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Throughput, Streaming, 4K Testing, Interface

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Read performance stays above 200 MB/s across the board. The only drive that's noticeably faster than the crowd is Crucial’s new RealSSD C300, but that unit requires a SATA 6Gb/s interface to perform, and it has its performance drawbacks on writes.

If Intel’s X25-M drive could maintain its read performance level on writes, it would probably be the undisputed winner...but it can’t. Intel stays between 82 and 104 MB/s sequential write throughut, and this review taught us to appreciate consistent performance. The new JMicron drives vary, despite TRIM support, which might be due to the Highpoint/Marvell SATA 6Gb/s controller we’re using. In any case, it doesn’t matter much. We know from our Indilinx drive results that the controller handles TRIM well, and ultimately what counts most is effective performance.


Crucial and Intel are extremely strong at 4K random reads. Toshiba, Kingston, and Western Digital are almost unbelievably weak here. However, WD’s data sheet doesn’t lie, only promising up to 5,000 I/Os per second.

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kewlx 04/13/2010 6:12 AM
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duk3 04/13/2010 6:32 AM
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-6+

Hmm...
12 core processor, new computer or an SSD...

husker 04/13/2010 7:18 AM
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-4+

duk3 :
Hmm...12 core processor, new computer or an SSD...



Tough choice so I got all 3, minus 8 cores. I purchased the Kingston in 64GB size. I personally think it is a great value, once you've accepted that there is big price premium for this technology. Power consumption comparison? Really? Is the 2 or 3 watts difference really worth splitting hairs over when it comes to systems that typically need to be feed hundreds and hundreds of watts? Also, another reason for getting one of these is that they are totally silent. Sometimes you have to look past pure benchmarking numbers and look at the overall experience that these drives give you.

anonymous 04/13/2010 7:29 AM
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--2+

Great article, but no RAID tests?

martel80 04/13/2010 8:26 AM
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-3+

Quote :New SSDs from Crucial, Kingston, and Western Digital
haven’t made buying decisions any easier. In fact, buying the right drive just got more complex.
I think the conclusion is still the same... Buy Intel. :)

ossie 04/13/2010 10:33 AM
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-1+

"The new JMicron drives vary, despite TRIM support, which might be due to the Highpoint/Marvell SATA 6Gb/s controller we’re using."
Ouch...
Also, access time graphs seem very inconsistent (WD/JM). Ever tried to discard anomalous data?

Intel's still best all-rounder.

anonymous 04/13/2010 12:03 PM
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--3+

You should also look at value in terms of $ per GB as well. A 256GB drive lets you do a lot more.

sstym 04/13/2010 12:40 PM
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-15+

I am not convinced that performance per watt is a good indicator for SSD's. The worst power hog in your review consumes a whopping 3 Watts at full load. Even a power-sipping desktop system consumes more than 100 Watts at load. Undervolting your CPU (or GPU) without reducing its frequency will yield more convincing power saving returns than switching from a 3W SSD to a 1W SSD.
How about adding a Performance per dollar indicator instead?

Snipergod87 04/13/2010 1:47 PM
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-5+

I agree with sstym. Those low power levels dont really matter, undervolting your CPU like I did on my older laptop, 1.35Vcore to 1.30. like a 7-10Watt savings lol.
Performance per dollar would be a great graph to add.

zoemayne 04/13/2010 2:04 PM
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-0+

the ocz vertex looks good

pjsinc 04/13/2010 2:37 PM
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-3+

Kingston also has V+ series (e.g. SNVP325-S2/128GB), I wonder how it compares to the tested model since at least on paper the specifications seem to be higher that with the tested model...

JohnnyLucky 04/13/2010 2:54 PM
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-0+

Seems it would be worth waiting for more development and fine tuning.

tecmo34 04/13/2010 3:48 PM
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-2+

Confirms as other have said... Intel is still one of the best overall options.

Also.... no OCZ Vertex LE (Limited Edition) tested or listed on the charts? These seem to beat out all the other current SSD's based on reviews at other "not named" websites. :)

rhino13 04/13/2010 3:51 PM
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-0+

Thanks for the informative article Toms.

It seems Intel really knows how to make a fab.

HalfHuman 04/13/2010 4:18 PM
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congrats on trying to make a comprehnsive review on various ssds as waters are quite murky.
i also do not see the point on making comparisons between different drives as they are so tiny. a perfromance per dollar seems a better measurement than performance per dollar.
seems that indilix is the best when you factor in all and that is the reason that i'll get that into my workstation.
i guess right now it really does not make much sense to go for more than 60-80gb as prices skyrocket beyond that. performance is much more important than size on these drives. anyway in 2 years you will look at these 60gig drives as you look now at 128mb penflash drives. so my conclusion is that it's best to get a good performer in 40-80gig space that is not more expensive than 300$.

HalfHuman 04/13/2010 4:20 PM
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* power usage comparison

salimbest83 04/13/2010 4:37 PM
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the only reason i choose intel

husker 04/13/2010 5:53 PM
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pjsinc :
Kingston also has V+ series (e.g. SNVP325-S2/128GB), I wonder how it compares to the tested model since at least on paper the specifications seem to be higher that with the tested model...



Check out the review of a Kingston 128GB V+ drive here: http://www.hardwarecanucks.com/

Gian124 04/13/2010 5:56 PM
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As another poster pointed out on SSD Roundup, Part 1... it is odd that the Intel G2 Used drive out performs Fresh on several benches. Any explanation TH?

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