Apacer Z280 240GB M.2 PCIe NVMe Solid State Drive Unboxing

Apacer, one of the leading manufacturers of storage products and lifestyle devices, has been hard at work in bringing breakthrough offerings into the market without the lofty price tags. From reliable power banks to high-performance solid state drives, the company has easily built a reputation that made it one of the most recognized brands in the world today. What we have at the moment is the Apacer Z280 M.2 PCIe NVME SSD – an NGFF solid state drive set to deliver breakneck speeds for users without the premium price tag.

Apacer, one of the leading manufacturers of storage products and lifestyle devices, has been hard at work in bringing breakthrough offerings into the market without the lofty price tags. From reliable memory modules to high-performance solid state drives, the company has easily built a reputation that made it one of the most recognized brands in the world today. What we have at the moment is the Apacer Z280 M.2 PCIe NVME SSD – an NGFF solid state drive set to deliver breakneck speeds for users without the premium price tag.

Specifications:

Capacity	240GB / 480GB
Interface	PCI Expresss 3.0 x4, backwards compatible with PCIe Gen1(2.5Gbps)、Gen2(5Gbps) 、Gen3(8Gbps)
NAND Flash Type	MLC
Sustained Read Performance(MB/sec)	240GB：2,500MB/s 480GB：2,500MB/s
Sustained Write Performance(MB/sec)	240GB：860MB/s 480GB：1,350MB/s
IOPs (4K Random Write)	240GB：160,000 480GB：175,000
ECC Support	Up to 120 bits/2KB
Shock	1,500G/1.0msec
Vibration	5~800Hz/3.13G
Low Power Consumption	240GB：1,455mA/120mA 480GB：2,095mA/120mA
MTBF	2,000,000 hours
Humidity	5% ~95%
Standard Operating Temperature	0°C ~ +70°C
Storage Temperature	-55°C ~ +150°C
Dimensions	(L)80 x (W)22 x (H)3.8 mm
Weight	7g
Certificate	RoHS, CE, FCC, VCCI, RCM, BSMI
Warranty	3 Years
Price	240GB: $109 480GB: $215

Features:

• Compliant with NVMe 1.2 Standard
• Ultra Thin M.2 Form Factor
• Sequential Read Speed Up to 2500MB/s
• Sequential Write Speed Up to 1350MB/s (480GB)
• Built-in Global Wear Leveling & End-to-End Data Protection
• ECC Engine Correcting Up to 120bit/2KB
• Smart ECC™ & SmartRefresh for maintaining accuracy and safety of data access
• Supports S.M.A.R.T. Command

Unboxing

For starters, the Apacer Z280 comes is very simple packaging. It arrives in a compact box that showcases the product itself through its transparent hard plastic shell inside. The front side of the package highlights the most important factors of the drive, giving users key details such as the interface and the capacity.

On the flipside, Apacer details some of the specifications such as operating system compatibility, certifications, and a disclaimer regarding the actual drive capacity. There aren’t much details given out here, and Apacer could have included key specifications such as sequential read and write speeds.

Once you prop up the package, you’ll be met with the Apacer Z280 itself, encased in the hard plastic shell to protect it from the hazards of transportation. There aren’t any other accessories included in the package, while it’s probably already a possibility that your motherboard M.2 SSD Controller Card already have them, a screw would have been a welcomed addition.

A Closer Look

Weighing in at just 7 grams, the Apacer Z280 is quite light and thin that you’d have to be extra careful in handling it. It also doesn’t have any fancy encasings or heatsinks, and you can have a deeper look of what’s inside without tearing it apart.

The Apacer Z280 is compliant with NVME 1.2 standard, and it features the latest PCIe Gen 3 x4 interface to deliver quadruple the bandwidth. It’s also built with MLC NAND Flash with a Phison PS5007-11 controller. Apacer rates it at 2,000,000 mean time before failure, which should be more than plenty enough to last you a while. In terms of features, the Apacer Z280 comes with S.M.A.R.T. over Smart ECC and SmartRefresh, and it even comes with end-to-end data protection to ensure that no errors are made in writing data.

The Apacer Z280 also comes in two variants – there’s 240GB and 480GB, with the latter having slightly performs better than the former. The 240GB variant comes with sustained read performance of 2,500 MB/s and sustained write performance of 860MB/s, with a rating of 160,000. It even has great efficiency with its low power consumption of 1,455mA/120mA.

Now, NVMe M.2 SSDs command a big premium over the available standard 2.5-inch SSDs. However, Apacer looks to price the Z280 M.2 SSDs going at $109 and $215 for the 240GB and the 128GB respectively. Considering the performance and features, Apacer’s latest M.2 SSD offering comes at a very competitive price.

Now, if you're looking for an upgrade, the Apacer Z280 can give your gaming rigs, ultrabooks, small form factor PCs, and slim PCs a huge boost in storage performance. Compliant with the NVMe 1.2 standard and featuring the latest PCIe Gen 3 x4 interface, it can even deliver up to five times the read performance of the general SATA III SSDs. It's easily the perfect upgrade for gamers and enthusiasts due to its blistering fast performance and great efficiency.

We’ll be looking deeper into it and test it out in the coming days, so stay tuned!