Plextor M5 Pro Xtreme 256GB SSD Review

Today we have a Xtreme fast SSD for review at ocinside.de, the Plextor M5 Pro Xtreme 256GB. The Plextor M5 Pro Xtreme 256 GB SSD is based on the Marvell 88SS9187-BLD2 controller like the previously tested Crucial M500 480 GB SSD and reached an amazing high performance with the new Plextor firmware 1.03. So let us continue with the SSD comparison and the review of the Plextor M5 Pro Xtreme 256 GB.

Thanks for the support …

Many thanks for the support with the Plextor M5 Pro Xtreme 256GB 2.5″ SSD by the manufacturer Plextor.

The Plextor M5 Pro Xtreme 256GB SATA3 2.5″ SSD PX-256M5Pro has at present a price of approx. 199 Euro (04/2013).

The Plextor M5 Pro Xtreme SSD series contains the following models: – Plextor M5 Pro Xtreme 128GB PX-128M5Pro – Plextor M5 Pro Xtreme 256GB PX-256M5Pro – Plextor M5 Pro Xtreme 512GB PX-512M5Pro Whereby the writing performance of this Plextor M5 Pro Xtreme SSD series alters depending on the capacity. A higher capacity of this Plextor M5 Pro Xtreme SSD has a higher write performance. The read performance is specified for all three SSDs with 540 MB/s, the write performance is according to Plextor for the M5 Pro 128 GB SSD 330 MB/s, the M5 Pro 256 GB SSD has 460 MB/s and the M5 Pro 512 GB SSD is specified with 470 MB/s.

Here you can order the Plextor M5 Pro Xtreme SSD. *Ad

The supply of the Plextor M5 Pro Xtreme 256GB SATA3 SSD …

The Plextor M5 Pro Xtreme SSD is supplied in this cardboard box which is already promising good values:

That is contained in the delivery …

A first look into the small box shows that Plextor puts much emphasis on a high-quality content. The Plextor PX-256M5P M5 Pro Xtreme 2.5″ SSD is delivered together with a 3.5″ mounting frame, screws, installation guide and the warranty conditions. Also included is a serial number for “NTI SSD Solution Suite For Plextor”. The NTI SSD Solution Suite includes the “Backup Now EZ” backup software and the “Echo Cloning” software, which is very useful especially for the upgrade from a HDD to SSD. Here you can see the contents of the Plextor M5 Pro Xtreme 256 GB SSD:

The following image shows the top of the 2.5″ Plextor M5 Pro Xtreme 256 GB SSD:

On the flipside you can see the label of the Plextor M5 Pro Xtreme SSD with some technical data and the pre-installed firmware version. You can also see the SATA3 connectorss for data and power on the left side. These connectors are identical to conventional SATA3 hard disks and these SATA3 SSDs can also operate with a slower speed at an SATA2 interface:

Here you can see eight out of a total of sixteen 19nm NAND modules of the SATA3 SSD with a total of 256 GB capacity, the 512MB cache module and the new Marwell 88SS9187-BLD2 controller IC. The SSD also provides a built-in 256-bit AES encryption:

On the back of the circuit board, you can see the remaining eight NAND modules:

Another feature is the low construction height that is only 7 mm when compared to some other SSDs:

Here you can see again the Plextor SSD on the supplied 3,5-inch mounting frame: