Ssd drive reviews: SSD Reviews and Lab Tests

14 марта, 2023

SSD Reviews and Lab Tests

PCMag editors select and review products independently. If you buy through affiliate links, we may earn commissions, which help support our testing.

Best Internal SSDs
Best External SSDs
Best Budget SSDs
Best Rugged SSDs
Best M.2 SSDs

  • Shopper’s Guide: Top SSDs
    By Tony Hoffman

  • SSD vs. HDD: What’s the Difference?
    By Tom Brant

  • Updating Your PS5 With a New SSD: Top Picks
    By Tony Hoffman

  • Budget SSDs: The Best Drives We’ve Tested
    By John Burek

  • Deep Dive With M.2 Drives: Picking the Best Compatible Model for You
    By John Burek

  • How to Pick an SSD Upgrade for Gaming
    By Tony Hoffman

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Latest SSD Reviews

Corsair EX100U Review

SanDisk Professional Pro-G40 SSD Review

4.5

Editors’ Choice

Samsung SSD 990 Pro Review

ADATA Legend 960 Review

Crucial P3 Review

4. 5

Editors’ Choice

Crucial P3 Plus Review

WD Black SN850X Review

4.5

Editors’ Choice

Sabrent Rocket 4 Plus Review

HP FX900 PCIe 4.0 M.2 SSD Review

Seagate FireCuda Beskar Ingot PCIe 4 SSD Review

Latest SSD News

At CES 2023, PCI Express 5.0 SSDs Peeked Out, Not Quite Ready for the Spotlight
By John Burek

Micron Ships World’s First 232-Layer NAND SSD for Laptops, Desktop PCs
By Matthew Humphries

SanDisk’s Pro-G40 Is an ‘Ultra-Rugged’ Portable SSD
By Matthew Humphries

SSD vs. HDD: What’s the Difference?
By Tom Brant

Samsung Targets Gamers With 3 Extremely Fast 990 Pro NVMe SSDs
By Matthew Humphries

WD announces SanDisk ProBlade Modular SSD Ecosystem, New SD Card Reader
By Tony Hoffman

ElecGear Created a Huge M.2 SSD Cooler to Deal With Extreme Heat
By Matthew Humphries

Flexxon SSDs, Laptops Have AI-Based Data Security Inside
By Tony Hoffman

Popular SSD Brands

ADATA Technology
Western Digital

Latest SSD Stories

The platform support is here, but the next-gen drives themselves are only just getting out of bed.

1/09/2023
By
John Burek

Longer battery life is promised while also providing 5,000MB/s read and 4,000MB/s write speeds.

12/08/2022
By
Matthew Humphries

Still booting from a hard drive? These budget-minded solid-state drives will give your poky PC a big speed boost. We’ve tested dozens; these are the best.

11/30/2022
By
John Burek
 &
Tony Hoffman

As USB 3.2 Gen 2×2 external SSDs go, Corsair’s EX100U doesn’t wow us with speed, but this pocket-size drive offers capacities up to 4TB for an aggressive price.

$107.99

at Amazon

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11/28/2022
By
Tony Hoffman

Thanks to the «gumstick» M.2 format, SSDs have been shrinking—and getting a lot faster, too. Here’s how to buy the right M.2 SSD, along with deep-dive reviews of today’s top models.

11/28/2022
By
John Burek

Dump that poky portable hard drive! External solid-state drives are faster and more affordable than ever. Check out our top-rated SSDs, plus detailed advice on how to buy the right one for you.

11/28/2022
By
Tony Hoffman
 &
John Burek

Still got a spinning hard drive in your desktop or laptop? Join Generation Flash: Here’s everything you need to know to buy the right internal SSD, plus our top picks across M.2 and 2.5-inch drives.

11/28/2022
By
Tony Hoffman
 &
John Burek

Looking to add storage, or for a smart way to back up your Mac? Here’s what you need to know, along with our top-rated Apple-friendly drives. (We’ve tested SSDs and platter-based drives alike.)

11/13/2022
By
Tom Brant
 &
Tony Hoffman

Need portable storage that can survive a wilderness trek…or just the worst commute ever? Here’s what to look for, plus reviews of the best tough drives we’ve tested. See our picks for both platter drives and flash-based ones.

11/05/2022
By
John Burek
 &
Tony Hoffman

4.5

Editors’ Choice

The Mac-centric SanDisk Professional Pro-G40 SSD, an external drive with sizzling speeds via Thunderbolt 3, is built to withstand anything the elements can throw at it.

$299.99

at B&H Photo Video

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11/01/2022
By
Tony Hoffman

The PlayStation 5’s zippy built-in solid-state drive has only so much room for games. Put a higher-capacity M.2 SSD in the console’s free slot with one of our favorite upgrade drives.

11/01/2022
By
Tony Hoffman

Looking to turbocharge an aging laptop? A solid-state drive upgrade is not only effective, but nowadays can be downright cheap. SATA drives, M.2 SSDs, PCI Express, NVMe: Here’s everything you need to know about laptop SSD upgrades, along with the best drives to buy right now.

10/21/2022
By
John Burek
 &
Tony Hoffman

Samsung’s SSD 990 Pro is a zippy PCI Express 4.0 internal drive that’s a step up from its predecessor, offering excellent performance for creative tasks, if not necessarily for gaming.

$169.99

at Amazon

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10/18/2022
By
Tony Hoffman

Solid-state drives that adhere to the NVMe protocol are the fastest internal storage drives you can buy for building a PC or upgrading certain laptops. Here’s how to choose one with confidence, along with the top NVMe SSD picks from our deep-dive reviews.

10/14/2022
By
John Burek

The best gaming SSDs aren’t just the obvious PCI Express 4.0 NVMe speedsters. From external drives to internal ones, for PCs and gaming consoles, these are the top models we’ve tested.

10/09/2022
By
Tony Hoffman

SanDisk’s most rugged portable SSD offers both Thunderbolt 3 and USB 3.2 Gen 2 interfaces.

10/05/2022
By
Matthew Humphries

The ADATA Legend 960, a high-performance PCI Express 4.0 SSD, posted some excellent benchmark results and is a top pick for both gaming and creative work. It fits everything from gaming rigs to the PS5, though not the thinnest laptops.

$152.08

at Amazon

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9/23/2022
By
Tony Hoffman

4.5

Editors’ Choice

The Crucial P3 provides good performance in a PCI Express 3.0 NVMe SSD. Its QLC NAND flash memory keeps the P3’s price down while allowing capacities up to 4TB. It’s a spot-on pick for upgrading older PCs that don’t support PCIe 4.0.

$32.99

at Amazon

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9/07/2022
By
Tony Hoffman

The Crucial P3 Plus is a budget PCI Express 4.0 internal SSD available in capacities up to 4TB. It met its rated sequential speeds in our tests, but its PCMark 10 benchmark numbers and durability ratings are on the low side.

$41.49

at Amazon

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9/07/2022
By
Tony Hoffman

4.5

Editors’ Choice

The WD Black SN850X takes the company’s flagship PCIe 4.0 gaming SSD and makes it even better, offering higher capacity and improved test results (including a new PC Labs record in the 3DMark Storage benchmark). About all it lacks is hardware-based security.

$124.99

at Amazon

(Opens in a new window)

9/06/2022
By
Tony Hoffman

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Best SSDs for 2023 : Reviews & Recommendations

You’ve come to the right place if you’re in the market for a new SSD. In this article, we will look at some of the best SSDs on the market and advise you on which is right for your budget. Whether you’re looking for a high-performance drive or something more affordable, we have you covered.

SSDs Will Tremendously Upgrade Your PC

SSDs are an excellent way to upgrade your computer’s performance. You can expect faster read and write speeds, improved boot times, and general system responsiveness by replacing a traditional hard disk drive with a solid-state drive.

But not every solid-state drive is created equal— some are beasts, standing above others in the market with their incredible speed and space, while others offer a more affordable option without comprising quality.

An SSD usually comes in a 2.5-inch form, which fits into the SATA port of your PC that a regular hard drive would use. You’re also now seeing more and more people using NVMe (Non-Volatile Memory Express) drives, which are tiny gumstick-shaped SSDs that fit into an M. 2 connection found on newer motherboards. They’re insanely fast, or you could get an even faster PCIe 4.0 solid-state drive for compatible PCs. Some SSDs sit on a PCI adapter card and plug right into your motherboard—kinda like how you’d install a graphics card or sound card.

With so many options on the market, it’s hard to know which SSD is right for you. That’s why we’ve compiled this guide to help you pick the best SSD for your needs. Keep in mind that everything on this list includes internal solid-state drives, not external or portable solutions.

So without further ado, let’s get started!

Table of Contents:

Samsung 870 EVO – Best SATA SSD

Crucial BX500 – Best budget SATA SSD

Crucial P3 – Best PCIe 3.0 SSD

WD Black SN850X – Best PCIe 4.0 SSD

Crucial P3 Plus – Best budget PCIe 4.0 SSD

Adata Elite SE880 SSD – Best portable SSD

Kingston XS200 USB SSD – Best high-storage portable SSD

Corsair MP600 Pro XT – Best PCIe 4. 0 with water-cooling SSD

Seagate Beskar Ingot NVMe SSD (FireCuda 530) – Best-Themed SSD

Samsung 870 EVO – Best SATA SSD

Out of all the 2.5-inch SATA drives on the market, Samsung’s 870 EVO is superior and will give you the storage space you need. The EVO series is one of the most affordable SSDs able to boast a hefty 4TB maximum capacity. But that’s not all, this SSD also has blistering speeds. On top of that, it comes with Samsung’s excellent Magician SSD management software and lengthy warranty coverage. Simply put, the EVO series is legendary for a reason among SSDs.

Pros

Outstanding performance

Small file operations

Longer writes won’t slow down

Cons

Slightly expensive if you’re on a budget

MSRP: $169.99

Crucial BX500 – Best budget SATA SSD

The Samsung 870 EVO provides an excellent mix of speed and affordability, but if you’re looking to spend as little money as possible for the most storage space possible, go with the Crucial BX500. You can purchase its 1TB model for $80, which is $30 cheaper than the comparable EVO model, while a 480GB version costs only $45. Crucial also offers 240GB and 2TB versions, all of which feature decent performance.

Pros

Very affordable per gigabyte

Great performance for everyday usage

Cons

Will slow down to a snail’s pace when the secondary cache runs out

MSRP: From $45

Crucial P3 – Best PCIe 3.0 SSD

Although new PCIe 4.0 SSDs boast impressive file-transfer speeds, even upgrading to an NVMe SSD from an older PCIe 3.0 system can make your computer noticeably faster and more responsive. Not only is the Crucial P3 a great daily performer, but it’s also available at an affordable price. The 500GB model is available for just $44 and the 1TB model is available for $84.

Although the P3 doesn’t have the best PCIe 4 performance and its TBW rating is pretty low, it does have great real-world write times. Unless you put a lot of stress on the drive, you likely won’t notice much of a difference anyway.

This is an excellent choice for anyone who wants a reliable SSD at a great price.

Pros

Decent read/write times

Fantastic PCIe3 performance for everyday usage

Affordable price per gigabyte

Cons

Non-cached QLC writes are very slow.

Low TBW rating

MSRP: From $44

WD Black SN850X – Best PCIe 4.0 SSD

The WD Black SN850X is one of the quickest drives and almost ranks at the top next to the FireCuda 530 as far as speed. The rationale that the WD Black SN850X obtains our number one spot for PCIe 4.0 is due to offering superb speeds like its competition but for a more reasonable price— meaning you get more for your dollar.

Not only is the SN850X fast, but it also provides excellent transfer rates and fantastic random write performance in real-world scenarios. This SSD truly is one of the best on the market and can compete with any other model available.

If you’re a data transferring fiend, the WD Black SN850X is the one for you.

Pros

Amazing performance for everyday use and extreme use

Fantastic price for the speed it offers

Large-capacity drives are available (up to 4TB)

Heatsink for 1TB or 2TB models is available

Cons

Expensive per gigabyte

Okay TBW ratings

MSRP: From $159

Crucial P3 Plus – Best budget PCIe 4.0 SSD

Although a bit more expensive than SATA or PCIe 3.0 NVMe drives, cutting-edge PCIe 4.0 SSDs are becoming increasingly affordable as the technology becomes more popular.

The Crucial P3 Plus is one of the best affordable options, with a price tag of only $100 for 1TB. Not to mention, it has great overall performance.

Although the P3 Plus might not be the quickest PCIe 4.0 out there, it has reasonable real-world speeds. As for PCIe 3.0, you’re looking at beyond-excellent performance.

Overall, the Crucial P3 Plus is an excellent choice for anyone looking to upgrade to PCIe 4. 0 with a ton of storage space without breaking the bank.

Pros

Extremely affordable

Great PCIe 4 performances

Phenomenal PCIe 3 performances

Cons

Overall, the performance isn’t the best you can find on the market

Low TBW ratings

MSRP: From $60

Adata Elite SE880 SSD – Best portable SSD

We know we said we wouldn’t cover portable solutions, but this SSD is just too good to leave out.

Adata’s Elite SE880 is unrivaled in portability among SSDs. To give some perspective, it measures 2.55 inches long, 1.38 inches wide, and 0.48 inches thick – making it a similar size to a USB thumb drive! And weighing only 1.1 ounces, you can carry it around in your pocket without noticing its presence.

But the Elite SE880 isn’t only remarkable in terms of portability, it also has some noteworthy performance. The Elite SE880 is not only quick at everyday tasks, but it also shone in its 48GB transfer tests.

Although it was not the best in terms of speed for large file tests, the Elite SE880 is still a great choice for people who travel frequently with their SSD. It has respectable transfer rates and is small enough to fit in your pocket.

Pros

Incredibly fast over USB

Compact and portable

Cons

During long contiguous writes, this device slows down considerably

Low TBW rating

MSRP: From $80

Kingston XS200 USB SSD – Best high-storage portable SSD

The Kingston XS2000 is the perfect SSD for anyone looking for a well-rounded drive— it’s not the smallest, fastest, or largest storage device on the market, but it excels in all these categories. With a 4TB capacity, this ultra-portable drive can still hold more than most of its competitors, especially its portable drive competitors.

And both its read and write performance is excellent for the price. In comprehensive speed tests, the XS2000 displayed transfer speeds of 20 gigabytes per second. While this isn’t a groundbreaking speed, it’s far superior to other competitors whose portable drives rarely exceeded 10 gigabytes per second.

To sum it up, this product is small, cheap, and speedy enough to be a great choice – especially if you often need to travel with a lot of data.

Pros

Its small and compact size makes it easy to take with you on the go

Great 20Gbps performance for the money

Capacity up to 4TB available

Fast for its compact nature

Cons

Slower than most other SSDs

MSRP: From $75

Corsair MP600 Pro XT – Best PCIe 4.0 with water-cooling SSD

If you’re looking for an SSD that can rival or even outperform the fastest drives out there but at a fraction of the price, look no further than this one. It comes with a comprehensive five-year warranty and is guaranteed to last hundreds of terabytes before failure. Plus, if you want to get really fancy, there’s even a version designed for liquid-cooled PCs for only a little more money.

You’ll need a PC from the last two to three years that are equipped with PCIe 4.0 support in order to experience those unbelievable speeds.

Corsair’s MP600 Pro XT offers high-end performance, but it comes at a price. The 1TB version costs $200, while 2TB is $300 and 4TB is $800. Not the most budget-friendly option, but it’s worth the money if you want the best of the best.

Pros

Excellent performance

Optimized for PCIe 4

Liquid-cooling option

Removable heat sink

5-year warranty

Cons

Extremely expensive compared to other PCIe 3 drives

MSRP: From $200

Seagate Beskar Ingot NVMe SSD (FireCuda 530) – Best-Themed SSD

If you’re one of those rare people who haven’t seen The Mandalorian yet, then where have you been? In all seriousness though, Seagate has recently released a series of two Star Wars-themed SSDs for the fans out there—the Beskar Ingot SATA SSD and the Beskar Ingot NVMe SSD.

If you’re looking for the best possible option, look no further than the Beskar Ingot NVMe SSD. It’s guaranteed to meet your expectations with its outstanding performance and ludicrously fast speeds.

At first glance, the Seagate Beskar Ingot NVMe SSD looks like a design-centric drive. But when you look at its performance numbers, you’ll be astonished at how fast it is. The FireCuda 530 is a top contender for the title of fastest NVMe drive.

If you’re a diehard Star Wars fan with a windowed case, this is the ideal drive for showing off your newest Beskar bounty.

Pros

Incredible performance

Long warranty

High TBW rating

Star Wars-themed heatsink

Cons

More expensive for a themed SSD than the regular FireCuda 530

MSRP: From $168

Setting Up an NVMe SSD

An NVMe (nonvolatile memory express) is a type of Solid-State Drive (SSD) that is faster than the traditional SATA SSD. To use an NVMe drive, you need to have the correct components to set it up.

Make sure to consider what NVMe drives offer before making a purchase. Standard SATA SSDs improve boot times and loading speeds for PCs at a fraction of the cost. You will get the best use out of NVMe drives if you often transfer data, especially large files. If not, then an NVMe drive is likely not worth the extra expense.

If you’re interested in purchasing an NVMe SSD, ensure that your PC is compatible with it first. M.2-connection motherboards are still relatively new on the market, so unless your computer is from the past few years, it likely won’t be equipped to handle this technology.

Before M.2 drives became popular, NVMe SSDs that used PCIe adapters were all the rage. Nowadays, they’re not as common, so make sure you can actually use an NVMe SSD before buying one. Keep in mind that you’ll need four available PCIe lanes to get the most out of it.

In order to use a PCIe 4.0 SSD at full potential, you will need one of the newer Ryzen 3000- or 5000-series CPUs, or an Intel 11th- or 12th-gen CPU. Although PCIe 4.0 NVMe SSDs are compatible with PCIe 3.0 computers, they will run more slowly due to the lower speed limits of PCIe 3.0.

For optimal use of an NVMe drive, your operating system should be running on the drive. This requires a system that recognizes and can boot from the NVMe drive. Most PCs purchased within the past few years shouldn’t have any trouble doing this, but support for older motherboards may be more limited.

To check whether your motherboard supports booting from an NVMe SSD, do a Google search for your motherboard. It’s possible you may need to install a BIOS update for your board first. If it turns out that your hardware can’t boot from the NVMe SSD, don’t worry! Your machine will still be able to use it as a secondary drive.

How to Pick the Right SSD

And although capacity, price, and a lengthy warranty are important considerations, don’t think that you need to baby your SSD. Unlike older models which would wear out with regular consumer usage, modern drives can take a beating. For the most part, your SSD will last for far longer than you need it to but having those three to five-year warranties is nice.

So when picking out the best SSD for your needs, here are the main things you should consider:

1. Capacity: Depending on how much data you need to store, select a drive with the capacity that meets your needs.

2. Price: Keep in mind that you get what you pay for. Paying more upfront may save you from having to buy a new drive sooner than expected.

3. Warranty: Look for a drive with at least a three to five-year warranty, so you can be sure that your drive will last a while.

4. Speed: Be sure to select an SSD that best meets your needs, depending on what you’ll be using it for.

5. Reliability: Opt for a drive that has a high TBW (terabytes written) rating, so you can be sure that your drive won’t wear out quickly.

6. Heatsink: Some NVMe drives come with heatsinks for better cooling, which can help extend their lifespan.

Choosing the best SSD for you requires careful consideration, but with these tips in mind, you should be able to find one that meets your needs. Whether you’re looking for a budget-friendly SATA SSD or a lightning-fast NVMe drive, there’s an option to fit everyone’s needs and budget. So take your time and find the right drive for you!

Types of SSDs You Can Buy

When it comes to selecting the best SSD for you, there are a few key types to choose from.

SATA (Serial Advanced Technology Attachment) SSDs are the most common type of drives and are great for everyday use. They offer a good balance between performance and affordability, plus they are easy to install, making them a good choice for most users.

SATA refers to both the connection type and transfer protocol used to connect most 2.5-inch and 3.5-inch hard drives and SSDs to your PC. SATA III speeds can reach up to 600MBps, but not all modern drives are able to utilize their full potential.

PCIe (Peripheral Component Interconnect Express) SSDs are the fastest type of drives and use four PCIe lanes for data transmission. They are usually found in desktop computers and server systems but can also be used in laptops if they have a compatible PCIe slot. They offer incredible data transfer speeds, making them ideal for applications that require lots of bandwidth, like video editing or gaming.

You’ll need an AMD Ryzen 3000-series or Intel Core 11th-gen (or newer) processor, as well as a compatible PCIe 4.0 motherboard to use the new and improved PCIe 4.0 drives.

NVMe (Non-Volatile Memory Express) drives are similar to PCIe drives, except that they use the NVMe protocol for data transfer. NVMe drives are usually more expensive than SATA SSDs, but they offer faster speeds and better performance.

The blistering speed of Non-Volatile Memory Express technology SSDs is miles ahead of their SATA-based drives, making them great for storage-intensive tasks like gaming, video editing, and file transfers.

M.2 SSDs are similar to SATA SSDs, but they use a different connection type. M.2 drives use the PCIe interface for faster speeds than SATA III and are great for high-performance applications. Some M.2 drives are designed to be installed directly onto the motherboard, while others require a special adapter card.

No matter what type of SSD you choose, make sure to look for one with good reviews and a solid warranty. That way, you can be sure that your drive will last and perform as expected.

Choosing Between an SSD and Hard Drive

When it comes to storage, there are two main types of drives: hard drives and SSDs. Hard drives are traditionally larger, slower, and less expensive than their solid-state drive counterparts. However, they can still be a good option for those on a budget especially how cheap they are per gigabyte.

SSDs offer superior performance over hard drives in almost every way. They are smaller, faster, quieter, and more reliable. SSDs also use less power than hard drives, which can be beneficial for laptop users who want to maximize battery life.

In addition to the performance benefits of an SSD over a hard drive, they are also much more durable. SSDs have no moving parts, so they are not susceptible to damage from shocks or vibrations, making them ideal for use in rugged environments. They also generate less heat than hard drives, which can help extend their lifespan.

Ultimately, choosing between an SSD and a hard drive is a personal decision that should be based on your needs and budget. If you’re looking for the best performance and reliability, then an SSD is the way to go. But if you need more storage space and are on a tight budget, then a hard drive may be the better option.

If you want the benefits of both an SSD and a hard drive, you can buy a small SSD to use as your boot drive. Then set up a traditional hard drive with more storage space as secondary storage in your PC. This way, you get the speed of an SSD for programs that require quick access times, plus the extra storage capacity of a hard drive.

Overview of several 240 GB SSDs in the budget price range / HDD, SSD, flash drives, other storage media / iXBT Live

Introduction. P. Laplace (as software appetites grew from year to year) or put a more powerful processor. In the case of a gaming machine, of course, it was the video card that decided… The speed of hard drives progressed slowly, and replacing them did not give a noticeable increase in performance. Now, when solid-state drives have become not only affordable, but also have the necessary amount of memory, replacing a “working” (I mean not those where mountains of your photos and videos are simply stored) drive with an SSD has become not only a whim, but an urgent one. necessity. nine0005

In this review, I want to look at 240Gb solid state drives. This disk size was chosen for several reasons.

First. This is now the minimum required size so that the operating system feels calm, being updated on time, and you do not have to periodically delete your favorite games, although you do not play them for the time being . ..

Second. Parents began to complain that the laptop that you presented to them last year (the year before last), having updated yours, after updates and prolonged use, suddenly began to slow down or load for a long time and launch your favorite “classmates”. The exit is simple. You give them your 128gb SSD drive, which has already become “cramped” for you, and by quickly moving the system from their Acronix drive to an SSD, you make their virtual life better. nine0005

Third. Often came across 128gb disks, in which, to reduce the cost, all the memory is connected to one controller channel and that’s why they work slower than their older brothers. Yes, even before there were disks, the filling of which was over 60%, which negatively affected their performance (there was a drop in speed). Since the disks will be considered according to the principle “there is nowhere cheaper”, then, as they say, “what the hell is not joking”, let 240GB be better. It would be possible to have a larger volume, but they are still expensive. nine0005

Fourth. Can be used as a Christmas gift for friends. A disk of this volume looks like a worthy gift for the recipient and is not burdensome financially for the donor.

It is worth mentioning right away that the discs were searched for and bought on the basis of the “lowest price on Yandex Market”. Therefore, it turned out that the purchase was in 5 different online stores in Moscow.

Imagine the «competitors».

«I don’t care what people say about my appearance, I know I look like a king»
A.P. Chekhov

Kingston SA 400 240GB.

Long-established model of a well-known brand. Information from the manufacturer’s website:

9005 NAND

Technical characteristics

Form-factor

2.5 «

CC) , SATA 2.0 (3Gb/s)

Reading speed (MB/s)

to 500

Recording speed (MB/s)

to 350

Expected service life

1 million hours (average operating time)

  1. WD Green 240 9000 GB

    Model of a young brand, which until now has specialized more in consumables such as memory cards, keyboards and mice, but has recently begun to produce SSDs.

    Also discount information:

    Solid -bonded drive Smartbuy SSD 2.5 DEMI0002 JOLT

    Technical characteristics

    Interface

    SATA III 6 Gbit Satai 3 Gbit

    Reading (MB/s)

    		9000 9005) )

    480

    Used memory

    3D TLC Nand Flash

    1. 003 340

      Panther 240GB

    Quite a well-known and old brand. Anyone interested in computers should know him.

    also decided to try themselves in the field of manufacturing SSD …

    Information from the site:

    F 6 Pro 240GB

    New Chinese brand On the site

    Technical characteristics

    form-factor

    2.5 «

    		 55 Interface

    9005

    Interface

    9000 9000 9000 9000 9000 9000 9000

    002 Average operating time for refusal

    Technical characteristics

    Form-factor

    		9000 2. 5 «

    more than 1.500,000 hours

    1. Azerty 240GB

    Another model of the same brand. It looks like the same “Spartan”, it is also packed in antistatic, only the body is made of metal.

    Specifications

    Form factor

    2.5″

    909

    Drivers: drivers from developers’ websites.

    «What is strength, brother?»

    Danila Bagrov.

    Results

    So, we run the well-known CrystalDiskMark to check the honesty of the given data.

    Kingston , with the declared 500MB / s read and 350MB / s write, did not upset. The record is even much larger, apparently reinsured. Perhaps in vain, many people with such a linear recording speed would not consider purchasing a disk now. nine0005

    WD Green . The manufacturer indicated only a read speed of 545MB/s (almost bordering on the bandwidth limit of SATA3), but did not indicate the write speed. What is it for? Perhaps just out of modesty. What we see in the screenshot, taking into account the error and configuration, can be considered true data.

    Smartbuy Jolt , with 530mb/s and 480mb/s also pleases with linear read and write performance. nine0005

    Apacer AS 340 Panther . The declared 550 mb/s and 520 mb/s, taking into account the error and not the top-end configuration of the system unit on which the testing was carried out, will also be accepted as true (although there are still doubts about the recording).

    KingFast F 6 Pro . And here we come to the most interesting part — disks made by our friends from China. Did they want to embellish their speed characteristics, do their disk correspond to the declared 550mb/s read and 480mb/s write? nine0005

    Well, having said «one», let’s say «two». As in the case of Apaser, although, of course, there are also questions, but there are already questions about the speed of linear reading (it is difficult to attribute it to an error of 80 mb / s), we will assume that everything is fair.

    Azerty BORY . The declared 550 mb/s and 450 mb/s are quite honestly reflected in the screenshot of the test result.

    Azerty BR . also confirmed their «qualification» (in the language of Formula 1), showing results very close to the declared 500mb/s and 450mb/s. nine0005

    Well, the results confirmed everything, but the speed of linear reading and writing is not of much interest to us, because the operation of a disk in this mode is quite rare in ordinary life. What we can really learn from the CrystalDiskMark — test is the information in the RND4K Q32T16 line. This type of work is quite common. Let’s decipher. Blocks of 4K bytes with a queue depth of 32, 16 streams are written to disk and read from disk in random order. It turns out a rather large load on the disk, simulating the work, for example, of the operating system on the selected drive. nine0005

    The Smartbuy disk demonstrated a good reading result, but it did not make it into the top three in terms of writing, which in this case was headed by the Apacer disk. On the other hand, a solid second place was taken by the Azerty BR solid-state drive, which, if slightly behind the leader in reading, then in writing demonstrated speed characteristics similar to the leader. A commendable result for a beginner.

    « Nothing deceives us like our opinion»

    Leonardo da Vinci

    So let’s continue. Let’s use another disk performance test program, the very name tells us what it was created for. « AS SSD Benchmark » — the program was created by an enthusiast and has proven itself in tests.

    It is similar to the previous program, but has additional tools, for example, « Copy Benchmark «, which allows you to determine the speed of the drive when copying different groups of files. In order not to clutter up the volume with screenshots (which, by clicking on the link, you can view everything separately in one folder), I will immediately give a table with the results. The first three columns are the cumulative scores that the drives scored in the speed tests. The first column is the total number of points, the second is the number of points for reading, the third is for writing. The next columns are the speed of copying different types of files, such as ISO (means one large file), Program (copying a certain number of small files) and Game (copying a set of files of various sizes). The last two columns are the access time spent reading and writing information. nine0005

    Here we can see that in terms of the number of first places (I highlighted them with a darker cell color), the Chinese-made newcomer Azerty BR is again in the lead! He also leads in the amount of «medals», having collected seven prizes. Second place in the overall standings (by the number of «medals») was shared by KingFast, Kingston, Smartbuy and Azerty Bory, who scored 4 places each. Surprisingly, WD Green showed itself poorly, never taking a single place and showing very poor results relative to other contestants. nine0005

    After that, I conducted random reading tests with the Aida64 program, which confirmed the good performance of the Azerty BR and Smartbuy drives, as well as Azerty Bory , which closed the top three.

    And tests with the SSD-Z program, from which I quote the best I / O operations per second.

    By the way, after testing, an autopsy was performed to determine which memory and whose controllers were used by the manufacturer. Several controllers were defined immediately by program SSD-Z . This is the Phison controller installed in the Azerty BR, Kingston and KingFast drives. Let’s see how true this is.

    The filling of the disk Azerty BR 240 Gb , which received high marks in most tests. The SSD was manufactured using the HG2258 controller, nothing could be found on it, but judging by the marking in the name, consonant with Silicon Motion controllers, this is something licensed from this developer by a Chinese manufacturer. Th4512G346 memory is similar to Toshiba. nine0005

    Filling of the second disk of this manufacturer Azerty Bory 240 Gb .

    We see that the common SM2259XT controller is used, containing a single-core four-thread processor: 32-bit Argonaut RISC from SiliconMotion. And NAND Flash memory 29f01t2alcqh2 from Intel.

    Next drive Apacer AS340 Panther 240 GB .

    We see the controller Phison 3111- s 11 (SSD-Z didn’t recognize it). It is the result of the creativity of the engineering team, which tried to make the platform as simple as possible, but at the same time acceptable in terms of characteristics. Represents one ARM core. The number of channels for working with flash memory is only two. In addition, the external DRAM interface was removed from the controller.

    Let’s move on to the next «patient». KingFast F 6 Pro 240GB.

    We see the controller already familiar to us from the previous Apacer drive Phison 3111- s 11. The memory is used from the manufacturer Micron .

    Consider now Smartbuy Jolt 240GB.

    We see that the common SM2258 controller is used, which is a previous version of the SM2259 controller already discussed, containing a single-core, four-thread processor: 32-bit Argonaut RISC from SiliconMotion. According to NAND Flash memory, I did not find information on the network .

    Drive WD Green 240GB. Here we are in for a little surprise.

    As it turned out, Western Digital did not develop this disk itself, but together with the well-known company SanDisk. Therefore, the controller and memory chips are from SanDisk. I did not find a description of the technical data, but obviously something very simple, single-core and single-threaded. The memory is quite fast, judging by the linear read and write speeds. nine0005

    Kingston SA 400 240GB.

    We see the Kingston CP33238B controller and memory from Micron. Having rummaged through the Internet for several minutes, I found that Kingston uses a re-marked Phison PS3111-S11 controller, which we already met earlier in the Apacer and KingFast disk.

    As we can see, all manufacturers use budget controllers of approximately the same type, the beauty of using which lies in the fact that the manufacturer provides, in addition to the microcircuit and the manual for it, the firmware and a sample of the board divorced in a specialized program where you can install all this. You just have to set up production and add «salt and spices» to taste. nine0005

    Conclusion.

    «A gram of your own experience is worth more than a ton of other people’s instructions!»

    Mahatma Gandhi

    So, let’s summarize our testing of solid state drives in the budget price segment.

    The first place was taken by Azerty BR. Despite the Spartan packaging, it showed very decent results. How can one not remember the saying: «they are greeted by clothes, but they are escorted by the mind.» nine0005

    The second place went to the SmartBuy disk, which also showed good results in testing.

    And the third, so as not to be offended, we will assign to all the remaining test participants. All of them, with the exception of WD Green (I don’t rule out that I got caught with some kind of defect), showed decent results for drives in this price range.

    A copy of the article is here

    A very short review of the Netac N535S 120 GB SSD

    nine0002 23 December 2021, Thursday
    22:17

    wwr222

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    for section

    Blogs

    nine0005

    This material was written by a site visitor and has been rewarded.

    I got a new (in the sense of just bought) drive from the Chinese brand Netac, model NT01N535S-120G-S3X.

    This model was bought in Russia, although I personally first learned about these SSDs at the «People’s Chinese Bazaar».

    The person needed cheaper and from what is available in the store. Purely under the installation of Windows.

    recommendations

    The computer is not a gaming one, the board is old and there are no «perversions» in the form of M.2 slots at all. nine0005

    The box is quite neat and does not stand out against the background of classmates:

    The drive itself is in a transparent blister. In addition to it — only a small instruction.

    The case is made of typical «Chinese metal». But it looks pretty. Of course, I won’t take it apart. But at the end of the article there will be a link to a more professional review of the same SSD drive.

    Factory data

    Warranty: 36 months

    Country of origin: China

    General parameters

    Type: 2. 5 «SATA drive

    Model: NETAC N535S

    Code code: [NT01N535S-20G-S3X]

    Release: 2020

    The main characteristics

    GB

    Physical Interface : SATA III

    NVMe : No

    Drive Configuration

    Controller : Silicon Motion SM2258XT

    Memory Chip Type : NAND

    Number of bits per cell : 3 bits TLC

    Memory structure : 3D NAND

    DRAM buffer : no

    DRAM buffer size : no

    Performance figures

    Maximum sequential write speed : 9005 sequential read : 560 MB/s

    Reliability

    Maximum write resource (TBW) : 70 TB

    DWPD: 53%

    Additional information

    hardware encryption of data: no

    Complete: Documentation

    Dimensions

    Width: 70 mm

    Length: 100 mm

    Thickness: 7 mm

    Weight: 54 g

    During the testing time, he put it in your computer.

    First, let’s check its main characteristics in the program Crystal Disk Info :

    The real volume is 112 GB and the temperature sensor is locked at 40 degrees (during the tests, its readings did not change). nine0005

    The first test — Crystal Disk Mark surprises:

    4K reading performance is extremely low. I retested it twice more, but didn’t get a better result than this:

    I dug into the results of my SSD drives, but didn’t find such a result.

    To hell with it. Let’s go further…

    AS SSD Benchmark shows the following:

    Not a fountain, but it will do.

    ATTO Disk Benchmark :

    AJA System Test:

    And finally, I’ll just transfer the game files from one SSD to the one under test. The total size of the folder is approximately 54 GB. At first, the copy speed was kept at 340 MB / s, but the last 5 gigabytes went at a speed of about 35-40 MB / s.

    And here is a link to another review of this device:

    drive? nine0005

    «Even an old woman gets a hole» — as the Polish beauty Inga Zaionts said, a month after her wedding with my childhood friend Kolya Osten-Baken (Osya Bender). ..

    The disc left a double feeling. On the one hand, almost all indicators, like those of other state employees. On the other hand, strange results in one test. Yes, and actually a non-working temperature sensor is a clear stinginess. But in such cases, the main thing is that the disk has worked out the required resource.

    This material was written by a site visitor and has been rewarded. nine0005