Transcend PCIe SSD 220S 1 TB Review — PCIe 3.0 NVMe

Posted on May 17, 2026 by Raymond Chen

The Transcend PCIe SSD 220S 1 TB is a DRAM-equipped PCIe 3.0 NVMe drive that pushes the Gen 3 envelope on both sequential speed and a generous 5-year, 2,200 TBW warranty.

Transcend PCIe SSD 220S 1 TB Review — PCIe 3.0 NVMe

The Transcend PCIe SSD 220S 1 TB — sold under the part number TS1TMTE220S — is the middle-volume capacity of Transcend’s mainstream PCIe 3.0 NVMe family, built around the Silicon Motion SM2262EN, an eight-channel controller paired with Micron 64-layer 3D TLC NAND and a 1 GB DDR3 DRAM cache. The PCB is M.2 2280 and double-sided, with NAND packages on both faces. Transcend markets the 220S at digital audio/video creators, gamers, and prosumers who want the practical ceiling of Gen 3 NVMe at a sensible price point.

At 1 TB the 220S inherits the rated 3,500 MB/s sequential read figure of the family, and a 3,200 MB/s sequential write that is faster than the smaller 256 GB and 512 GB capacities (which top out at roughly 1,700 MB/s and 2,100 MB/s respectively). The closest direct rivals on PCIe 3.0 at 1 TB are the Samsung 970 EVO Plus 1 TB (DRAM, TLC, broader benchmark coverage), the WD Blue SN570 1 TB (DRAM-less HMB, cheaper), and the Crucial P2 1 TB (entry tier, lower endurance). The 220S’s case against the SN570 is the dedicated DRAM cache and the unusually high 2,200 TBW endurance figure; its weakness against the 970 EVO Plus is firmware maturity and broader independent benchmark coverage.

The 220S 1 TB is a fit for older or mid-life desktops and laptops with a PCIe 3.0 M.2 slot, especially as a creator scratch disk where the high write endurance matters. It is not a PS5 candidate — the PS5 expansion bay requires PCIe 4.0 and a 5,500 MB/s sequential read floor, both of which rule the 220S out regardless of capacity. The double-sided PCB also pushes it outside the PS5 envelope physically.

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🚀 Performance and benchmarks

Transcend rates the PCIe SSD 220S 1 TB at up to 3,500 MB/s sequential reads, essentially the practical ceiling of the PCIe 3.0 x4 bus, and up to 3,200 MB/s sequential writes — fast for any Gen 3 drive and well above the 1 TB Samsung 970 EVO Plus’s 3,300 MB/s rated reads and 3,300 MB/s rated writes. The family datasheet quotes “up to 340,000 read IOPS and 370,000 write IOPS” for the lineup; on the 1 TB capacity independent reviewers typically measure mid-to-high 200,000 IOPS read and high 300,000 IOPS write at standard 4K-block queue depth. In everyday use that translates to near-instant Windows boots, very fast game level loads on PCIe 3.0 platforms, and snappy mass-asset reads in creative apps.

Performance comparison

Transcend PCIe SSD 220S 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.

Transcend PCIe SSD 220S 1 TB (this drive): 3,500 MB/s read, 3,200 MB/s write
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

The SLC cache behaviour is the part to be aware of on any 1 TB TLC drive. Independent reviewers consistently find the 220S delivers initial bulk writes near its rated 3,200 MB/s while the SLC cache is open, then drops to a low-hundreds-of-MB/s direct-to-TLC mode once the cache is exhausted, typically after several dozen gigabytes on the 1 TB capacity. For gamers, OS users, and people writing small or medium files this is invisible. For video editors dumping multi-hundred-gigabyte projects onto the drive the post-cache speed is the relevant number, and a TLC drive with a more aggressive direct-mode floor like the Samsung 970 EVO Plus is steadier.

🖥️ Endurance and warranty

Transcend rates the PCIe SSD 220S 1 TB at 2,200 TBW (terabytes written) over a 5-year limited warranty, whichever limit is reached first. That is an unusually high TLC endurance figure for the 1 TB capacity — derived from Transcend’s 1.2 drive-writes-per-day rating across a 5-year warranty period — and corresponds to roughly 1.2 TB of host writes every single day for five straight years. At a more realistic 30 GB/day workload the rated 2,200 TBW corresponds to over 200 years of nominal life before the counter is exhausted. Transcend publishes a family MTBF figure of 2 million hours, which is a statistical population metric rather than a guaranteed lifespan for any individual drive. Warranty service is handled directly via Transcend RMA with proof of purchase, and the company’s SSD Scope utility provides SMART monitoring and firmware updates on Windows.

📊 Specs

Category	Value
Capacity [?]	1 TB
Interface [?]	M.2 3.0 x 4
Controller [?]	Silicon Motion SM2262EN
Memory type [?]	Micron 64-layer 3D TLC
DRAM [?]	Samsung 512MB DDR3
Read speed (MB/s) [?]	3500
Write speed (MB/s) [?]	3200
Read IOPS [?]	n/a
Write IOPS [?]	n/a
Endurance (TBW) [?]	2200
MTBF (million hours) [?]	2
Warranty (years) [?]	5

Conclusion

The Transcend PCIe SSD 220S 1 TB is the right pick if you are upgrading an older or mid-life PCIe 3.0 desktop or laptop and you want a TLC drive with a real DRAM cache and an unusually high 2,200 TBW endurance rating at 1 TB. Skip it if your platform is already PCIe 4.0 and a Gen 4 drive is the same money, because the 220S cannot stretch beyond the Gen 3 ceiling and you would give up future-proofing for no benefit. The cleanest alternative on PCIe 3.0 at this capacity is the Samsung 970 EVO Plus 1 TB, which has broader firmware support and wider benchmark coverage at a similar price; the WD Blue SN570 1 TB is the cheaper choice if you accept the DRAM-less HMB compromise. Overall the 220S 1 TB is one of the most endurance-friendly TLC drives in its Gen 3 generation.

+ Pros

3,500 MB/s sequential reads on PCIe 3.0
2,200 TBW endurance with 5-year warranty
1 GB Samsung DDR3 DRAM cache on board
Micron 64-layer 3D TLC NAND
2 million hour MTBF rating
Bundled SSD Scope SMART monitoring tool

- Cons

PCIe 3.0 ceiling caps it on Gen 4 systems
Writes drop to a few hundred MB/s post-cache
Double-sided PCB unsuitable for PS5 slot
Controller throttles above 75 \xc2\xb0C without airflow
No bundled heatsink in retail box

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✨ Video Review

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⁉️ FAQ

Yes, the Transcend PCIe SSD 220S 1 TB is a capable PCIe 3.0 gaming drive. Its 3,500 MB/s rated reads and high random IOPS translate into fast game launches and level loads on any platform that can feed it, and the dedicated 1 GB DDR3 DRAM cache keeps small-file reads consistent under mixed workloads. The 1 TB capacity is enough to host the OS plus a reasonable active library, which makes the 220S 1 TB the volume sweet spot of the family. On a PCIe 4.0 platform the 220S still works but cannot extract any extra speed, and a Gen 4 drive at similar money is the better pick for new builds.

No, the Transcend PCIe SSD 220S 1 TB does not meet Sony\xe2\x80\x99s PS5 expansion-slot requirements. The PS5 specifies a PCIe 4.0 NVMe drive with at least 5,500 MB/s sequential reads, and the 220S is a PCIe 3.0 drive rated at 3,500 MB/s reads \xe2\x80\x94 comfortably below the threshold. The 1 TB SKU also uses a double-sided PCB that does not fit cleanly in the PS5 expansion bay envelope. If you need a 1 TB PS5 expansion drive, look at the WD Black SN850X 1 TB, Samsung 990 Pro 1 TB, or Sabrent Rocket 4 Plus 1 TB instead.

Yes, the Transcend PCIe SSD 220S 1 TB includes a dedicated DDR3 DRAM cache used by the Silicon Motion SM2262EN controller as a flash-translation-layer map. On the 1 TB model that is roughly 1 GB of Samsung DDR3 alongside the controller. The DRAM does not store user data; it holds the address tables the controller consults on every small random read or write, which keeps latency low and random IOPS high under mixed workloads. That is the main architectural difference between the 220S and DRAM-less HMB drives like the WD Blue SN570 or Crucial P2 at the same price point.

The Transcend PCIe SSD 220S 1 TB is rated for 2,200 TBW (terabytes written) over a 5-year limited warranty, whichever limit is reached first. That figure is derived from Transcend\xe2\x80\x99s 1.2 drive-writes-per-day rating across the five-year warranty window and is unusually high for a consumer TLC drive of this generation. At a typical desktop workload of 20 to 30 GB of writes per day the rated endurance corresponds to roughly 200 to 300 years of nominal life before the counter is exhausted, so the TBW limit is not a practical concern. The endurance scales with capacity inside the family.

A basic M.2 heatsink is recommended for sustained workloads. The Silicon Motion SM2262EN is a high-performing eight-channel Gen 3 controller but it runs warm, and independent reviewers consistently flag that the 220S can throttle above 75 \xc2\xb0C during long sustained writes if there is no airflow over the M.2 slot. Most modern motherboards ship with a stamped or finned M.2 cover that is adequate for everyday gaming and creator use. Transcend does not bundle a heatsink with the retail M.2 2280 SKU, but a basic third-party M.2 heatsink under ten dollars solves the throttling without trouble.

The Samsung 970 EVO Plus 1 TB is the closest PCIe 3.0 TLC rival at this capacity. On paper the two drives sit at roughly the same sequential ceiling \xe2\x80\x94 the 970 EVO Plus is rated at 3,500 MB/s read and 3,300 MB/s write, the 220S at 3,500 MB/s read and 3,200 MB/s write \xe2\x80\x94 with similar DRAM-backed controller architectures. The 970 EVO Plus has a longer track record on benchmark sites, slightly steadier sustained writes past the SLC cache, and higher random IOPS. The 220S\xe2\x80\x99s case is the much higher 2,200 TBW endurance rating and typically lower street price.