Phison pushes PCIe 5.0 SSDs further
Phison is taking another big step in the world of solid state drive technology with the launch of its new E37T PCIe 5.0 SSD controller at CES 2026. At the same time, the company has shared an update on its E38 controller, which will power upcoming drives with capacities up to 8TB.
For PC gamers and performance focused users, SSD controllers matter more than most people realize. They are the brains that manage how data moves between your storage and the rest of your system. A better controller can mean faster game load times, smoother asset streaming in open world titles, and snappier everyday performance.
With PCIe 5.0 starting to appear on more mainstream motherboards and laptops, controllers like the E37T and E38 are a key part of the next jump in storage speed and capacity.
What the E37T PCIe 5.0 controller brings
The E37T is Phison’s latest PCIe 5.0 SSD controller, designed to squeeze more performance from the new interface while staying efficient enough for real world systems. Although detailed specs were not included in the original note, PCIe 5.0 controllers generally aim to deliver several improvements over older generations.
- Higher bandwidth PCIe 5.0 effectively doubles the bandwidth of PCIe 4.0. With a capable controller, SSDs can push much higher sequential read and write speeds, which is great for moving large game files, video projects, or virtual machine images.
- Better responsiveness Strong controller design often improves latency as well as raw throughput. For gamers this helps with faster level loads and smoother streaming of game assets in titles that constantly pull data from the drive.
- Improved power and thermals Newer controllers like the E37T usually aim to balance speed with efficiency. This matters because early PCIe 5.0 SSDs were known to run hot, requiring chunky heatsinks or even tiny fans. Better efficiency can help keep temperatures in check, which is important inside compact gaming builds and laptops.
- Support for modern flash The controller has to work with the latest NAND flash types and densities, which allows for higher capacities and more consistent performance as the drive fills up.
For everyday PC users the E37T should translate to storage that feels faster across the board. For gamers specifically, it lines up well with modern and upcoming titles that take advantage of high speed storage for features similar to DirectStorage, where game engines pull textures and assets straight from the SSD with minimal CPU overhead.
E38 controller and 8TB next generation drives
Alongside the E37T launch, Phison also highlighted progress on its E38 controller. While details are still emerging, the headline is clear: drives built around E38 are expected to reach capacities up to 8TB.
Large capacity SSDs are becoming more important for several reasons.
- Games keep getting bigger Many modern AAA games already exceed 100GB and some climb well past that with high resolution textures and DLCs. An 8TB SSD gives space for a large library without constantly uninstalling and reinstalling.
- Creators and streamers If you record gameplay, edit videos, or manage large asset libraries, high capacity SSDs can keep your entire workflow on fast storage instead of mixing SSDs with slower hard drives.
- Virtualization and dev work Power users running multiple operating systems, containers, or virtual machines will benefit from both the faster controller and the extra headroom.
Combining high capacity with a capable controller is not just about storing more data. The controller helps maintain steady performance even when the drive is heavily used or nearly full. This matters for long gaming sessions, large downloads in the background, and multitasking with game launchers, chat clients, browsers, and recording software all active at once.
Why this matters for future gaming PCs
While a single controller launch may not sound exciting on its own, products like the Phison E37T and E38 shape a whole generation of SSDs from many brands. When you see new PCIe 5.0 drives arrive on the market in the next year or two, there is a good chance some of them will be powered by these controllers.
For gamers planning a new build or an upgrade, the impact looks like this.
- Faster level and system load times PCIe 5.0 SSDs with strong controllers reduce waiting around in menus, game launches, and system boot.
- Better asset streaming Open world and large scale games can stream textures and world data more smoothly from a fast SSD, which helps reduce pop in and stutter when moving quickly through detailed environments.
- More room for modern libraries With E38 based drives targeting up to 8TB, you can have a serious collection of AAA and live service games installed at once without constantly juggling storage.
- Future proofing As more game engines and APIs are built around fast storage, being on a modern PCIe 5.0 platform with a capable controller will help your system stay relevant for longer.
In short, Phison’s new E37T PCIe 5.0 SSD controller and the ongoing development of the E38 for up to 8TB drives are good news for anyone interested in faster and roomier game storage. As these controllers move from CES announcements into actual drives on the shelf, they will form the backbone of many next generation SSD options for gaming PCs, workstations, and high performance laptops.
Original article and image: https://www.tomshardware.com/pc-components/ssds/phisons-new-ssd-controller-sips-a-mere-2-3w-and-runs-at-14-7-gb-s-addressing-pcie-5-0s-power-concerns-more-affordable-and-power-saving-pcie-5-0-drives-are-coming-for-laptops-and-gaming-handhelds
