Best 500GB PCIe 3.0 Plextor DRAM SSDs
There are 8 500GB PCIe 3.0 Plextor DRAM SSDs compared here. The fastest is the Plextor M9Y+ AIC at 3400 MB/s read, and the highest-rated for endurance is the Plextor M8PeY (768 TBW). Sequential reads across the group span 2500–3400 MB/s at 500GB.
Why this configuration
A 500GB PCIe 3.0 Plextor DRAM SSD is an affordable NVMe step up from SATA. Gen3 is roughly six times SATA's throughput yet often costs little more, making it the easy default for a first NVMe drive or a laptop that only supports Gen3. Plextor specifically tends to be chosen here for its firmware track record and warranty support.
500GB is a sensible OS-plus-a-few-games size.
Usually chosen for: budget builders, laptop upgraders and anyone leaving SATA behind.
Good fit: workstation and creative loads that hammer random I/O.
Ranked list
| # | Model | Tier | Controller | Read MB/s (at 500GB) | TBW | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Plextor M9Y+ AIC 250GB, 500GB, 1TB | High-end | Marvell 88SS1092 (3-Core ARM Corte | 3400* | 640 | Find on Amazon |
| 2 |  Plextor M9P+ 250GB, 500GB, 1TB | High-end | Marvell 88SS1092 (3-Core ARM Corte | 3400* | 640 | Find on Amazon |
| 3 |  Plextor M9Pe 250GB, 500GB, 1TB | High-end | Marvell 88SS1093 "Eldora" | 3200* | 640 | Find on Amazon |
| 4 |  Plextor M9PeG 250GB, 500GB, 1TB | High-end | Marvell 88SS1093 "Eldora" | 3200* | 640 | Find on Amazon |
| 5 |  Plextor M8PeY 128GB, 250GB, 500GB, 1TB | High-end | Marvell 88SS1093 | 2500* | 768 | Find on Amazon |
| 6 |  Plextor M8PeG 128GB, 250GB, 500GB, 1TB | High-end | Marvell 88SS1093 | 2500* | 768 | Find on Amazon |
| 7 |  Plextor M9PeGN 250GB, 500GB, 1TB | Mid-range | Marvell 88SS1093 "Eldora" | 3200* | 640 | Find on Amazon |
| 8 |  Plextor M8PeGN 128GB, 250GB, 500GB, 1TB | Mid-range | Marvell 88SS1093 | 2500* | 768 | Find on Amazon |
* family rating — the manufacturer does not publish a 500GB figure for this drive.
The parts, explained
500GB is a comfortable OS-and-games starting point.
PCIe 3.0 x4 reaches about 3,500 MB/s — plenty for everyday use and gaming, and cheaper than Gen4.
An onboard DRAM cache keeps the flash mapping table on the drive, holding random performance steady under sustained load.
Staying with Plextor means consistent firmware, tooling and warranty handling across the range.