The Platinum P41 SSD is a phenomenal piece of kit for your gaming needs. This PCIe NVME M.2 product is available in 3 sizes: 500 GB, for $82.99, 1 TB, for $129.99, and 2 TB, for $173.95. These prices will vary, but these were accurate at the point of review. Sadly, SK Hynix hasn’t expanded past the 2 TB storage capacity, but that wasn’t an issue for me. However, you may have to look at another manufacturer if you need a heftier solution. If you can “cope” with a mere 2 TB of space, then you’ll be impressed by the lighting-fast speeds, the stability, and the competitive price point.
This SSD is SK Hynix’s first step into the PCI Express 4.0 internal SSD market. Yet, what a splash they have made as this beastly device delivers incredible sequential read and write speeds. Accordingly, this will load your OS in no time and keep you on top of your gaming needs without breaking a sweat. Word of warning, however, it does not come with a heat sink as standard. Consequently, you may wish to invest in one if you wish to increase longevity. This is essential if you are using this drive for a laptop or your PlayStation. Though I didn’t experience any negative side effects without a heat sink, I would be more comfortable in the long term knowing the temperatures were reduced.
Benchmark.
For clarity, I benchmarked the SSD using the following machine. An ASUS TUF Gaming 650M-Plus Wi-Fi DDR5 motherboard, AMD 7800X3D, 64 GB G-Skill Trident Z5 RGB DDR5 6,000 Mhz CL32 clocked at 6,000 Mhz, and the MSI GeForce RTX 4080 Super Gaming X Slim 16 GB White. Furthermore, there are various fans, an AIO cooler, and other miscellaneous objects. The testing benchmark delivered approximately 7,300 MB/s read and 6,850 MB/s write speed. By comparison, my Samsung 980 Pro 2 TB delivered 6,450 MB/s and 5,045 MB/s read/write sequential speeds respectively.
It’s an impressive SSD.
My main gaming rig is equipped with Samsung’s 980 Pro 1 TB and 2 TB drives. I had spent plenty of time researching my needs and this market leader tempted me with impressive speeds and great value for money. Yet, now the Platinum P41 SSD is in my hands, I’m in a bit of a muddle. Why? Well, this device outperforms both drives during every benchmark test I could find. Using Crystal DiskMark 6.0 Sequential testing, I was blown away by the awe-inspiring speeds. Effectively, it outperformed my Samsung drive by around 1000 MB/s at both read and write speeds. Furthermore, it outstripped its advertised speeds of 7,000 MB/s and 6,500 MB/s read and write speeds respectively. This result was so shocking that I ran the test multiple times and came to the same conclusion every time as well.
Alongside this, the Platinum P41 SSD uses SK Hynix’s own 176-layer TCL NAND flash as well as their Aries controller. This helps to deliver top-end specs that will make its competitors weep. Accordingly, you’ll enjoy up to 1.4 million IOPS. Furthermore, the new Aries controller offers twice the number of channels and up to 33% higher bus speeds. On top of this, there is an impressive 5-year warranty on offer and a guarantee of 1,200 TBW lifetime write capacity for the 2 TB model. This offer is in line with its competitors and sadly falls below some of the leading devices. However, you needn’t worry as this should far exceed the average user’s storage capabilities.
The Platinum P41 SSD has drive cloning.
Though the usability of an SSD isn’t a top priority, it is pleasant when a company thinks about the little things. Luckily, SK Hynix has done just that with their specially designed cloning tool. They have teamed up with Macrium to offer the SK Hynix System Migration Utility for SSD (try saying that after a few beers). Moreover, you can download the Drive Manager: Easy Kit to observe your drive’s health, run diagnostics, and erase data. The wonderful thing about this software is it works with other drives as well. Subsequently, you may manage your data from one free-to-download tool.
Is the Platinum P41 SSD worth it?
If you wish to have a lightning-fast drive that delivers market-fast speeds, then this is the device for you. Furthermore, it has an impressive warranty and its lifetime write capacity is more than sufficient for many uses. Its only shortcoming is the lack of a heat sink. This may be a sticking point for some people, but a small investment in a thin but effective heat sink will reduce the risk of thermal throttling for hardcore gamers. Another element to consider is the announcement of the P51 drive. If you are not in a hurry, and you have a few more pounds to spend, you may wish to wait for that to hit the market. However, if you are impatient, or you need a new SSD immediately, I recommend buying it here!
(More information on SK Hynix can be found here!)
(Full Disclosure! SK Hynix provided a sample for an unbiased and free review!)
