Marvell-Based SSDs From Corsair, Crucial, OCZ, And Plextor: Tested
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Page 1:Differentiating With Marvell's SSD Controllers
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Page 2:Test Setup And Firmware Notes
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Page 3:Benchmark Results: 4 KB Random Performance
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Page 4:Benchmark Results: 128 KB Sequential Performance
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Page 5:PCMark 7 And Power Consumption
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Page 6:Examining Steady-State Performance
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Page 7:SSD Management: Problems With Secure Erase
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Page 8:Two Marvell-Based Stand-Outs Emerge
Test Setup And Firmware Notes
We are using the same testing protocol outlined in our earlier 60 GB SandForce round-up, which focuses on out-of-box performance. If TRIM and garbage collection are working, the performance of a desktop-oriented SSD should remain fairly consistent. We will also cover the other end of the spectrum, and measure the performance during reads and from a “dirty” drive. Performance will always fall between those two extremes.
Firmware Notes:
Since we updated our m4 SSDs to the latest 0309 firmware, we noticed a small benchmark change. Performance in 4K random reads tends to be a little slower at low queue depths. Otherwise, everything is the same as before. This validates Crucial's change log, which suggests that moving from 0009 would have little effect on performance.
| Test Hardware | |
|---|---|
| Processor | Intel Core i5-2400 (Sandy Bridge), 32 nm, 3.1 GHz, LGA 1155, 6 MB Shared L3, Turbo Boost Enabled |
| Motherboard | Gigabyte GA-Z68X-UD7-B3 |
| Memory | Kingston Hyper-X 8 GB (2 x 4 GB) DDR3-1333 @ DDR3-1333, 1.5 V |
| System Drive | Crucial m4 256 GB SATA 6Gb/s, Firmware: 0309 |
| Tested Drives | Crucial m4 64 GB SATA 6Gb/s, Firmware: 0309 |
| Crucial m4 128 GB SATA 6Gb/s, Firmware: 0309 | |
| Corsair Performance Pro 128 GB SATA 6Gb/s Firmware: 1.0 | |
| Plextor M3 64 GB SATA 6Gb/s Firmware: 1.01 | |
| Plextor M3 128 GB SATA 6Gb/s, Firmware: 1.02 | |
| Plextor M3 Pro 128 GB SATA 6Gb/s, Firmware: 1.01 | |
| OCZ Vertex 3 120 GB SATA 6Gb/s, Firmware: 2.15 | |
| OCZ Octane 128 GB SATA 6Gb/s, Firmware: 1.13 | |
| Graphics | Palit GeForce GTX 460 1 GB |
| Power Supply | Seasonic 760 W, 80 PLUS Gold |
| System Software and Drivers | |
| Operating System | Windows 7 x64 Ultimate |
| DirectX | DirectX 11 |
| Driver | Graphics: Nvidia 270.61 RST: 10.6.0.1002 Virtu: 1.1.101 |
| Benchmarks | |
|---|---|
| Iometer 1.1.0 | # Workers = 1, 4 KB Random: LBA=16 GB, varying QDs, 128 KB Sequential |
| PCMark 7 | Storage Suite |
| HD Tune Pro | v5.0, LBA= Full Span |
- Differentiating With Marvell's SSD Controllers
- Test Setup And Firmware Notes
- Benchmark Results: 4 KB Random Performance
- Benchmark Results: 128 KB Sequential Performance
- PCMark 7 And Power Consumption
- Examining Steady-State Performance
- SSD Management: Problems With Secure Erase
- Two Marvell-Based Stand-Outs Emerge
hmm , my M4 has 10x more BSOD than my vertex 3... Each i boot my pc and work with it i prepare myself for a BSOD with my M4...
That is what we in the I.T industry like to call: "Faulty Hardware".
If you considered that normal all this time, I have some bad news for you..
You must be joking... The list of forum thread complaining about SF controller instability is endless. The M4 actually has a very solid reputation. I've been running 2 128GB M4 in 2 different PC for the last 8 months. Not a single BSOD. They still both benchmark the same speed as day 1. Actually, the M4 was and might very well still be the best choice for balance between price, performance and reliability in the whole SSD market. In my book, there are only 3 manufacturers really worth mentioning when it comes to SSD: Crucial, Intel and Samsung.
Your unit is simply defective. That can happen to any manufacturer. RMA it and be happy.
Crucial M4's still kicking butt.
So has mine, but at $70 I am thinking I might ditch my Intel 320 for a Plextor M3. I've always been a fan of Plextor drives and it's good to know that the move to SSD hasn't changed their quality at all. Tempting, tempting...
Thanks for the great content!
I couldn't agree more. Having a fast drive means nothing if it dies or corrupts your data.