Introduction
The speed of PCI Gen5 NVMe SSDs marches on, and we’ve got one of the newer breeds of SSDs today that tops out at 14GB/s (14,000MB/s) sequential read speeds, and 12GB/s (12,000MB/s) sequential write speeds. MSI is launching a new Gen5 SSD onto the market, this one sits above the recently released MSI SPATIUM M570 FROZR and offers even more PCIe Gen5 performance, as the top SKU of MSI’s new PCIe Gen5 lineup. This is our MSI SPATIUM M580 FROZR 2TB PCIe Gen5 NVMe M.2 SSD review.
In December of 2023, MSI launched its new entrant into the PCIe Gen5 SSD space with the MSI SPATIUM M570 PRO FROZR, and we gave it a full review. That SSD has a rated speed of 12,400MB/s read and 11,800MB/s write, and the 2TB model we reviewed was a top performer and the cooling worked great. Today, MSI is launching a higher-spec SPATIUM SSD SKU, the MSI SPATIUM M580 FROZR which has the same unique passive cooling, and tops out at 14,600MB/s read and 12,700MB/s write.
As we know, the SPATIUM line of SSDs has existed for quite a while from MSI, and have all been excellent performers in previous PCIe Gen3 and Gen4 drives. In 2021 we reviewed both the MSI SPATIUM M470 and MSI SPATIUM M480 PCIe Gen4 SSDs when they launched. We also reviewed the MSI SPATIUM M570 PRO, and to see how that compared to the previous two Gen4 SSDs, check out that review.
MSI SPATIUM M580 FROZR 2TB SSD
The MSI SPATIUM M580 FROZR uses the PHISON E26 controller with 232-Layer TLC 3D NAND Flash and has a DRAM cache and SLC Cache. It also has LPDC ECC and E2E Data Protection, a high TBW, and a 5-year warranty. The MSI SPATIUM M580 FROZR is geared for gaming, content creation, and professional applications. Capacities will come in 1TB, 2TB, and 4TB, and we have the 2TB model to evaluate today.
The MSI SPATIUM M580 FROZR uses MSI Center software to manage functions. It includes status monitoring, drive health, used capacity, operating temperature, and data backup. MSI has partnered with Actiphy to allow users who purchase MSI SSDs to create backups and it does support Encryption.
The MSI SPATIUM M580 FROZR SSD comes in the box with the cooler pre-installed. It is in a very secure box and held together well to protect it. The box opens easily, and with pull-out tabs on the inner box, the SSD is easy to remove. In the box is just the SSD and booklets, no M.2 screws are provided. You can download MSI Center from the Microsoft Store, or MSI.
Uniquely, the MSI SPATIUM M580 FROZR has a passive cooler pre-installed, with no active fans. To accomplish this, it uses a tower heatsink with three heatpipes incorporated known as CORE pipes, and a plethora of aluminum fins. MSI claims it can reduce the operating temperatures by up to 20 degrees Celsius. The only thing to watch out for is the height of the SSD, make sure which M.2 slot you are installing with and if there is a video card or other device that could interfere with the height. 
The most troublesome M.2 slots will be those underneath or under the video card, but PCIe Gen5 slots are at the top anyway as they need direct CPU lanes. It may also be harder to reach your M.2 latch or put a screw in, you’ll need a long thin screwdriver to fit in between the heatpipes to screw down, or even to move an M.2 latch in place.