SanDisk Extreme II SSD Review: Striking At The Heavy-Hitters

Features
By Christopher Ryan
published

SanDisk is looking for a rise to prominence in the SSD segment with a new Marvell 88SS9187-based drive. The Extreme II packs 19 nm Toggle-mode NAND (from SanDisk, naturally), specialized firmware, and intriguing performance potential. How does it compare?

Test Setup And Benchmarks

Our consumer storage platform is based on Intel's Z77 platform controller hub paired with an Intel Core i5-2400 CPU. Intel's 6- and 7-series chipsets are virtually identical from a storage perspective. We're standardizing on older RST 10.6.1002 drivers for the foreseeable future.

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Test Hardware
ProcessorIntel Core i5-2400 (Sandy Bridge), 32 nm, 3.1 GHz, LGA 1155, 6 MB Shared L3, Turbo Boost Enabled
MotherboardGigabyte G1.Sniper M3
MemoryG.Skill Ripjaws 8 GB (2 x 4 GB) DDR3-1866 @ DDR3-1333, 1.5 V
System DriveKingston HyperX 3K 240 GB, Firmware: 5.02
Tested DrivesSandisk Extreme II 120 GB, Firmware: R1311
Row 5 - Cell 0 Sandisk Extreme II 240 GB, Firmware: R1311
Row 6 - Cell 0 Sandisk Extreme II 480 GB, Firmware: R1311
ComparativeOCZ Vertex 450 256 GB SATA 6Gb/s, Firmware: 1.0
Row 8 - Cell 0 Seagate 600 SSD 240 GB SATA 6Gb/s, Firmware: B660
Row 9 - Cell 0 Intel SSD 525 30 GB mSATA 6Gb/s, Firmware: LLKi
Row 10 - Cell 0 Intel SSD 525 60 GB mSATA 6Gb/s, Firmware: LLKi
Row 11 - Cell 0 Intel SSD 525 120 GB mSATA 6Gb/s, Firmware: LLKi
Row 12 - Cell 0 Intel SSD 525 180 GB mSATA 6Gb/s, Firmware: LLKi
Row 13 - Cell 0 Intel SSD 525 240 GB mSATA 6Gb/s, Firmware: LLKi
Row 14 - Cell 0 Intel SSD 335 240 GB SATA 6Gb/s, Firmware: 335s
Row 15 - Cell 0 Intel SSD 510 250 GB SATA 6Gb/s, Firmware: PWG2
Row 16 - Cell 0 OCZ Vertex 3.20 240 GB SATA 6Gb/s, Firmware: 2.25
Row 17 - Cell 0 OCZ Vector 256 GB SATA 6Gb/s, Firmware: 2.0
Row 18 - Cell 0 Samsung 830 512 GB SATA 6Gb/s, Firmware: CXMO3B1Q
Row 19 - Cell 0 Crucial m4 256 GB SATA 6Gb/s, Firmware: 000F
Row 20 - Cell 0 Plextor M5 Pro 256 GB SATA 6Gb/s, Firmware: 1.02
Row 21 - Cell 0 Corsair Neutron GTX 240 GB SATA 6Gb/s, Firmware: M206
GraphicsMSI Cyclone GTX 460 1 GB
Power SupplySeasonic X-650, 650 W 80 PLUS Gold
ChassisLian Li Pitstop
System Software and Drivers
OperatingSystemWindows 7 x64 Ultimate
DirectXDirectX 11
DriversGraphics: Nvidia 314.07RST: 10.6.1002IMEI: 7.1.21.1124
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Benchmarks
Tom's Hardware Storage Bench v1.0Trace-Based
Iometer 1.1.0# Workers = 1, 4 KB Random: LBA=16 GB, varying QDs, 128 KB Sequential, 8 GB LBA Precondition, Exponential QD Scaling
PCMark 7Secondary Storage Suite
PCMark VantageStorage Suite
Christopher Ryan
40 Comments Comment from the forums
  • Someone Somewhere
    Where's the 840/840 Pro?
    Also, you appear to have put one of the labels back on the wrong way round.
    Reply
  • awez
    My thoughts exactly, where's the 840 and 840 pro?
    Reply
  • boulbox
    I have always been a fan of Sandisk SSDs, can't wait until to try this out in someone else's build as they usually sell their products that is very acceptable for budgets.
    Reply
  • Dixevil
    heavy hitters with no 840pro
    Reply
  • slomo4sho
    I am also curious about the selection of the comparative models. Having the Extreme (not II) in the charts for comparison between the two generations would have been a welcomed addition along with the inclusion of the 840 series.
    Reply
  • flong777
    I know a lot of people have already pointed this out but can't Tom's Hardware afford a damn 256 GB 840 Pro? I mean come on, it is the fastest SSD on the planet right now.
    Reply
  • raidtarded
    Seriously, what is the point of this article? The fastest car in the world is as Yugo if you dont test against a Lamborghini.
    Reply
  • teh_gerbil
    Why are there 2 of your most recent SSD reviews lack the Samsung 840/Pro? Are you being paid by the respective companies to avoid using them, as for both SSD's, as per other reviews I have read, the 840 Pro cr@ps all over both of them, but due to your lack of them, they're both top of your benchmarks! Very very bad benchmarking.
    http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/vertex-450-256gb-review,3517.html
    Reply
  • merikafyeah
    Want an 840 Pro comparison and far more in-depth review?
    See here: http://www.anandtech.com/show/7006/sandisk-extreme-ii-review-480gb
    It's Anand's new favorite SSD, and based on the results, I'm inclined to agree.
    It's peak performance is right up there with the 840 Pro, but what's really extreme is the drive's consistency. It's performance when the drive is close to full is unmatched.

    There are no high peaks accompanied by low valleys in performance when it comes to the Extreme II. It's pretty much smooth and fast sailing all the time, which in my book, places the Extreme II a step above the 840 Pro. The 840 Pro would have to be at least $30 cheaper than the Extreme II for me to even consider it over the Extreme II.
    Reply
  • JPNpower
    Why is the 840 Pro the fastest SSD on the planet? It has its share of drawbacks, and is slower than the OCZ Vector, and the Plextor M5 Pro Xtreme on many benchmarks. Don't make broad statemets that aren't always true.
    Reply