, since boot processes are bounded by CPU initialization and driver loading rather than raw storage throughput. The more noticeable advantage is in bulk file operations: a 50 GB game install that takes roughly 90 seconds on SATA completes in about 30 seconds on the 110S. Random read latency also drops from the ~100 microsecond range on SATA to roughly 80 microseconds on the 110S, contributing to a perceptibly more responsive desktop experience.