Results: Enterprise Video Streaming Performance
Video streaming is a demanding workload within the enterprise space. Companies want more HD streams with higher bit-rates and no stuttering. A storage solution well-suited for enterprise-class video delivery has completely different capabilities than something designed for databases. At the end of the day, you're basically looking for exceptional large-block sequential write performance. You also need a high level of consistency that traditionally isn't seen from consumer SSDs. For a more in-depth analysis, take a look at page 10 of Intel SSD 910 Review: PCI Express-Based Enterprise Storage.
Once the drive is in a steady state, we write its entire capacity 100 times. We use 8 MB transfer sizes and a queue depth of four, recording timestamps for each individual write. The graph below reflects 100-point averaging, so that you can better visualize the results.
Performance is fairly consistent across the entire span of the drive. We weren't able to hit the 700 MB/s mark seen in the shorter tests, but we still sustained a healthy 660 MB/s. There were a few dips during our runs. None of them were major, though. With all of that said, it was a little surprising that the SSD800MM wasn't more consistent, especially considering its excellent random write consistency.
| Threshold | Best-Case Buffer Size | Worst-Case Buffer Size |
|---|---|---|
| 620 MB/s | 19 MB | 30 MB |
| 630 MB/s | 20 MB | 83 MB |
| 640 MB/s | 20 MB | 137 MB |
| 650 MB/s | 21 MB | 191 MB |
| 660 MB/s | 22 MB | 246 MB |
| 670 MB/s | 2239 MB | 2550 MB |
Even looking at a worst-case scenario, you only need a minimal amount of buffering to maintain 660 MB/s. It might be smart to back off of that number a bit though, since going over will cause your buffering needs to soar.
