Question SK hynix Gold P31 1TB PCIe NVMe Good Reliable SSD?

Fallengod

Diamond Member
Jul 2, 2001
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Just looking for someone to help me out a little. Looking for a new fast access time/game loading "snappy" SSD.

I had my focus on the WD SN550 because I remember in the past reading reviews it was one of the "best" for fast access times/game loading etc. I dont care about transfer rates as much.

But reading some recommendations and reviews on the SK Hynix GOLD P31 1TB NVME seems to point to it being the better pick? I picked up the WD SN550 for $89.99 a week ago but it hasnt arrived yet so I can still return it. The SK Hynix GOLD P31 seems to be about $115 on amazon after a 15% off coupon making it like $25 difference.

I dont know anything about SK. Do they have good customer serivce? Good RMA? Is it a good reliable SSD?

Thanks.
 

Ranulf

Platinum Member
Jul 18, 2001
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NewMaxx's SSD webpage with guides, charts, lists etc..

From the Google doc there, it looks like the Hynix is the faster drive and has DRAM vs the WD that does not have DRAM and is slower. Dunno if its that big of a deal for $25, though DRAM might be preferable if it is an OS drive.

Maxx's reddit:

 
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UsandThem

Elite Member
May 4, 2000
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Either SSD would be fine, and you wouldn't notice any difference outside of running synthetic bookmarks.

While the WD is dramless, it still is right up with the best SSDs in things like load times. SK Hynix just reenterned the consumer SSD market around a year ago, so I'm not sure how smooth their RMA service would be. I imagine it would be decent since they are a major player in OEM drives and NAND production.
 

Fallengod

Diamond Member
Jul 2, 2001
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Yeah. I think I am going to return the SN550 and just go with the SK hynix. Its only a $25 difference. It will be the main OS and games drive. I am sure its probably a minimal real world difference, but the hynix is clearly faster in every scenario. I also know the SN550 is known for higher power consumption and the hynix supposedly stays very cool and is very power efficient.
 

aigomorla

CPU, Cases&Cooling Mod PC Gaming Mod Elite Member
Super Moderator
Sep 28, 2005
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Hynix is a great ram company.
They are been sort of shafted in the gray area as they had problems with marketing practices and has gotten major fines as well as some trade punishments.

But at one point, they were at the same class as Samsung when it came to ram. Infact a lot of ram chips are still made by SK Hynix.
So i would probably rank them close to samsung's.
 

Super Spartan

Member
Aug 1, 2020
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The Gold P31 competes more with WD SN750 than SN550. It's one of the fastest SSDs because of 128 layer NAND.
I have the WD SN730 which as I've seen is a slightly newer SN750. With that in mind, do you think my SN 730 is comparable to the Gold P31 or is it significantly faster making it worth the upgrade?

I have 4 SN730s

2x 1TB in RAID 0 (OS + Programs + Games)

the other two are individual drives (Data + Videos)
 

ptr1959w

Member
Dec 3, 2011
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I am very interested in the SK Hynix Gold P31...I heard it's very affordable and fast, which I would like that for my gaming with the msfs2020.
 

MalVeauX

Senior member
Dec 19, 2008
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Heya,

They're decent; hynix is not an unknown name in the memory world, just less known as a "storage medium" name, but lots of things you already have, have hynix memory in them. The SSD's are good. They're not top shelf. But they're not the bottom of the barrel either. Good for the cost.

Very best,
 

Fallengod

Diamond Member
Jul 2, 2001
5,908
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I went with the SK Hynix. Real world it probably makes little difference between most of them, but it is a Christmas present im not even paying for so. Seems like pretty good reviews.

I was more concerned with reliability and RMA/customer support etc, but ill take a chance.
 

gpse

Senior member
Oct 7, 2007
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I'm in Canada and cannot find the SK Hynix Gold P31 anywhere. Where are you guys purchasing it? I'm looking for the 1 TB nvme version for my laptop.
 

Mekks

Junior Member
Dec 21, 2020
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I purchased one to run in my m.2 enclosure plugged into a Pi NAS setup.

Purchased this model due to the lower power requirements and only being powered by USB.

So far its been great. Did not run it in a PC so can not comment on that.
 

Fallengod

Diamond Member
Jul 2, 2001
5,908
19
81
I installed mine in PC about 2 weeks ago. Great nvme ssd for sure. I did run a few synthetic benchmarks from a few different utilties on it to compare to my previous samsung 970 evo plus, samsung 960 pro and wd SN550. It was the fastest out of all of them in most areas. I think the samsungs beat it in one category(I forget which). Surprisingly the SN550 had the fastest access times out of all of them actually. I knew the SN550 was going to be a top tier for general OS and game loading going into it, but didnt expect it to still beat the SK hynix. The SN550 was slower in everything else though of course. And the SK hynix was not that far off in comparison anyways, so kind of a moot point.

Didnt test for temperatues or power usage but I believe the other professional reviewers who showed having cool temps and low power usage. Samsung and WD ssds are kind of known for high power usage(relatively speaking) and high temps.
 
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