Conclusion
The MSI SPATIUM, we have now reviewed MSI’s foray into the storage realm, and what better way to describe it as SPATIUM. The MSI SPATIUM SSD lineup consists of the new M370, M470, and M480. Today we have reviewed the “middle” SSD, right in-between on performance, the MSI SPATIUM M470 1TB PCIe 4.0 Gen4 NVMe M.2 SSD.
MSI has both a 1TB and 2TB of this model, but unlike other SSD divergences we’ve seen from other manufacturers, MSI actually keeps the potential read throughput and write throughput the same between them both at 5000MB/s sequential read and 4400MB/s sequential write.
The difference lies in the capacity, price, DRAM size, and TBW. The 1TB SPATIUM M470 has a TBW of 1600, and a DRAM size of 1GB in this 1TB capacity SSD with an MSRP of $179.99. The 2TB SPATIUM M470 has a TBW of 3300, and a DRAM size of 2GB in this 2TB capacity SSD with an MSRP of $319.99.
Performance
The performance that we experienced with the MSI SPATIUM M470 1TB SSD is a very good, top-of-the-line enthusiast-class kind of performance. The MSI SPATIUM M470 1TB SSD provided the highest PCMark 10 Storage benchmark performance, in the overall score, bandwidth, and access time. This shows that it is a well-rounded SSD for all tasks. In PassMark, it also had high marks and came in just under the CORSAIR Force MP600, a very powerful and fast SSD in its own right. This is tough competition.
In throughput testing, we found that the MSI SPATIUM M470 1TB SSD hit its marks in read performance reaching its potential of 5GB/s. It even edged out the CORSAIR Force MP600 a bit in sequential performance and random performance on read. On write, it was a strong performer, it reached 4200MB/s mostly, just shy of its maximum 4400MB/s potential, and the CORSAIR Force MP600 edged out slightly in this department, but not by much. It was however much faster in all regards compared to the Sabrent Rocket; it beat it quite handily in write performance.
In copy performance, the MSI SPATIUM M570 1TB was faster in AS SSD’s ISO, and only just under the CORSAIR Force MP600 in the rest. It was a lot faster though, compared to the Sabrent Rocket. In a raw 50GB file test, the MSI SPATIUM M470 1TB SSD was on par with CORSAIR Force MP600, which is amazing and shows it can keep up with a strong performer. In Final Fantasy XIV Endwalker Benchmark it was right on par with the performance of the CORSAIR Force MP600 as well, showing a very similar experience for game load times. In SPECworkstation 3.1 the MSI SPATIUM M470 1TB SSD proved it can keep up with the best for professional applications.
Cooling
We were quite impressed with how cool the MSI SPATIUM M470 1TB SSD ran. The CORSAIR Force MP600 SSD we were using has a custom CORSAIR heatsink that wraps around the entire SSD and is very robust. Naturally, this cooling is going to be better, but we were surprised how close in temps the MSI SPATIUM M470 1TB SSD was using the motherboards heatsink, which only cools one side. It’s just as fast as the CORSAIR Force MP600, or faster in some places, yet only a few degrees warmer. It’s also a lot cooler than the Sabrent Rocket, which was miserable in performance, and they were using the same heatsink.
The MSI M470 model does not come with a heatsink, however, there is a custom heatsink version for the M480 we will look at. However, even though the temperatures are good with the MSI SPATIUM M470, we do recommend using a heatsink to avoid any potential throttling in hot conditions. Use your motherboard M.2 heatsink and that will be sufficient for this SSD. If you don’t have one for your motherboard, they aren’t very expensive, and it will help ensure you don’t throttle in the toughest of scenarios.
Software
Unfortunately at the time of testing, MSI did not have working software that supports or manages these SSDs. It has been a month now, and to launch without that support is a bit of a disadvantage. However, MSI does state that software will come, it is going to bring support of SSDs into its MSI Center software.
In an upcoming update MSI Center will allow users to monitor drive health and performance. It will also offer backup & restore functionality with the included Actiphy software solution.
-MSI
Hopefully, MSI will provide the ability to upgrade firmware with the software. One thing we always hope for and wish is that the software can search for new firmware, and painlessly update firmware if needed. We also hope that it comes with a Secure Erase feature built-in, this is always helpful, as well as Encryption abilities. We will just have to wait and see how this pans out.
Final Points
The MSI SPATIUM SSD launch went very well for MSI, MSI knows hardware, and what enthusiasts want. The lineup that MSI has for SSDs fulfills many needs, from lower-priced and performance, up to the maximum capacities and performance. We are glad to see a whole lineup of SSDs and not just a one-off model.
The MSI SPATIUM M470 1TB PCIe 4.0 Gen4 NVMe M.2 SSD is a top-performer for any gamer. It provides all the read and write throughput you need for gaming or other workloads. It also has a high endurance rating for a 1TB SSD. This would be an excellent SSD for content creators. In our benchmarks, it kept up with a really strong competitor that has high marks, and this SSD was standing right alongside it the entire time. The MSI SPATIUM M470 1TB SSD with a PHISON E16 controller, BiCS4 96-Layer 3D TLC NAND, and DRAM cache performs very strong with these component specifications. It’s right where it should be.
The MSI SPATIUM M470 1TB SSD has an MSRP of $179.99. You can find the MSI SPATIUM M470 1TB available at MSRP right now at $179.99 on Amazon. Considering the current hardware situation, we are in right now in 2021, this is incredible news. This SSD is actually in stock, and available at MSRP. Stay tuned as we will be reviewing an M480 with heatsink next.
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