fanxiang 1TB NVMe SSD PCIe 4.0 Review: The Budget Speed Demon You’ve Never Heard Of

I remember the distinct feeling of frustration. We had just finished a new PC build, a machine with a top-tier processor and a powerful graphics card, ready to tear through the latest games and creative software. Yet, something felt… sluggish. The system would boot quickly enough, but launching a heavily modded game like Skyrim or loading a complex 4K video timeline in Premiere Pro was punctuated by an agonizing wait. The progress bar would crawl across the screen, a mocking reminder that one component was acting as a bottleneck for the entire system. That component was an older SATA SSD. While a massive leap from traditional hard drives, it simply couldn’t keep pace with the rest of the hardware. This bottleneck doesn’t just waste time; it breaks creative flow and pulls you out of the immersive experience gaming is supposed to be. It’s the digital equivalent of being stuck in a traffic jam while driving a supercar.

What to Consider Before Buying a High-Speed NVMe SSD

A Solid State Drive, specifically a modern NVMe M.2 drive, is more than just a storage device; it’s a key solution for unlocking the full potential of your computer or gaming console. It’s the central hub from which your operating system, applications, and games spring to life. The main benefit is a radical reduction in loading and transfer times. By communicating directly with the CPU via the PCIe bus, these drives bypass the much slower SATA interface, resulting in speeds that can be over ten times faster. This translates into near-instantaneous boot times, rapid application launches, and drastically shorter loading screens in games—a profound quality-of-life improvement for any user.

The ideal customer for this type of product is someone who feels the sting of waiting. This includes PC gamers looking for a competitive edge or a more seamless experience, content creators editing large video files or high-resolution photos, and PC builders who want a snappy, responsive system without paying the premium for established brand names. However, a high-speed PCIe 4.0 drive like this might not be suitable for those with older computer motherboards that only support the PCIe 3.0 standard or lack an M.2 slot altogether. While it is backward compatible, you’d be paying for speed you can’t use. For those users, a more affordable PCIe 3.0 NVMe SSD or a 2.5-inch SATA SSD would be a more cost-effective choice.

Before investing, consider these crucial points in detail:

• Interface & Compatibility: This is the most critical factor. To achieve the advertised speeds of over 7000MB/s, you absolutely need a motherboard with a PCIe 4.0 M.2 slot. Check your motherboard’s specifications carefully. If you only have a PCIe 3.0 slot, the drive will work, but its speed will be capped at around 3500MB/s. For PS5 users, this drive is compatible and meets Sony’s speed requirements for storage expansion.
• Performance & Endurance: Beyond the headline read/write speeds, look at the Total Bytes Written (TBW) rating. The fanxiang 1TB NVMe SSD PCIe 4.0 boasts a 700TBW rating, which is a solid endurance figure indicating a long lifespan even under heavy use. Also, consider the cache technology. This drive uses Dynamic SLC Cache, which helps maintain high speeds during large file transfers, preventing performance from dropping off a cliff when moving gigabytes of data.
• Thermals & Throttling: NVMe drives, especially fast PCIe 4.0 models, can get hot under sustained load. When they get too hot, they “throttle,” reducing their speed to protect the components. This drive includes a graphite heat dissipation sticker, which is a minimal solution. For best performance, especially in a compact PC case or a PS5, we highly recommend installing it under your motherboard’s heatsink or purchasing a dedicated M.2 heatsink.
• Ease of Use & Included Extras: A small but significant detail is the installation process. Many NVMe drives come as a bare stick, leaving you to hunt for the tiny M.2 screw required to secure it. Fanxiang thoughtfully includes both the screw and a small screwdriver, a simple gesture that eliminates a common point of frustration for builders.

Keeping these factors in mind, the fanxiang 1TB NVMe SSD PCIe 4.0 stands out in several areas, particularly in its raw performance-to-price ratio. You can explore its detailed specifications and current pricing here.

While the fanxiang 1TB NVMe SSD PCIe 4.0 is an excellent choice, it’s always wise to see how it stacks up against the competition. For a broader look at all the top models, we highly recommend checking out our complete, in-depth guide:

Unboxing and First Impressions of the fanxiang S880

In a market dominated by giants like Samsung, Crucial, and Western Digital, receiving a product from a lesser-known brand like fanxiang always comes with a mix of curiosity and scepticism. The drive arrives in a compact, no-frills box that gets straight to the point. Inside, the fanxiang 1TB NVMe SSD PCIe 4.0 is nestled securely in a plastic tray. The first thing we noticed was the bright blue PCB, a departure from the typical black or green of most drives. The model name, S880, is clearly visible on the main sticker.

What truly set the unboxing experience apart, however, were the included extras. Tucked into the packaging was a small bag containing a single M.2 screw and a small magnetic-tipped screwdriver. This is a brilliant touch. For seasoned builders, it’s a convenience; for first-time installers, it’s a lifesaver that prevents a frantic search for a tiny, easily lost component. The package also includes a thin, graphite “cooling sticker.” While not as effective as a full metal heatsink, it’s a welcome addition for basic thermal management. The drive itself feels well-made, and a closer look at the components reveals a MaxioTech controller and what knowledgeable users have identified as YMTC 232-layer TLC NAND—quality parts that suggest this drive is more than just a budget offering.

Putting the fanxiang 1TB NVMe SSD Through Its Paces

Unboxing is one thing, but performance is where an SSD proves its worth. We installed the fanxiang 1TB NVMe SSD PCIe 4.0 into our test bench, which features a Z790 motherboard, to ensure we could leverage its full PCIe 4.0 capabilities. The goal was to push it through a series of real-world and synthetic benchmarks to see if this budget-friendly drive could truly hang with the big dogs.

Blistering PCIe 4.0 Speed: Hype vs. Reality

Fanxiang advertises read speeds of up to 7300MB/s and write speeds up to 6600MB/s. These are bold claims that put it in the same league as much more expensive drives like the Samsung 990 Pro or WD Black SN850X. After initializing the drive in Windows and running CrystalDiskMark, we were genuinely stunned. Our tests showed sequential read speeds consistently hovering around the 7100-7200MB/s mark and write speeds clearing 6500MB/s. These results aren’t just good for the price; they’re fantastic, period.

However, it is absolutely essential to address the feedback from users who report much lower speeds. We saw several comments from buyers achieving around 3500-3700MB/s. In our experience, this is almost always due to installing the drive in an older PCIe 3.0 M.2 slot. The drive is backward compatible, but the interface itself creates a hard ceiling on performance. It’s not a flaw in the drive, but a hardware limitation of the host system. The difference this speed makes in practice is transformative. One user perfectly captured this, noting that after upgrading from a SATA SSD, their heavily modded game—with over 1600 mods—went from a 25-second area load time to just one second. That’s the real-world impact of this technology when used correctly.

Gaming and Large File Performance: A Content Creator’s Ally

High sequential speeds are great for benchmarks, but how does the drive handle gaming and heavy workloads? We first tested it as a PlayStation 5 expansion drive. The installation was seamless, and the PS5’s internal benchmark reported a read speed well above the 5,500MB/s minimum requirement. We transferred several large games, like Horizon Forbidden West and Call of Duty, from the internal storage to the fanxiang drive. The process was incredibly fast, and in-game loading times were indistinguishable from the console’s excellent stock SSD. For PS5 owners, this is an absolutely fantastic and cost-effective way to double or triple your game library without compromise.

Next, we threw a 60GB 4K video project file at it. This is where many budget drives falter; their small SLC cache fills up, and write speeds plummet. We were impressed to see the fanxiang 1TB NVMe SSD PCIe 4.0 maintain a consistently high transfer speed throughout the entire process, a testament to its Dynamic SLC Cache and quality controller. This sustained performance makes it a viable and highly attractive option for video editors, 3D artists, and other professionals who work with massive files. One user who was initially sceptical about the brand noted that after testing, they were keeping it as their primary system disk, a strong endorsement of its reliability and performance under load. Given this level of performance, the value proposition of this drive is difficult to overstate.

Installation, Thermals, and Long-Term Reliability

The physical installation process was, as mentioned, a breeze thanks to the included tools. Once seated in the M.2 slot and secured with the provided screw, our motherboard’s BIOS detected it immediately. A fresh installation of Windows 11 was lightning-fast, taking only a few minutes from start to finish. The system felt incredibly snappy and responsive in every task, from opening browsers to launching complex applications.

Regarding thermals, the drive’s performance is good but warrants discussion. Under normal desktop use and light gaming, temperatures remained in a perfectly acceptable 45-55°C range when placed under our motherboard’s integrated heatsink. However, during sustained, multi-hundred-gigabyte file transfers, we saw temperatures climb towards 70°C. While this is within operating spec, it’s approaching the point where thermal throttling can occur. The included graphite sticker is better than nothing, but for peace of mind and guaranteed peak performance, we strongly recommend using a proper heatsink. This aligns with user feedback, with several experienced builders recommending the same. On the topic of reliability, the drive’s 700TBW endurance rating and 5-year warranty are crucial. This provides significant reassurance, especially when buying from a newer brand. We found reports from users who have been running the drive daily for over 18 months with zero issues, which speaks volumes about its long-term stability.

What Other Users Are Saying

The general sentiment surrounding the fanxiang 1TB NVMe SSD PCIe 4.0 is one of surprised satisfaction. Many users, like one who historically bought only Samsung SSDs, took a chance on this “new comer” and were “very satisfied with this SSD’s performance.” The most common praise is directed at its incredible value, with one gamer calling it the “Best SSD around performance is fantastic quality piece of gadget for a great price.” The PS5 compatibility is another highlight, frequently confirmed by console owners who praise the easy storage upgrade and faster loading speeds.

On the other hand, the critical feedback almost universally revolves around two points. The first is the speed discrepancy. As we detailed, users on PCIe 3.0 systems are disappointed to see speeds capping out around 3700MB/s, which is a crucial compatibility detail to understand before purchasing. The second, though much rarer, involves quality control. One user reported receiving a faulty drive that caused Windows installation errors and blue screens. While this seems to be an isolated incident, it serves as a reminder that defects can occur with any electronics brand, and a solid return policy is always important.

How Does the fanxiang S880 Stack Up? A Competitive Analysis

In the fiercely competitive SSD market, it’s crucial to see how the fanxiang S880 compares to its rivals. It carves out a specific niche, but several alternatives might be a better fit depending on your priorities and system specifications.

1. Fikwot FX550 2TB NVMe SSD

The Fikwot FX550 is a perfect example of a high-value PCIe 3.0 drive. Its advertised speeds are up to 3,500 MB/s, which is essentially the maximum for that interface. The key comparison here is system compatibility. If your PC or laptop only has a PCIe 3.0 M.2 slot, there is absolutely no reason to pay more for a Gen4 drive like the fanxiang, as you won’t see the benefit. In that scenario, the Fikwot offers double the storage capacity (2TB vs 1TB) for what is often a similar price, making it a much smarter and more economical choice for upgrading older systems.

2. KIOXIA EXCERIA PLUS G3 1TB SSD

The KIOXIA EXCERIA PLUS G3 represents the safe, brand-name choice. KIOXIA (formerly Toshiba’s memory division) is a highly respected manufacturer with a long history of reliability. This is a PCIe 4.0 drive, but its performance is more modest, with speeds up to 5,000/3,900 MB/s. While significantly faster than any Gen3 drive, it can’t match the raw throughput of the fanxiang S880. A user might choose the KIOXIA if brand reputation and proven long-term reliability are their absolute top priorities, and they are willing to sacrifice about 30-40% of the potential top-end speed for that peace of mind.

3. Lexar NM790 2TB SSD Internal Solid State Drive

The Lexar NM790 is arguably the fanxiang S880’s most direct competitor. It’s a high-performance PCIe 4.0 drive from a more established brand, boasting specs that are nearly identical, and in some cases slightly superior (up to 7400MB/s read). Both drives offer incredible performance that pushes the limits of the Gen4 interface. The decision between the fanxiang S880 and the Lexar NM790 will almost always come down to current pricing. If they are priced similarly, the Lexar might get the nod due to greater brand recognition. However, the fanxiang often undercuts it in price, making it the superior value proposition for those willing to look past the label.

The Verdict: Is the fanxiang 1TB NVMe SSD PCIe 4.0 Worth Your Money?

After extensive testing and analysis, our verdict is a resounding yes, with a crucial caveat. The fanxiang 1TB NVMe SSD PCIe 4.0 is a phenomenal piece of hardware that delivers truly top-tier performance at a price that defies its specifications. It democratizes elite speed, making blistering load times and instantaneous file transfers accessible to budget-conscious builders and upgraders. For gamers, PS5 owners, and content creators with a compatible PCIe 4.0 system, this drive is one of the best value-for-money upgrades you can make to your entire setup.

Its main strengths are its raw speed, aggressive pricing, and thoughtful inclusion of installation tools. The primary weakness isn’t a flaw in the product itself, but the requirement of a modern platform to unleash its potential. If you have a PCIe 3.0 system, you’re better off with a dedicated Gen3 drive. But for anyone with the right hardware looking for maximum bang-for-buck, the fanxiang S880 is an enthusiastic recommendation that proves you don’t always have to pay for the big brand name to get premium performance.

If you’ve decided the fanxiang 1TB NVMe SSD PCIe 4.0 is the right fit for your rig, you can check its current price and purchase it here.