We’ve tested a couple of Addlink SSDs in the past, and the SSD brand has a habit of providing better pricing than more well-known brands. The Addlink S91 is no exception, and it’s a good option for upgrading systems like the Steam Deck or ROG Ally with the right tools and a good guide.
The performance is relatively good, especially when you pair it with the PCIe 3.0 speed of the Deck. Addlink even offers a five-year warranty, although overall support may not be as good as some competitors.
The S91 is cheaper than other options at 1TB, especially if you’re willing to go with QLC flash instead of TLC. A QLC drive like this makes sense at 2TB, but write performance may suffer after the initial installation process. However, you could improve performance by leaving some space free on the drive.
Addlink S91 specs
The Addlink S91 is available in 512GB, 1TB, and 2TB capacities. All capacities come with a five-year warranty and have the following specified write endurance limits:
There’s no software for cloning/imaging with the SSD, but Addlink does provide a downloadable SSD toolbox on its website.
Addlink S91 performance
We’ve put the 2TB Addlink S91 through our synthetic tests, and you can see how it performs in the chart below:
The S91 is one of the faster 2TB M.2 SSDs that we’ve tested, and it’s helped along by the Steam Deck’s PCIe 3.0 interface. The write speeds in particular are much better than what we’d expect from a SATA SSD, since the write speeds are boosted by the bandwidth.
In real-world testing, the S91 512GB installed Windows quickly, and the GSmart GS3 mini PC booted up in seconds. Most games will also load in seconds, and loading screens are near-instantaneous.
