Game performance tests on three SanDisk internal NVMe SSDs show that the Optimus GX PRO 8100, featuring PCIe 5.0 and DRAM cache, leads in overall performance. In Battlefield V startup loads, its bandwidth is approximately 1.3 times that of the two PCIe 4.0 products, with shorter average access times.
The other two products tested were the Optimus GX 7100, which uses PCIe 4.0 with HMB and no DRAM cache, and the Optimus GX PRO 850X, which uses PCIe 4.0 with DRAM cache. The Samsung SSD 9100 Pro served as a comparison. Tests used CrystalDiskMark and 3DMark Storage Benchmark to evaluate performance both when the drive was empty and when randomly filled to leave only 10% free space.
CrystalDiskMark results show that PCIe 5.0 products offer higher sequential access capabilities, but fully utilizing their bandwidth requires queue depth or multi-threaded parallel access. The two PCIe 4.0 products perform similarly when the drive is empty; after free space drops to 10%, the DRAM-equipped 850X sees only a 1% to 2% drop in some sequential workloads, while the DRAM-less 7100 shows more significant declines in several tests.
There were exceptions in testing: in the random read Q1T1 test, all DRAM-equipped products showed a decline, though no clear conclusion has been reached yet. Overall results suggest opting for a PCIe 5.0 drive with DRAM cache for maximum performance, while PCIe 4.0 drives without DRAM still offer advantages in cost and power consumption.