Like Corsair, MSI has quickly positioned itself on the latest generations of SSDs with the launch of the Spatium M570 Pro Frozr range. Under this name hides an NVMe M.2 PCIe 5.0 flash unit supported at the cardboard outlet by an imposing heat sink.
It is supposed to ensure optimal cooling of the SSD to avoid triggering certain safeguards such as Thermal Throttling lowering performance. For this feature, we tested the advertised 2 TB model with fast speeds exceeding the 12 GB/s mark in sequential read.
In use, are MSI’s promises in terms of cooling and performance kept? We’ve tested it in different situations.
Spatium M570 Pro Frozr 2TB, overview
Delivered in a small cardboard box and benefiting from ECO packaging, this Spatium M570 Pro Frozr surprises by its size. This is a far cry from the dimensions of a simple M.2 2280 NVMe SSD due to its cooling system.
MSI didn’t look for compactness with the presence of an imposing heatsink out of the box. Its dimensions are 94.8 x 24 mm with a height of 71.6 mm and a weight of almost 140 grams. It’s so massive that MSI recommends using an M.2 22100 slot despite the SSD itself being a 2280 solution.
For this folder, we tested the 2TB version. This capacity is generous enough to accommodate multiple AAA games, Windows, and different software.
Sa capacité est obtenue avec l’usage de 4 puces mémoire NAND Flash 3D TLC 232 couches signées Micron. Elles affichent chacune une capacité de 512 Go.
Cet ensemble est exploité à l’aide d’un contrôleur Phison E26 gravé en 12 nm accompagné de 4 Go de LPDDR4 4266 signé Sk Hynix.
This mechanic is quite standard in the PCIe 5.0 x4 NVMe SSD segment, but its cooling aid is much less so. MSI offers a heatsink that sandwiches the SSD. It is armed with three heat pipes in charge of transporting heat to the dissipation zones (the aluminum fins). They form the base and are thus in direct contact with the hot elements of the SSD. MSI also uses Thermal Pads to optimize heat transfer.
It is imperative to ensure that the motherboard offers a slot that can accommodate it without causing compatibility issues. Near the socket, a large CPU cooler can run into difficulties. The case will not be lost, but in this case it will be necessary to demonstrate the cooling system to use the one in the M.2 slot of the motherboard. MSI recommends a 22100 slot because of the U of the heat pipes overflowing the SSD.
Please note that this condition is not sufficient to guarantee perfect compatibility. For example, it is not possible to install it on the first M.2 PCIe 4.0 x4 port (near the socket) of our Asus Maximus Z690 Hero motherboard due to the large heatsink of the VRMs.
Luckily, for our tests, we’re using the ROG Hyper M.2 daughter card stripped of its heatsink.
The MSI SSD can now take its place on our bench table in the open air. On the other hand, be careful, this configuration is not possible in a case because the Spatium M570 Pro Frozr being in a vertical position, the height of its heatsink overflows at the bottom of the motherboard and condemns the third PCIe x16 slot.
Test protocol.
Configuration
- Motherboard: ROG MAXIMUS Z690 HERO,
- Processor: Core i9-12900K,
- Memory: 2x 16 GB DDR5-4800 MHz CL40 kit (G.Skill DDR5 Ripjaws S5 DDR5),
- Graphics card: Nvidia GeForce RTX 3080 Ti Founders Edition,
- Primary Storage Unit: Crucial BX300 480GB SSD,
- Secondary Storage Unit: Spatium M570 Pro Frozr mounted on the Hyper M.2_1 slot of the ROG Hyper M.2 daughter card connected to the PCIEX16(G5)_2 slot. It runs on PCIe 5.0 x4,
- Power supply: Prime Platinum 850W
The operating system is Windows 11 Pro 23H2 64-bit. We ran a battery of synthetic benchmarks and performance measurements under different software. A copy test is performed on the same partition with a folder that has
- 2680 photos for an overall size of 16.1 GB (Photos),
- 15739 files for a total size of 345 MB (Small Files),
- ISO of 67.8 GB.
Spatium M570 Pro Frozr, performance
Theoretical performance.
CrystalDiskMark 8.0.1 x64.
This benchmark evaluates the read and write speeds of different storage media such as conventional hard drives, SSDs, SD cards or USB flash drives. In our case, we measured sequential and random rates over a space of one GB of data. An average is calculated after five tests.
No unpleasant surprises with this first benchmark. We find the figures put forward by MSI. CrystalDiskMark measures 12.4 GB/s sequential read throughput compared to 11.7 GB/s sequential write. We find the profile of the Corsair MP700 Pro 2TB based on a similar mechanic. It is interesting to note the increase in power compared to other PCIe 5.0 x4 references such as the AORUS GEN5 10000 SSD 2 TB or the MP700 which caps out at around 10 GB/s
Throughput when randomly manipulating 4K files is lower. The drop is even brutal with a throughput of 94 MB/s for random read and 338 MB/s for random write. Once again, we have a similar track record to Corsair’s MP700 Pro 2TB. We have the highest throughput in our reading comparison.
Finally, in terms of IOPS scores in the manipulation of 4K files, our Spatium M570 Pro Frozr gets 155K in random write and 127K in random read. Once again, the balance sheet is that of Corsair’s MP700 Pro 2TB, which allows it to rise to first place in our comparison.
ATTO.
ATTO (4.00.0f2) is a test software that evaluates write and read speeds based on file size (from 512B up to 64 MB). Graphically, ATO’s results speak for themselves.
When writing, the curve is superimposed on that of the MP700 Pro 2TB. Our Spatium M570 Pro Frozr reaches its maximum throughput (10.7 to 10.9 GB/s) with files of 128 KB and above. For smaller files, it can be overtaken by some PCIe 4.0 x4 SSDs like the Exceria Pro 2TB.
On the other hand, the results are different from those of the MP700 Pro, which is odd. The Spatium M570 Pro Frozr is the fastest. The increase in its read throughput is gradual depending on the size of the files. It reaches cruising speed (11.5 GB/s) with data of 4096 KB and more. It is faster than its competitor with files between 32 and 4096 KB. The largest discrepancy is seen with files of 256 KB. It then reaches 2.4 GB/s.
Gaming Performance
3DMark – Storage Benchmark
Here we find an evaluation of the performance of an SSD in a gaming context. The balance sheet is less marked in these various less theoretical exercises.
The Spatium M570 Pro Frozr 2TB performs well in playback with some of the highest speeds when loading different games. In writing, it doesn’t take first place in terms of game recording, saving, or game installation.
Performance in office automation
PCMark 10
PC Mark 10 is a benchmark software dedicated to the standard PC environment on Windows 10 and 11. It launches modern and improved workloads against PCMark 7, its predecessor. We have a comprehensive set of tests that covers the wide variety of tasks performed and new storage-related benchmarks.
MSI’s SSD scores well, highlighting its solid and responsive mechanics. It takes over all PCIe 4.0 x4 SSDs and rises to the level of the MP700 Pro 2TB. Note that these scores attempt to represent the behavior of each storage unit over time and in the face of different uses and file types.
Decompression time and copying to the same partition.
In this exercise, we have the rollup of read and write performance. We work with times so well that the lowest number represents the most important performances.
This is done in 33 seconds, the same time as with the MP700 Pro 2TB. We gain a small second against the MP700 and 1.5 seconds against the AORUS GEN5 10000. The difference increases with a fast PCIe 4.0 x4 SSD like the Exceria Pro 2TB which takes 37 seconds to complete this task while 93 seconds are required with the Exceria Plus 2TB.
Copy to the same partition.
Here are the times it takes to copy different types of files to the same partition.
Regardless of the file size, the MSI is one of the fastest SSDs in our comparison. Once again, we find the performance of the MP700 Pro 2 TB. Both SSDs are in a pocket square in every exercise.
Cache Management
Here is the curve of write speeds observed with the AIDA64 utility. The test used is that of linear writing. It applies to the full capacity of the SSD.
It highlights how the SSD behaves when the cache reaches full. The SSD provides throughput around 9.7 GB/s, however, the situation becomes more complicated from 35% of the capacity with a throughput curve fluctuating strongly between 2.4 and 9.7 GB/s. Then the results are harsh with a collapse of the throughput to 530 MB/s.
Here is the curve recorded with the MP700 Pro 2TB.
SSD Temperatures
Finally, here are the temperature deltas. Depending on its load level, the temperature delta of the MSI is between 11 and 34 °C, which is excellent. At no time did the Thermal Trottling safety activate during our tests. The SSD has maintained its maximum performance over time. With its imposing heatsink, it manages to cool down without difficulty in the open air. The result is positive with a difference of only 1°C with the MP700 Pro in burn equipped with an active heatsink.
Spatium M570 Pro Frozr, conclusion
Our tests highlight solid performance for this MSI Spatium M570 Pro Frozr 2TB. The speeds are there for both read and write, which makes it one of the fastest SSDs we’ve tested. Compared to the competition, we find the profile of Corsair’s MP700 Pro 2 TB. Wouldn’t it be the same SSD in the end? MSI stands out on the cooling aspect with an imposing passive heatsink that is devilishly efficient.
On the other hand, WARNING, it has substantial dimensions that can cause problems with some motherboards and coolers, be careful! In terms of price, it costs around €330 for our 2 TB version, a substantial price but accompanied by first-rate performance, all with a 5-year warranty and an endurance rated at 1400 TB of write.
