Predator GM7 1TB PCIe Gen4 NVMe SSD Review

SPECworkstation 3.0.2 Storage Benchmark

SPECworkstation benchmark is an excellent benchmark to test systems using workstation-type workloads. In this test, we only ran the Storage component, which is fifteen separate tests.

The Predator GM7 1TB sits at the bottom of the SPECworkstation chart, but only because we sort by Product Development where the GM7 turned in a terrible result. Some of the other sub-tests had the GM7 turning in much better results, like Life Sciences and Energy. All in all, I would not call SPECworkstation a strong point for the GM7, but it is not quite as bad as the bottom-of-the-chart positioning would indicate at first glance.

Sustained Write Performance

This is not necessarily a benchmark so much as trying to catch the post-cache write speed of the drive. While I am filling the drive with data to the 85% mark with ten simultaneous write threads, I monitor the drive for the write performance to dip to the lowest steady point and grab a screenshot.

700MB/s is a fine result for a drive in this category, at least in my opinion. Compared to the equally cache-less P41 Plus 1TB and Samsung 980, the GM7 seems quite speedy.

Temperatures

We monitored the idle and maximum temperature during testing with HWMonitor to get some idea of the thermal performance and requirements of the drive.

A note on testing with the new Ryzen 7900X test platform. Due to the physical proximity of the M2_1 slot, when the CPU fan kicks up there is now some incidental airflow over SSDs installed into the M2_1 slot.

As a result, temperature testing is not necessarily comparable with testing done on the previous-generation test platform.

The GM7 is a cool-running drive, topping out at 67C in my testing.

Direct Comparisons

The most direct comparison points I have to the GM7 in my testing database are the Solidigm P41 Plus 1TB and the HP FX900 1TB. These are the fastest DRAM-less drives I have tested up until the GM7.

The GM7 smashes the P41 Plus, and rightly so; it has much higher-rated specifications.

The FX900 does better than the P41 Plus did, but generally speaking, the GM7 still runs circles around it, particularly in read performance.

The point of these comparisons is to show how far the GM7 expands the performance capabilities of DRAM-less drives versus what I have seen before, not to beat up on the P41 Plus or the FX900. DRAM-less drives are very common in mainstream deployments, so performance improvements seen in this sector are likely to be felt by the masses and not just by enthusiasts picking top-tier hardware.

Final Words

The Predator GM7 1TB drive is not yet for sale. I was told the MSRP for the 1TB drive will be just under $90, with the 512GB coming in at $50 and the 2TB at $160. I was told that pricing back in January, so I do not know if it will actually release at those price points.

Assuming the $90 price point, the Predator GM7 1TB is not exactly a killer deal. SSDs have dropped in price, and $90 is edging into the territory of quality drives equipped with a DRAM cache. With that said, $90 would still represent a discount versus the top brand-recognition drives like WD, Samsung, Seagate, and Sabrent, while performing very similarly in terms of read performance. Only time will tell with the GM7 and its eventual release, but if the GM7 represents the future of DRAM-less SSDs, then I am excited about that future.