HP FX700 2TB SSD Review - Fastest QLC ever tested

TweakTown's Rating: 93%

The Bottom Line

It's the best QLC SSD ever made.

Pros

• + Gaming
• + User experience
• + PS5 compatible

Cons

• - None

Should you buy it?

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Introduction & Drive Details

If you follow the progression of solid-state storage at all, you know that one of the hottest SSD hardware configurations going are the Maxio MAP1602/YMTC 232-Layer SSDs. We got our first taste of this new level of DRAMless storage via the BIWIN made Acer Predator GM7 in January 2023.

This 100% Chinese-designed and made hardware configuration has quickly become one of the most prolific SSD BOM's on the planet. It's easy to see why with SSDs like the Predator GM7, among many others of its kind, delivering up to 7,400 MB/s throughput while sipping power, running cool, and doing so for 5 cents per gigabyte of storage.

Additionally, this new crop of DRAMless juggernaut is ideal for PS5 storage expansion and are some of the best performing of all SSDs in the PS5 storage expansion slot. The value proposition that these Chinese-made SSDs have to offer is still, to this very day, unequaled as we see it.

Well, in terms of an overall value proposition, things just got even better with the introduction of the BIWIN-built HP SSD FX700. This SSD features the very same Maxio MAP1602 4-channel DRAMless controller and 232L YMTC 2,400 MT speed flash. However, this time, the flash array is composed of the 4-bit variant (QLC) of YMTC's Xtacking 3D NAND architecture.

But it's QLC, EWWW, right? Wrong. This QLC flash is something special indeed. YMTC's new 4-bit flash is easily the best-performing QLC flash we've ever encountered. It's so fast at 2,400 MT that with only 4-channels HP's SSD FX700 can come close to fully saturating a PCIe Gen4 x4 bus, delivering 50% more throughput than any other QLC flash we've encountered to date.

Now, of course, there is an expectation that QLC will bring with it even better price points than its TLC equivalent. This is exactly what we believe will be the case based on MSRP at launch and where street pricing for the TLC variant currently stands. MSRP for the FX700 2TB stands at 5 cents per gigabyte, which is on par with what the TLC variants are selling for, so it's easy to see the FX700 going for 10% to 20% less than its MSRP when the drive hits retail channels.

Drive Details

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Jon's Test System Specifications

Intel Test System

• Motherboard: GIGABYTE AORUS Z790 Xtreme X
• CPU: Intel Core i9-14900K - Buy from Amazon
• Cooler: Alphacool Eissturm Hurricane Copper 45 - Buy from Amazon
• RAM: Patriot Viper Xtreme 5 8000 48GB - Buy from Amazon
• Graphics Card: MSI SUPRIM X RTX 3080 12GB - Buy from Amazon
• Case: PrimoChill's Praxis Wetbench - Buy from Amazon
• Power Supply: be quiet! Dark Power Pro 12 1200W - Buy from Amazon
• OS: Microsoft Windows 11 Pro 64-bit - Buy from Amazon

AMD Test System

• Motherboard: GIGABYTE X670E AORUS Master
• CPU: AMD Ryzen 9 7950X - Buy from Amazon
• Cooler: Alphacool Eissturm Hurricane Copper 45 - Buy from Amazon
• RAM: Sabrent Rocket DDR5 32GB - Buy from Amazon
• Graphics Card: MSI SUPRIM X RTX 3080 12GB - Buy from Amazon
• Case: PrimoChill's Praxis Wetbench - Buy from Amazon
• Power Supply: be quiet! Dark Power Pro 12 1200W - Buy from Amazon
• OS: Microsoft Windows 11 Pro 64-bit - Buy from Amazon

Because we at TweakTown like to be first at everything whenever we can, we will present our storage performance results for the test subject on both 14th Gen Intel and 7000 Series AMD platforms going forward for the foreseeable future. Because Intel still delivers the best real-world storage performance, (Look Here), our running chart will continue to be Intel-based until AMD can deliver better real-world storage performance than its rival.

HP FX900 Pro 2TB NVMe PCIe Gen4 x4 M.2 SSD

	Today	Yesterday	7 days ago	30 days ago
	$129.99	$129.99	$129.99	$124.99	Buy
	$129.99	$129.99	$129.99	$124.99	Buy
* Prices last scanned on 4/25/2024 at 9:36 pm CDT - prices may not be accurate, click links above for the latest price. We may earn an affiliate commission.

Sony PlayStation 5 - M.2 Storage Expansion

PS5 Read Performance

With Sony's wildly popular PlayStation 5 console now enabled for M.2 NVMe SSDs to be used as fast storage expansion, we include results for PS5 compatible SSDs we test as a part of our reviews going forward.

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For SSDs that don't have an adequately sized PS5 compatible heatsink or other SSDs where the heatsink provided doesn't fit right and can be removed, we both use and recommend Sabrent's unparalleled PS5 heatsink available HERE.

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We only chart SSDs that can deliver a minimum of 5,500 MB/s read, which is Sony's original recommendation.

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6,502 MB/s is absolutely jaw-dropping for a QLC SSD. Our test subject is the only QLC SSD ever to make it onto this chart. Outstanding.

Synthetic Benchmarks: CDM, Anvil, ATTO

CrystalDiskMark

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We employ CDM as our standard measurement for both sequential throughput and Q1T1 random read. In terms of sequential throughput, we find our test subject fully capable of meeting and exceeding quoted up to sequential factory specs. Additionally, at 97 MB/s Q1T1 random read speed, our test subject looks like it can deliver stout real-world performance. We shall see.

Anvil's Storage Utilities

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12,245 is an incredible score, a first for any flash-based DRAMless SSD, and because this is read performance, it gives us a good indication that real-world performance will again be excellent.

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We employ Anvil's random read test as our standard for measuring max random read IOPS. This test is very accurate as it at its core is Iometer skinned over. We test at QD128. Incredibly, the FX700 2TB again sets a new lab record for the most read IOPS we've ever gotten from any DRAMless offering, including SSDs such as the VP4300 Lite, GM7, NV7000-t, which are all running with the same controller and TLC flash. Impressive.

ATTO

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ATTO gives us a clear picture of what transfer sizes a particular SSD favors in terms of sequential throughput. We chart 128K transfers. At a queue depth of four, the 2TB FX700 favors sequential transfers of 512K or larger when serving data to the host (reading) and 128K or larger when programming (writing) data.

Real-World Testing: Transfers, 3DMark SSD Gaming Test, PCM10 Storage

Transfer Rates

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Our 100GB data transfer test is not your ordinary 100GB of data. Ours is a crushing mix composed of more than 62K files. Write performance, random or sequential, is an infrequent operation, and as such, we do not consider it to be an important performance metric in the consumer space. An example being how many times is a game installed vs. how many times it's played. Although we don't consider this an important performance metric, we can't help but be impressed by 1,800 MB/s as it is 80% faster than the other QLC SSD appearing on this chart, Solidigm's P41 Plus 2TB.

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Unlike programming (writing) data, serving data to the host (reading) is always an important performance metric as it relates to the consumer space. Although our test subject slots in near the bottom of this chart, we do find it to be delivering the fourth best ever for a flash-based DRAMless SSD.

3DMark SSD Gaming Test

UL's newest 3DMark SSD Gaming Test is the most comprehensive SSD gaming test ever devised. We consider it superior to testing against games themselves because, as a trace, it is much more consistent than variations that will occur between runs on the actual game itself. This test is the same as running the actual game, just without the inconsistencies inherent to application testing. In short, we believe that this is the world's best way to test an SSD's gaming prowess and accurately compare it against competing SSDs. The 3DMark SSD Gaming Test measures and scores the following:

• Loading Battlefield V from launch to the main menu.
• Loading Call of Duty Black Ops 4 from launch to the main menu.
• Loading Overwatch from launch to the main menu.
• Recording a 1080p gameplay video at 60 FPS with OBS (Open Broadcaster Software) while playing Overwatch.
• Installing The Outer Worlds from the Epic Games Launcher.
• Saving game progress in The Outer Worlds.
• Copying the Steam folder for Counter-Strike Global Offensive from an external SSD to the system drive.

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Gaming is a performance metric that matters to most DIY consumers, especially for the enthusiast crowd that TweakTown caters to. Now we've reached the point where results start to matter as they are a direct reflection of user experience. A score of 4,500 here is again stunning for a QLC SSD. Remarkable.

PCM10 Storage Tests

PCMark 10 Storage Test is the most advanced and most accurate real-world consumer storage test ever made. There are four different tests you can choose from; we run two of them. The Full System Drive Benchmark and the Quick System Drive Benchmark. The Full System Drive Benchmark writes 204 GB of data over the duration of the test. These tests directly correlate with mainstream user experience.

PCMark 10 Full System Drive Benchmark

This test writes 204GB data and covers a broad range of common consumer tasks, including booting Windows 10, file transfers, Adobe and Office applications, and startup times for games including Battlefield V, COD Black Ops 4, and Overwatch. Unlike synthetic numbers, this is comprehensive real-world data, which is why we use it to rank SSDs in terms of user experience.

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So, our 4-channel QLC arrayed contender delivers better moderate to heavy consumer workload performance than ANY E18 or IG5236 controlled, TLC arrayed SSD ever sold in the USA. Incredible.

PCMark 10 Quick System Drive Benchmark

The Quick System Drive Benchmark writes 23 GB of data over the duration of the test.

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Again, more than any E18-controlled SSD can deliver.

Final Thoughts

BIWIN, Maxio Tech, and YMTC continue to impress. HP's FX700 is an SSD that caught us off guard in that we had no idea that QLC of this stature was even being made. What stands out the most to us about the FX700 is how there is almost no tangible performance drop-off in going QLC vs TLC. In almost every instance, our QLC contender held its own against its similarly configured 3-bit brethren. In fact, in one instance, the QLC arrayed FX700 delivered the highest score for any flash-based DRAMless SSD we've ever tested.

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We rank SSDs in terms of overall user experience (performance where it matters most) as expressed by PCMark 10 storage and 3DMark gaming storage tests. We considered a user experience score of 15K or more to verify an SSD as a TweakTown Elite performer. Your eyes are not deceiving you; the DRAMless, QLC arrayed HP SSD FX700 2TB does indeed deliver an overall better user experience than any E18-controlled SSD ever made.

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BIWIN has done it again. DRAMless on a higher level and being QLC arrayed means it will indeed deliver an even better value proposition than its TLC-arrayed brethren. It's the highest-performing QLC arrayed SSD we've ever encountered and, as such, has earned our coveted Best Value Award.