Now that Intel is finally supporting PCI Express 4.0 on desktops (in Rocket Lake), as rival AMD has done since Zen 2, there is plenty of incentive for SSD manufacturers to push the envelope in terms of raw speed. GB/sec read speeds, and Mushkin is now among the few companies offering a PCIe 4.0 SSD lineup that delivers read speeds in excess of 7GB/sec.

Specifically, Mushkin's new Gamma SSDs deliver up to 7,175 MB/s sequential read performance and 6,800 MB/s sequential write performance. This is based on Mashkin's rated specifications; we have not tested the latest SSD product line, so we do not yet know how the actual performance compares to the advertised specifications.

However, there is reason for optimism: the Gamma series is powered by Phison's flagship E18 controller. This controller is a beast, supporting read and write speeds of up to 7,400 MB/sec and 7,000 MB/sec respectively, along with capacities of up to 8TB.

The Gamma series approaches the maximum speed of this controller, which itself is not far from the saturation of the PCIe 4.0 x4 bus that today's fastest SSDs utilize. The theoretical maximum bandwidth (not counting losses due to overhead or other factors) is 8,000 MB/s.

Be that as it may, the Gamma line is not actually the fastest SSD family, nor is it the second fastest SSD. Here is how it compares to the competition:

We have not tested the faster SSDs, so we cannot discuss actual performance. Nevertheless, Gamma is among the best PCIe 4.0 SSDs for gaming. If the actual speed hierarchy were to mimic the advertised sort, Gamma would be the third fastest SSD on the market in both read and write.

Mushkin is initially offering Gamma in two capacities, 2TB and 1TB. We have contacted Mushkin about pricing and availability and will update this article as soon as we hear back.

In related news, Mashkin has also announced the perhaps more affordable Delta line, offered in 4TB, 2TB, and 1TB capacities; while not capable of the whiplash-inducing speeds of the Gamma line, sequential read performance is up to 4,975 MB/ s and sequential write performance of up to 3,975 MB/sec, it remains a performance-oriented model. To put these numbers in perspective, the highest performance SATA SSDs have top speeds of approximately 550-580 MB/sec.

Both drive families come with a 5-year warranty.