Kioxia Exceria Plus G4 NVMe SSD Review: Speed & Performance Tested
▼ Summary
– The Kioxia Exceria Plus G4 is a budget-friendly PCIe 5.0 SSD with solid performance but lacks a competitive edge due to its late market entry and slightly higher price.
– It features a Phison E31T controller and Kioxia’s 218-layer BiCS8 TLC NAND, prioritizing efficiency and compatibility with devices like laptops and consoles.
– Performance is decent, with sequential speeds of 10.2 GB/s read and 8.6 GB/s write, but random 4K performance lags behind competitors like Corsair’s MP700 Elite.
– The drive excels in thermal efficiency, peaking at 60°C under heavy load, but its higher price compared to similar options makes it less appealing.
– While the Exceria Plus G4 is a capable SSD, its lack of standout features and delayed release make it hard to justify over cheaper or more advanced alternatives.
The Kioxia Exceria Plus G4 NVMe SSD offers competitive speeds and efficiency, but its late arrival and pricing make it a tough sell against established rivals. Built for budget-conscious users eyeing PCIe 5.0 performance, this drive combines Kioxia’s NAND expertise with Phison’s controller tech, yet struggles to stand out in a crowded market.
At its core, the Exceria Plus G4 relies on Phison’s E31T controller, a streamlined version of the E26 designed for better efficiency. Manufactured on TSMC’s 7nm process, it ditches DRAM cache and halves peak bandwidth to prioritize power savings, ideal for laptops or consoles lacking robust cooling. Paired with Kioxia’s 218-layer BiCS8 TLC NAND, the drive delivers 10,000 MB/s reads and 8,200 MB/s writes, though it lags behind higher-tier options like Crucial’s T705 in raw density.
Performance-wise, benchmarks reveal predictable results. Sequential speeds hit 10.2 GB/s reads and 8.6 GB/s writes, edging out Corsair’s MP700 Elite but trailing Crucial’s P510. Where it stumbles is random 4K performance, with writes maxing at 318 MB/s, noticeably slower than Corsair’s tuned firmware. However, 3DMark tests and game load times (like Final Fantasy XIV’s 7.3 seconds) show surprising strengths, thanks to reduced latency.
Thermals are a bright spot. Even under heavy loads, the drive peaks at just 60°C, nearly matching the MP700 Elite’s efficiency. But here’s the catch: pricing. At $225 (or £180), the Exceria Plus G4 costs $45 more than Corsair’s now-discounted MP700 Elite, a hard pill to swallow given their near-identical hardware.
Who should buy it? If you spot it on sale and need a cool-running PCIe 5.0 SSD for general use, it’s a solid pick. But with rivals offering similar specs for less, the Exceria Plus G4 feels like a decent, yet unremarkable, entry in a fiercely competitive segment. For now, shoppers are better off hunting bargains rather than paying a premium for this latecomer.
(Images: Kioxia Exceria Plus G4 SSD, performance charts, thermal readings)
(Source: PCGAMER)
