Plextor M5 Pro Xtreme 512GB SSD Review

Review: Plextor M5 Pro Xtreme 512GB
Reviewed by: Wendy
Robertson

Provided by: Plextor
Model: PX-512M5Pro
Firmware version: 1.02

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Plextor has been causing quite a stir in the SSD market over
the last couple of years. They have quietly been building their standing as a
serious player in the SSD market. I believe this is largely due to their
reputation for building solid and reliable SSDs, based on mature SSD
controllers, and their own proprietary firmware. Not only that, but Plextor
SSDs also perform extremely well.

The last time we reviewed a Plextor SSD here on Myce was
back in March 2012, where we took a look at the 256GB M3 SSD. It was found to
be a reliable SSD, and performed excellently. Today I'm taking a look at
Plextor's latest and greatest consumer grade SSD in the shape of the new
Plextor M5 Pro Xtreme 512GB SSD.

For the Plextor M5 Pro Xtreme, Plextor is still using a
Marvell SSD controller, although the M5 Pro uses the newer 88SS9187
incarnation, with their own proprietary firmware, and Toshiba's new 19nm toggle
2 MLC NAND.

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Just a couple of months ago, I looked at very similar
hardware, in the shape of the Toshiba THNSNF512GCSS, although the
hardware is comparable, Plextor use their own firmware, so let's find out how
the Plextor M5 Pro Xtreme performs in this review.

In this article I will also be introducing a
new test to our reviews here at Myce.wiki (PC Mark Vantage HDD Suite), and I
will also be introducing more in-depth queue depth profiling tests, which for
the first time also build sequential reading and writing queue depth profiles. Lastly,
but by no means least, I will also introduce comparison data for the ATTO
benchmark, in the form of new comparison graphs for selected SSDs.      

Plextor company information

Plextor should need no introduction, but those of you who
would like to find out more about Plextor, can do so at their website.

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The Plextor M5 Pro Xtreme - 512GB SSD

Now it’s time to take a look at the drive itself and what it
came shipped with.

Packaging

The SSD I received was a retail unit, so let's first start
with the packaging.


Box front


Box rear

Inside the box


The complete package

The Plextor M5 Pro package contained the Plextor M5 Pro
Xtreme 512GB SSD itself, a 3.5 inch to 2.5 inch drive converter bracket, two
packs of fixing screws, quick installation booklet, warranty information, and a
serial key for NTI SSD Solution Suite.


Drive top

The top of the drive is made of metal, with a brushed
aluminium finish, and looks very sleek.


Drive bottom

On the underside of the SSD, I found a label which displays
the SSD model number, storage capacity, and indicating that the SSD was
manufactured in January 2013.

The case itself is 7mm thick and designed to be housed in a
standard 2.5 inch drive bay, or a 3.5 inch drive bay using the supplied
converter bracket.

Now let's head to the next page, where we look in more
detail at the Plextor M5 Pro SSD.....

 

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