Silicon Power UD85 250GB

The Silicon Power UD85 250GB is an entry-level NVMe 1.4 M.2 2280 drive that uses a PCIe 4.0 x4 interface but delivers throughput more in line with high-end PCIe 3.0 drives. It typically employs a DRAM-less architecture, most commonly using the 4-channel Phison PS5019-E19T controller and leveraging Host Memory Buffer (HMB) to store the lookup table in system RAM. At 250GB the NAND is usually high-density 3D NAND (often QLC or value-oriented TLC) with limited die interleaving, which constrains write performance. Component sourcing can vary, with some iterations using Maxio or Silicon Motion controllers. The 250GB SKU experiences significant write speed penalties compared to higher-capacity versions due to the lack of NAND die parallelism. While physically compatible with PlayStation 5 consoles, its sequential read speeds are well below Sony’s recommended 5,500 MB/s threshold.

Key Specifications

• Interface: PCIe 4.0 x4 (NVMe 1.4)
• Controller: Phison PS5019-E19T (Typical)
• Sequential Read/Write: 3,300 MB/s Read / 1,300 MB/s Write
• NAND Type: 3D NAND (Variable, often QLC at lower capacities)
• Cache Architecture: DRAM-less with SLC Caching and HMB support
• Physical Layout: Single-sided M.2 2280 PCB

Hardware Alternatives

• WD Black SN750 SE: shares an architectural foundation with the Phison E19T and a Gen4 interface while delivering Gen3-tier sequential speeds
• Kingston NV2 250GB: utilizes DRAM-less controllers and variable NAND compositions, offering comparable sequential throughput and endurance characteristics
• Crucial P3: similar DRAM-less design and variable NAND composition resulting in comparable I/O consistency and endurance characteristics