Patriot P400 Lite 4TB NVMe SSD: PCIe Gen 4 specs and who it suits

The Patriot Memory P400 Lite is a 4TB internal solid-state drive in the M.2 2280 format. It uses an NVMe interface over PCIe Gen 4 x4. It gives a desktop or laptop a lot of fast storage in a very small module, and suits people with large game libraries, video projects or photo archives.

What the interface means

M.2 2280 describes the shape: a narrow stick 22 mm wide and 80 mm long (the listing gives about 3.1 inches). It plugs directly into a motherboard or laptop slot, with no cables.

NVMe is the protocol designed for flash storage. It is much quicker than the older SATA protocol that older SSDs use. PCIe Gen 4 x4 means four lanes of the fourth-generation PCI Express bus. Patriot says the drive uses an NVMe 1.4 controller. Many modern motherboards and laptops support Gen 4, and a Gen 4 drive typically works in a Gen 3 slot, but at a lower speed.

Speed figures

Patriot rates sequential reads at up to 3,500MB/s and sequential writes at up to 2,700MB/s, measured with CrystalDiskMark (CDM). These are best-case sequential figures, and real-world transfers vary with file size, how full the drive is and the rest of the system. For comparison, SATA SSDs typically top out around 550MB/s, so this is several times faster. Some Gen 4 drives go higher, so the P400 Lite sits in the mainstream of its generation, which Patriot describes as suited to any mainstream PC or laptop.

Endurance: what TBW means

TBW stands for terabytes written. It is the total amount of data the manufacturer rates the drive to have written over its life. Patriot gives 1,200TB for this model. That is a large amount: writing 100GB every day, it would take over 30 years to reach it. TBW is a warranty-related figure, and ordinary use is unlikely to approach it.

Data protection and thermal features

Patriot lists SmartECC technology, thermal throttling, low power consumption and end-to-end data path protection to support data integrity and durability. Thermal throttling slows the drive down if it gets too hot, to protect it. ECC (error correction) detects and fixes errors in stored data.

The drive has a slim graphene heat shield. The slim profile helps in laptops and small cases, where space above the drive is limited. Check the clearance in your system, as some motherboards have their own heatsinks over the slot.

Who it suits

It suits anyone who wants to add a high-capacity drive to a PC or laptop: game libraries, video editing, large photo catalogues or working files. 4TB is far more than many laptops ship with.

What to check before you buy

• Slot type: make sure that your device has an M.2 2280 slot with NVMe support, since some M.2 slots are SATA only.
• Generation: confirm whether your slot is Gen 3 or Gen 4 to know what speed to expect.
• Clearance: check the space for the heat shield, and for any motherboard heatsink.
• Console use: check the maker's requirements before using it in a game console.
• Backups: keep a copy of important data elsewhere.
• Cloning: you may need a cloning tool or an adapter to move your existing system to it.

The short version

• 4TB M.2 2280 NVMe SSD on PCIe Gen 4 x4.
• Up to 3,500MB/s sequential read and 2,700MB/s sequential write, per Patriot.
• 1,200TB written (TBW) endurance figure.
• SmartECC, thermal throttling and a slim graphene heat shield.
• Needs an M.2 NVMe slot with enough clearance.

Bloiq is reader-supported. Some links may earn us a commission; it never affects what we write. How we make money.