Crucial vs kingston ssd: Kingston A400 vs Crucial BX500 SSD: Which one to choose?

At launch, the Kingston NV1 lineup includes three models with 500 GB, 1 TB and 2 TB capacities. Despite the fact that nominally the series SSDs are entry-level M.2 NVMe devices, the minimum capacity is quite high. In our opinion, such a step is justified, because devices of a smaller volume (120/250 GB) can already be considered a sort of “samplers” for emergency cases. If the SSD is the only drive in the system, then requests with a volume are often higher here. And if the price of larger capacity devices is similar, then there are no arguments against it. And in general, this reflects a shift in market demands towards large-volume models.

	500 GB	1TB	2 TB
Model	SNVS/500G	SNVS/1000G	SNVS/2000G
Interface	PCI-E 3. 0 x4, NVMe 1.3
Sequential reading	2100 MB/s
Sequential write	1700 MB/s
Warranty Life (TBW)	120 TB	240 TB	480 TB
Power consumption (standby/average/read/write)	5 mW/205 mW/1.1 W/3.3 W	5 mW/220 mW/1.1 W/3.3 W	5 mW/340 mW/1.1 W/3.3 W
Technology support	TRIM, S.M.A.R.T.
Dimensions and weight	22 x 80 x 2.1 mm; 7 g
Manufacturer warranty period	3 years

As for technical specifications, here the manufacturer limited himself to a minimum of information, reporting only that for all capacity options, Kingston NV1 models provide data transfer rates up to 2100 MB for reading and 1700 MB / s for writing data. At the same time, the specification does not mention the controller used, the type of memory, or even the performance of working with 4K blocks. The fact is that in this case all these parameters are variables that can potentially vary depending on the market situation. In this case, the manufacturer guarantees the specified throughput, and the method by which it will be achieved is a secondary issue.

However, certain criteria will still be met. In particular, we are talking about the fact that Phison E13T or Silicon Motion SM2263XT controllers without an additional DRAM buffer will be used for SSDs. Flash memory chips may also differ, but initially we are talking about the fact that microcircuits with 3D TLC can be used for younger models, and 3D QLC chips for the most capacious ones.

Regardless of the type of flash memory chips used, SSDs are equipped with SLC buffering to improve data write speed. Apparently, we are talking about a mechanism with dynamic adjustment of the cache volume, depending on the available storage capacity at the current time.

It could be assumed that flash with a 4-bit cell structure will be used for devices of the series, looking at the relatively low declared values ​​of the guaranteed write. The TBW for the 500 GB model is 120 TB, the 1 TB model is 240 TB, and the highest capacity 2 TB version is 480 TB. These figures are slightly higher than those of the classic QLC-based models, but approximately in the same range. The Kingston NV1 comes with a 3-year manufacturer’s warranty.

Developers focus on the good economy of the new SSD. In standby mode, the power consumption of models is at the level of 5 mW, at rest — 205-340 mW, while reading — up to 1.1 W, and during write operations — up to 3.3 W. You can immediately assume that the drives should be easy to do without additional cooling.

Kingston NV1 are presented in the classic 2280 format for M.2 drives, have overall dimensions of 22x80x2.1 mm and weigh 7 g. Regardless of the volume, all SSDs received a one-sided layout. The PCI-E 3.0 x4 interface is used for connection, backward compatibility with the bus of previous generations is preserved.

Kingston NV1 2 TB (SNVS/2000G)

We received the older model of the Kingston NV1 2 TB line for testing. The device is offered in a combined blister with a cardboard base and a plexiglass transparent insert through which you can see the drive itself without removing it from the package.

The design of the blister is standard for the manufacturer’s devices. On the front panel there is a large inscription with the name of the line and the volume of the drive. Also, the emphasis is on many times greater performance than hard drives.

As we have already mentioned, the Kingston NV1 uses a single-sided layout only. A blue mask is applied to the textolite base of the printed circuit board. The components on the front surface are covered with a large protective sticker, which contains basic technical and supporting information, as well as a mention of the assembly in Taiwan.

The reverse side of the drive’s circuit board is completely free of surface mount elements.

Returning to the front panel, we note that the unambiguous inscription on the protective sticker warns of the loss of warranty when the sticker is removed. However, we still could not resist opening the veil of secrecy a little, especially in the face of possible variability of the hardware platform. So, for the model in question, the Phison PS5013-E13-31 controller is used. This is an entry-level 4-channel model that does without an additional DRAM buffer. As for the four installed flash memory chips, in this case the chips are labeled Kingston FB51208UCN1-4E. According to the internal designation of the manufacturer, it is impossible to determine the type of microcircuits.

The Phison NVME SSD flash id service utility used recognized the flash memory as 64-layer Intel chips with a 4-bit 3D QLC cell structure. Actually, chips of this type were originally intended for the most capacious model. In this case, rather, the theory was confirmed in practice.

Despite the fact that the drive does not have an additional DRAM cache, Kingston NV1 models support HMB (Host Memory Buffer) technology, which allows you to store the allocation table in the PC’s RAM to significantly speed up data access on the SSD. For these purposes, a 64 MB block is allocated in RAM.

So, after connecting and formatting the drive, we have an available partition with a total capacity of 1.81 TB. At the time of writing, the proprietary service application Kingston SSD Manager (v. 1.1.2.6) does not yet support the new line of drives, so you can temporarily use third-party software for diagnostics and maintenance.

Using the Crystal Disk Info utility, we note that the drive complies with the NVMe 1.3 standard, as well as support for S.M.A.R.T., TRIM and VolatileWriteCache technologies.

Test bench configuration

Processor	Intel Core i7-9700K (8/8; 3. 6/4.9 GHz)	Intel, www.intel.com
Motherboard	ASUS ROG Maximus X HERO (Intel Z370)	ASUS, www.asus.ua
RAM	G.Skill Trident Z Royal Gold 2×8 GB (F4-3600C16D-16GTRG)	G.Skill, www.gskill.com
Accumulator	Kingston KC2500 1TB (SKC2500/1000G)	Kingston Technology, www.kingston.com
Power supply	ASUS ROG Strix 1000W, 1000W	ASUS, www.asus.ua
Monitor	Acer Predator XB271HK (27″, 3840×2160)	Acer, www.acer.ua

Performance

Let’s start analyzing drive performance by measuring sequential read/write speeds using the capabilities of the AIDA64 utility for this purpose.

The large block sequential read speed graph surprised not so much with its “directness”, but with the location at the level of 2700 MB / s with the declared 2100 MB / s. An anomaly and peculiarity of the application interpretation or a pleasant surprise and a gift from the manufacturer? Subsequent tests will show.

The situation with the speed of data writing is much more interesting. As we remember, drives with QLC flash memory are especially hard on the stages of lengthy recording sessions. In this case, the Kingston NV1 2TB was writing the first 300-315GB at around 1650MB/s. Then the rate dropped to ~1250 MB / s, holding at this level until writing about 500 GB. Only after that, the sequential write performance of the SSD dropped to 60 MB / s.

Yes, the rate of direct writing to QLC is very low, but the huge SLC buffer in this case eliminates this drawback. Of course, the size of the dynamic cache will depend on the free space on the drive, but for typical tasks it will be enough even when the SSD is 80-90% full.

In order not to be limited only by synthetics, we evaluated the actual data write speed on the SSD. The screenshot shows the performance when copying several files with a total volume of almost 50 GB from the system drive (Kingston KC2500 1 TB) to the test Kingston NV1 2 TB. As you can see, the data was copied at a speed of about 1600 MB / s. At the same time, one pace was maintained throughout the entire period. SLC buffering works well here, allowing you to get very decent write performance even of significant volumes. Yes, of course, the direct write speed of 60 MB / s to QLC memory chips is somewhat confusing, but with the help of the caching mechanism and firmware optimization, such values ​​can actually be seen only in test applications.

The first tests in the Crystal Disk Mark utility show read speeds of just over 2000 MB / s and almost up to 1900 MB / s when writing on 1 MB blocks. We note very good performance indicators for working with 4K blocks. Presenting the results in terms of IOPS, we see that the Kingston NV1 provides 163,000 and 122,000 IOPS here. At the same time, we have very good 13,000 and 60,000 IOPS on small blocks with a minimum queue of requests and flows (Q1T1).

Using the profile for NVMe drives in the test, we look at what performance indicators are achievable in multi-threaded mode with a high request queue (Q32T16). As you can see, under such conditions, Kingston NV1 2 TB was able to swing up to almost 290,000 IOPS for reading operations and 280,000 IOPS for writing small blocks.

The AS SSD Benchmark utility is somewhat more modest in evaluating the drive’s capabilities for linear transfers and working with 4K blocks with a minimum queue, but when using 64 threads, we see results with 408,000/354,000 IOPS. Rather, these are even somewhat anomalous values ​​for a starting NVMe drive.

Anvil’s Storage Utilities also scores slightly lower than the Crystal Disk Mark, but the final score of 12,167 is generally typical of entry-level M.2 NVMe devices.

The results of the PCMark 8 drive test speak the same way. In the comprehensive standings, the Kingston NV1 2 TB offered a throughput of 491 MB / s. For a more visual assessment and comparison of the obtained indicators, let’s compare them with those for several auxiliary drives. The upper limiter will be the Kingston KC2500 1 TB, a representative of the manufacturer’s current top line. In addition, the presented diagrams show the results of the previously reviewed Kingston A2000 500 GB, equipped with a controller and Silicom Motion SM2263NE and 96-layer 3D TLC.

We recently tested the Crucial P2 250 GB drive. Despite the significant difference in the volume of the models, the results of this SSD are also included for comparison. The fact is that it is based on the same Phison E13T controller without a DRAM buffer, but it uses 3D TLC memory.

In our opinion, a comparison with a good SATA drive will also be informative, and in this case, this category is represented by the Samsung 870 EVO 1 TB. Well, for contrast, the diagrams also show the results of the WD WD10EZEX 1 TB hard drive — the classic 3. 5-inch model with a spindle speed of 7200 rpm.

According to the results of measurements, Kingston NV1 is often slightly inferior to Kingston A2000, but even here there are exceptions. Let’s note the firmware optimization and the amazing results of the tested SSD on the Adobe Photoshop tracks.

Crucial P2 250 GB stays at some distance, sometimes almost catching up with NV1, sometimes more clearly yielding to the opponent.

We should especially note the stable advantage over one of the best SATA models. In some tasks, the difference is relatively small (20–30%), but at stages where high throughput is important, the difference can be threefold.

At the same time, at the test stages of PCMark 10, the Kingston NV1 drive showed results typical for top-end SATA devices.

In order to more fully reveal the capabilities of the SSD, we added two stages to the list of tests carried out with copying files within the same drive and the speed of decompressing data when unzipping.

When copying data, the entire volume of the tested drive was divided into two sections of approximately equal size. One of the sections was pre-recorded with a test set of eight video files with a total volume of 49.4 TB. Then, using the «robocopy / e» command, the data was copied from one partition to another. Knowing the time spent on the operation and the amount of data transferred, we obtain the average copying speed, which is shown in the diagram.

The same operation was carried out with a set of 10,000 files (photos), totaling 29.6 GB. As you can see, in this case, the copying rate is somewhat reduced, but still remains at a fairly high level.

When decompressing the data, we got the speed of extracting and writing the same set of 10,000 photos, previously archived without compression using 7-Zip. So far, Kingston NV1 2TB is the only participant that has passed the new test stages, we take note of the results obtained without a comparative assessment. However, even the available information is enough to talk about the advantage in a number of tasks even over top-end SATA drives.

Heat

High-speed M.2 PCI-E drives often become very hot during operation. However, in the case of the Kingston NV1, an economical platform is used, so there should be no problems with overheating.

Under conditions of an open bench at a room temperature of 22C, the drive at rest warmed up to 38C.

After a long session of data recording, the temperature of the controller increased to 60C. This temperature regime allows you to use SSD without additional cooling. This is especially important, for example, when using a drive in thin laptops or stationary systems of compact dimensions, when there is no way to improve the cooling of the device, and in general an additional heat source is generally undesirable.

Price

Traditionally, Kingston drives appear on the market very quickly. Two weeks after the official launch of the Kingston NV1 line, the SSDs of the new series are already in Ukraine.

The recommended price for the 500 GB model is UAH 1999. (~$71), 1 TB – UAH 3599 (~$129), 2 TB – UAH 6999 (~$250). It is obvious that Kingston NV1 occupy the niche of entry-level M.2 MVMe models. Lower models initially have strong competition in their segments, while the 2 TB version actually becomes the most affordable among M.2 PCI-E SSDs of this capacity. Here the cost is comparable to that for SATA drives. Surely starting prices can still be adjusted depending on the market situation. The only question is whether we will talk about lowering the cost. In the light of recent events with another «technogenic disaster», this is no longer completely certain.

Apparently Kingston NV1 will replace the Kingston A2000 on the market. As part of the new line, the manufacturer will offer the most affordable models that provide the declared characteristics.

When buying, pay attention to the obligatory presence of a holographic sticker with a unique device number on the package. Such a sticker is present on all solid state drives intended for sale in Ukraine and provided with a guarantee and free technical support from the manufacturer.

Kingston NV1 2 TB drive video review

4

ITC.UA rating

Pros:
Good balance of price and performance; one-sided layout; economy and low heating; capacious SLC buffer to support high write speed

Cons:
Possible variability of the hardware platform; in a number of tasks, performance is similar to that of top SATA models; write speed out of SLC buffer

Output:
The Kingston NV1 2TB is an entry-level M.2 NVMe SSD that offers a good balance of performance and price. It’s one of the most affordable models in its class, and it’s faster than the best SATA drives in the same price range. The single-sided layout, good economy and relatively low heat make it possible to use SSDs in thin laptops and compact form factor PCs. Although high-capacity drives are now relevant for systems of any format and purpose. The possible variability of the hardware platform can not be attributed to the strengths of the Kingston NV1, however, we tested the model with the theoretically least attractive combination of a controller with 3D QLC memory. The results are presented in diagrams and screenshots. As you can see, if the platform basically allows the use of M.2 NVMe drives, then classic SATA models have less and less chances to end up in the system of a rational user — at a similar price, basic PCI-E drives offer higher performance.

Specifications

SSD Manager — Kingston Technology

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Kingston® SSD Manager is an application that allows users to control and manage various parameters of Kingston® SSDs.

With Kingston® SSD Manager has the following features:

• Drive health, status and usage monitoring
• View drive identification information, including model name, serial number, firmware version, and other information
• View and export detailed drive health and status reports
• Drive Firmware Update
• Secure deletion of data
• Control TCG Opal and IEEE 1667
• Extended spare area using Protected Disk Data Area (HPA)

Supported operating systems

Refer to the table below for operating system requirements for Kingston® SSD Manager.

System requirements

Kingston® SSD Manager requires the following:

• One or more Kingston®

SSDs

• BIOS AHCI mode
• Administrator rights in Windows®

Note. Some older Kingston® SSDs may not be supported by Kingston® SSD Manager x64 v1.5.X.X. In this case, you can continue to use Kingston® SSD Manager v1.1.X.X.

Installation process

1. Click on the Kingston SSD Manager (KSM) link to start downloading the software.
2. Locate the downloaded file and extract the contents.
3. Run the KSM Setup executable as an administrator.
4. Follow the Setup Wizard prompts and install the KSM software.