Leaked Seagate FireCuda X1070 SSD is a lot slower than 530R, sports substantially worse endurance ratings

After a year-long hiatus, it appears that Seagate is once again gearing up to introduce consumer M.2 SSDs. A leaked product handbook has revealed the product's name, as well as a few other details. Dubbed the FireCuda X1070, the SSD follows in the footsteps of its predecessor, the FireCuda 530R, as a high-end PCIe 4.0 drive.

However, the performance numbers are rather disappointing to say the least. The FireCuda X1070 tops out at sequential write speeds of 7,200 MB/s, which is quite a bit lower than the 530R's 7,400 MB/s. The downgrade in sequential read performance is even more drastic, ranging from 800 to 500 MB/s lower speeds depending on the storage variant.

Clearly, the speeds are nowhere close to PCIe Gen 5 drives, which is hardly a surprise. For most day-to-day workloads, however, performance should be adequate. Endurance has also taken a hit - the FireCuda X1070 SSD now sports official ratings of just 2,400, 1,200, and 600 TBW for the 4 TB, 2 TB, and 1 TB variants, whereas the 530R sports ratings of 5,050, 2,400, and 1,100 TBW respectively. 

Other details regarding crucial aspects, such as NAND type, DRAM cache, and controller, are missing for now. The FireCuda 530R (currently $170 on Amazon) utilizes 3D TLC NAND, and the same might apply to the X1070. Interestingly, the average power draw figures for the X1070 SSD are over 40% lower, which should help with sustained thermal performance.