Biwin M560 2TB SSD Review - Best Overall Retail-Ready DRAMless SSD

TweakTown Rating: 98%

Our Verdict

Biwin's M560 2TB is currently our favorite retail-ready consumer SSD.

Pros

• Power Efficient
• Throughput
• SSD Toolbox
• Elite Performer

Cons

• None

Should you buy it?

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Introduction & Drive Details

About a year ago we got our first taste of Silicon Motion's SM2504XT PCIe Gen5 DRAMless controller. This BiCS 8 arrayed DRAMless SSD delivered so well it reigned supreme as the most powerful and efficient DRAMless controller/SSD we had ever encountered, until just recently when we took Phison's E37T with 4800MT flash for a spin.

Until today, we've not had a retail-ready SSD sporting either of these new-generation DRAMless controllers cross our test bench. Biwin's M560 represents our first go with a retail-ready SSD powered by Silicon Motion's SM2504XT controller. As you can imagine based on what our engineering sample delivered a year ago, the M560 2TB has indeed reset the performance and efficiency bar for the retail-ready DRAMless SSD category.

Biwin is positioning its new M560 SSD as next-gen storage with a focus on powerful performance capable of rivaling that of the most powerful 8-channel SSDs with expensive onboard DRAM in front of the NAND array. It, no doubt, must be something special for a 4-channel DRAMless SSD to deliver on this positioning, but as you will see, delivering the goods is what the M560 2TB is all about.

Biwin's M560 accelerates game loading, large file transfers, and demanding everyday tasks while enabling faster data processing and smoother system responsiveness for modern high-performance workloads. Built on an advanced 6nm controller, Biwin's M560 balances high-speed operation with optimized power efficiency. With average power consumption below 5.2W, it reduces heat buildup and energy draw under heavy loads, helping extend battery life and maintain stable operation in laptops and compact platforms.

Now, let's get into this review so we can show you firsthand what Biwin's 2TB M560 SSD can do for you by the numbers.

Drive Details

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We tested Biwin's newest and the hottest we could get; the drive was a cool 42c after 3x9 back-to-back-to-back runs of CDM sequentials, using only our motherboard heatsink and without any airflow.

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The drive we have in hand is Silicon Motion SM2504XT controlled, Kioxia BiCS8 TLC arrayed and retail packaged.

When you buy a Biwin SSD, you get free supporting software that makes maintenance and system migration simple and free. Click HERE to download it. Biwin Intelligence is multifunctional management software, designed to support Biwin consumer-brand storage products. For a more convenient and secure storage experience, this software helps users manage their Biwin SSDs with features like performance testing, data migration, firmware update, and more.

Frequently Asked Questions

TweakBot answers common questions about this review using TweakTown's own coverage from this page and related content from our archive. Tap a question to reveal the answer, or type your own below.

Question #1

What sequential read/write speeds does the Biwin M560 2TB advertise and what did testing show?

Biwin advertises the M560 2TB at up to 11,000 MB/s sequential throughput. Testing showed the drive delivers "exactly as advertised and then some" for sequential throughput, meaning it met or exceeded the 11,000 MB/s claim. The article does not provide a specific sequential write speed number.

Answered

Question #2

Is the Biwin M560 2TB suitable for PS5 M.2 storage expansion based on its read performance and heatsink considerations?

Yes. The article states the M560 2TB delivers sequential read performance above Sony's 5,500 MB/s minimum and "makes a decent choice for PS5 M.2 storage expansion," and its power efficiency also bodes well for the PS5 environment. For heatsink considerations, the review notes Biwin's drive ran cool (about 42C) using only a motherboard heatsink and without airflow, and it recommends using Sabrent's PS5 heatsink for SSDs that do not have an adequately sized PS5-compatible heatsink.

Answered

Question #3

How does the M560 2TB perform in real-world 100GB file transfer tests compared with other DRAMless SSDs?

In the review's 100GB mixed-file transfer test (over 62K files), the Biwin M560 2TB delivered exceptional transfer rates for a 4-channel DRAMless SSD. It achieved the highest real-world read transfer rate the reviewer has seen from any flash-based DRAMless SSD, outperforming other DRAMless drives including the 14.9GB/s-capable E37T engineering sample.

Answered

Question #4

What controller and NAND does the Biwin M560 2TB use, and how do they contribute to its performance and efficiency?

The M560 2TB uses Silicon Motion’s SM2504XT DRAMless controller (an advanced 6nm, 4-channel design) paired with Kioxia BiCS8 TLC NAND. Together they enable the drive’s high performance, up to ~11,000 MB/s and a 127 MB/s 4K Q1T1 result, while keeping power and heat low (average power below 5.2W and cool operating temps), giving retail-class performance and efficiency for a DRAMless SSD.

Answered

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Additionally, and also free for download, is Biwin's data recovery tool. The Biwin Data Recovery Tool is a professional and efficient data recovery software designed to scan and recover lost files from various storage media. The tool supports memory cards, portable solid-state drives, and other storage devices, providing deep scanning and reliable data recovery capabilities. Click HERE to download it.

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Jon's Test System Specifications

Intel Test System

AMD Test System

Please note: We employ an M.2 AIC for testing on our Intel Core Ultra 9 285K platform.

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 are including 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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Its sequential read speed in a PS5 environment suggests the M560 2TB makes a decent choice for PS5 M.2 storage expansion. Its power efficiency also bodes well for this environment.

Synthetic Benchmarks: CDM, Max IOPS, 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, the M560 2TB delivers exactly as advertised and then some, even in our more demanding user state. Impressive. Zeroing in on the all-important 4K Q1T1 random read speed, our BiCS 8 TLC arrayed contender is delivering a massive 127 MB/s, strongly indicating that its real-world performance should be exceptional.

Max IOPS

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Our Max IOPS results are pretty much on par with factory, given up to specifications. This is indeed impressive considering our far more demanding user state of the OS disk with a fat chunk of data on it.

ATTO

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ATTO gives us a clear picture of what transfer sizes a particular SSD favors in terms of QD4 sequential throughput. We chart 128K transfers. At a queue depth of four, the M560 2TB favors sequential transfers of 512KB or larger when serving data to the host (reading) and 64KB 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; as such, we do not consider it to be an important performance metric in the consumer space. An example being how many times a game is installed vs. how many times it's played. The transfer rate here is exceptional for a 4-channel SSD.

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Unlike programming (writing) data, serving data to the host (reading) is typically an important performance metric as it relates to the consumer space. This is where transfer rates matter most, and our 2TB M560 again sets the bar, delivering the highest rate we've ever encountered from any flash-based DRAMless SSD, including the 14.9GB/s capable E37T engineering sample appearing on this chart. Outstanding.

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 SSDs 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.

We consider a score of 6,000 here to be somewhat of a milestone achievement. Our test subject delivers that and quite a bit more, even beating Biwin's own flagship performer, the 8TB X570 Pro. The M560 is, in fact, the best gaming SSD we've ever encountered coming from Biwin. Excellent.

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 of 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 such as 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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This round, our test subject again delivers the most we've gotten from any Biwin-made SSD, with our power-sipping little 4-channel DRAMless SSD delivering the eleventh best of all the SSDs appearing on our vast chart. Impressive.

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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Of all the benchmarks we run, it can be argued that this one offers the best reflection of a typical consumer use case scenario. Here our DRAMless 4-channel contender responds by delivering a massive score of more than 8K, which is again a massive milestone achievement for any SSD. Outstanding.

Final Thoughts

As we see things looking at the overall picture, we've only tested one SSD that we would give the nod to over Biwin's 2TB M560, and that SSD is an engineering sample. Not only is the M560 our current best choice for any RETAIL-ready DRAMless SSD, but we will also give it the nod as our current pick for best retail SSD of any kind, assuming the price is reasonable. The performance is absolutely Elite; the efficiency is second to none, and its versatility is as good as it gets.

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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. Currently, we consider a user experience score of 19K or more to verify an SSD as a TweakTown Elite performer. 21K Elite speaks for itself, as does its tenth best spot in our performance hierarchy. Amazing.

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If the price is right, and we think it will be, we are of the opinion that Biwin's M560 2TB is the consumer to beat.