What is the best ssd to choose. Choosing an SSD drive - how to buy a good SSD (solid state drive) drive. High speed NVMe copy

Solid state drives can rightly be called one of the most useful innovations in the computer market - it is enough to buy an SSD so that even an old computer starts to work very briskly and responsively.

However, choosing an SSD in 2018 is not so easy - the market is saturated with models of various types and characteristics. Such an abundance of options is explained by the fact that it is very simple to produce SSDs, because these are, in fact, the same flash drives, only made a little differently.

The Latest in Solid State Drive Technology

SSD stands for Solid State Drive or Solid State Drive. This is a small flat box, inside of which there is an electronic circuit board with microcircuits. There are no mechanical, moving parts, as in hard drives, here.

And a five-year-old Intel 320 SSD:

As you can see, the SSD spends almost 160 times less time on a random search, which is due to the absence of mechanical parts. And this is a 2012 SSD, and modern samples are much more productive. Whereas HDDs have not become much faster in this regard over the same time.

Secondly, it is the absence of noise and (with some reservations) heating. Pancakes are constantly spinning inside the hard drive, on which data is stored, and the head is also moving, making a characteristic crackle or crunch. An SSD, on the other hand, is a completely electronic device, and therefore does not make absolutely no sounds. The same applies to heating in the general case - solid state drives consume energy and heat up less than hard drives. The exception is top-end NVMe SSDs that are inserted into PCI Express slots.

Third, SSDs are very resistant to mechanical stress such as shocks, bumps and falls, unlike hard drives. Therefore, solid-state drives are so appreciated by lovers of reliable laptops - the HDD has always been the weakest link there, quickly failing due to constant vibrations, knocks and changes in position. With the advent of SSDs, laptops have become truly mobile devices.

Fourth, it is the predictability of the resource. An SSD has such a regular indicator as a resource or the degree of wear of flash memory, which can be viewed at any time. Given a good controller, this gives a fairly accurate drive failure time. For example, here is what SMART writes about the same five-year-old SSD:

This means that the resource of the drive is 92%, i.e. flash memory is worn out by 8%. In the case of a hard drive, there are no such indicators and cannot be due to its mechanical design. An HDD is almost equally likely to fail in a week, six months or 5 years.

As for the SSD resource, there is a myth that hard drives are much more reliable than solid state drives - supposedly a small number of memory cell overwrites leads to the fact that SSDs break down almost every few months. Of course it isn't. Even TLC memory, despite its seemingly terribly low overwrite count, is more than reliable at home, and can last up to 10 years.

Already in this class of drives, you can count on 350-550 MB / s of sequential read and write, this is practically the ceiling for the SATA bus. Budgeting also manifests itself in random and mixed loads - as a rule, such models are very leisurely in them compared to more expensive samples. Although, of course, even this is much better than the fastest hard drives.

It is useful to install such SSDs on old or cheap computers that usually have a hard drive. This gives a serious increase in speed and responsiveness, thanks to which even weak or outdated hardware can be used quite comfortably for several more years. But for modern, powerful configurations, it is better to buy more expensive SSDs so that they are in harmony with the rest of the components.

Good representatives of the class (particularly reliable models are highlighted in bold):

• GOODRAM CX300
• Kingston A400
• Kingston SSDNow UV400
• Smartbuy Ignition Plus
• Smartbuy Revival 2
• Smartbuy Splash 2
• Transcend SSD370
• Western Digital Green

midrange SSD

This is a price range from 4,000 to 8,500 rubles, which includes drives up to 480 GB using both TLC and MLC memory. But what is most interesting is that NVMe solid-states are already appearing here, which are inserted into the M.2 slot, and give out 2-3 Gb / s of sequential reading and 1-2 Gb / s of writing. That is, for quite reasonable money, you can achieve the highest performance in disk operations, which is suitable for powerful desktops and workstations.

These NVMe SSDs include:

• A-DATA XPG SX7000
• Apacer Z280
• OCZ RD400
• Patriot Scorch
• Plextor M9PeGN
• Smart Buy M7
• Transcend MTE850
• Western Digital Black

The reverse side of this affordability is unstable speed under mixed and random loads, as well as a relatively small resource. However, for several years of normal desktop workloads, these SSDs are quite suitable.

As for the usual SATA devices, here you can already count on consistently high speeds (up to 580 Mb / s) and greater durability. Special attention should be paid to solid state memory 3D TLC - such as Samsung EVO.

Mid-range SSDs are great for office computers, gaming machines and high-performance workstations. If you choose a capacious 480-gigabyte model, then the need for a separate HDD may completely disappear - this volume is more than enough for a working desktop or laptop.

• ADATA Ultimate SU900
• GOODRAM Iridium Pro
• Intel 545s
• Kingston HyperX Savage
• OCZ TR200
• Samsung 850/860 EVO
• Samsung 850 PRO
• Western Digital Blue

Top SSDs

At a price of up to 21,000-22,000 rubles, you can buy a SATA SSD up to 1 TB, or 500-512 GB in NVMe version, providing speeds of several Gb / s and high reliability of data storage. That is, here you can choose - a capacity comparable to HDD and standard 550 Mb / s, or 2 times smaller size combined with outstanding performance. At the same time, NVMe solid-states can use both M.2 connectors and PCI Express slots, like video cards.

It is clear that SATA drives with a capacity of 960 GB or 1 TB can already completely replace a traditional hard drive, while providing tens or even hundreds of times higher performance. However, SATA bandwidth is not enough to process very heavy content. When working with photos or high-definition video, it will be useful to purchase an NVMe drive. Moreover, professional solutions like Samsung PRO are available for such a price, with the appropriate properties.

Good representatives of the class (particularly reliable models are in bold), in addition to the models from the previous paragraph:

• Intel 600p
• Kingston HyperX Predator
• Kingston KC400
• Plextor M9Pe
• Samsung 860/960 PRO

Premium segment

This includes all SSDs with a price above 22,000 rubles. These are SSDs for professional and corporate purposes, the volume of which starts at 960 GB / 1 TB, and up to tens of terabytes. Many of them are made in the form of a board that is inserted into a PCI Express x4 or x8 slot and has a massive cooling radiator. This is not just a decoration that should inspire the buyer with the seriousness of the device. Such SSDs with read speeds up to 6 Gb / s (Hitachi / HGST models) get very hot, and can even reach throttling from overheating.

Of course, in this segment there are quite traditional SATA drives of large volume and reasonable cost, and M.2 solid-state drives with fairly high speeds. But I would like to focus on something very special: Intel Optane drives with innovative 3D XPoint memory.

As mentioned at the beginning of the article, 3D XPoint is a completely different type of memory that uses phase transitions of matter, and has nothing to do with the usual SLC/MLC/TLC. The solid state based on it, Intel Optane 900P, is also made in the form of a PCI Express board. At first glance, its characteristics are no different from other NVMe drives - the same 2-2.5 Gb / s read and write. The power of 3D XPoint is manifested in 2 factors: a colossal resource - 5-8 peta bytes of recording (5-8 thousand TB), and tremendous speed on random operations, compared to any other SSD.

Intel Optane can rightfully be called the SSDs of the future or truly full-fledged SSDs that are free from the last remnants of a typical hard drive problem - severe performance drops in random and mixed operations.

Good representatives of the class (particularly reliable models are in bold), in addition to the models from the previous paragraph:

• Corsair Neutron
• Intel Optane 900P
• Intel Pxxxx and Sxxxx Series
• Micron xxxx Pro
• Seagate Nytro
• Transcend Jet Drive

The choice of SSD: final theses

• Even budget solid state drives are fast and reliable enough for home use.
• Relatively inexpensive, you can take NVMe models and get several Gb / s of speed.
• To work with heavy content, it makes sense to buy a professional-grade NVMe SSD.
• If you need an almost eternal drive with huge performance, then - Intel Optane.
• For 25-40 thousand rubles, you can take an SSD of several TB in volume and completely forget about hard drives.

If it seems to you that the world of personal computers has long lost its former vivacity and has become like a dull swamp, then you simply do not know what is happening now with solid state drives. There are absolutely no hints of a consolidation of players, a duopoly or a close to monopoly position of any of the manufacturers. On the contrary, SSD is not only a young and interesting industry that brings a fresh air to the PC, but also an extremely dynamic emerging market, with sharp price and competitive struggles and a very fast-moving situation. Therefore, many events in the SSD market often turn into a real drama about the struggle of new technologies against old ones, about the rivalry of small manufacturers with much larger ones, about large-scale acquisitions and commercial transactions, about ups and downs, about price games and caring for the interests of users, and at the same time and about how rapidly the picture of what is happening can change over short periods of time.

But 2016 was a somewhat different year for the SSD market. Although few people noticed it, he gave answers to many questions that had come up every now and then. And if in last year’s and the year before last’s final reviews, we could only speak with full confidence about what happened, and all forecasts remained only timid (and not always successful) attempts to look into the future, now the moment has come when many forks in history have already been passed , and we have a pretty clear picture of the SSD of tomorrow.

Nevertheless, this does not mean that there are no surprises in the market for solid state technologies in the near future. On the contrary, during 2016, the three leading developers, Micron, Intel and Samsung, stubbornly built fundamentally new approaches to building memory for solid state drives. And the fruits of these sprouts, which can actually change again in the SSD market, if not everything, then a lot, are expected in the relatively near future. But this is a topic for a separate discussion. Today, our material is being released in the “results” series, so we will talk about what answers to pressing questions about solid state drives have given the past year.

TLC is the new MLC

Any conversation about what's going on in the SSD market inevitably comes down to NAND. Flash memory is the main component of SSDs, and it is this that largely determines their performance, price, and reliability. In this regard, 2016 was a turning point. If a year ago MLC NAND was the main type of memory for consumer SSD models, and TLC memory was used only in the budget segment, by now the situation has changed radically.

The production volume of TLC NAND in physical terms bypassed the production of MLC memory at the end of 2015, and today NAND memory with a three-bit cell is the most massive and widespread option. And while this state of affairs seriously upsets conservative users who believe that TLC cannot provide decent reliability, in fact this is far from the case. There have been notable changes in terms of the characteristics of three-bit memory, and today's TLC NAND has little in common with the memory that we had to deal with at the dawn of this technology. The norms of the technological processes used in its production stopped being reduced two years ago. Therefore, now planar memory is produced according to very mature 15/16-nm technical processes, which are debugged to such an extent that they not only provide a very high yield of suitable crystals, but also guarantee a good quality of the semiconductor cell structure. As a result, today's TLC NAND is capable of transferring many times more overwrites compared to the three-bit memory of the first generations, for which the guaranteed resource was only 500-1000 overwrites.

Another important change has affected the controllers used at the heart of most TLC drives. It was a good idea to use controllers with LDPC ECC support - strong adaptive error correction algorithms that increase the probability of correctly reading data from TLC NAND several times.

Such controllers have been offered by Silicon Motion and Marvell for a long time, and they allow the production of TLC drives with a level of reliability similar to the reliability of old MLC models.

In other words, the mass adoption of TLC memory is a sustainable trend, which is based not only on the desire of manufacturers to increase profit margins. This is one of the signs of progress, thanks to which SSDs can continue to crowd out magnetic storage media from the market. After all, TLC NAND provides a higher storage density and allows you to make semiconductor crystals with a higher capacity. This means that its implementation opens the way to increasing the limiting volumes and further reducing the unit cost of solid-state drives.

However, MLC NAND has not yet completely lost its role and has not become like a niche SLC NAND. Yes, there are noticeably more TLC drives on the market, but memory with a two-bit cell remains a completely natural option for flagship drive models. MLC NAND can provide approximately 1.5 times the latency advantage and 1.5 times the write throughput advantage, so it continues to be widely used in high-speed PCI Express SSDs as well as high-end SATA SSDs focused on serving heavy loads.

However, there is no doubt that the share of MLC memory will continue to decline, and, moreover, even denser memory compared to TLC - QLC NAND is expected to enter the market in the future. It provides for the storage of four bits of data at once in each cell, and drives based on this technology are already under development by at least two major manufacturers - Micron and Toshiba.

The companies promise that the introduction of QLC will significantly increase the capacity of solid state drives without much loss in performance over the next two to three years. It is expected that this will expand the scope of the SSD, including the storage of "cold data" and will be another nail in the coffin of traditional hard drives.

3D NAND: slowly but surely

Another way to increase the density of data storage in NAND-memory chips is the transition from a planar to a three-dimensional layout of semiconductor crystals. 3D NAND is a very promising technology, and we expected its widespread implementation in 2016. But it didn't work out. At the moment, only two manufacturers can boast of a full-scale release of 3D flash memory for SSD: Samsung and the IMFT joint venture (Micron plus Intel). As for SK Hynix and the Flash Forward alliance (Toshiba plus Western Digital), they also started producing 3D NAND, but, unfortunately, not for solid state drives.

As a result, the introduction of 3D NAND, despite its promise, is extremely slow. Unconditional superiority on this front keeps Samsung. The company began producing multilayer flash memory back in 2012-2013, and in 2016 the 3D V-NAND it developed was used in the vast majority of Samsung drives. Moreover, in this case we are talking about third-generation three-dimensional memory, the number of layers in which has been increased to 48.

Thanks to this, Samsung manages to hold the lead in increasing SSD capacities. So, now the company can offer PC users mass models, the capacity of which reaches 4 TB, and server drives with a capacity of up to 16 TB. It should be added that the introduction of 64-layer memory, which belongs to the next, fourth generation, is just around the corner. The appearance of drives based on it is expected in the coming months.

Micron is also doing relatively well with 3D NAND. Over the past year, the company has been able to mass-produce 32-layer memory and begin using it in solid-state drives targeted at the mass segment. The transition to new technology is happening at Micron at a very confident pace. By the end of the year, memory with a three-dimensional layout surpassed traditional planar memory in terms of production. And this allows the company not only to use 3D NAND in SSDs sold under its own name and under a subsidiary brand of Crucial, but also to supply 3D flash memory chips to the side. Their biggest buyers are ADATA and Transcend, which already have models based on Micron's multilayer memory.

The systematic introduction of 3D NAND into its own solid-state drives is also happening at Intel. The company uses the same technology as Micron, and therefore it is not surprising that so far it has been able to introduce several SSD models (mainly aimed at the enterprise and server market) based on 3D memory. And if you consider that Intel refused to deploy a planar 16-nm semiconductor process at its NAND factory, this means that the company will soon finally return to using its own memory in its drives.

Unfortunately, other semiconductor manufacturers cannot yet boast of noticeable progress in the implementation of 3D NAND. While Toshiba, Western Digital, and SK Hynix launched 3D flash memory back in early 2016, there really isn't a single solid-state drive where it's used. The problem is quality: the memory of these manufacturers is only suitable for use as part of eMMC, UFS, and eMCP products, but not for SSD, where the requirements for cell endurance and stability are much higher.

Nevertheless, at the beginning of this year, SK Hynix plans to launch the third generation of its 3D NAND with 48 layers, and Toshiba and Western Digital should master the mass production of 64-layer 3D BiCS3 memory, which in both cases should be suitable for SSD . And this means that 2017 has every chance of becoming a turning point, when three-dimensional memory nevertheless begins to crowd out memory with a planar structure everywhere.

Rubicon to be crossed in mid-2017

In addition, it is necessary to mention fundamentally new developments, which we will probably be able to see in action in the new year. First, there is the promising 3D XPoint memory that Intel and Micron are working on. It is based on PCM (Phase Change Memory) technology, which is expected to reduce latencies by about 10 times, increase endurance by three times, increase write speeds by four times, read speeds by three times and 30 percent reduction in power consumption compared to products based on traditional NAND.

However, no one promises low prices - we are only talking about the fact that products based on 3D XPoint will be sold cheaper than DRAM-memory of the same volume. Therefore, it is very likely that first-generation 3D XPoint drives, for which Intel is going to use the Optane brand, and Micron - QuantX, will initially have a small capacity and can only be positioned as a caching intermediary for a disk system. And this means that we won't have to talk about the mass character of products based on 3D XPoint for a long time.

3D XPoint is one of the most promising technologies in the SSD market

Samsung, which is developing Z-NAND technology, is also engaged in promising and fundamentally new projects in the field of 3D NAND. Unfortunately, much less is known about it than about 3D XPoint, but nevertheless Samsung intends to bring the first Z-SSD drives based on Z-NAND to the market in the coming year. And this is quite believable: Z-NAND does not apply any new physical principles, and, apparently, this memory is something similar to a three-dimensional multilayer SLC NAND. At the same time, the developers promise that the latency of Z-NAND will not be inferior to the latency of 3D XPoint, and the throughput will be even higher.

⇡ Prices no longer fall, and even vice versa

Over the past years, we have become accustomed to a steady trend: the prices of SSDs should gradually decrease. Indeed, memory manufacturers are constantly adding new manufacturing facilities and introducing new technologies that allow increasing storage density in NAND devices. Thanks to this, flash memory production volumes (in terms of capacity) are increasing by about 40 percent annually, which over the past years has been a good reason for the continuous decrease in the unit cost of flash memory, and therefore SSD. However, in 2016 this mechanism broke down, and, oddly enough, Apple spoiled it.

For example, the annual change in the spot price of Micron's 128 Gb MLC NAND chips

Since mid-2016, the price of NAND chips has increased by almost a third. And of course, this could not but affect the cost of solid state drives, in which flash memory is one of the main components. So far, of course, we are not talking about a symmetrical increase in the price of SSDs, and over the past year, prices for the most part have just not fallen. But this will not continue. By the end of the year, drives still rose in price by 6-10 percent, if we talk about MLC models, and by 6-9 percent - in the case of TLC models. And this is not a one-time event. Forecasts say that over the next few months, the cost of SSD will increase by another 20-25 percent from today's level, and there is no reason not to believe it.

The difficult period for SSD is seen throughout the coming year. Demand for NAND chips is expected to continue to grow throughout the year and eventually increase again by 45-50 percent compared to last year. In this case, NAND production volumes can only be raised by 30 percent due to the fact that memory manufacturers, with the exception of Toshiba and Intel, have suspended the launch of new production facilities, and the debugging of multilayer memory technology, which allows increasing output by increasing its density, is taking place. much slower than the original plan. That is, the shortage of flash memory will at least remain, and in the worst case, it will even increase.

All this, of course, will affect the expansion of the SSD. It is clear that the originally formulated goals of replacing traditional mechanical hard drives with solid state drives can no longer be achieved. In addition, user demand for large-capacity SSDs will also stop growing. Yes, 256GB and 512GB SSDs have become more popular over the last two years than 128GB SSDs, and the average capacity of SSDs sold has now risen to around 360GB, but a further shift in user interest towards larger storage models is less At least until 2018, now you don’t have to wait. The cost of 128-gigabyte models of solid-state drives will not fall to the level of half-terabyte HDDs. That is, the massive introduction of SSDs in low-cost computers and laptops, which was expected in 2017, will obviously now be pushed back to a later date.

Not a luxury, but a means of acceleration. Such a flash drive can make any laptop or PC “more energetic”, whether it is a home or server assembly. The response of the software, the process of starting / shutting down the OS and other everyday tasks will be performed almost instantly. Such drives are an excellent alternative to "classic" HDDs, if only because they do not make noise and work ten times faster.

In order to choose the right SSD and not be disappointed with the purchase, a rating of the best models for 120-128 GB has been created. This volume is just enough to store the operating system and important programs on the disk. The article talks about the key features and parameters of each top option.

A worthy representative, released by a popular company, pleasantly surprises with its speed and durability. A noticeable increase in performance or PC, whether it be games, professional software, or the launch of the operating system - the drive will cope with such tasks with a bang. However, not only this SSD is able to please the owner. He also has other attractive qualities, thanks to which the disc entered the rating of the best.

Note: classic - 2.5 inch - the format of the model allows it to fit perfectly into both a stationary system unit and a laptop configuration.

Why the SSD drive hit the top:

• Reliable - a flash drive is capable of working for a thousand hours before it fizzles out.
• The shock and vibration resistant design ensures stable operation of the 120 GB drive.
• Comfortable installation without assistance - 120 GB can be supplied as part of the kit.
• Fast - SSD writes 350 megabits per second, and counts 550 megabits in the same time.

Games, Internet surfing, “heavy” software, PC / laptop startup, shutdown and other daily tasks that users have to face will now be performed much faster. With this drive, even not the most modern PCs and laptops will have a second wind. The model weighs only 32 grams, so it won't weigh down even an ultrabook too much.

Note: the device belongs to a series of environmentally friendly and energy-saving SSD - GREEN.

Four attractive features of the disc:

1. Support for Trim development, which aims to maintain the highest level of performance throughout the life of the drive. This technology checks the writes and tells the controller which blocks it shouldn't touch, thereby reducing wear on the flash drive.
2. Like the previous 120 GB SSD from this rating, the presented option is able to last a thousand hours. In addition, it has a very pleasant impact resistance during operation - 1500 G.
3. It has a low energy consumption rate, which is especially important when working with laptops. Due to energy efficiency, the laptop battery lasts longer on a single charge.
4. Convenience and ease of installation, and compatibility with most give the owner of SSDs the opportunity to do without the help of computer wizards.

For lovers of more volumes:

Nimble and reliable model from will be a great alternative to the classic hard drive. The device is intended for internal use. Compatible with desktop assemblies and laptops, durable and very nimble SSD is not without reason included in the rating of the best drives with a memory capacity of 120-128 gigabytes.

Five nice qualities of a flash device:

1. Hardy long-liver - able to work one and a half million hours.
2. Like the previous models on the list, this SSD does not reject Trim technology. This development ensures the maximum level of performance of the device throughout its life.
3. The maximum speed of 6 Gb / s (bandwidth indicator) is guaranteed by SATA III. As for the recording of information, it is carried out at a speed of 349 megabits in an instant. The disk also reads data very quickly - it reads 544 megabits of information per second.
4. A very decent impact resistance rating during operation (1500 G) adds reliability points to this.
5. SMART support is also a nice touch. Thanks to this function, the user has the ability to monitor the status of the drive. The number of write cycles per cell, the percentage of wear, the approximate time the device failed and other important information will allow you to transfer data in time if necessary.

SANDISK 2.5" SATA 3.0 PLUS 120GB

The performance of the indoor model is provided by TLC type NAND memory. Compactness, reliability, easy installation - these are not all the advantages of a flash device.

Note: as with other models ranked among the best, this option has become. So the device will become both a large-sized system unit and a laptop.

The main features of the top drive:

• Uniform resource consumption and maximum performance throughout the life of the 120-gigabyte version is provided by the Trim team.
• SSD is able to serve its owner for quite a long time. The time between failures of this disk is 1.75 thousand hours, and the shock resistance index during operation is 1500G.
• quickly reads and writes information. So, in an instant, the device reads 530 megabits of information, and writes down - 310.

Despite all the advantages of this SANDISK, the disk still had a drawback, namely, the lack of hardware encryption.

Reliability and speed aren't the only, but powerful, reasons to buy the premium variant released by the "memory masters". Equipped with fast NAND memory, which belongs to the TLC type, the flash device will be able to please its owner with other qualities.

A reliable and durable SSD with an optimal capacity for installing the system and programs - 120 GB - and a pleasant price tag pleases with performance indicators. The compact device is easy to install even in a computer, even in a laptop. The disk is equipped with NAND TLC memory and a 2 CH controller.

1. High performance. writes and reads data at a very serious speed - 450/500 megabits per second, respectively.
2. Like other devices on the list of decent 120-128 GB drives, it supports Trim. This technology is able to keep productivity at the maximum level and optimize the wear of the cells of the model for stable and long-term operation.
3. Capable of a long service - the work of this must exceed a thousand hours for the disk to retire.

SAMSUNG 2.5" 850 120GB SATA

High performance and secure storage of information, reliability and durability, easy installation in a PC or laptop without the help of professionals - all this is quite real. One of the significant, but far from the only advantage of the model is its low cost combined with chic characteristics. However, otherwise, the drive simply would not have made it to the rating reflecting the best SSD models with 120-128 GB of flash memory.

Six main benefits:

1. TurboWrite's proprietary development increases the speed of writing data to a disk in sequential mode. The write and read speeds are also impressive - 520 and 540 megabits per second, respectively.

2. AES 256 bit hardware encryption is responsible for the security of file storage.

3. Trim and NCQ are developments whose main task is to make the drive live as long as possible without losing performance in the future.

4. Able to serve well for a very long time - 1.5 million hours.

5. The drive will also please with excellent bandwidth: if you use SATA III, then the figure will be 6 Gb / s, and if SATA second generation - 3 Gb / s. Not even the newest laptop configuration will gain a second wind.

6. The Magician software will update the firmware automatically. In addition, the program serves as a tool for performance optimization.

Reliability and durability are significant, but not the only strengths of the model, otherwise it would simply not be included in the list of top flash drives. How did the device deserve a place in the ranking of the best options on?

Reasons why SSD made it to the top:

• The compact device is equipped with a controller, which is famous for its responsiveness. Making the laptop “fly” is quite simple: data is written at 340 Mb / s, and read at 540 Mb / s. The model is connected via fast SATA III, but the drive is also compatible with SATA II.
• Encryption protects information.

• DevSleep mode makes this drive one of the best solutions for laptops: it extends the life of the laptop battery on a single charge.
• Will last a long time. First, it supports Trim, a development designed to optimize drive wear. It also improves its performance. Secondly, he is able to plow for a thousand hours before he runs out of steam.
• Fast response is another advantage of the device. It responds in as little as 20 milliseconds, making system restarts almost instantaneous.

Each 120-128 GB SSD drive model that made it to the rating will make the computer run faster. Each flash drive from the list will please with durability, as well as high performance. You can choose any option and not miscalculate, but if you need to store a lot of data and close it from outsiders, it is better to look at models with hardware encryption. And if you need storage for a laptop so that the battery does not drain, it makes sense to take something from WD or TRANSCEND.

The drives for testing were provided by Regard, where there is always a wide selection of SSDs at competitive prices.

At the end of last year, our laboratory conducted a summary test of more than two dozen solid-state drives with a capacity of 120-128 GB and, based on the results, gave its recommendations on the most productive and most advantageous models in terms of consumer qualities. However, even such an impressive testing, unfortunately, cannot be called exhaustive. The fact is that SSDs with a capacity of 120-128 GB are built on the basis of flash memory arrays with a relatively low level of parallelism, the maintenance of which does not require any serious actions and intelligence from the drive controllers. Therefore, the best performance among small-volume drives is shown by those that use the fastest flash memory, while the power of the controller does not affect the performance of such SSDs too much. With an increase in capacity, it turns out to be noticeably more difficult to effectively interact with an array of flash memory, and the influence of the controller on SSD performance becomes, if not fundamental, then at least much more pronounced. Therefore, it is completely wrong to transfer the conclusions from the comparative testing of SSD models with a volume of 120-128 GB to more capacious modifications, with a capacity of 240 GB or more. Meanwhile, information about the comparative performance of SSDs with a capacity of 240-256 GB is extremely relevant: compared to smaller models, they are purchased by users at least as often, and there are several explanations for this.

Firstly, the emergence of a large number of drives based on TLC NAND, which is manufactured using technical processes with 15-16 nm standards, has had a significant pressure on the price level. This has led to the fact that a quarter-terabyte SSD today can be purchased even for less than in the middle of last year it was required to spend on a 120-128 GB drive. Moreover, only during the first quarter of 2016, which has almost come to an end, the average cost of mass models of drives has already managed to decrease by up to 12 percent. As a result, while today's 120-128 GB SSDs are in the $38-49 range, a 240-256 GB drive can be purchased for $52-81. The prospect of further reduction in the cost of SSDs also looks very rosy. It is expected that by the end of this year, the price line between 120-128 GB SSDs and traditional 0.5 TB magnetic HDDs will be completely erased, and quarter-terabyte SSDs will cost only a few dollars more than terabyte mechanical drives. This should be facilitated by both the further distribution of models based on TLC NAND and the appearance in the second half of the year of drives based on the new multilayer 3D NAND being developed by Intel and Micron.

Secondly, do not forget that the market for cheaper solid-state drives is growing not only in physical terms, but also in monetary terms, and at a fairly noticeable pace - by about 10 percent annually. This indirectly indicates that users are gradually moving to the use of larger drives, guided not only by the price argument. The performance benefits offered by SSDs are obvious, and the rapid increase in the proportion of computers using flash-based solutions as part of the disk subsystem is a completely natural evolutionary process. But at the same time, the spread of personal and global cloud technologies often eliminates the need to store terabytes of information on your own PCs. In such cases, the SSD can become not an addition to a capacious HDD, but the only drive in the system, but the volume of 120-128 GB in this case is clearly not enough for comfortable work.

As a result, falling prices and a gradual change in the data interaction scheme are spurring buyers' interest in SSD models with a capacity of 240 to 512 GB, which are becoming a very popular choice as the main or even the only drive in a PC that runs the operating system and major software packages. And so solid-state drives of this size will continue to be at the center of user preferences over the next few years.

With all that said, we decided to continue our tradition of making large-scale comparisons of current SSD models, but have shifted the focus to offerings with more capacity than last time. And in this material we will talk about drives with a volume of 240, 250 or 256 GB - the most popular and demanded volume today. Moreover, we will talk exclusively about SSDs with SATA 6 Gb / s interface, which, due to their wide compatibility, are much more common than SAS or PCI Express drives. Of course, it is impossible to deny the prospects of transferring SSDs to new high-speed interfaces, but such proposals are not yet very popular and are seriously more expensive than more traditional options.

So, let's get to know the test participants closer. And there are a lot more of them today than last time! But before proceeding to the description of the drives, we emphasize that the test presented by us was again carried out simultaneously. This means that all performance measurements were taken on an unaltered test system running the most recent Windows 10 operating system with the latest drivers and the latest firmware. Moreover, all the drives featured in the comparison were taken from retail immediately before the tests, that is, the results obtained characterize exactly those SSD versions that you can currently buy in the store.

ADATA XPG SX930 240 GB

ADATA offers a very rich range of solid state drives, using fundamentally different platforms in its products. Moreover, despite the fact that ADATA does not have its own engineering team that develops controllers, it manages to produce solutions that are very original from a hardware point of view, which have no analogues from any of its competitors. This is exactly what ADATA XPG SX930 is: this drive is based on the JMicron JMF670H controller, which is not very popular among other SSD manufacturers. But what is of interest in the XPG SX930 is not so much this, but the fact that, having chosen an initially budget four-channel platform, ADATA engineers were able to turn it into such a product that can be put on a par with the flagship SATA SSDs from other companies.

Two different methods were used to solve this problem. The reliability of the ADATA XPG SX930 is enhanced by the use of a special flash memory, which the manufacturer refers to as MLC+. In fact, this is almost an ordinary 16-nm MLC NAND manufactured by Micron, but with an important addition in the form of FortisFlash technology. This technology extends the life of flash memory through intelligent cell management algorithms and special controller software settings. Unfortunately, ADATA does not disclose specific details regarding the performance of the FortisFlash MLC and the XPG SX930's write life, but unlike all other drives from this manufacturer, the XPG SX930 comes with a full five-year warranty.

The second method to improve drive performance is pseudo-SLC caching. Typically, such algorithms are used in drives using TLC NAND, but in the case of the XPG SX930, a similar approach was applied to SSDs based on MLC memory. And here it is quite appropriate, because the level of parallelism of the memory array of this SSD is not so high, since the NAND devices used in the XPG SX930 have a 128-gigabit capacity, and the JMicron JMF670H controller works with a flash memory array only through four channels. The effective size of the SLC cache in the 240 GB version of the XPG SX930, according to our estimates, is about 6 GB, and its presence allows ADATA to declare quite high speeds for this drive.

ADATA Premier Pro SP920 256 GB

Another unique drive from ADATA is the Premier Pro SP920, which, however, has a somewhat indirect relation to it. The matter is that actually this product for ADATA was developed by engineers of Micron. Therefore, it should not be surprising that the Premier Pro 920 is based on a hardware platform that usually does not fall into the products of second- or third-tier manufacturers - an eight-channel Marvell controller. However, which of the companies should be considered the real parent of the Premier Pro 920 is not so important. The main thing is that the platform chosen for it is deservedly considered one of the best options for SATA SSDs, and thanks to this, Premier Pro 920 attracts a lot of attention.

However, calling the Premier Pro SP920 a flagship product is still wrong. The fact is that Micron did not want to create competitors for its own flagship drives with its own hands, so the Premier Pro SP920 is deprived of the proprietary Dynamic Write Acceleration technology. As a result, the performance of the Premier Pro SP920 on write operations is not very high - the flash memory array of this SSD is formed from Micron's 128-Gb MLC NAND chips, which do not allow for optimal parallelism in terms of speed.

The evolution of this model is also interesting. Initially, ADATA sold drives under the Premier Pro SP920 brand, which were completely manufactured for it at Micron factories. However, subsequently the production was partially transferred to ADATA's own facilities, along with which the drive underwent some changes in the hardware. First, the place of the Marvell 88SS9189 controller was taken by the previous chip with a lower clock speed - 88SS9187. Secondly, the memory was replaced with a more recent MLC NAND, which is produced according to 16-nm standards. And thirdly, the design of the printed circuit board has become simpler - the capacitors that protected the address translation table from power outages disappeared from it. As a result of all these changes, the Premier Pro SP920 can no longer be considered a relative of Crucial's flagship drives. This is a standalone solution based on the Marvell 88SS9187 controller, which ADATA itself classifies as a mid-range SATA SSD.

ADATA Premier Pro SP900 256 GB

The Premier Pro SP900 is one of the oldest SSD models in ADATA's current product range. She came to the market back in 2012 and still enjoys a certain popularity and therefore has not been discontinued. However, this drive is based on one of the most controversial controllers - SandForce SF-2281, from which most manufacturers hastened to disown. But not ADATA, which, perhaps, is in no hurry to do this due to a certain uniqueness of the Premier Pro SP900 - this SSD is equipped with a modified firmware that allows you to disable RAISE technology and minimize the size of the spare area, so that the drive capacity is 256, not 240 GB.

I must say that since the appearance of the Premier Pro SP900 there have been major changes. So, today this drive is transferred to Micron's 20-nm synchronous MLC flash memory with a 128-gigabit device size. In theory, such a change in the element base should have made modern versions of the Premier Pro SP900 slower than their predecessors, but this did not happen. The fact is that the firmware for SF-2281 controllers, oddly enough, continues to evolve, and version 5.8.2 used in the ADATA drive has at its disposal some advanced approaches that increase performance at the software level. For example, the Premier Pro SP900 detects an accelerated write technology in which flash memory cells are first used in 1-bit SLC mode and are switched to 2-bit MLC mode only when free space is exhausted.

Nevertheless, today the Premier Pro SP900 is closer to entry-level offerings, since the performance of the SF-2281 platform, even in its improved version, is not at all high by modern standards. In addition, we should not forget about the key feature of the SandForce controller: when working with incompressible data, its performance is reduced. But ADATA, for some reason, still prefers the SF-2281, and not the Phison S10 platform, to which almost all of the company's competitors have already moved.

ADATA Premier SP610 256 GB

ADATA didn't pull out of Phison because of its commitment to SandForce. Above, we have already talked about ADATA drive models based on Marvell and JMicron controllers, but the number of technology partners of the company is not limited to this set of developers. Releases ADATA and low-cost solutions built on Silicon Motion platforms. Thus, the Premier SP610 is based on the SMI SM2246EN controller, which performs quite well under real loads and successfully competes with the eight-channel Phison S10. The Premier SP610, on the other hand, is a drive in which ADATA engineers tried to squeeze the maximum out of the SMI SM2246EN chip, so it uses a full-fledged high-speed MLC NAND manufactured by Micron using a 20-nm process technology.

However, despite this, the Premier SP610 still remains a relatively low-level SATA SSD, because the SM2246EN chip itself belongs to the low-end controllers: it has a single-core design and RISC architecture, and offers only four channels for connecting flash memory. In addition, the Premier SP610 uses 128Gb MLC NAND devices. Therefore, the level of parallelism of the flash memory array in ADATA Premier SP610 is relatively low, and this significantly limits the performance of this solution, especially on write operations.

However, it should be understood that the cheapest and simplest MLC NAND-based drive is in any case faster and more reliable than the vast majority of TLC-based SSDs. Therefore, you should not treat the Premier SP610 lightly. Although it does not shine with performance against the background of flagship SSDs, compared to the budget solutions of the new wave, it can be considered a strong middling.

ADATA Premier SP600 256 GB

Along with the Premier Pro SP900 described above, the Premier SP600 is one of the veterans of the ADATA range. This model has been in existence since 2012, however, during this time it has lost the Pro suffix in the name and has undergone several changes in the internal structure. However, these changes are not fundamental, and the Premier SP600 continues to be based on the JMicron platform, which makes this drive, like most other ADATA models, a rather original offer with an interesting combination of price and performance.

The version of the Premier SP600 sold in stores today is based on the JMicron JMF667H controller and Micron's 20nm MLC flash memory. Such a combination is unlikely to break performance records, because the controller works with flash memory via four channels, and the memory itself uses 128 Gb cores. Nevertheless, in terms of performance, the Premier SP600 should not differ much from the SP610. And what's more, to improve performance, the Premier SP600 has an accelerated SLC recording mode that works on half the free space. As a result, ADATA turned out to be another inexpensive MLC drive, which is exactly what this company is strong in.

ADATA Premier SP550 240 GB

The line of ADATA drives is so diverse for a reason: this company is famous for its love for various experiments. As you can see, there are very rare combinations of controller and memory in its assortment, and the new Premier SP550 model is just one of these products, which has no analogues among other manufacturers' offers. The fact is that ADATA decided to be one of the first to test the new Silicon Motion SM2256 controller, which is the next version of the popular SM2246EN chip with the addition of a hardware error correction algorithm based on LDPC ECC (low density code). This algorithm is more efficient than the commonly used BCH ECC, which allows you to combine the rather capricious TLC NAND with the new controller and at the same time guarantee an acceptable level of data storage reliability for client SSDs.

It is according to this scheme that the ADATA Premier SP550 is made. In it, the new SM2256 processor works with SK Hynix's TLC NAND, manufactured using 16nm technology. The flash memory array of this drive consists of sixteen NAND devices connected to the controller via four channels. And this means that the Premier SP550 is a budget solution that does not claim to conquer the heights of performance. However, it implements special technologies aimed at masking the low speed of the TLC flash memory array. For example, the technology of SLC caching of write operations. This means that a small portion of the drive's memory array has been put into fast SLC mode and is serving as a Write-Back cache. The effective size of such an area in the 240 GB version of the SP550 is about 2.5 GB.

It is curious that the guarantee for almost all ADATA drives is valid regardless of the amount of information recorded on them. But for the Premier SP550 based on three-bit memory, the manufacturer decided to limit the maximum permissible endurance to 90 TB of records.

Corsair Force LX 256 GB

Corsair has slowed down a bit in the SSD market lately, ditching any active engineering work and moving to supplying SSD models based on third-party reference platforms with minimal changes. The Force LX is just such a drive. It is based on the SMI SM2246EN controller and Micron's 20nm MLC NAND with a typical flash memory array organization for such a combination: four channels with a four-fold interleaving of 128 Gb flash memory devices. That is, in fact, Force LX is an analogue of the ADATA Premier SP610 described above and is a typical embodiment of the Silicon Motion reference platform.

However, if you look, then in the Force LX there is still some uniqueness. It differs from analogues by using an earlier version of the basic firmware. And this, unfortunately, does not make it stand out in the best way: the performance of the Corsair offer in some operations is slightly lower than other SSDs on the same controller. As for the rest, there are no complaints about the Force LX: it is a quite stable inexpensive product based on two-bit MLC memory. And just like ADATA did with its Premier SP610, Corsair puts the Force LX under a three-year, life-long warranty.

Corsair Force LS 240 GB

The Corsair Force LS is a well-known drive that peaked in popularity in 2014. Many users fell in love with this model: it was based on the then new Phison S8 platform, which was able to offer quite interesting performance at a low cost. However, a lot of time has passed since then, and today a completely different drive is being sold under the same name. The younger variants of the Force LS with a small capacity have moved to the budget four-channel Phison S9 controller, and the Force LS 240 GB (as well as its more capacious modifications) is now based on the Phison S10 chip. Formally, the new controller offers no worse characteristics than the S8 and even received a more advanced quad-core architecture, but in reality it has a number of unpleasant features, for example, serious fluctuations in speed characteristics under continuous load.

However, the Phison S8 chip is no longer available, and changing the Force LS hardware is a necessary measure. At the same time, the matter was not limited to just moving to a new controller - the flash memory has also changed. Initially, Toshiba's high-performance MLC NAND was used in this drive, but with the change of the controller, its supplier has also changed. The Force LS is now based on Micron's 16nm MLC NAND, which is not a true replacement. The fact is that Micron memory has a capacity of one device of 128, not 64 Gb, and this leads to a decrease in internal parallelism. As a result, the performance of today's Force LS has become somewhat worse than that of its predecessor with the same name.

But this is not news at all: many second- and third-tier SSD manufacturers manipulate the stuffing of their products depending on the availability of components on the open market. And users are not always the winner. To insure against such surprises, we can advise you to choose products from market leaders that assemble drives from components that they themselves produce.

Corsair Force LE 240 GB

Working closely with independent developers of low-cost controllers, Corsair, of course, could not help but offer consumers an ultra-budget drive built on the basis of three-bit memory - both Phison and Silicon Motion are ready to provide the necessary "semi-finished products" for this. Force LE became such a drive, for which the manufacturer chose the most popular Phison S10 TLC platform. As a result, Force LE is a bit similar to Force LS - both of these drives operate the same controller. But while the Force LS is more in the mid-range, the Force LE intends to play in the lower market segment, which was occupied by solutions based on TLC NAND.

Most SSD models based on the Phison S10 and 3-bit memory are identical in terms of hardware, as they use 128-gigabit TLC NAND, manufactured by Toshiba using a second-generation 19-nm process technology. The Force LE is no exception, which because of this could be called a drive similar to the OCZ Trion 100 or Kingston UV300. However, the correspondence between them is not complete: unlike other manufacturers, Corsair was able to quickly transfer its ultra-budget SSD to a new firmware version, which increases the size of the SLC cache and switches it to the optimal functioning algorithm in terms of performance. As a result, among all the TLC SSDs based on the Phison S10 controller, it is the Corsair Force LE that can offer the best performance, ahead of even the new TLC model OCZ Trion 150 in this parameter. This is explained by the fact that the SLC cache of the Corsair Force LE is noticeably larger than that of analogues produced by other manufacturers. Its effective volume for a modification with a capacity of 240 GB reaches 4.5 GB.

But in terms of reliability Force LE does not stand out. The warranty only covers 60 TB of write capacity on this SSD, which means you can overwrite no more than 55 GB of data daily for a three-year period.

Crucial MX200 250 GB

The Crucial MX200 is Micron's flagship drive for the retail market. It is assembled on the basis of its own MLC flash memory, which is produced using a 16-nm process technology. However, unlike Intel or Samsung, Micron does not create SSD controllers, but takes ready-made solutions offered by third-party independent developers, and only writes firmware for them. The eight-channel Marvell 88SS9189 chip was chosen as a platform for the MX200, and this is perhaps one of the best options. This controller has a fairly high power and is also very flexible, allowing various interesting algorithms to be implemented through firmware.

One of these algorithms implemented in the Crucial MX200 is Dynamic Write Acceleration technology - SLC caching of write operations performed on half of the available space. Such approaches have recently become quite popular, since they are able to compensate for the insufficient degree of parallelism of flash memory arrays when switching to 128-gigabit chips. Actually, in the MX200 technology Dynamic Write Acceleration solves exactly this problem. Micron's 16nm MLC NAND has a core capacity of 128Gb, ​​so the flash array in the 250GB version of the MX200 consists of 16 devices, while double that number is preferable for optimal performance. But with the help of proprietary SLC caching technology, the Crucial MX200 really manages to be among the highest performing SATA consumer-grade SSDs.

However, despite the powerful and intelligent software and hardware stuffing, Crucial MX200 can not be classified as one of the most progressive devices. The fact is that this drive is given only a three-year warranty, and the recording resource is limited to 80 TB. In other words, despite the good potential in terms of speed, the manufacturer positions this solution closer to the average level, which is also reflected in the price level.

Add to that the fact that the Crucial MX200 is one of the few drives in our testing today that supports TCG Opal 2.0, IEEE 1667 and Microsoft eDrive compliant data encryption. This means that it can work with BitLocker, and is also hardware compatible with encryption software common in corporate environments. Moreover, the inclusion of cryptographic data protection using the AES-256 algorithm will occur at the level of the SSD controller, that is, without a drop in performance and additional load on the central processor.

Crucial BX100 250 GB

Under the Crucial trademark, two lines of solid-state drives are traditionally supplied: the older one, MX, and the younger one, BX. We have already talked about the MX200, and a replenishment has recently appeared in the junior line - the BX200 model. This is a very inexpensive drive built on TLC memory, with the release of which Micron decided to stop production of the previous model, the BX100. But in vain, because the last budget flash drive was both faster and more reliable, since, like the MX200, it was based on a full-fledged two-bit MLC NAND. Luckily, the BX100 hasn't completely disappeared from the market yet, and we were able to get our hands on a sample for our testing.

Although the Crucial BX100 250 GB is based on two-bit memory, this is a fairly typical low-cost SSD, based on a four-channel single-core Silicon Motion SM2246EN controller. It works with an array of flash memory, which is assembled from Micron's 128-gigabit 16-nm MLC chips, the same ones used in the MX200. Nevertheless, in terms of hardware, the BX100 is not similar to its more expensive counterpart, but to many budget MLC drives, for example, the same ADATA Premier SP610 or Corsair Force LX.

However, there is one important difference. Micron has a strong engineering team, so the Crucial BX100 is not assembled from the reference design provided by the controller developers. It has an original layout and proprietary firmware, which Micron engineers have optimized in terms of performance compared to most SSDs based on the SM2246EN chip.

Crucial BX200 240 GB

Crucial BX200 - the model that replaced the BX100. However, the changes in it are by no means evolutionary. Almost everything has changed, but the main thing is that the BX200 is now based on a three-bit TLC memory, the production of which was recently mastered by Micron using a 16-nm process technology. The use of such memory, of course, required a change in the controller. However, Micron did not refuse to cooperate with Silicon Motion. The BX200 got a special TLC controller from this developer - SMI SM2256. The advantage of this chip over the more common Phison S10 chip (in the context of working with three-bit memory) is the support of powerful hardware-software LDPC ECC error correction algorithms, which makes it possible to guarantee reliable recognition of charge levels in TLC cells even with their noticeable degradation.

As a result, the reliability of the Crucial BX200 240 GB is declared at the same level as for the BX100 250 GB. The manufacturer promises the ability to record up to 72 TB of data on this drive, which in terms of a three-year period is up to 65 GB daily.

However, the performance of Micron's combination of SM2256 controller and 16nm TLC NAND was not very encouraging. The BX200, unlike the BX100, has become one of the slowest modern SATA SSDs. Moreover, even the proprietary firmware that Micron engineers wrote for their TLC drive could not correct this situation. Probably, the lower bandwidth of Micron's TLC memory compared to the Toshiba and SK Hynix variants, as well as the fact that the BX200's SLC cache has a very small amount of only about 2.1 GB, played a role here. However, the manufacturer does not have any special illusions about its own BX200 and tries to sell it cheaper than competing options, which fuels interest in this solution.

Intel 730 Series 240 GB

The Intel 730 Series is perhaps the most unusual drive in today's test. The fact is that in fact this model is not a consumer one. Rather, it should be attributed to the category of image drives, which was released by Intel only in order to formally remain among the manufacturers of flagship SSDs for the mass market. In fact, the Intel 730 Series is a slightly adapted version of the server Intel DC S3500, in which all changes are made at the firmware level and mainly consist in increasing the operating frequencies of the controller and flash memory.

As a result, the 730 Series is based on Intel's own server-level controller PC29AS21CA0 and Intel's MLC NAND flash memory, produced according to the 20 nm process technology. However, do not think that the server filling guarantees high performance. In contrast, the 240 GB Intel 730 Series is not a fast drive at all. This is explained by the fact that the platform used in it is optimized for working with large flash memory arrays, and the NAND devices used have a capacity of 128 Gb. As a result, from the point of view of speed, the 730 Series 240 GB is rather a mid-range solution, which does not correct even the overclocking of components implemented in the drive. However, this does not at all prevent the manufacturer from setting completely exorbitant retail prices for his offspring.

What Intel is probably trying to say is that the server roots of a flagship drive are worth a certain premium. After all, they are clearly manifested in increased reliability. Formally, the 730 Series drives are given a five-year warranty, and the write resource is limited to 91 TB, but such modest figures are explained not by the hardware stuffing, but by Intel's desire to separate consumer models from server ones. In fact, the Intel 730 Series is very reliable. And that's backed up by the extra flash headroom that's available: the 240GB model, for example, actually has 272GB of storage, something no other consumer SSD can match. In addition, the Intel 730 Series has full power failure protection, which allows the controller to gracefully shut down in the event of an abnormal power failure.

Intel 535 Series 240 GB

Intel has long ceased to be one of the leading manufacturers of consumer-grade SSDs. Now it is almost entirely focused on the server segment and for ordinary users it offers either adapted server models or drives based on the SandForce SF-2281 controller. The Intel 535 Series is just the latest version of the Intel SSD on the old SandForce platform. In other words, the 535 Series was released by Intel rather by inertia, and simply because many buyers pay attention to Intel's SSDs from old memory. In fact, the 535 Series is a modern variation of the Intel 520 Series, a drive that was released back in early 2012.

Given Intel's strange commitment to SandForce controllers, the Intel SSD 535 is pretty much the only current drive that uses the SF-2281 chip at the moment. And this is a very unflattering characteristic, since the SF-2281 has a lot of problems, starting with low speed when working with poorly compressible data and ending with performance degradation over time. However, Intel engineers developed their own firmware for the SF-2281 and were able to significantly improve the efficiency of this hardware platform. Of course, this did not make the SF-2281 controller modern or flagship, but at least it is Intel's 500 series SSDs that are by far the best embodiment of the SandForce platform.

As for memory, the Intel 535 Series uses low-cost MLC NAND chips from SK Hynix, manufactured using a 16-nm process technology. Moreover, the capacity of these chips is 128 Gb, and due to the low level of parallelism of the flash memory array, the Intel 535 Series is clearly slower than the original Intel 520 Series. However, to compensate for the negative impact of large NAND cores on performance, the developers implemented an accelerated pseudo-SLC write mode in their new drive, and as a result, the Intel 535 Series in some cases manages to compete with modern mid-range MLC drives from other manufacturers.

But in the end, the Intel 535 Series is still far from a flagship, but, on the contrary, a solution with rather mediocre performance parameters and a somewhat overpriced price. There is only one consolation in this situation: the Intel SSD 535 has not lost its vaunted Intel reliability and inherited a full five-year warranty from its predecessors.

Kingston HyperX Savage 240 GB

HyperX Savage is the senior drive in the Kingston product line. However, at the same time, it is based on far from the most powerful Phison S10 controller, and indeed it could be much better. Unfortunately, recently Kingston has been trying to minimize the load on its design department, so all of its modern drives are not original and are based on third-party reference platforms. The maximum that the company's own engineers go to is updating the firmware, which, however, does not always result in some kind of improvement in consumer qualities.

As a result, the main advantage of HyperX Savage lies not in the controller and firmware, but in flash memory. For this SSD, Kingston chose MLC NAND, manufactured by Toshiba using a second-generation 19nm process technology. Such memory not only boasts a fast Toggle 2.0 external interface, but also has 64-gigabit cores. This gives the HyperX Savage flash array parallelism twice that of most competing SSDs, which puts it in a slightly better position.

However, even despite this, HyperX Savage does not fall into the same weight category with productive SATA drives. The power of the eight-channel Phison PS3110-S10 controller is not enough for this, besides, it is additionally limited by not the most successful firmware. As a result, it turns out that Kingston's flagship in the global hierarchy only claims to be among the mid-range SSDs. And what's more, HyperX Savage is noticeably inferior in performance to hardware counterparts offered by companies such as Corsair, Patriot or even Smartbuy. Realizing all this, the manufacturer gives HyperX Savage only a three-year warranty, albeit with a relatively high declared write resource of 306 TB.

Kingston HyperX Fury 240 GB

The HyperX Fury solid state drive is a very strange solution from a hardware point of view, in which the manufacturer was clearly trying to save as much as possible without resorting to switching to three-bit memory. It was definitely possible to reduce the cost, but this had a negative effect on performance, and as a result, the fact that this drive belongs to the number of products sold under the HyperX brand is at least bewildering. The fact is that HyperX Fury is based on the SandForce SF-2281 controller from 2011 and MLC NAND with 128-gigabit cores, manufactured by Micron using 20-nm technology. It is clear that such a configuration cannot shine with speed indicators, but it is relatively cheap, simple and reliable.

Actually, it is the declared reliability that distinguishes HyperX Fury among budget solutions. Giving a three-year warranty on this drive, the manufacturer indicates an absolutely fantastic recording resource - 641 TB. This means that Kingston is confident that the memory chosen for this SSD will be able to withstand at least 3,000 write cycles. And if not for this, then HyperX Fury could be considered a solution of the same order with numerous SSDs in the lower price category.

In addition, do not forget that today's drives based on the SandForce platform have gone quite far from their predecessors. The fact is that the controller developer continues to improve the firmware, which today already has versions with numbers 6.0.x. In them, the performance of write operations is noticeably increased by adding an accelerated SLC write mode, which is also present in HyperX Fury.

Kingston SSDNow V300 240 GB

Kingston SSDNow V300 is an analogue of HyperX Fury, belonging to the simpler SSDNow series in terms of positioning. Obviously, the sale of two almost identical SSDs is due to marketing reasons. SSDNow V300 is not only a veteran of the SSD market, it can be classified as one of the most popular solid state drives. Obviously, it is not rational to discontinue such a model, so Kingston continues to ship it along with the newer HyperX Fury drive.

However, talking about the positive qualities of SSDNow V300 is very difficult. You should start with the fact that the Kingston SSDNow V300 is based on the long-outdated SandForce SF-2281 controller with a lot of unresolved problems: performance degradation and low speed when working with poorly compressible data. In addition, this drive uses slow flash memory, although it belongs to the MLC NAND class. Today, the manufacturer prefers Micron's 128-Gb MLC NAND, manufactured using a 20-nm process technology, but in fact, the inside of the SSDNow V300 is constantly changing, so no guarantees can be given here. The only thing the manufacturer is trying to follow is that the SSDNow V300 is faster than TLC-memory drives, and it succeeds. This is helped by the accelerated SLC recording technology that appeared in the latest firmware versions, which works on half of the free SSD space.

Kingston SSDNow UV300 240 GB

Kingston solid-state drives are for the most part among inexpensive mass solutions, and therefore it is not surprising that a three-bit memory solution was also found in the SSD line. To create such a product, the company chose the platform of its longtime partner, Phison. The current controller of this developer, Phison S10, is able to work with three-bit memory, which is what Kingston engineers took advantage of. The result is the SSDNow UV300, a drive that looks a bit like the HyperX Savage in hardware, but with TLC NAND.

As with the HyperX Savage, memory for the SSDNow UV300 is supplied by Toshiba. As a result, the eight-channel Phison PS3110-S10 controller in this drive interacts with a flash memory array, which consists of TLC NAND devices manufactured by Toshiba using the second generation 19nm process technology. And this makes SSDNow UV300 related to such solutions as Toshiba Q300 or OCZ Trion 100. Of course, Kingston engineers again made their own changes to the firmware, but this had almost no effect on the final performance, and SSDNow UV300 can only be attributed to the entry level. The Phison S10 with TLC memory is not at all fast, and the SLC cache that could compensate for this is quite miserable on the Kingston drive with a capacity of 240 GB - only about 1.3 GB.

Where Kingston outperforms other TLC SSDs is in terms of warranty. The SSDNow UV300 240 GB write capacity is set at 120 TB, which means that almost half of the SSD's full capacity can be overwritten daily for a three-year period. In other words, Toshiba's chosen TLC NAND is expected to have an endurance of more than 500 write cycles, which is a very optimistic estimate. This makes us think that the memory for the UV300 is somehow specially selected.

OCZ Vector 180 240 GB

The Barefoot 3 platform developed by OCZ is somewhat outdated and no longer allows the products of this manufacturer to compete directly with the flagship SATA SSDs. Therefore, OCZ decided to take a different path and start offering drives that have various useful features that are not found in other mainstream products. That's how the Vector 180 came about, a drive that wouldn't be remarkable if it weren't for its special power circuit, which is designed so that the controller can gracefully shut down its address translation table in the event of a power failure. This, unfortunately, does not guarantee the preservation of data during sudden power outages, but it avoids the complete failure of the SSD, which often happened with previous OCZ solutions based on Barefoot 3 controllers.

Otherwise, the Vector 180 is a typical SSD with an older version of the Barefoot 3 M00 controller running at higher frequencies. For the flash array, OCZ uses chips from its parent company Toshiba, in this case 19nm MLC NAND devices with 64Gb capacity. However, even despite the fast memory with the Toggle 2.0 interface and the optimal degree of parallelism of its array, the Vector 180 delivers rather mediocre performance. This is especially true for read operations, since when writing, a pseudo-SLC mode that hides the flaws of the controller is used, which works on half of the free space.

Despite all the shortcomings, OCZ positions its Vector 180 as an expensive solution, almost a premium level. In accordance with this positioning, the warranty conditions are also given: its period for this drive has been extended to five years, and the allowed recording resource is 91 TB.

OCZ Arc 100 240 GB

For those who do not want to overpay for the Vector 180, OCZ is ready to offer the Arc 100. This is a simplified version of the older drive in the line. It lacks additional power failure protection and uses the slower clocked Barefoot 3 M10 controller. Otherwise, there are no fundamental differences from the Vector 180.

In other words, OCZ used the Barefoot 3 platform, where the flash memory array is formed from Toshiba's 64-gigabit MLC NAND chips, manufactured using the second-generation 19-nm process technology, and in its cheaper drive. Thus, Arc 100 has all the pluses and minuses of Vector 180: low performance when reading data and high performance when writing, which is provided by the accelerated write mode through programming MLC cells in SLC mode.

At the same time, Arc 100 does not claim to be a top-level solution at all, since it uses a slower version of the basic Barefoot 3 M10 controller. It costs much less than Vector 180, and the warranty conditions are not at all typical for a flagship: its period is 3 years, and the recording resource is set to 22 TB, that is, Arc 100 is seriously inferior even to modern TLC drives in terms of declared endurance.

OCZ Trion 150 240 GB

The OCZ line also includes ultra-budget drives built on TLC NAND. And just two. The best and newer of these is the Trion 150. Although this SSD bears the OCZ name, it has had minimal involvement in the creation of this product. In fact, Toshiba, which owns OCZ, is developing and manufacturing the Trion 150, while OCZ itself is responsible only for the final stages in the production chain - final validation, marketing and warranty service. But that only makes the offer more interesting, since Toshiba is one of the leading manufacturers of flash memory and can implement very unexpected hardware configurations.

However, the OCZ Trion 150 turns out to be not very unique. It is based on the Phison S10 hardware platform, which makes it similar to a lot of similar solutions. However, the flash memory in the Trion 150 is still not at all the same as in other TLC SSDs on the same controller. In this drive, Toshiba decided to test its new three-bit flash memory, which is produced using a recently debugged 15-nm process technology. But the most interesting thing about the Trion 150 is not even this, but the fact that in addition to the new memory, this drive uses improved firmware that increases the amount of SLC cache in the 240 GB model up to 3.2 GB, and also introduces an additional recording mode , which allows, when free space in the cache is exhausted, to write data immediately to the main array of flash memory. Thanks to such optimizations, the Trion 150 can be classified as a fairly successful TLC drive with the Phison PS3110-S10 controller.

Only the situation with the recording resource is frustrating. With a three-year warranty, OCZ promises the ability to overwrite a 240 GB drive with up to 60 TB of data, and among all TLC SSDs, this is the lowest limit.

OCZ Trion 100 240 GB

The Trion 100 is the previous version of the Trion 150, similarly designed and manufactured by Toshiba. As the newer model spreads, the Trion 100 should gradually disappear from store shelves, but for now it is not difficult to buy it. However, with the Trion 150, this is not a very sound idea. The fact is that, despite the general similarity in hardware design and formal characteristics, the Phison PS3110-S10 controller works in Trion 100 under older firmware, which uses less efficient SLC caching algorithms and allocates only about 1 .3 GB.

The Trion 100 has only one theoretical advantage. It uses TLC flash memory, which is manufactured using a mature process technology with larger norms, specifically A19-nm Toshiba TLC NAND. Logically, such memory should be more durable than 15nm TLC NAND, which is why the Trion 100 should have a longer service life. However, all these fabrications are purely theoretical. Formally, the same three-year warranty is installed on the Trion 100, and the recording resource is limited to the same value of 60 TB.

Patriot Ignite 240 GB

The Phison S10 platform is fraught with a lot of curiosity. And one of these unexpected moments is that through the modification of the firmware, it allows you to seriously influence the performance relative to its original version. Some manufacturers take advantage of this: by disabling certain functions of the controller, aimed at increasing reliability, they get faster solutions. A good example of the effectiveness of such a strategy is Patriot Ignite.

It would seem that in terms of hardware, this drive does not differ from numerous similar SSDs on the Phison PS3110-S10 controller with MLC NAND. However, it works faster than many alternatives just because of the changes made at the firmware level. But in it, the Phison S10 eight-channel controller is adjacent to a quite ordinary MLC NAND with 64-gigabit cores, produced by Toshiba using the second-generation 19-nm process technology. In other words, there is nothing unusual about the hardware of the Patriot Ignite. However, when compared to the same Kingston HyperX Savage, the Patriot variant can offer higher read speeds, which almost brings the Ignite closer to the flagship drives. However, the Phison S10 controller is still not as good as Marvell or Samsung processors.

In other words, Patriot Ignite is a very interesting option, especially in light of its relatively low cost. The only trouble is that manufacturers of the second or third tier sin by changing the hardware components used without any warning. And just because today's Ignite has a successful combination of controller, flash memory, and firmware, doesn't mean it will continue to do so.

Patriot Blast 240 GB

While the Ignite is the flagship drive, the Blast is at the opposite end of the Patriot offering. However, it uses the same controller - the eight-channel Phison PS3110-S10. The difference between these SSDs is in flash memory, and it is cardinal: Patriot Blast is based on TLC NAND. Accordingly, this drive can be put on a par with the OCZ Trion 100 and Kingston UV300, because its flash memory array is formed from 128 Gb TLC NAND crystals from Toshiba, manufactured using 19-nm second-generation technology. And in general, Blast is actually the reference carrier of the design developed by Phison engineers. Patriot buys pre-built SSDs from Phison, so its only unique feature is the sticker and the box.

However, to say that the Patriot Blast is absolutely the same as other TLC drives based on the Phison S10 platform is unjustified. The reason is the new optimized firmware, which managed to get into Blast earlier than into the drives of many other companies. As a result, this SSD received improved write performance, which is provided by improved algorithms for working with the SLC cache, which, by the way, in Blast has a fairly solid amount of 3.2 GB.

It is curious that Patriot, unlike other manufacturers, decided not to limit the maximum allowable write resource on their TLC drive. This means that the company is ready to bear the warranty obligations, regardless of the model of use of this SSD. However, we still advise you not to forget that TLC memory has a shorter lifetime than MLC NAND.

Plextor M6 Pro 256 GB

The M6 ​​Pro is Plextor's flagship drive and uses a full eight-channel Marvell 88SS9187 controller. This is one of the best options offered by independent developers today, which in its power significantly exceeds the widely used Phison S10. However, not everyone decides to use Marvell controllers - this engineering team does not offer reference firmware and printed circuit boards, placing part of the development on the shoulders of the final manufacturer. But Plextor is not afraid: the company has been taming Marvell controllers for a very long time, and it does it quite well.

The M6 ​​Pro further strengthens the positions of the flash memory chosen for it - the M6 ​​Pro uses fast MLC NAND with 64 Gb cores and a Toggle 2.0 interface, manufactured by Toshiba using a second-generation 19-nm process technology. This gives the memory array the best level of parallelism, with four NAND devices in each of the controller's eight channels.

The M6 ​​Pro is not without its proprietary plexor magic - TrueSpeed ​​technology, which allows you to replenish the pool of clean flash memory pages even in environments where TRIM technology is not supported. Added to this is a five-year warranty that is not limited by any amount of recorded data, and as a result, it turns out that the Plextor M6 Pro is one of the flagship solutions.

⇡ Plextor M6S 256 GB

M6S is a cheap Plextor drive based on a Marvell development controller and MLC memory. The cost reduction in this case was carried out by using a simpler processor - a four-channel Marvell 88SS9188. However, it is impossible to call this controller budget or low-performance. Despite the reduced number of channels, this is still a high-quality and solid platform that can show quite good performance. Especially in the case of M6S, in which the lack of channels is compensated by increasing the interleaving of flash memory devices in each channel.

This is achieved due to the fact that, unlike most drives on four-channel controllers, the Plextor M6S uses flash memory with 64 Gb crystals. And not just any, but Toshiba's fast MLC NAND, manufactured using the second-generation 19-nm process technology. As a result, the degree of parallelism of the flash memory array in the M6S 256 GB is the same as in the M6 ​​Pro 256 GB, and eight NAND devices work in each of the four channels of the controller. The M6S is further strengthened by a set of technologies implemented by Plextor engineers at the firmware level, such as TrueSpeed, which provides garbage collection in flash memory in environments without TRIM support. As a result, we have a strong middle peasant, who, even if he has a fairly respectable age, still does not lose his position.

It is worth adding to the above that, unlike many modern mid-range drives, which are mostly similar to each other due to the use of the same Phison and Silicon Motion platforms, the Plextor M6S is completely unique and has no analogues product. It uses a rare controller from one of the most eminent engineering teams and its own firmware developed by Plextor programmers. None of the competitors in the range have anything at least remotely similar to such an SSD and is not expected.

Plextor M6V 256 GB

Given the gradual fall in the price of consumer SSDs, manufacturers are forced to look for new approaches to reduce product costs. One of the obvious ways is to switch to three-bit memory. However, Plextor is not in a hurry to start churning out TLC products, but reduces the cost of its solutions in other ways. That is how the M6V appeared - a drive in which, instead of the traditional Marvell controller for Plextor, a budget four-channel Silicon Motion SM2246EN processor is installed. However, it's not such a bad choice. Today, this chip can be found in a lot of products, and SSDs based on it often show very good performance.

According to the established tradition, Plextor engineers did not copy the reference design, but tried to make the M6V such an inexpensive product that they would not be ashamed of. Therefore, paired with the SM2246EN controller, this drive uses Toshiba's fast MLC NAND with the Toggle 2.0 interface. However, in this case, this is not the usual 19-nm memory, but a newer version with 128-gigabit cores, produced using a 15-nm process technology. With this new memory, Toshiba not only cut costs but also reduced latency, the Plextor M6V could be one of the fastest low cost MLC NAND SSD solutions out there. However, it should be borne in mind that the degree of parallelism of the flash memory array in this drive is half as much compared to the M6 ​​Pro and M6S, so you still do not need to expect global performance records from the Plextor M6V. Nevertheless, in terms of performance, the M6V is quite good, which is largely due to its unique firmware.

Like the M6S, the M6V comes with a typical three-year warranty for mid-range products. However, the maximum amount of recorded information is not limited.

Samsung 850 PRO 256 GB

Samsung has long and deservedly held the leadership in the market for mass solid state drives, which is primarily due to its very successful product line. The secret of success lies for the most part in the fact that Samsung does not turn to third-party developers and manufacturers, but creates its solutions entirely in-house. Moreover, their uniqueness lies not only in advanced controllers, but also in three-dimensional V-NAND flash memory, which at the moment none of Samsung's competitors has access to. The flagship in Samsung's consumer line is the 850 PRO, a SATA drive that no one has been able to surpass at the moment.

The main advantage of the Samsung 850 PRO is that this SSD is based on the proprietary MLC V-NAND - flash memory with a three-dimensional 32-layer structure, in which the cells store two bits of information. Moreover, MLC V-NAND is produced according to the 40-nm process technology, which means that the speed and reliability of such memory obviously exceeds those of the planar MLC used in SSDs from other manufacturers. At the same time, the capacity of the MLC V-NAND devices used in the 850 PRO is 86 Gb, which gives the flash memory array not the maximum, but a sufficient degree of parallelism to generate the entire bandwidth of the SATA interface.

In principle, MLC V-NAND alone would be enough to create an advanced Samsung solution, but a special high-performance Samsung MEX controller was also developed for the 850 PRO, which is based on three cores with the ARM Cortex-R4 architecture and has a flash to communicate with the array -memory eight channels. As a result, the 850 PRO hides a huge amount of power that allows you to successfully use this SSD even with intensive workloads that are not typical of typical personal computers.

Separately, it should be said about the unique conditions of the guarantee. Its term for the Samsung 850 PRO is set at 10 years, and only one more company, SanDisk, can offer such a long warranty. However, the Samsung 850 PRO has a higher allowed write resource: for a 256 GB model, it is 150 TB, which means, for example, that this drive can be completely overwritten daily for at least three years.

Samsung 850 EVO 250 GB

The Samsung 850 PRO is a great SATA SSD, but quite expensive. And with just such a product, Samsung would hardly have been able to win back almost a 50 percent share. Therefore, another product, the 850 EVO drive, became the main impact force in conquering the market. Its design uses the same ideas and principles as its flagship brother, but instead of the uncompromising MLC V-NAND and the MEX controller, cheaper components are used. Which, however, do not become less innovative from this.

The flash memory array of the Samsung 850 EVO, like that of the flagship, is formed from a three-dimensional 32-layer V-NAND, but not with a two-bit, but with a three-bit cell. However, TLC V-NAND is not at all similar in performance to conventional TLC, as it is manufactured on a conservative 40nm process and uses charge trap cells rather than a floating gate. In this memory, Samsung manages to combine both high storage density, that is, low cost, and high reliability: in terms of endurance, TLC V-NAND is not inferior to conventional planar MLC NAND. This is confirmed by the warranty conditions for the 850 EVO. Its term for this SSD is set at five years, and the write resource for modification with a capacity of 250 GB is limited to a typical level of 75 TB for MLC drives.

Significantly better than conventional TLC-memory in three-dimensional TLC V-NAND is the case with performance indicators. Although the 850 EVO TLC V-NAND chip size is 128 Gb, which does not allow for an optimal degree of parallelism in a flash memory array, the 850 EVO is positioned as a solid mid-range solution. To achieve high performance and unleash the full potential of memory, this drive uses a Samsung MGX branded eight-channel dual-core controller, based on which, in addition to standard algorithms, proprietary TurboWrite technology is also implemented, which further improves write speed. Its essence lies in caching write operations in a dedicated SLC cache, the effective capacity of which in the 250 GB version of the 850 EVO is about 3 GB. But TLC V-NAND can provide quite good throughput even without any caching, which allows the 850 EVO to show good results even under high load.

It's worth mentioning that Samsung's SSDs (both the 850 Pro and 850 EVO), unlike most competitors, can offer data encryption compatible with the Microsoft eDrive standard. This means that the hardware encryption of these SSDs can be controlled from the Windows operating system using the built-in BitLocker tool.

SanDisk Extreme Pro 240 GB

SanDisk is one of the few SSD vendors that doesn't source flash memory for their products, but manufactures it in-house. However, consumer SSD models of this manufacturer are interesting not only for this reason, there is another reason: SanDisk, like Crucial and Plextor, is actively cooperating with Marvell, which allows it to create solutions that are very attractive in terms of consumer characteristics. The greatest interest in the line of SanDisk is the flagship model - Extreme Pro. This drive is based on one of Marvell's best platforms, the 88SS9187 eight-channel controller, and it stands out from the crowd with a seemingly eternal ten-year warranty.

The performance and reliability of the Extreme Pro is ensured by filling its array of flash memory. It uses 64-gigabit MLC NAND chips with a Toggle 2.0 interface, manufactured in SanDisk's own factories using a second-generation 19-nm process technology. To date, this is almost the best filling option in terms of speed, allowing you to create a 256-gigabyte memory array with an optimal level of parallelism. In addition, SanDisk uses proprietary nCache Pro technology in its flagship drive, which allows you to get an additional performance boost due to Write-Back caching of data in a dedicated memory area operating in SLC mode.

As a result, Extreme Pro quite successfully registered in the upper market segment. However, the Samsung 850 Pro flagship SanDisk still loses. And the write resource allowed for this drive is only 80 GB, which seems to be a very small amount against the backdrop of a ten-year warranty.

SanDisk Ultra II 240 GB

There is also an inexpensive model built on the basis of TLC NAND - Ultra II in the SanDisk lineup. Moreover, despite the fact that this company began producing SSDs on three-bit memory long before it became mainstream, the SanDisk model has relatively good performance even by the standards of MLC drives. This is partly due to the fact that the Ultra II is based not on one of the Phison or Silicon Motion budget controllers, but on the Marvell development platform - 88SS9190, for which specialized firmware was created by SanDisk engineers. Its key element was the RAID-like Multi Page Recovery (M.P.R) technology introduced at the page level of flash memory, designed to enhance the correction of possible read errors.

I must say that the configuration turned out to be very successful. Ultra II has been on the market for almost two years, and during this time there were no problems with this model. Therefore, SanDisk recently decided to improve it: now these TLC drives use a newer three-bit flash memory, produced using a fresh 15-nm process. At the same time, the firmware was also optimized, as a result of which the read operation speed of the Ultra II even slightly increased.

In SanDisk Ultra II, the Marvell 88SS9190 controller works with a flash memory array over four channels, while this array itself is recruited from 128-gigabit TLC NAND devices. As a result, the 240 GB model does not have the most favorable level of parallelism, but SanDisk compensates for this with proprietary nCache 2.0 technology. Its essence is quite standard: it adds an additional SLC cache to the drive operation scheme. However, the concrete implementation is not so simple. Firstly, this cache itself has a relatively large effective volume, reaching about 8 GB for a 240 GB SSD. Secondly, caching within nCache 2.0 is two-level, it also uses the DRAM buffer, which in conventional SSDs is used only to store a copy of the address translation table.

Ultra II stands out against the background of other TLC drives and in terms of warranty conditions. Its term is three years, but the manufacturer does not limit the maximum amount of data that can be recorded during this time.

SanDisk SSD Plus 240 GB

The SSD Plus is one of the strangest drives in today's testing. The manufacturer positions it as an entry-level solution, but at the same time, such a drive is based not on TLC, but on MLC memory and offers relatively good reliability.

Saves SanDisk in SSD Plus on completely unexpected things. Firstly, this drive is based not on another Marvell platform, but on an extremely simple and cheap single-core four-channel Silicon Motion SM2246XT controller. Secondly, this drive does without a DRAM buffer, in which the address translation table is cached in conventional SSDs. As for the flash memory array, it is typed in SSD Plus with 128-gigabit MLC NAND devices, which are manufactured by SanDisk itself using a second-generation 19-nm process technology. Since we are talking about a budget drive, no implementations of nCache technology are provided in this case.

As a result, SSD Plus is able to show good speed only on sequential operations, and when working with random blocks, it immediately fails. Therefore, it is not at all surprising that the performance parameters in IOPS are not indicated on the official website for SSD Plus - they would be, frankly, depressing. Nevertheless, the junior drive in the SanDisk line is not hopeless, and in testing we will see this.

Smartbuy Firestone 240 GB

Smartbuy is not the name of another SSD manufacturer, but simply a trademark under which the Russian distributor Top Media sells a variety of products from unknown (and not so) Chinese companies. The real author of Smartbuy drives is Phison, a Taiwanese developer and manufacturer of controllers widely used in budget SSDs. Phison's business model is to ship fully assembled SSDs to customers on its own platform, and Top Media is taking advantage of this by customizing Phison's drives with Smartbuy labels and boxes.

Our new acquaintance with Smartbuy drives brought a very strange surprise. As it turned out, the Russian distributor does not at all ensure that SSDs under the Smartbuy brand have unchanged characteristics, as a result of which their purchase turns into a real lottery. Expecting to buy one, in fact, you can get a completely different product, which can easily turn out to be slower and worse than originally thought. And so it happened with a sample of Firestone, which fell into our hands.

Initially, Firestone acted as the flagship SSD in the modern Smartbuy line and was based on the most productive version of the Phison S10 platform, namely: its flash memory array was made up of 64-gigabit MLC NAND crystals manufactured by Toshiba using the second generation 19-nm process technology. But the fresh sample of Firestone we received contained a completely different hardware stuffing. In it, the eight-channel Phison PS3110-S10 controller worked with a flash memory array, presumably made up of newer MLC NAND devices manufactured by Toshiba using the 15-nm process technology. And this resulted in a serious degradation in performance, since such Toshiba MLC NAND chips have a 128-gigabit capacity, which leads to a decrease in the degree of parallelism of the flash memory array. As a result, today's version of Firestone can no longer be considered a flagship drive, yielding this role to another product in the Smartbuy line.

Smartbuy Ignition 4 240 GB

Initially, the Smartbuy Ignition 4 model was supposed to take the place of an inexpensive drive based on MLC memory. To do this, it used a version of the Phison S10 platform, equipped with two-bit flash memory from Micron, manufactured according to 16-nm standards. However, recently the stuffing in Ignition 4 has changed, and not for the worse. And for real testing, we got a sample that was even faster than the Firestone. Of course, this immediately destroyed the entire structure of the Smartbuy drive line, but Top Media does not bother with such trifles as the stability of product characteristics. This problem is solved very simply: today Ignition 4 and Firestone are sold at the same price, and which of the configuration options will go to the end user is how lucky.

So, at the heart of the Smartbuy Ignition 4 drive that arrived in our lab this time, we found the Phison PS3110-S10 eight-channel controller in the fastest configuration: complete with Toshiba MLC NAND, released using the second generation 19-nm process technology. Moreover, the capacity of NAND devices in this case was 64 Gb, which endowed the Ignition 4 240 GB flash memory array with the most optimal level of parallelism. As a result, the Ignition 4 was not only faster than the Firestone, but in general, was able to compete for the title of one of the fastest drives on the Psion S10 platform. Fortunately, the firmware in it is used approximately the same as in the Patriot Ignite - with disabled technologies aimed at improving reliability, but with optimizations for high performance.

However, it's too early to rejoice. Do not forget that the hardware stuffing in Smartbuy drives can easily change without any warning again. And how long the variation of Ignition 4 that came across to us will last, and whether it will really be found on sale, is not known for certain.

Smartbuy Revival 240 GB

Smartbuy Revival is one of the cheapest SSDs on the domestic market. The secret to the low price is simple: this drive uses the Phison PS3110-S10 platform, which is equipped with inexpensive TLC memory. This makes the Revival look like the OCZ Trion 100 or the Toshiba Q300.

Since Smartbuy Revival is a pure reference platform, everything in it functions exactly as it was intended by the developers of the controller. In particular, error correction is performed through BCH ECC algorithms, which are further enhanced by RAID-like SmartECC technology. And for improving the speed parameters of the TLC memory array, SLC caching of write operations is responsible. However, modern versions of Revival received an updated firmware, with optimized algorithms for the SLC cache, the effective volume of which has increased to 3.8 GB in the 240 GB version of the drive. As a result, the performance of Revival is now more similar to TLC drives based on the Phison S10 platform with improved performance, such as the OCZ Trion 150 or Patriot Blast.

As for flash memory, Revival is powered by Toshiba's TLC NAND, which was released using the second-generation 15nm process technology. Such a three-bit memory has just appeared on the market, and it is not known for certain how it will manifest itself in terms of endurance. However, the Revival comes with a full three-year warranty in most stores with no limits on the maximum recording volume.

Toshiba Q300 Pro 256 GB

The Q300 Pro is not just the flagship drive in Toshiba's new retail lineup, it's also one of the most original consumer grade SSDs. The fact is that Toshiba created this product from beginning to end on its own. As a result, a drive was born, the hardware platform of which has no analogues. And even though it is based on the Toshiba TC358790 quad-channel controller, the performance of the Q300 Pro is quite sufficient to compete with the most advanced SSD competitors. And this looks all the more surprising when you consider that the base controller in the Q300 Pro does without a DRAM buffer, which usually stores a "fast" copy of the address translation table.

The secret of the Q300 Pro lies in several things at once. Firstly, the controller of this drive was designed with the direct participation of a team of Marvell engineers - recognized authorities in building effective internal SSD operation algorithms. Secondly, the Q300 Pro's flash memory array is assembled from the fastest available NAND options: 64Gbps MLC chips with Toggle 2.0 interface, manufactured in-house by Toshiba using a second-generation 19nm process technology. Thirdly, the work of the controller with flash memory is accelerated through dynamic SLC caching, which works on half the free volume of the SSD. And fourth, the firmware in the Q300 Pro is carefully optimized for mixed sequential operations, since these are the operations that dominate real user workloads. As a result, the Q300 Pro comes out with a drive purposefully optimized for mainstream personal computing, and in such an environment it performs phenomenally well.

In addition, the use of high-quality flash memory allowed Toshiba to offer very attractive warranty conditions for the Q300 Pro. The warranty period is five years, and the permitted write resource reaches 160 TB, which means that up to 90 GB of data can be overwritten daily during the entire warranty period.

Toshiba Q300 240 GB

In the line of consumer models of solid state drives from Toshiba, there is also a budget model - Q300. However, unlike the Q300 Pro, this is by no means an original product, but a typical drive built on a three-bit memory and a Phison S10 controller. However, the choice of this particular platform is not at all surprising, since Toshiba owns a significant stake in Phison. But in the end, the Q300 turns out to be similar to numerous analogues, and moreover, it is completely identical to the OCZ Trion 100: both of these SSDs are produced at the same factories.

In the Q300 SSD, Toshiba uses its own TLC NAND, which is manufactured using the second generation 19nm process technology. Yes, this makes this SSD not fast at all, since TLC memory has a core capacity of 128 Gb and is characterized by an extremely low write speed, but this drive is also quite inexpensive. The problem with speed is partially solved by the introduction of SLC caching, however, the effective cache size of the Q300 with a capacity of 240 GB is relatively small - about 1.3 GB. Moreover, the younger Toshiba drive did not include the optimized firmware, which allows building the SLC cache using a more efficient algorithm.

In terms of reliability, the Q300 comes with a three-year warranty and promises a write capacity of 60TB, which is enough for a modern client SSD acting as a system drive.

Transcend SSD370S 256 GB

The SSD370S is an upgraded version of the rather popular SSD370 model, which, according to the manufacturer, has an aluminum case. However, this change is not the only one. As we discovered when we got acquainted with the latest drive in this series, Transcend changed the memory used in its older offer, as a result of which the SSD370S can now rightfully be considered one of the best mid-range drives.

If you remember, the SSD370S was originally based on a Silicon Motion SM2246EN quad-channel controller that interacted with a flash memory array assembled from Micron's 16nm MLC NAND devices. In other words, the SSD370S exploited a hardware configuration that is very popular among second-tier manufacturers. Its only unique feature was the optimized firmware written by Transcend engineers, which actually had little effect on anything. But now, instead of micron memory in the SSD370S, we found productive 64-gigabit two-bit devices from Toshiba, made using the second-generation 19-nm process technology. Such MLC-memory is faster, and in addition, it allows you to form an array with the most optimal level of parallelism, which immediately made the Transcend SSD370S very productive even despite the fact that its platform is among the budget solutions.

In other words, a very curious metamorphosis has taken place with the SD370S: this drive has become noticeably better than its original version. Unfortunately, we have no way to say how long its existence will last in this form. Transcend, like other second and third tier manufacturers, tends to change the stuffing of their SSDs without any prior warning. In addition, this model continues to be positioned as an average solution and the warranty for it, for example, is only three years.

Transcend SSD360S 256 GB

While the SSD360S technically occupies a middle position in Transcend's lineup, in reality it turns out that this drive is the slowest of all that the company currently offers. Although this SSD is based on two-bit memory, its performance is close to TLC drives. The fact is that the SSD360S is based on the Silicon Motion SM2246XT platform, in the configuration of which there is no DRAM buffer necessary for the controller to work quickly with the address translation table. In other words, in terms of hardware design, the Transcend SSD360S is a model similar to the equally odd SanDisk SSD Plus. The only difference is that SanDisk has the memory of its own production, and the SSD360S has Toshiba chips of similar characteristics.

Thus, the controller in the SSD360S interacts with a flash memory array made up of 128-gigabit MLC NAND devices manufactured by Toshiba using a second-generation 19-nm process technology. This allows you to create a flash memory array that is quite good in terms of speed, the real potential of which is manifested only in sequential operations due to the DRAM-free design of the drive. When working with randomly located data, the SSD360S demonstrates very depressing performance even with simple reads. However, Transcend's non-standard approach to the formation of its line allows it to do without TLC NAND-based drives, which is worth a lot.

Transcend SSD340K 256 GB

Transcend's junior drive, the SSD340K, is actually not as simple a model as one might think. It's just that this drive is based on the JMicron JMF670H controller, which SSD manufacturers are not particularly fond of due to the fact that its predecessors were distinguished by rather mediocre characteristics. Nevertheless, by now JMicron engineers have made considerable progress in improving their platform, and ADATA, for example, even decided to use the JMF670H in its flagship product.

As for the SSD340K, its hardware configuration is similar to the ADATA XPG SX930 in many respects. The quad-channel JMF670H controller in it interacts with a flash memory array assembled on the basis of 128-gigabit 16-nm MLC NAND devices manufactured by Micron. The degree of parallelism in this case is not the most optimal, but nevertheless, the speed of the SSD340K turns out to be quite good even despite the fact that, unlike the ADATA solution, the Transcend version does not use SLC caching.

Like all other Transcend drives, the SSD340K comes with a three-year, unlimited warranty. In passing, we emphasize that, although the SSD340K is relatively cheap and occupies the bottom position in the Transcend line, in fact it is a quite solid drive built on high-quality MLC NAND with incomparably higher reliability than modern TLC solutions offer.

Specification table of tested SSDs

SSD drives: a review of the best hard drive models and a rating of their features will be of interest to anyone who is interested in long-term storage of their data, and for some reason does not particularly trust online storage.

Technologies for the production of information storage devices do not stand still, and now, in order to buy a hard drive for your computer or laptop, you need to understand how not to miss the choice; Plus, SSD drives are still expensive.

We will tell you what technologies are used by manufacturers of modern solid state drives, the popularity of which, compared to HDDs, is growing day by day. Before choosing specific model options, you should find out what advantages SSDs have and how to choose them.

Pros and cons of equipment

The main advantages of SSD:

• high speed of reading and writing data, 2-3 times higher than even the latest HDD models;
• stable transmission of information. For HDD, the speed of data movement varies depending on its volume and location on the disk;
• fast access to data, at the level of 0.1 ms;
• high reliability of use due to the absence of moving parts and minimal heating;
• low energy consumption (10 times less than conventional drives);
• low weight, which makes the SSD the best option for netbooks and laptops.

Among the shortcomings of the equipment, one can note the high cost and relatively small capacity, although at present the size of the SSD (and the physical parameters and the amount of information stored) is already almost comparable to standard hard drives.

The file system installed on solid-state drives can also be called a minus: it requires care and optimization, and data deleted from SDD is extremely difficult to recover, almost impossible.

Another disadvantage is that voltage fluctuations in the mains can lead to the burning of not only the disk controller, but also to the failure of the entire disk. HDDs are also affected by this, but to a lesser extent. In any case, to prevent this kind of trouble, you should use a UPS and voltage stabilizers.

Features of choice

Before buying a drive, you should pay attention to the following features.

The most important characteristic is SSD volume - it depends on the needs and financial capabilities of the user.

The price of 1 GB of SSD memory varies from 100–200 rubles. for small drive sizes up to 20-30 rubles. for mid range options.

Advice: experts recommend filling disk partitions by no more than 75%. So, if the disk is intended only for system information and the operating system, 60 GB is sufficient. For storage of frequently overwritten data, 256-512 GB models are suitable - they are relatively inexpensive.

Another important factor in choosing bus frequency, on which the speed of reading and writing data will depend.

The most common format is SATA2, transmitting up to 3000 Mbps of information per second. SATA3 twice as productive, however, may not be supported by computers released already 3-4 years ago.

Other nuances that should be considered by the buyer:

• form factor. For laptops, 2.5-inch options are usually chosen, for computers - 3.5 inches;
• IOPS (input and output operations per second). For outdated models, its value does not exceed 50-100 thousand, for new disks it reaches 200,000;
• controller type. The best and most reliable options are Marvell, Indilinx and Intel.

Top 10 SSD Drives

Some of the best-known SSD manufacturers include ADATA, AMD, Crucial, Intel, Plextor, and Western Digital.

The well-known companies producing HDDs, flash cards and USB drives Kingston, Samsung, SanDisk, Toshiba and Transcend have also distinguished themselves in the production of SSDs.

Considering various SSD models, it should be noted that 500 GB drives (512, to be more precise) have the best ratio of price, volume and quality today.

Their size is enough to store the same volumes as conventional hard drives, and the price is only 2-4 times more. A smaller disk may not be enough, and there is no point in buying more expensive options for several terabytes (with a unit price of a gigabyte above 30 rubles).

1. High resource

Using a reliable controller, the ADATA Premier SP550 lasts 2 to 3 times longer than most comparable drives at the same price. At the same time, it does not differ in high speed, but it allows you to overwrite up to 1/3 of all data daily. The speed when the cache is full (4.5 GB) can drop to 70-90 MB / s, although this amount of data is not required for most tasks to move such a volume of data.

Technical specifications:

• volume 480 GB;
• maximum read speed - 560 MB / s;
• 16nm technology;
• controller: four-channel Silicon Motion SM2256.

1. The most profitable when buying

AMD is not a direct manufacturer of solid state drives, however, it offers several interesting options. One of them is the AMD Radeon R3 480, which you can buy for about 8500 rubles. With a volume of 480 GB, this makes the unit cost of 1 GB less than 18 rubles - there are practically no similar offers on the market.

Main characteristics:

• volume 480 GB;
• controller type: SM2256;
• read/write speed: 520/470 MB/s.

1. Ideal for gaming PC

Crucial's lineup is large enough to accommodate options of varying sizes and capacities. One of the latest models with a volume of about half a terabyte is the Crucial MX300 525. It may be the best solution for a computer used for work purposes. First of all, due to good speed and affordable price (about 10 thousand rubles), and secondly, due to the use of a significant amount of storage - 576 GB instead of the declared 525.

Device parameters:

• capacity: 525 (576) GB;
• speed (read/write): 530/510 GB;
• controller: Marvell 88SS1074.

1. The most reliable

The write and read speed offered by most modern drives is at least 500 MB / s. The maximum value for the flagship Intel 730 Series 480 is 550 MB/s. The device is highly reliable and is equipped with reliable protection against power outages. Such a drive will withstand a greater load compared to other 500-gigabyte options.

Main characteristics:

• maximum speed: 550 MB/s;
• controller: server PC29AS21CA0;
• capacity: 480 (544) GB.

1. High rewriting capabilities

A feature of the Kingston SSDNow UV400 device is the Marvell 88SS1074 controller and a decent cache size, which, when overflowed, also maintains a good speed (more than 110 MB / s). 15nm TLC NAND technology was used to create the disk.

The service life of an SSD is extended by the possibility of daily rewriting of more than 1/3 of the information, and the price does not exceed 15,000 rubles.

Drive options:

• speed: up to 550 MB/s;
• controller: four-channel Marvell 88SS1074;
• cache: 8 GB.

1. Long warranty

For the Plextor M6 Pro 512 model, created using the relatively outdated Marvell 88SS9187 controller, one of the advantages is about 100 thousand IOPS. The second is TrueSpeed ​​technology, which increases the resource and speed of the disk.

Last year, this drive was among the most expensive, and now, at a price of 17,000 rubles, it is a device that is quite affordable for many consumers. The manufacturer offers a 5-year warranty for the device - with a standard 2-3.

SSD Specifications:

• speed: up to 557 MB / s;
• controller: Marvell 88SS9187;
• technology: 19 nm.

1. The fastest and lightest

With the price of the Samsung 950 Pro PCIe SSD drive over 20 thousand rubles, its read speed of 600-2500 MB / s justifies the cost thanks to its high speed and lightness.

The memory has a 48-layer structure and high reliability. The manufacturer guarantees 5 years of SSD operation with daily rewriting at the level of 80–100 GB.

Drive options:

• controller: Samsung UBX;
• volume: 512 GB;
• weight: 10 g;
• maximum speed: for SATA III interface - up to 600 MB, for PCIe - up to 2500 MB / s.

1. The most durable

The SanDisk SDSSDEX2-480G-G25 device has a fairly high cost, at the level of 25,000 rubles. At the same time, its read / write speed is 850 MB / s, and shock resistance reaches 800G. High durability is ensured by a special case from the Extreme 900 Portable series, which makes this external SSD drive easy to transport and, unlike most other models, can be dropped. It weighs, however, as much as 210 g, and exceeds 13 cm in length.

Specifications:

• volume: 512 GB;
• read/write speed: 850/850 MB/s;
• interface: USB 3.1.

1. Information security

Considering the Toshiba OCZ VT180 480 model, we can dwell on such an advantage as the possibility of a correct shutdown even in case of an unexpected power outage.

As a result, data is stored more reliably than with many other options. And an additional plus when buying a drive is its price - from 10 thousand rubles.

Device parameters:

Fig.11. Compact and Affordable Transcend SSD370 512

Fault Prevention

In order for a solid state drive to last long enough, it is worth periodically checking it for errors.

There are applications that help determine how much of the SSD resource has already been used up - such drives have a certain number of write and rewrite cycles, after exceeding which they can fail.

CrystalDiskInfo

The CrystalDiskInfo program, which can also be downloaded in the idea of ​​a portable version, allows you to diagnose hardware and identify errors. To work with it, it is enough to launch the application itself, which itself will check the disk for errors.

The yellow color under the Health Status label indicates problems with the disk - most likely, the drive will have to be replaced soon. Blue - that the SSD is working properly.

SSD life

The SSD Life application with a Russian-language interface will show specific information about how many hours of work are left for your disk.

The program does this by referring to the controller, which stores all the information in memory. However, even after SSD Life has shown that the drive's resource has been exhausted by almost a third, you should not worry. First, it is not necessary that after 3000 writes the disk will necessarily fail. Secondly, on average, one "cycle" is considered a day of work. And for a period of more than 8 years (with 100% of the resource that the application will show for a new SSD), the user usually changes the drive himself, regardless of their type.