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Conclusion
The MX Technology MXSSDEP3 shows us that there is more than one way to build a high-performance SSD. Sadly, this drive isn't what we expected it to be.
The day before the Flash Memory Summit 2016, we were in a private suite receiving a briefing for Liqid's quad-M.2 SSD prototype, which will eventually become a channel product for Kingston. The Liqid NVMe all-in-one RAID-type product churned out over 1 million IOPS and 5,500 MB/s of mixed sequential throughput. It was amazing to behold.
Just days before, we received emails from several companies asking us to come to their booths to see the "World's Fastest SSD." At least five companies announced, or planned to announce, the "World's Fastest SSD" within a two day window. After leaving the Liquid meeting, I received a call from Europe asking if I wanted to test the 'World's Fastest SSD." The timing was perfect. The rep didn't have many details at the time but could set up the tests. After learning it was an all-in-one RAID configuration, I expected the SSD to be an NVMe model with PCIe bifurcation, like the Liquid/Kingston prototype with Phison SSDs, or the HP Z Turbo Quad with Samsung NVMe SSDs, which we will review shortly.
When the MX Technology MXSSDEP3 arrived, I saw it was not the bifurcated NVMe 1 million IOPS beast I expected. It's still an impressive drive, but it doesn't take advantage of the latest technology available. To be fair, this is the fastest SSD I've ever tested during a few very specific workloads. However, when we learned about the $2,499 (including VAT) price, we lost the excitement we had for this product.
Two aspects will all but kill this product. The price is insane, and the reliance on legacy AHCI technology is perplexing. I even doubt if this product will ever come to market in the channel or as a retail product. The price is too high compared to products like the Samsung 960 Pro 2TB ($1,299), and the benefits are too shallow.
There is really only one workload where you should consider the MX Technology MXSSDEP3 over a 960 Pro or a custom-built SSD RAID array. Heavy sequential transfers, mainly during audio and video production when manipulating or combining large files into what is called a mix down. If you didn't already know what a mix down is, you can pass on this product and look elsewhere for performance.
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