Recently, PCEVA, a professional evaluation institution deeply engaging in the storage and hardware fields, conducted an in-depth evaluation for Union Memory’s first QLC commercial consumer SSD AE531. The results showed that AE531 outperformed its peers in terms of performance and various tests. Meanwhile, its pragmatic SLC caching strategy, cross-platform compatibility, and thermal control capability with no throttling under full load at 60°C further highlight its stability advantages in commercial application scenarios.

As a well-known evaluation media in the industry, PCEVA is recognized for its objective and rigorous evaluation. This evaluation verifies the capabilities of AE531 from multiple dimensions including mixed loads, long-term endurance, energy efficiency and compatibility, revealing how this commercial solution that combines high performance, high adaptability, and optimal TCO helps enterprises reduce costs and improve efficiency. The following is the original evaluation text.

AE531 is Union Memory's first QLC commercial consumer product, featuring super strong reliability and broad compatibility, and offering lower long-term usage cost.

AE531 adopts a third-generation firmware architecture optimized for mixed random read/write performance. Its page-interleaved RAID algorithm significantly enhances data reliability while ensuring efficient utilization of NAND flash chips. In terms of ecological compatibility, AE531 is fully compatible with mainstream CPUs and operating systems, supports national secret algorithms, delivers stable cross-platform operation, and meets the requirements of complex applications.

AE531 adopts four-channel DRAM-Less design, integrating high-capacity SRAM and an I/O acceleration module, and supporting HMB.

Union Memory AE531 provides three capacity options: 512GB, 1TB, and 2TB, with M.2 2242/2280 being available. In this evaluation, we tested the 1TB model in M.2 2242.

AE531 PCIe Gen4 QLC CSSD

Model	AE531
Specification	M.2 2242-S3-M, M.2 2280-S3-M
Capacity	512GB	1TB	2TB
Sequential read	6,400 MB/s	6,800 MB/s	6,800 MB/s
Sequential write	4,500 MB/s	5,600 MB/s	5,600 MB/s
QLC sequential write	115 MB/s	160 MB/s	260 MB/s
Random read IOPS (4KB)	450K	700K	700K
Random write IOPS (4KB)	750K	800K	800K

Test Platform and Device Identification

Test Platform

 CPU: Intel Core i9-13900K

 Motherboard: GIGABYTE Z790 AORUS PRO X WIFI7

 Memory: Lexar DDR5-6000 16GB*2

 Storage: Samsung 980 PRO 1TB (system drive)

    Union Memory AE531 1TB

 Operating system: Windows 11

 Driver: System default stornvme

CrystalDiskInfo Information Identification

Union Memory AE531 uses a PCIe 4.0 x4 interface and supports the NVMe 1.4 protocol. The sample evaluated in this test is equipped with the firmware version 1.0L0531.

Benchmark Tests

Benchmark Test 1: Theoretical Bandwidth Test

Based on CrystalDiskMark testing, Union Memory AE531 1TB achieved sequential read/write bandwidths of 6817.55/5680.72 MB/s, meeting and exceeding the rated values of 6,800/5,600 MB/s. 4K random read/write performance reached approximately 782K/796K IOPS, basically matching the rated values. 4K single-thread random read performance surpassed the 100 MB/s threshold.

Benchmark Test 2: PCMark 10 Full System Drive Benchmark Test

The PCMark 10 full system drive benchmark is designed for comprehensive testing of the latest-generation SSDs, reproducing the performance impact of SSDs across a wide range of applications through the record-and-replay principle. Test items include system booting, Adobe design suite applications, Office suite applications, image and ISO file copying, and multiple game loading processes.

Union Memory AE531 1TB achieved a score of 4,729 in the PCMark 10 full system drive benchmark test, a result that even surpassed the 2TB model from a previous QLC four-drive comparative evaluation.

Although Union Memory AE531 is not the model with the highest rated sequential read/write speeds among these QLC SSDs, firmware-level optimization for mixed random read/write translates into tangible performance advantages in practical usage.

Whether in system and design software startup or in the game loading performance required by gamers, Union Memory AE531 delivers stronger overall performance.

Benchmark Test 3: 3DMark Storage Benchmark Test

The 3DMark storage benchmark test covered a wide range of practical gaming scenarios, including game loading for "Battlefield V", "Call of Duty: Black Ops 4", and "Overwatch", recording 1080P gameplay video via OBS while running "Overwatch", installing "The Outer Worlds" from the EPIC platform, saving the game progress in "The Outer Worlds", and copying the Steam game "Counter-Strike: Global Offensive" from an external drive to the system drive. It comprehensively covered the scenarios encountered by PC gamers.

Union Memory AE531 1TB achieved a score of 5,243 in the 3DMark storage benchmark test, reaching the level of flagship PCIe 4.0 products. For light-write applications such as gaming and daily office use, QLC does not constitute a performance bottleneck.

Advanced Tests

Advanced Test 1: SLC Cache Test

Under a no-file-system condition, a 128KB QD32 sequential write test was conducted by using IOMeter for 3,600s with per-second recording. In an empty-drive state, Union Memory AE531 1TB provided approximately 110GB of usable SLC write cache space. Outside the cache area, sequential write speed exceeded 220 MB/s. This phase lasted for about 120s, corresponding to roughly 26GB of capacity. After that, the drive entered a phase of writing while releasing cache, with a sequential write speed of approximately 165 MB/s. Union Memory clearly states on its official website that the QLC sequential write speed of AE531 1TB is 160 MB/s, reflecting a highly pragmatic approach: performance specifications are defined under the most demanding conditions rather than being labeled at theoretical peak values as many brands do.

After creating a partition and formatting the drive, 517GB incompressible data was written to the drive by using IOMeter. Following a 15-minute idle period, the HDTune file benchmark test was conducted. At this point, Union Memory AE531 still provided approximately 110GB of available SLC write cache space, ensuring reliable performance even when more than half of the drive capacity was in use.

The 3DMark storage benchmark test score further validates this observation. When the drive space utilization reached 54%, Union Memory AE531 showed minimal performance degradation in daily use scenarios.

Advanced Test 2: QLC Direct Read Performance Test

Read/write performance testing conducted within a limited region (such as 1GB), whether sequential read or sequential write, is affected by the SLC cache. For PCIe 4.0 QLC SSDs, direct NAND read speeds are typically lower than the SLC cache read speeds indicated in rated values. This test eliminates cache interference by pre-filling the entire drive and then performing read operations, measuring sequential read performance of SSDs under practical usage conditions.

By comparison, Union Memory AE531 demonstrates a relatively high level of QLC direct read performance among the products of the same type.

Advanced Test 3: Thermal Stress Test

The thermal stress test was conducted at an ambient temperature of 27°C under passive cooling conditions by using IOMeter (1MB QD8T1 sequential read), with the motherboard’s heatsink installed on Union Memory AE531. During a 15-minute full-load stress test, the maximum recorded temperature was only 60°C, and no thermal throttling was triggered throughout the test.

Advanced Test 4: Modern Standby Test

This test was conducted on a laptop platform that supports modern standby, aiming to evaluate SSD power efficiency and compatibility on the mobile platforms. The test was conducted by using PwrTest, a power management testing program included in the Windows Driver Kit, and it is designed for developers and system integrators. Union Memory AE531 1TB served as a system drive on the test platform and was subjected to 1000 modern standby cycles.

Union Memory AE531 1TB successfully passed the tests with no errors, fully validating its stability.

Summary

Despite being Union Memory’s first QLC commercial consumer SSD, AE531 delivered performance that did not disappoint us. With an intelligent controller and efficient third-generation firmware architecture, AE531 provides satisfactory mixed read/write performance under the PCIe 4.0 interface. As a commercial consumer SSD, AE531 also emphasizes total cost of ownership (TCO). Enhanced SSD logging enables multi-dimensional monitoring, significantly reducing manual maintenance costs. In response to complex and diverse application requirements, Union Memory AE531 supports both x86 and non-x86 architectures, offering broad compatibility across multiple hardware platforms, and effectively lowering the overall procurement cost for enterprises.