Goodram PX700 Makes the Case for Premium-Feeling Budget PCIe 4.0 SSDs

As of 11 September 2026, the SSD conversation is not only about chasing the highest PCIe 5.0 numbers. Drives like the Goodram PX700 2TB are a reminder that a well-tuned PCIe 4.0 NVMe SSD can still feel quick in the places most users notice: booting Windows, launching games, opening large apps, moving everyday project folders, and keeping a compact PC or laptop from running unnecessarily hot. Tom’s Hardware published its PX700 2TB review on 9 September 2026 and summed it up as a budget-class drive with very good all-around performance, strong power efficiency, and a cool-running package, while also noting weak sustained writes and pricing concerns. (tomshardware.com)

The PX700 is an M.2 2280 SSD using a PCIe NVMe Gen 4 x4 interface and 3D NAND flash. For the 2TB model specifically, Goodram lists up to 7,400 MB/s sequential read, up to 6,500 MB/s sequential write, up to 1,000,000 random read IOPS, and up to 820,000 random write IOPS. The 2TB version is rated for 1,200 TBW, has a listed 1,500,000-hour MTBF, measures 80 x 22 x 2.65 mm, weighs 9 g, and carries a warranty of up to 5 years, limited by the TBW rating. Its part number is SSDPR-PX700-02T-80. (goodram.com)

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Part of the PX700’s appeal is that it does not read like an overbuilt enthusiast SSD, yet it still lands in a useful performance zone. Tom’s Hardware identified the controller as the Maxio MAP1602, a four-channel DRAM-less controller, and noted that the drive uses Host Memory Buffer-style behavior rather than onboard DRAM. That might sound modest, but modern DRAM-less SSDs can be very capable when paired with suitable flash and firmware. In gaming-focused and everyday trace tests, the PX700 was described as responsive and closer to a premium-feeling drive than its budget positioning might suggest. Goodram also has a practical identity here: the company is tied to Poland-based Wilk Elektronik, with assembly, testing, and warranty support anchored in Poland, even though the SSD silicon itself is sourced from Asia like most consumer SSD hardware. (tomshardware.com)

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The most interesting part of the PX700 is not just peak read speed. It is the combination of single-sided design, power efficiency, and thermals. Goodram highlights a low-profile graphene cooling layer, and Tom’s Hardware’s testing found the 2TB drive peaked at 61°C in its setup, leaving a large margin before throttling. That matters for thin laptops, small desktops, HTPC builds, and console storage upgrades where a bulky heatsink may not be convenient. For PlayStation storage expansion, users should still check the console’s clearance and heatsink guidance, but the PX700’s compact format and cool-running behavior make it easier to consider than hotter high-end drives. (goodram.com)

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The PX700 is not a perfect all-purpose SSD. Tom’s Hardware found that after its large write cache was exhausted, sustained write performance dropped sharply, which is the main caveat for people who regularly dump hundreds of gigabytes at a time, work with heavy video captures, or keep drives nearly full. For gaming, app loading, general productivity, and mixed home PC use, that weakness is less likely to dominate the experience because those workloads are often read-heavy or bursty. The second catch is price. Tom’s Hardware’s comparison around the review listed the 2TB model at a high U.S. price, so the PX700 only really makes sense when it sits near comparable PCIe 4.0 alternatives rather than premium-brand or Gen5 pricing. In other words, the PX700 is most interesting when the market lets it behave like what it wants to be: a fast, efficient, cool budget Gen4 SSD that feels nicer than the label suggests. (tomshardware.com)

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