CONCLUSION

   After wrapping up all tests of the PX-256M6S (M6S) we all sat down and tried to figure out what Plextor did wrong this time over since although marginally better compared to the previous generation PX-256M5Pro model (M5 Pro) it didn't do so well against its immediate competition like the M550, 840EVO and even the Slim S55 by Silicon Power. Of course the performance difference between these models and the M6S sits at around 5-10% so it's not what we'd call game breaking but still having used the Marvell 88SS9188 4-channel NAND flash controller these results should be expected by Plextor and that's why we don't understand why they deliberately chose the 4-channell 88SS9188 controller over the more advanced 88SS9189 8-channel controller (perhaps they want that controller to be used just by their upcoming M6Pro model?). The 3 years warranty is certainly a nice touch (although the M5Pro came with 5 years) and we all know what kind of support one can expect from Plextor but for people who place performance above all else these just might not be enough.

   Up until just 10-15 years ago Plextor products used to cost a lot more compared to their immediate competition largely because of their superior build quality and excellent support something which most consumers didn't enjoy. For good or bad things have changed since then and so currently Plextor products cost roughly the same as their competition and the PX-256M6S 256GB SSD is certainly not an exception since it currently retails for USD138.99 inside the USA (Amazon.com) and 140Euros inside the EU (Amazon.co.uk). However even at that price tag Plextor still has to deal with the slightly better priced M550/840EVO models since they offer better performance and more features (including native AES-256 hardware encryption and support for TCG Opal 2.0/IEE-1667). Overall Plextor can still have a winner in their new M6S if they manage to cut down the price a bit further (even a 10% should do the trick) but as things are although it still gets recommended by us to people looking for a good performance SSD it simply falls behind its immediate competition.

PROS

- Build Quality (Toshiba 19nm Toggle-Mode NAND Flash/Marvell Controller)
- Good Performance
- 3 Years Warranty

CONS

- Overall Performance (Compared To The Competition)
- Price (Compared To The Competition)