SK hynix's first consumer PCIe 5.0 SSD is finally available in the U.S. market — Platinum P51 flaunts speeds up to 14,700 MB/s

The Platinum P51, the successor to the highly acclaimed Platinum P41, has finally been introduced to the United States market to contend with the best SSDs. Initially unveiled in March of the previous year and subsequently launched exclusively in South Korea in December, the Platinum P51 traveled a long distance to reach this hemisphere.

The Platinum P51 employs SK hynix's in-house PCIe 5.0 SSD controller. In this instance, the manufacturer has implemented the Alistar ACNT093 controller, characterized by an eight-channel architecture and capable of supporting transfer rates up to 2,400 MT/s. Information regarding the ACNT093 is sparse. The SSD controller utilizes Arm's 32-bit Cortex-R8 processor and is believed to be fabricated on a 10nm process node, which TSMC likely supplies.

SK hynix combines the ACNT093 controller with the company's 238-layer 3D V8 TLC NAND. It represents a significant upgrade from the 176-layer NAND used in the previous Platinum P41. As with its predecessor, the Platinum P51 also includes LPDDR4 DRAM, though its capacity has not been disclosed. SK hynix hasn't yet uploaded a product page for the Platinum P51.

SK hynix Platinum P51 Specifications

The Platinum P51 M.2 2280 SSD is exclusively available in two capacities: 1TB and 2TB. It appears that SK hynix will not sell a 500GB variant, a capacity that was available with the Platinum P41 or the Gold P31 before it. According to the specifications sheet, the Platinum P51 achieves sequential read speeds of up to 14,700 MB/s. The sequential write performance, however, varies depending on the capacity. The 2TB model tops out at 13,400 MB/s while the 1TB model has 4% lower sequential write performance.

On the other hand, random performance is equal between the two drives. Both can reach random read and write speeds up to 2,300,000 IOPS and 2,400,000 IOPS, respectively. The Platinum P51's performance figures place the drive alongside the Sandisk WD Black SN8100, Samsung 9100 Pro, or Crucial T705.

The 1TB version has an endurance of 600 TBW, while the 2TB version offers 1,200 TBW. The Platinum P51's endurance is comparable to competitors like Kioxia's 218-layer BiCS8 and Samsung's 236-layer V8 TLC NAND. It also includes a five-year warranty, which is typical for most PCIe 5.0 drives.

SK hynix has priced the Platinum P51 very competitively. The 1TB version is available for $169.99, and the 2TB sports a $269.99 price tag. The Platinum P51 offers better value compared to the Sandisk WD Black SN8100, Samsung 9100 Pro, and Crucial T705. If the Platinum P51's performance can meet expectations, SK hynix has a compelling PCIe 5.0 SSD on its hands, like the company did with the Platinum P41 during the PCIe 4.0 days.

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