INTRODUCTION

   Even though the first PCIe 5.0 motherboards to also feature M.2 Gen 5 slots just made their global debut (X670E by AMD and Z790 by Intel) we still haven't really seen the unveiling of many Gen 5 M.2 NVMe SSDs. Now i can't really point my finger on the reason for that but if i had to guess that would be the high temperatures these drives tend to build-up rather quickly (and so both motherboard and storage media manufacturers are probably developing more effective cooling solutions). Still even if we do see various Gen 5 models make their debut soon it will be a while before the market actually has a serious target audience for them especially since today Gen 3 models are still leading in sales. Late last year ACER (BIWIN) introduced their Predator GM3500 line of PCIe 3.0 Gen 3 M.2 NVMe SSDs and today with me i have the top of the line 1TB variant.

   Predator branded storage products are designed and manufactured by BIWIN Storage Technology company, a leading maker of quality flash memory, DRAM memory and solid-state drives (SSDs). Delivering premium products for serious gamers and overclocking enthusiasts looking for the ultimate experience, our mission is to provide best-in-class memory modules and solid-state drives that enhance overall system performance and gameplay. Defined by faster speeds and gaming-inspired design, these Predator storage products are built to be the Number One choice for gamers worldwide. Founded in 2010, BIWIN focuses on providing global customers with high-quality storage products and specializes in the research, development, manufacturing and sales of memory chip application products.

   Surprisingly enough the Predator GM3500 line of PCIe 3.0 Gen 3x4 M.2 NVMe v1.3 SSDs is currently only available in 512GB/1TB capacities both of which use the popular SM2262EN 8-channel NAND flash controller by Silicon Motion (was one of the top in its class when released roughly 5 years ago - still is among the best) together with 2666MHz LPPDR4 SDRAM by Nanya (512MB for the 512GB model and 1GB for the 1TB model) and 96-layer 3D TLC NAND by Micron. As for features the SN2262EN NAND flash controller sports Silicon Motion’s proprietary NANDXtend error-correcting code (ECC), datapath protection, end to end data protection with SRAM ECC, S.M.A.R.T, TRIM, NCQ, thermal-throttling, active garbage collection, DevSleep (device sleep), LDPC (Low Density Parity Check), SLC write acceleration (algorithms for optimal sustained performance), AES-XTS 256bit hardware encryption, TCG Opal 2.0 and IEEE-1667 (compatible with Microsoft's eDrive and EU's GDPR). As with past products ACER (BIWIN) covers the entire Predator GM3500 line with a rather generous 5-year limited warranty and as for endurance numbers the reported ones are an MTBF of 2 million hours and a TBW of 300TBW for the 512GB variant and 600TBW for the 1TB variant.

SPECIFICATIONS AND FEATURES

PACKAGING AND CONTENTS

At the front of the small box, we find a partial product picture surrounded by the company logo, product name, capacity and connectivity.

The product specifications are printed at the rear of the box.

Along with the Predator GM3500 1TB inside the box you'll also find an M.2 mounting screw and the quick start guide (drive cloning software is also available as a download).

THE PREDATOR GM3500 1TB

The Predator GM3500 is a single side M.2280 SSD so on one side we just have a regular sticker with the line logo on it.

On the other side we find yet another regular sticker which contains various information about the drive including its serial number, barcode and several certifications.

Under the sticker we find the SM2262EN 8-channel NAND flash controller by Silicon Motion, 1GB 2666MHz LPDDR4 SDRAM by Nanya and two 96-layer NAND flash modules by Micron (there's also an empty space here for another SDRAM module).

TEST BED

TESTING METHODOLOGY

   Not long after I first started testing SSDs back in 2008, I concluded that it's almost impossible for any single benchmark suite to accurately measure their performance and that's why in certain benchmark suites we see amazing read/write performance numbers with some drives while in others things are quite different. The reason behind this is that some benchmarking suites are configured to read and write random chunks of data while others read and write constant (sequential) ones. So that's why i always use a very wide selection of benchmarking suites including AIDA64, HD Tach RW, HD Tune Pro, Crystal Disk Mark, Sisoftware Sandra Pro, AS SSD, IOmeter and ATTO. To get the most accurate results each test gets repeated a total of 6 times with the average performance numbers recorded into the charts*. Also, as of February 25th 2015 results will also include the Storage Networking Industry Association’s (SNIA) IOMeter tests. These tests include a 12 Hour write test used to “simulate” performance degradation over time and a mixed workload test which basically shows what you can expect when using an SSD continuously for roughly 2 hours. Unfortunately, due to the time required for these tests they get repeated a total of 3 times and not 6 as the above.

   Many people have made inquiries about our charts in the past so once again please do keep in mind that the Charts have the average performance numbers of each drive recorded and not the peak (highest) ones. Also, although every single one of these programs can help potential buyers choose the right drive for their needs you should also remember that from any kind of benchmark up to real world usage the gap is not small (and usually most differences will go unnoticed by most people). All tests were performed in a fresh Windows 10 Pro x64 installation complete with every update up to the date of this review.

* Since November 2018 the SSD comparison charts have been divided to 2.5” and M.2 models to reduce their growing size.
** Unless stated otherwise the Ryzen 9 3950x based Test Rig used for M.2 Gen 4 SSD reviews is not located in the lab.
*** As of January 2021 for Gen 3x4 models I’ll be using the Core i9-7980XE test rig (after numerous tests the up to 6% difference in read & write performance compared to the i7-6700 system simply wasn’t enough to justify having an extra test rig around).
**** Since February 2022 M.2 NVMe Gen3 and Gen4 SSD drives are placed in different charts.

TEST RESULTS - AIDA64 / ATTO

TEST RESULTS - HD TACH RW / HD TUNE PRO

TEST RESULTS - SISOFTWARE SANDRA PRO / CRYSTAL DISK MARK

TEST RESULTS - AS SSD / IOMETER

TEST RESULTS - IOMETER SNIA

CONCLUSION

   The performance of PCIe 3.0 Gen 3 SSDs may not feel quite as impressive as it felt many years ago but what really matters is that they can still outperform regular mechanical drives by a factor of at least 10 (sometimes even over 20, depending on the model). So, even though the Predator GM3500 1TB model by ACER (BIWIN) is far from the fastest in the charts it’s still a valid choice for people who want a fast PCIe 3.0 Gen 3 SSD. Durability numbers are also quite good, again, not the best I’ve seen to date (although an MTBF of 2 million hours is somewhat rare) but certainly good so no complaints here either. Also, worth mentioning is that ACER (BIWIN) also allows the end user to download a disk cloning utility, something we don’t see very often lately (this actually used to be standard, especially with 2.5” SSDs) and as for the 5-year limited warranty again not something we see a lot (especially from such models).

   The Predator GM3500 1TB PCIe 3.0 Gen 3x4 M.2 NVMe SSD by ACER (BIWIN) currently retails for USD142.21 inside the USA (Amazon.com) and for 135.49Euros inside the EU (Amazon.de) a price tag that lands it next to several similar models. Still, even though the GM3500 may not really stand out, due to its durability numbers, 5-year limited warranty and yes even its price it’s definitely worth checking out if you’re in the market for a good PCIe 3.0 Gen 3 SSD.

PROS

- Good Performance (Up To 3400MB/s Read & 3000MB/s Write)
- Endurance (2 Million Hours MTBF / 600TBW)
- Cloning Software Included
- 5 Years Warranty

CONS

- Thermal Throttling (During Our SNIA Tests)
- Available Capacities (512GB/1TB)