Mushkin Gamma M.2 NVMe SSD Review: Fast, Cool and Affordable

A high-end value

Mushkin Gamma M.2 NVMe SSD
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With great all-around performance, the Mushkin Gamma is a capable beast that earns its place atop the company’s SSD portfolio, and a solid pick for those looking for a fast PCIe Gen4 M.2 NVMe SSD at a good price. 

Although it isn’t the most efficient SSD for mobile applications and is not quite as responsive as our top picks in all workloads, it delivers exceptional performance in most situations. Also, the Gamma comes with AES 256-bit encryption support and unlike previously reviewed E18 powered SSDs, keeps cool under load without a heatsink thanks to Phison’s latest firmware. 

At $390, our 2TB sample is pricey compared to most Gen3 SSDs and much more costly than the previous generation E16 powered SSDs, but still undercuts the WD_Black SN850 by roughly $20 and the Samsung 980 Pro by $30 at the time of publishing. If you are strictly looking at price per GB, the Mushkin Gamma is the better value. However, it lacks the supporting software these alternatives provide. 

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Sean Webster
Storage Reviewer

Sean is a Contributing Editor at Tom’s Hardware US, covering storage hardware.