SSD disk for computer. Which is better? Choosing an affordable SSD drive for a gaming PC and laptop SSD which company is better to choose

The drives for testing were provided by Regard, which always has a wide selection of SSDs at competitive prices.

At the end of last year, our laboratory conducted summary testing of more than two dozen solid-state drives with a capacity of 120-128 GB and, based on the results obtained, made recommendations regarding the most productive and most advantageous models in terms of the combination of consumer qualities. However, even such 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 or intelligence from the drive controllers. Therefore, the best performance among small drives is shown by those that use the fastest flash memory, while the controller power does not affect the performance of such SSDs too much. As capacity increases, it becomes much more difficult to effectively interact with a flash memory array, and the controller’s influence on SSD performance becomes, if not fundamental, then at least much more pronounced. Therefore, it is completely unlawful to transfer the conclusions from comparative testing of SSD models with a capacity of 120-128 GB to larger 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 models of smaller capacity, they are certainly purchased by users no less often, and there are several explanations for this.

Firstly, the emergence of a large number of drives based on TLC NAND, which is produced using technical processes with standards of 15-16 nm, has put significant pressure on the price level. This has led to the fact that today a quarter-terabyte SSD can be purchased for even less than what was required to be spent on a 120-128 GB drive in the middle of last year. And what’s more, just during the first quarter of 2016, which has almost come to an end, the average cost of mass-produced drive models has already dropped by up to 12 percent. As a result, while today's 120-128 GB SSDs cost in the range of $38-49, a 240-256 GB drive can be purchased for $52-81. The prospect of further reducing the cost of SSDs also looks very bright. 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 spread 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, we should 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 using larger drives, guided not only by price argument. The performance benefits offered by SSDs are obvious, and the rapid increase in the share 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 their own PCs. In such cases, an SSD can become not an addition to a capacious HDD, but the only drive in the system, but a capacity 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 scheme of interaction with data are spurring buyer interest in SSD models with capacities from 240 to 512 GB, which are becoming a very popular choice as the main or even the only drive in a PC on which the operating system and basic software packages are installed. And therefore, solid-state drives of precisely this volume will continue to remain at the center of user preferences over the next few years.

With all that said, we decided to continue our tradition of conducting large-scale comparisons of current SSD models, but shifted our focus to offering higher capacity than last time. And in this material we will talk about drives with a capacity of 240, 250 or 256 GB - the most popular and in demand volume today. Moreover, we will talk exclusively about SSDs with a SATA 6 Gb/s interface, which, due to their wide compatibility, are much more widespread 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 better. And there are many more of them today than last time! But before we move on to describing the drives, we emphasize that the test we present was again carried out simultaneously. This means that all performance measurements were taken on an unchanged test system running the latest version of the Windows 10 operating system with the latest drivers and the latest firmware versions. Moreover, all the drives included in the comparison were taken by us from retail sales immediately before conducting tests, that is, the results obtained characterize exactly those versions of SSDs that can currently be bought in stores.

ADATA XPG SX930 240 GB

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

Two different methods were used to solve this problem. The reliability of the ADATA XPG SX930 is increased through the use of special flash memory, which the manufacturer refers to as MLC+. In essence, this is almost 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 thanks to intelligent cell management algorithms and special software settings of the controller. Unfortunately, ADATA does not disclose specific details regarding the efficiency of the FortisFlash MLC and the write life of the XPG SX930, but, unlike all other drives from this manufacturer, the XPG SX930 comes with a full five-year warranty.

The second method for improving 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 in 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 the 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 fairly high speeds for this drive.

ADATA Premier Pro SP920 256 GB

Another unique ADATA drive is the Premier Pro SP920, which, however, is somewhat indirectly related to it. The fact is that this product was actually developed for ADATA by Micron engineers. Therefore, it should not be surprising that the Premier Pro 920 is based on a hardware platform that is usually not included in the products of second- or third-tier manufacturers - the 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 SSD, and thanks to this, the Premier Pro 920 attracts a lot of attention.

However, calling the Premier Pro SP920 a flagship product is still incorrect. 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 its proprietary Dynamic Write Acceleration technology. As a result, the Premier Pro SP920's write performance is not very high - the flash memory array of this SSD is formed from Micron's 128-Gbit MLC NAND chips, which do not allow for an optimal level of parallelism in terms of performance.

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 production was partially transferred to ADATA’s own facilities, and along the way the drive underwent some changes in the hardware. Firstly, the place of the Marvell 88SS9189 controller was taken by the previous chip with a lower clock frequency - 88SS9187. Secondly, the memory was replaced by more recent MLC NAND, which is produced at 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 have disappeared. 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 an independent solution based on the Marvell 88SS9187 controller, which ADATA itself classifies as a mid-level SATA SSD.

ADATA Premier Pro SP900 256 GB

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

It must be said that since the introduction of the Premier Pro SP900, serious changes have occurred. So, today this drive has been transferred to 20nm synchronous MLC flash memory from Micron 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 compared to their predecessors, but this did not happen. The fact is that the firmware for the SF-2281 controllers, oddly enough, continues to develop, and version 5.8.2 used in the ADATA drive has received some advanced approaches that increase performance at the software level. For example, the Premier Pro SP900 features accelerated write technology, which uses flash memory cells in one-bit SLC mode first and switches to two-bit MLC mode only when free space is exhausted.

However, 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 decreases. But for some reason ADATA still prefers the SF-2281 over the Phison S10 platform, to which almost all of the company’s competitors have already moved.

ADATA Premier SP610 256 GB

ADATA did not choose to partner with Phison because of its commitment to SandForce. We have already talked above about ADATA drive models based on Marvell and JMicron controllers, but the number of the company’s technology partners is not limited to this set of developers. ADATA also produces 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 is a drive in which ADATA engineers tried to squeeze the maximum out of the SMI SM2246EN chip, so it uses full-fledged high-speed MLC NAND produced 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 lower class 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 MLC NAND devices with a capacity of 128 Gbit. Consequently, the level of parallelism of the ADATA Premier SP610 flash memory array is relatively low, and this significantly limits the performance of this solution, especially on write operations.

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

ADATA Premier SP600 256 GB

Along with the Premier Pro SP900 described above, the Premier SP600 drive can be considered one of the veterans of the ADATA range. This model dates back to 2012, however, during this time it lost the Pro suffix in its name and underwent several changes in its 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 distinctive offer with an interesting combination of price and performance.

The version of Premier SP600, which is sold in stores today, is based on the JMicron JMF667H controller and MLC flash memory manufactured by Micron, produced using 20 nm technology. This combination is unlikely to break performance records, because the controller works with flash memory over four channels, and the memory itself uses cores with a capacity of 128 Gbit. Nevertheless, in terms of performance, the Premier SP600 should not differ much from the SP610. Moreover, to improve performance, the Premier SP600 has an accelerated SLC recording mode, which works on half the free space. As a result, ADATA has another inexpensive MLC drive, which is what this company is strong at.

ADATA Premier SP550 240 GB

The ADATA drive line is so diverse for a reason: this company is famous for its love of various experiments. As you can see, its product range includes very rare combinations of controller and memory, and the new Premier SP550 model is just one of these products that has no analogues among the offerings of other manufacturers. The fact is that ADATA decided to be one of the first to try out 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 usually used BCH ECC, which allows you to combine the rather capricious TLC NAND with the new controller and at the same time guarantee a level of data storage reliability acceptable for client SSDs.

This is exactly how the ADATA Premier SP550 is made. In it, the new SM2256 processor works with TLC NAND from SK Hynix, produced using 16 nm 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 pretend 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, SLC caching technology for write operations. This means that a small part of the drive's memory array is switched to fast SLC mode and serves as a Write-Back cache. The effective size of this area for the 240 GB version of the SP550 is about 2.5 GB.

It is curious that the warranty 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 recently somewhat reduced its activity in the solid-state drive market: it abandoned any active engineering work and switched to supplying SSD models based on third-party reference platforms with minimal changes to them. Force LX is just such a drive. It is based on the SMI SM2246EN controller and 20 nm MLC NAND from Micron with a typical flash memory array organization for such a combination: four channels with quadruple interleaving of 128 Gbit flash memory devices. That is, in essence, 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 for it, there is still some uniqueness in the Force LX. It differs from its analogues by using an earlier version of the basic firmware. And this, unfortunately, does not make it stand out for the better: the performance of Corsair's offering in some operations is slightly lower than that of other SSDs on the same controller. Otherwise, there are no complaints about Force LX: it is a completely stable, inexpensive product based on two-bit MLC memory. And just like ADATA did with its Premier SP610, Corsair backs the Force LX with a three-year, unlimited warranty.

Corsair Force LS 240 GB

Corsair Force LS is a well-known drive whose popularity peaked in 2014. Many users loved this model: it was based on the Phison S8 platform, new at that time, which was able to offer quite interesting performance at a low cost. However, quite a lot of time has passed since then, and today a completely different drive is sold under the same name. The younger versions of the Force LS with small capacity moved to the budget four-channel Phison S9 controller, and the Force LS 240 GB (like 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 has 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 also changed. Initially, this drive used high-performance MLC NAND from Toshiba, but with the change of controller, its supplier also changed. Now Force LS is based on MLC NAND produced using 16nm technology by Micron, which cannot be called an equivalent replacement. The fact is that Micron memory has a capacity of 128 Gbit per device, not 64 Gbit, 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 nothing new: many second- and third-tier SSD manufacturers manipulate the contents of their products depending on the availability of components on the open market. And users do not always win. To insure against such surprises, we can advise choosing to purchase products from market leaders who assemble drives from components that they themselves produce.

Corsair Force LE 240 GB

Working closely with independent developers of inexpensive controllers, Corsair, naturally, 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 TLC platform Phison S10. As a result, Force LE is a bit similar to Force LS - both of these drives use the same controller. But while Force LS is more likely to belong to the mid-range price range, Force LE intends to play in the lower market segment, which is occupied by solutions based on TLC NAND.

Most SSD models based on Phison S10 and three-bit memory are identical in hardware, as they use 128-gigabit TLC NAND manufactured by Toshiba using the second-generation 19nm 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 an optimal operating algorithm in terms of performance. As a result, among all TLC SSDs based on the Phison S10 controller, it is the Corsair Force LE that can offer the best performance, outperforming 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, the Force LE does not stand out in any way. The warranty conditions include only a 60-terabyte recording resource for this SSD, which means that no more than 55 GB of data can be rewritten 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. In particular, the eight-channel Marvell 88SS9189 chip was chosen as the platform for the MX200, and this is perhaps one of the best options. This controller has quite high power and is also very flexible, allowing you to implement various interesting algorithms using the firmware.

One of these algorithms implemented in the Crucial MX200 is Dynamic Write Acceleration technology - SLC caching of write operations performed on half 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 moving to the use of 128-gigabit chips. Actually, in the MX200, Dynamic Write Acceleration technology solves exactly this problem. Micron's 16nm MLC NAND has a core capacity of 128Gb, ​​so the flash memory array in the 250GB version of the MX200 consists of 16 devices, while for optimal performance it is preferable to have twice that number. But with the help of proprietary SLC caching technology, the Crucial MX200 drive really manages to be among the highest-performance consumer-grade SATA SSDs.

However, despite the powerful and intelligent software and hardware, the Crucial MX200 cannot be considered one of the most progressive devices. The fact is that this drive only has a three-year warranty, and the recording resource is limited to 80 TB. In other words, despite the good potential in terms of performance, the manufacturer is positioning this solution closer to the average level, which is reflected in the price level.

Added to the above is the fact that the Crucial MX200 is one of the few drives in our testing today that supports data encryption compatible with TCG Opal 2.0, IEEE 1667 and Microsoft eDrive standards. This means it can work with BitLocker and is also hardware compatible with common enterprise encryption software. 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 brand, 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 the junior line has recently received a new addition - the BX200 model. This is a very inexpensive drive built on TLC memory, with the release of which Micron decided to discontinue production of the previous model, the BX100. But in vain, because the previous budget flash drive was both faster and more reliable, since, like the MX200, it was based on a full-fledged two-bit MLC NAND. But fortunately, the BX100 has not completely disappeared from sale yet, and we were able to get a sample for our testing.

Despite the fact that the Crucial BX100 250 GB is based on two-bit memory, it is a fairly typical inexpensive SSD, which is based on a four-channel single-core Silicon Motion SM2246EN controller. It works with a flash memory array that is assembled from Micron's 128-gigabit MLC chips, manufactured using 16nm technology, the same ones used in the MX200. Nevertheless, in terms of hardware, the BX100 is similar not to its more expensive brother, 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 built from the reference design provided by the controller developers. It has an original layout and its own firmware, by optimizing which Micron engineers have achieved some improvement in performance compared to most SSDs based on the SM2246EN chip.

Crucial BX200 240 GB

Crucial BX200 is 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 three-bit TLC memory, the production of which using the 16-nm process Micron has recently mastered. The use of such memory, naturally, required changing the controller. However, Micron did not refuse to cooperate with Silicon Motion. The BX200 includes 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 its support for powerful hardware-software error correction algorithms LDPC ECC, 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 the combination of the SM2256 controller and 16nm TLC NAND from Micron 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, both the lower bandwidth of Micron's TLC memory compared to the Toshiba and SK Hynix variants, and the fact that the BX200's SLC cache has a very small size - only about 2.1 GB - played a role here. However, the manufacturer has no special illusions about its own BX200 and is trying 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 testing. The fact is that, in essence, this model is not a consumer one. It should rather be classified as a fashion drive, which was released by Intel only 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, all changes in which were made at the firmware level and mainly consist of increasing the operating frequencies of the controller and flash memory.

As a result, the 730 Series is based on Intel’s own PC29AS21CA0 server-level controller and Intel’s MLC NAND flash memory, produced using a 20 nm process technology. However, you should not think that the server hardware guarantees high performance. In contrast, the Intel 730 Series 240 GB 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 Gbit. As a result, in terms of speed, the 730 Series 240 GB is rather a mid-level solution, which is not corrected even by the overclocking of components implemented in the drive. However, this does not at all prevent the manufacturer from setting completely prohibitive retail prices for his brainchild.

Intel probably wants to say that the server roots of the flagship drive deserve a certain overpayment. After all, they clearly manifest themselves in increased reliability. Formally, the 730 Series drives come with a five-year warranty, and the recording resource is limited to 91 TB, but such modest figures are explained not by the hardware, but by Intel’s desire to separate consumer models from server ones. In fact, the Intel 730 Series is very reliable. And this is backed up by the available additional flash memory reserve: the 240 GB model, for example, actually has 272 GB of memory installed, which no other consumer SSD can boast of. In addition, the Intel 730 Series implements full power failure protection, which allows the controller to shut down correctly in the event of an abnormal power loss.

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 precisely the latest version of the Intel SSD on the old SandForce platform. In other words, the 535 Series was released by Intel rather out of inertia, and simply because many buyers pay attention to Intel SSDs out of 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.

Considering Intel's strange commitment to SandForce controllers, the Intel SSD 535 is currently practically the only current drive that uses the SF-2281 chip. And this is a very unflattering characteristic, since the SF-2281 has a lot of problems, starting with low speed when working with poorly compressed 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 Intel's 500-series SSDs are by far the best embodiment of the SandForce platform.

As for memory, the Intel 535 Series uses inexpensive MLC NAND chips from SK Hynix, produced using a 16-nm process technology. Moreover, the capacity of these chips is 128 Gbit, 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 writing mode in their new drive, and as a result, the Intel 535 Series in some cases manages to compete with modern mid-level 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 inflated price. There is only one consolation in this situation: the Intel SSD 535 has not lost Intel’s vaunted 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, it is not based on the most powerful Phison S10 controller, and in general it could be much better. Unfortunately, Kingston has been trying to keep its design department busy lately, so all of its modern drives are not original and are based on reference platforms from independent developers. The most that the company's own engineers go to is adjusting the firmware, which, however, does not always result in any improvements in consumer qualities.

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

However, even despite this, HyperX Savage does not fall into the same weight category as high-performance SATA drives. The power of the eight-channel Phison PS3110-S10 controller is not enough for this, and 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-level SSDs. Moreover, HyperX Savage is noticeably inferior in performance to hardware analogues offered by companies such as Corsair, Patriot or even Smartbuy. Realizing all this, the manufacturer gives only a three-year warranty for HyperX Savage, albeit with a relatively high declared recording 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 clearly tried 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 impact on performance, and as a result, the fact that this drive is one of the products sold under the HyperX brand is at least puzzling. The fact is that the 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 this drive a three-year warranty, the manufacturer indicates an absolutely fantastic recording resource - 641 TB. This means that Kingston is confident in the ability of the memory chosen for this SSD to withstand at least 3 thousand rewrite cycles. And if not for this, then HyperX Fury could be considered a solution of the same order as numerous SSDs in the lower price category.

In addition, do not forget that today's drives based on the SandForce platform are quite far removed from their predecessors. The fact is that the controller developer continues to improve the firmware, which today already has versions numbered 6.0.x. In them, the performance of write operations is noticeably increased due to the addition of an accelerated SLC recording 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 SSDNow series, which is simpler in terms of positioning. Obviously, the sale of two almost identical SSDs is due to marketing reasons. SSDNow V300 is not only an old-timer in the SSD market, it can also be considered one of the most popular solid-state drives. Obviously, it is irrational to discontinue such a model, so Kingston continues to supply it along with the newer HyperX Fury drive.

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

Kingston SSDNow UV300 240 GB

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

As with the HyperX Savage, the 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 the SSDNow UV300 similar to solutions such as the 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 the SSDNow UV300 can only be considered entry-level. The Phison S10 with TLC memory does not work at all quickly, and the SLC cache, which could compensate for this, is quite meager on the 240 GB Kingston drive - only about 1.3 GB.

Where Kingston is superior to other TLC SSDs is in terms of warranty. The write resource for the SSDNow UV300 240 GB is set at 120 TB, which means that almost half of the SSD's full capacity can be rewritten daily over a three-year period. In other words, the manufacturer expects endurance of more than 500 rewrite cycles from Toshiba's chosen TLC NAND, which is a very optimistic estimate. This makes me 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 products from this manufacturer to compete directly with flagship SATA SSDs. Therefore, OCZ decided to go a different route and start offering drives that have various useful features not found in other mainstream products. This is exactly how the Vector 180 came to be - a drive that would not be remarkable if not for its special power circuit, which is designed so that in the event of power failures the controller could correctly complete its work with the address translation table. This, unfortunately, does not guarantee the preservation of data during sudden power outages, but it allows you to avoid 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 operating at higher frequencies. In the flash memory array, OCZ uses chips from its parent company Toshiba, and in this case, these are 19-nm MLC NAND devices with a 64-gigabit capacity. However, even despite the fast memory with the Toggle 2.0 interface and the optimal degree of parallelism of its array, Vector 180 produces 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 operates on half the free space.

Despite all the shortcomings, OCZ positions its Vector 180 as an expensive, almost premium-level solution. 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 Vector 180, OCZ is ready to offer Arc 100. This is a simplified version of the older drive in the line. It lacks additional protection against power failures and uses a 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 pros and cons of Vector 180: low performance when reading data and high performance when writing, which is ensured by the accelerated writing mode through programming MLC cells in SLC mode.

At the same time, Arc 100 does not at all pretend to be a top-level solution, since it uses a slower frequency version of the basic Barefoot 3 M10 controller. It costs significantly less than the 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 at 22 TB, that is, the Arc 100 is seriously inferior even to modern TLC drives in terms of declared endurance.

OCZ Trion 150 240 GB

The OCZ company line also includes ultra-budget drives built on TLC NAND. And two at once. The best and newer of them is the Trion 150. Although this SSD bears the OCZ name, its participation in the creation of this product is minimal. In fact, the development and production of Trion 150 is carried out by Toshiba, which owns OCZ, and OCZ itself is responsible only for the final stages in the production chain - final validation, marketing and warranty service. But this only makes this proposal more interesting, since Toshiba is one of the leading manufacturers of flash memory and can implement very unexpected hardware configurations.

However, 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 was produced using the 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, which increases the size of the SLC cache in the 240 GB model to 3.2 GB, and also introduces an additional recording mode , which allows you to write data directly to the main flash memory array when the free space in the cache is exhausted. Thanks to such optimizations, Trion 150 can be considered a fairly successful TLC drive with a Phison PS3110-S10 controller.

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

OCZ Trion 100 240 GB

Trion 100 is the previous version of Trion 150, similarly designed and manufactured by Toshiba. As the newer model becomes more widespread, the Trion 100 should gradually disappear from store shelves, but for now it is not difficult to purchase. However, in the presence of 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 runs in the Trion 100 under older firmware, which uses less efficient SLC caching algorithms and allocates only about 1 to the SLC cache ,3 GB.

Trion 100 has only one theoretical advantage. It uses TLC flash memory, which is produced using a mature process technology with larger standards, specifically A19-nm Toshiba TLC NAND. Logically, such memory should be more durable than 15nm TLC NAND, which is why Trion 100 should have a longer service life. However, all these fabrications are purely theoretical. Formally, the Trion 100 has the same three-year warranty, 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 interesting things. And one of these unexpected moments is that by modifying the firmware it allows you to quite seriously influence the performance relative to its original version. Some manufacturers take advantage of this: by disabling certain controller functions aimed at increasing reliability, they get faster solutions. A good example of the effectiveness of this strategy is Patriot Ignite.

It would seem that in terms of hardware, this drive is no different from numerous similar SSDs on the Phison PS3110-S10 controller with MLC NAND. However, it works faster than many alternatives precisely because of the changes made at the firmware level. But in it the eight-channel Phison S10 controller is adjacent to a completely 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 Patriot Ignite hardware. However, if you compare it with the same Kingston HyperX Savage, the Patriot variant can offer higher read speeds, which brings the Ignite almost closer to 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 fairly low cost. The only trouble is that second- and third-tier manufacturers are guilty of changing the hardware components they use without any warning. And the fact that today’s Ignite has a successful combination of controller, flash memory and firmware does not mean at all that this will continue in the future.

Patriot Blast 240 GB

While the Ignite is the flagship drive, the Blast is at the opposite end of the company's Patriot offerings. However, the controller it uses is the same - 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 placed on a par with the OCZ Trion 100 and Kingston UV300, because its flash memory array is formed from 128-Gbit TLC NAND crystals from Toshiba, produced using 19-nm second-generation technology. And in general, Blast is actually a reference carrier of the design developed by Phison engineers. Patriot purchases pre-built SSDs from Phison, so its only unique feature is the sticker and box.

However, it is wrong to say that Patriot Blast is absolutely the same as other TLC drives on the Phison S10 platform. 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 ensured by improved algorithms for working with the SLC cache, which, by the way, in Blast has a fairly respectable volume of 3.2 GB.

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

Plextor M6 Pro 256 GB

The M6 ​​Pro is Plextor's flagship drive, and it uses a full eight-channel Marvell 88SS9187 controller. This is one of the best options offered by independent developers today, which is noticeably superior in power to 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 end manufacturer. But Plextor is not afraid of this: the company has been taming Marvell controllers for a very long time, and it is doing it quite well.

Additionally, the position of the M6 ​​Pro is strengthened by the flash memory chosen for it - the M6 ​​Pro uses fast MLC NAND with 64 Gbit cores and a Toggle 2.0 interface, produced by Toshiba using a second-generation 19-nm process technology. Thanks to this, the memory array receives the best level of parallelism: each of the eight controller channels contains four NAND devices.

The M6 ​​Pro is not without Plextor's proprietary magic - TrueSpeed ​​technology, which allows you to replenish the pool of blank flash memory pages even in environments where TRIM technology is not supported. Add to this the five-year warranty, which is not limited by any volume of recorded data, and the result is that the Plextor M6 Pro is one of the flagship solutions.

⇡ Plextor M6S 256 GB

M6S is a Plextor drive that is cheaper than the flagship model and is based on a Marvell-developed 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 capable of showing fairly good performance. Especially in the case of the M6S, in which the lack of channels is compensated by increasing the interleaving ratio 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 crystals with a capacity of 64 Gbit. And not just any kind, but fast MLC NAND from Toshiba, produced using the second-generation 19-nm process technology. As a result, the degree of parallelism of the flash memory array of the M6S 256 GB is the same as that of the M6 ​​Pro 256 GB, and eight NAND devices work in each of the four controller channels. Further strengthening the M6S is a set of technologies implemented by Plextor engineers at the firmware level, such as TrueSpeed, which provides flash garbage collection in environments without TRIM support. As a result, we have before us a strong middle peasant, which, although quite old, still does not lose its 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 famous engineering teams and its own firmware developed by Plextor programmers. None of the competitors have anything even remotely similar to such an SSD in their assortment and are not expected to do so.

Plextor M6V 256 GB

Given the gradual decline in prices for consumer SSDs, manufacturers are forced to look for new approaches to reduce production costs. One obvious way is to switch to three-bit memory. However, Plextor is in no hurry to start churning out TLC products, but is making its solutions cheaper in other ways. This is exactly how the M6V appeared - a drive in which, instead of the traditional Plextor Marvell controller, a budget four-channel Silicon Motion SM2246EN processor was installed. However, this is 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 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 fast MLC NAND from Toshiba with a 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. Thanks to the fact that Toshiba has not only reduced costs but also reduced latency with this new memory, the Plextor M6V can become one of the fastest SSDs among cheap solutions based on MLC NAND. However, it’s worth keeping in mind that the degree of parallelism of the flash memory array in this drive is half that of the M6 ​​Pro and M6S, so you still shouldn’t expect global performance records from the Plextor M6V. However, in terms of performance, the M6V is quite good, thanks in no small part to its unique firmware.

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

Samsung 850 PRO 256 GB

Samsung has long and deservedly maintained leadership in the market for mass-produced solid-state drives, which is primarily explained by its very successful product line. The secret of success lies largely 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 currently none of Samsung’s competitors has access to. The flagship in Samsung's consumer line is the 850 PRO, a SATA drive whose characteristics no one has been able to surpass at the moment.

The main trump card of the Samsung 850 PRO is that this SSD is based on proprietary MLC V-NAND - flash memory with a three-dimensional 32-layer structure in which cells store two bits of information. Moreover, MLC V-NAND is produced using a standard technical process with 40-nm standards, and this means that the speed and reliability of such memory obviously exceeds similar indicators of 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 Gbit, 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, to create an advanced Samsung solution, MLC V-NAND alone would be sufficient, but for the 850 PRO a special high-performance Samsung MEX controller was developed, which is based on three cores with ARM Cortex-R4 architecture and has flash for communicating with the array -memory eight channels. As a result, the 850 PRO hides a huge reserve of power, which allows this SSD to be successfully used even under intense loads that are not typical for typical personal computers.

Separately, it should be said about the unique warranty conditions. Its period for Samsung 850 PRO is set at 10 years, and only one other company can offer such a long warranty - SanDisk. However, the Samsung 850 PRO has a higher permitted recording resource: for the 256 GB model it is 150 TB, which means, for example, that this drive can be completely rewritten every day for at least three years.

Samsung 850 EVO 250 GB

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

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

Compared to conventional TLC memory, 3D TLC V-NAND has significantly better performance indicators. Although the volume of crystals used in the 850 EVO TLC V-NAND is 128 Gbit, which does not allow for the optimal degree of parallelism in the flash memory array, the 850 EVO is positioned as a high-quality mid-range solution. To achieve high performance and unlock the full potential of memory, this drive uses a proprietary eight-channel dual-core Samsung MGX controller, on the basis of which, in addition to standard algorithms, the proprietary TurboWrite technology is also implemented, which further improves writing 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 fairly good throughput even without any caching, which allows the 850 EVO to show good results even under high load.

It's also worth mentioning that Samsung 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 suppliers that does not purchase flash memory for its products, but produces it in-house. However, this is not the only reason consumer SSD models from this manufacturer are interesting; there is another reason: SanDisk, like Crucial and Plextor, actively cooperates with Marvell, which allows it to create solutions that are very attractive in terms of consumer characteristics. The most interesting thing in the SanDisk line 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 other offerings with a seemingly never-ending ten-year warranty.

Extreme Pro's performance and reliability is driven by its all-flash array. It uses 64-gigabit MLC NAND crystals with a Toggle 2.0 interface, produced at SanDisk’s own factories using the second-generation 19-nm process technology. Today, this is almost the best filling option in terms of performance, 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 for additional performance gains due to Write-Back caching of data in a dedicated memory area operating in SLC mode.

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

SanDisk Ultra II 240 GB

There is also an inexpensive model in the SanDisk lineup, built on the basis of TLC NAND - Ultra II. 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 characteristics even by the standards of MLC drives. This is partly explained by the fact that the Ultra II is based not on one of the budget Phison or Silicon Motion controllers, but on the Marvell development platform - 88SS9190, for which SanDisk engineers created specialized firmware. Its key element was the RAID-like Multi Page Recovery (M.P.R) technology introduced at the level of flash memory pages, designed for enhanced 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 have been no problems with this model. Therefore, SanDisk recently decided to improve it: now these TLC drives began to use newer three-bit flash memory, produced using a fresh 15-nm process technology. At the same time, the firmware was optimized, as a result of which the speed of read operations on the Ultra II even increased slightly.

In SanDisk Ultra II, the Marvell 88SS9190 controller works with a flash memory array over four channels, and this array itself is made up of 128-gigabit TLC NAND devices. As a result, the 240 GB model does not have the most advantageous level of parallelism, but SanDisk compensates for this with its proprietary nCache 2.0 technology. Its essence is quite standard: it adds an additional SLC cache to the drive’s operating scheme. However, the specific 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 a DRAM buffer, which in conventional SSDs is used only to store a copy of the address translation table.

Ultra II stands out from other TLC drives in terms of warranty conditions. Its validity period 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 such a drive is based not on TLC, but on MLC memory and offers relatively good reliability.

SanDisk saves on completely unexpected things in SSD Plus. 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 not have a DRAM buffer, in which the address translation table is cached in conventional SSDs. As for the flash memory array, the SSD Plus is equipped with MLC NAND devices with a 128-gigabit capacity, which are produced 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 official website for SSD Plus does not indicate performance parameters in IOPS - they would be, frankly, depressing. Nevertheless, the youngest drive in the SanDisk line cannot be called hopeless, and we will see this in testing.

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 unknown) Chinese companies. The real author of Smartbuy drives is Phison, a Taiwanese developer and manufacturer of controllers widely used in budget SSDs. Phison’s operating model involves delivering fully assembled SSDs to customers on its own platform, and Top Media takes advantage of this by supplementing the drives purchased from Phison with stickers and boxes with the Smartbuy logo.

Our new acquaintance with Smartbuy drives brought us 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 thing, in reality you can get a completely different product, which can easily turn out to be slower and worse than originally expected. This is what happened with the Firestone sample that fell into our hands.

Initially, Firestone was 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 composed of 64-gigabit MLC NAND crystals produced by Toshiba using the second-generation 19-nm process technology. But the fresh Firestone sample we received contained completely different hardware. In it, the eight-channel Phison PS3110-S10 controller worked with a flash memory array, presumably composed of newer MLC NAND devices manufactured by Toshiba using a 15nm process technology. And this resulted in a serious deterioration in performance, since such Toshiba MLC NAND crystals 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, produced according to 16 nm standards. However, recently the hardware 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 can be solved very simply: today Ignition 4 and Firestone are sold at the same price, and which of the configuration options the end user will get is a matter of luck.

So, at the heart of the Smartbuy Ignition 4 drive, which arrived in our laboratory this time, we found an eight-channel Phison PS3110-S10 controller in the fastest configuration: complete with MLC NAND from Toshiba, produced using the second-generation 19-nm process technology. Moreover, the capacity of NAND devices in this case was 64 Gbit, which provided the Ignition 4,240 GB flash memory array with the most optimal level of parallelism. As a result, Ignition 4 turned out to be not only faster than 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 it uses is approximately the same as the Patriot Ignite - with technologies aimed at increasing reliability disabled, but with optimizations for high performance.

However, it’s too early to rejoice. Do not forget that the hardware in Smartbuy drives can easily change again without any warning. And how long the Ignition 4 variation we came across will last, and whether it will actually be available for sale, is not known for certain.

Smartbuy Revival 240 GB

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

Since Smartbuy Revival is a pure reference platform, everything in it functions exactly as intended by the controller developers. In particular, error correction is performed through BCH ECC algorithms, which are further enhanced by RAID-like SmartECC technology. And SLC caching of write operations is responsible for improving the speed parameters of the TLC memory array. However, modern versions of Revival have received updated firmware, with optimized algorithms for the operation of 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 Revival's performance 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 uses Toshiba's TLC NAND, produced using the second-generation 15nm process technology. Such three-bit memory has just appeared on the market, and it is not known for certain how it will perform in terms of endurance. However, the Revival comes with a full three-year warranty in most stores, with no restrictions on maximum recording capacity.

Toshiba Q300 Pro 256 GB

The Q300 Pro is not just the flagship drive in Toshiba's new retail line, it is also one of the most original consumer-grade SSDs. The fact is that Toshiba created this product from start to finish independently. As a result, a drive was born whose hardware platform has no analogues. And although it is based on the Toshiba TC358790 quad-channel controller, the Q300 Pro's performance is quite sufficient to compete with the most advanced SSD competitors. And this looks all the more surprising considering 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. Firstly, the controller of this drive was designed with the direct participation of a team of Marvell engineers - recognized authorities in building effective internal algorithms for SSD operation. Secondly, the Q300 Pro flash memory array is made up of the fastest available NAND device options: 64-gigabit MLC memory crystals with a Toggle 2.0 interface, produced by Toshiba itself using a second-generation 19nm process technology. Thirdly, the operation of the controller with flash memory is accelerated through dynamic SLC caching, which operates on half of the free SSD capacity. And fourth, the firmware in the Q300 Pro is carefully optimized for mixed sequential operations, since these are the operations that dominate real-world user workloads. As a result, the Q300 Pro comes out with a drive that is purposefully optimized for use in mass-market personal computers, and in such an environment it shows phenomenally good results.

In addition, the use of high-quality flash memory allowed Toshiba to install very attractive warranty conditions on the Q300 Pro. The warranty period is five years, and the permitted recording 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

Toshiba's line of consumer SSD models also includes a budget model - the Q300. However, unlike the Q300 Pro, this is by no means an original product, but a standard drive built on 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 share of 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 produced using the second generation 19nm process technology. Yes, this makes this SSD not fast at all, since the TLC memory has a core capacity of 128 Gbit and has an extremely low write speed, but this drive is very 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 Toshiba junior drive did not include optimized firmware that allows the SLC cache to operate using a more efficient algorithm.

As for reliability, the Q300 comes with a three-year warranty and promises a recording resource of 60 TB, which is enough for a modern client SSD operating as a system drive.

Transcend SSD370S 256 GB

SSD370S is an updated version of the fairly popular SSD370 model, in which, according to the manufacturer, an aluminum case has appeared. However, this is not the only change. As we discovered when reviewing the latest drive in this series, Transcend also changed the memory used in its older offering, 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 four-channel Silicon Motion SM2246EN controller, which interfaced with a flash memory array assembled from Micron's 16nm MLC NAND devices. In other words, the SSD370S used a hardware configuration that was 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. This MLC memory is faster, and in addition, it allows you to create 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 one of the budget solutions.

In other words, a very interesting metamorphosis has occurred with the SD370S: this drive has become noticeably better than its original version. Unfortunately, we are unable to say how long its existence in this form will last. Transcend, like other second- and third-tier manufacturers, tends to change the hardware of their SSDs without any prior warning. In addition, this model continues to be positioned as an average solution and the warranty on it, for example, is only three years.

Transcend SSD360S 256 GB

Although formally the SSD360S 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, the configuration of which does not have a DRAM buffer, which is necessary for the controller to quickly work with the address translation table. In other words, from a hardware design point of view, the Transcend SSD360S is a model similar to the equally strange SanDisk SSD Plus drive. The only difference is that SanDisk uses its own memory, while the SSD360S uses Toshiba chips with 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 the second-generation 19-nm process technology. This allows you to create a flash memory array that is quite good in speed, the real potential of which is revealed only in sequential operations due to the DRAM-less design of the drive. When working with randomly located data, the SSD360S demonstrates very dismal 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 expensive.

Transcend SSD340K 256 GB

Transcend's youngest drive, SSD340K, is actually not such a simple 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 had rather mediocre characteristics. However, to date, 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 largely similar to the ADATA XPG SX930. The four-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 performance of the SSD340K turns out to be quite good even despite the fact that, unlike the ADATA solution, the Transcend option does not use SLC caching.

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

Table of characteristics of tested SSDs

The market for equipment and components is replete with various options, among which it is very easy to get lost. Recently, SSD drives have become increasingly popular, despite their price category. In a number of parameters they outperform, and their diversity allows you to choose the best option.

1. Decide on the main reason why you need to purchase the disk.
2. Initially, it would be useful to select several options for SSD drives, and then make a comparison. You should rely not only on the price issue, but also on the basic characteristics.
3. The price of a drive depends on its capacity. It is believed that the larger the size of the SSD disk, the higher the speed of its operation. In a situation where it is simply not possible to buy an expensive device for storing and recording information, it is better to give preference to SSD drives in the range of 64-240 gigabytes. They are quite affordable, and will please you with both capacity and speed.
4. To choose the right SSD drive for your computer, you should consider the “native” parameters. Its performance will vary depending on the technical specifications. Because of this, installing a flash drive on older PCs may not be a practical solution.
5. When choosing a drive, it is better to give preference to those options whose interface is SATA III or PCI-E. This option may be especially relevant for an SSD drive for a laptop; the information transfer speed will be very decent.
6. In some cases, it is better to purchase two different SSD drives, but each with a small maximum capacity. Installing the necessary programs on different devices, as well as saving various information, will simplify your work. And it will reduce the risk of instant loss of all data if the drive fails.
7. When choosing a storage drive, based primarily on its capacity, you need to remember one more nuance. Many SSD drives noticeably reduce their initial performance when there is less than 70-75% free space left.

SSD drive selection options

When studying the product certificate, it should be noted that the device has a built-in ability to independently get rid of unnecessary information, “garbage”. It is better to choose an SSD drive that has available support TRIM.

The manufacturer of the device also plays an important role. There is a huge selection on the modern market, but you need to give preference to proven brands. Leading companies that have proven themselves include:

• Samsung, it is believed that their drives are the fastest;
• Intel, very reliable and quite durable devices, but are among the most expensive;
• Kingston, popular and relatively budget SSD drives;
• Plextor, they are on sale for a shorter period of time, but at the same time they differ in quality and speed of work;
• Crucial, this company, being a subsidiary of Micron, offers budget products based on controllers from Marvell.

What else should you rely on when deciding how to choose the right SSD drive?

1. Frome factor. When buying an SSD for a laptop, you should choose models from 2.5” and below. SSD disk for computer – 3.5 inches. For tablet computers – ultra-thin models (M5M).
2. Controller. It is better to choose an SSD with a controller from Marvell, Intel, MDX, SandForce.
3. Memory type. There are 3 types: SLC, MLC, TLC. The SLC type is the most successful choice, although it is more expensive than the other two. However, with it the service life of the drive will be 10-12 times longer.
4. IOPS. Responsible for the number of operations per second, this indicator affects the speed of the solid-state drive. The higher it is, the better the SSD drive, but the price can also be steep.
5. Energy consumption data. If you are purchasing an SSD drive for a laptop or netbook, you should take one with a significantly lower value compared to other models.

SSD or HDD: which is better, what to give preference to

Both SSD and HDD belong to the category of devices for recording and storing information. However, there are significant differences between them.

HDD is a familiar hard drive called a “hard drive” or hard drive. Its work is based on recording information on magnetic disks. This version of the device is used in personal computers, laptops and other similar equipment.

SSD is a “new generation” hard drive. It is a solid-state drive, its basis is NAND flash memory chips, due to this it is often called a “flash drive”. Suitable for various devices, but most often this drive is preferred in laptops, smartphones and netbooks.

The NAND memory interface is currently represented by the following models:

• Toggle DDR 2.0/ONFi 3.0 – 500 MB/s;
• ONFi 2X – 200 MB/s;
• Toggle DDR 1.0 – 166 MB/s;
• ONFi 1.0 – 50 MB/s.

It is difficult to answer unequivocally the question of which storage option is the best. Both devices have their pros and cons, including technical characteristics. Even based on the individual properties of an SSD disk and hard drive, one can draw a conclusion about the strengths and weaknesses of a particular device.

Comparison of some technical characteristics of an SSD drive and a hard drive

Characteristic	SSD drive	HDD drive
Maximum volume	Up to 1 terabyte	More than 5 terabytes
Read and write speed	Up to 100,000 IOPS
Maximum power consumption
Energy consumption when idle
Ability to restore information in case of breakdown	Hardly ever	Restoration is acceptable
Durability	5 years or more	More than 10 years
Ability to overwrite information	Limited	There are practically no restrictions

Based on the data in the table, it can be seen that, depending on the base, the advantages will be either on the side of a traditional hard drive or on the side of an SSD drive. An additional important nuance within SSD drives is the fact that it is impossible to format this device, unlike a hard drive.

Additional advantages of an SSD drive

1. Almost complete silence.
2. Strength and impact resistance.
3. Does not respond to vibrations.
4. Does not heat up during operation.
5. The risk of failure is small, in contrast to the propensity for HDD failures.
6. Light weight.
7. Work is carried out simultaneously using several channels of information transmission.
8. A device with an installed solid-state drive will work without interruption in a multitasking situation (open browser, downloading information, running a computer game, checking for viruses, and so on).

Brief overview of the best SSD drive models

A capacious and relatively budget model that is quite popular among buyers. A distinctive feature that is noted in many reviews about the device is that the data processing speed is 70 MB/s higher than the numbers indicated in the certificate. Owners of the drive note that starting the OS and opening “heavy” programs does not take more than 10 seconds. But, unfortunately, this particular model of SSD drive is difficult to work with information in full, without compression.

This series of drives has variations in capacity up to 16 gigabytes up to 240. Operates with a SATA III interface.

Controller: SandForce.

Write and read speed: up to 450 MB/s.

From factor: 2.5 inches.

Memory type: MLC.

Price range from 6,000 rubles to 9,000 rubles.

An affordable drive that features a large cache and V-NAND memory. The minimum warranty period for the device is 3 years. The device has TurboWrite capability. The line of these SSD drives includes models whose capacity reaches one terabyte. In size and appearance, it is a very small, thin device, weighing no more than 66 g.

Memory option: TLC (3D V-NAND).

Controller: Samsung (MGX/MEX).

Interface: SATA III.

Reading speed: 540 MB/s.

Write speed: 520 MB/s.

Price range from 7,500 rubles to 10,500 rubles.

Suitable for experienced users, as well as for devices that experience heavy loads during operation. According to reviews, it is the SanDisk Extreme PRO SSD drive that does not lose its original data input and output speed throughout the entire time of use. The device operates based on the SATA III interface. However, this SSD is not intended for use on servers.

Such a device is needed to work with “heavy” programs (graphics, video, photography), as well as to successfully run complex video games. The manufacturer promises a warranty of up to 10 years. The size allows the SSD drive to be used in ultrabooks, and not just for PCs or laptops. There is also the possibility of automatic cleaning of “garbage”. The drive is based on a Marvell controller.

From factor: 2,5’’.

Memory type: MLC.

Reading speed: 550 MB/s.

Write speed: 520 MB/s.

Price range from 9,000 rubles to 11,600 rubles.

Choosing a solid state drive is a responsible and difficult process. However, relying on important criteria and clearly understanding the final goal for which the purchase is being made, choosing the best option will be much easier.

If you are building a powerful computer or want to speed up an old one, then an SSD will come in handy. Finally, the cost of these drives has dropped so much that they can be considered as a reasonable alternative to hard drives (HDD).

The following SSD features will help you choose the best drive that is compatible with your computer and meets your needs.

1. Which form factor to choose: SSD 2.5″, SSD M.2 or another

SSD 2.5″

This form factor is the most common. An SSD looks like a small box that resembles an ordinary hard drive. 2.5″ SSDs are the cheapest, but their speed is sufficient for most users.

Compatibility of 2.5″ SSD with computers

An SSD of this form factor can be installed in any desktop computer or laptop that has a free bay for 2.5-inch drives. If your system only has room for an old 3.5" hard drive, you can fit a 2.5" SSD into it too. But in this case, look for an SSD model that comes with a special lock.

Like modern HDDs, a 2.5″ SSD is connected to the motherboard using the SATA3 interface. This connection provides a throughput of up to 600 MB/s. If you have an older motherboard with a SATA2 connector, you can still connect a 2.5″ SSD, but the drive's throughput will be limited by the old version of the interface.

SSD M.2

A more compact form factor, making it suitable even for particularly thin ones that do not have room for a 2.5″ SSD. It looks like an oblong stick and is installed not in a separate compartment of the case, but directly on the motherboard.

To connect to the board, each M.2 drive uses one of two interfaces: SATA3 or PCIe.

PCIe is several times faster than SATA3. If you choose the first one, then there are a few more things to consider: the interface version and the number of lines connected to the connector for data transfer.

• The newer the PCIe version, the higher the throughput (data transfer speed) of the interface. Two versions are common: PCIe 2.0 (up to 1.6 GB/s) and PCIe 3.0 (up to 3.2 GB/s).
• The more data lines connected to the SSD connector, the higher its throughput again. The maximum number of lines in an M.2 SSD is four; in this case, in the drive description its interface is designated as PCIe x4. If there are only two lines, then PCIe x2.

M.2 SSD compatibility with computers

Before purchasing an M.2 SSD, you should make sure that it will fit your motherboard. To do this, you need to first check the physical and then the software compatibility of the connector on the drive with the slot on the board. Then you need to find out the length of the drive and compare it with the allowable length of the slot allocated for M.2 in your system.

1. Physical compatibility of interfaces

Each connector on the motherboard intended for connecting M.2 format drives has a special cutout (key) of one of two types: B or M. At the same time, the connector on each M.2 drive has two cutouts B + M, less often only one of two keys: B or M.

The B-connector on the board can be connected with a B-connector. To the M-connector, respectively, a drive with an M-type connector. SSDs, the connectors of which have two M + B cutouts, are compatible with any M.2 slots, regardless of the keys in the latter.

M.2 SSD with B+M key (top) and M.2 SSD with M key (bottom) / www.wdc.com

Thus, first make sure that your motherboard has an M.2 SSD slot at all. Then find out the key for your connector and select a drive whose connector is compatible with this key. Key types are usually indicated on connectors and slots. In addition, you can find all the necessary information in the documents for the motherboard and drive.

2. Logical compatibility of interfaces

In order for an SSD to fit your motherboard, taking into account the physical compatibility of its connector with the connector is not enough. The fact is that the drive connector may not support the logical interface (protocol) that is used in the slot of your board.

Therefore, when you understand the keys, find out what protocol is implemented in the M.2 connector on your board. This could be SATA3, and/or PCIe x2, and/or PCIe x4. Then choose an M.2 SSD with the same interface. For information about supported protocols, see the device documentation.

3. Size compatibility

Another nuance on which the compatibility of the drive with the motherboard depends is its length.

In the characteristics of most boards you can find the numbers 2260, 2280 and 22110. The first two digits in each of them indicate the supported drive width. It is the same for all M.2 SSDs and is 22 mm. The next two digits are the length. Thus, most boards are compatible with drives with lengths of 60, 80 and 110 mm.

Three M.2 SSD drives of different lengths / www.forbes.com

Before purchasing M.2, be sure to find out the supported drive length, which is indicated in the documents for the motherboard. Then choose one that matches this length.

As you can see, the issue of M.2 compatibility is very confusing. Therefore, just in case, consult the sellers about this.

Less popular form factors

It’s possible that your computer case won’t have a bay for a 2.5” SSD, and your motherboard won’t have an M.2 connector. The owner of a thin laptop may encounter such an atypical situation. Then for your system you need to choose a 1.8″ or mSATA SSD - check the documents for your computer. These are rare form factors that are more compact than 2.5” SSDs, but inferior in data exchange speed to M.2 drives.

In addition, thin laptops from Apple may also not support traditional form factors. In them, the manufacturer installs an SSD of a proprietary format, the characteristics of which are comparable to M.2. So, if you have a thin laptop with an apple on the lid, check the supported SSD type in the documentation for the computer.

External SSDs

In addition to internal ones, there are also external drives. They vary greatly in shape and size - choose the one that is most convenient for you.

As for the interface, they connect to computers via a USB port. To achieve full compatibility, make sure the port on your computer and the drive connector support the same USB standard. The highest data transfer speeds are provided by USB 3 and USB Type-C specifications.

2. Which memory is better: MLC or TLC

Based on the number of bits of information that can be stored in one flash memory cell, the latter is divided into three types: SLC (one bit), MLC (two bits) and TLC (three bits). The first type is relevant for servers, the other two are widely used in consumer drives, so you will have to choose from them.

MLC memory is faster and more durable, but more expensive. TLC is correspondingly slower and withstands fewer rewrite cycles, although the average user is unlikely to notice the difference.

TLC type memory is cheaper. Choose it if savings are more important to you than speed.

The drive description may also indicate the type of relative arrangement of memory cells: NAND or 3D V-NAND (or simply V-NAND). The first type implies that the cells are arranged in one layer, the second - in several layers, which allows you to create SSDs with increased capacity. According to the developers, the reliability and performance of 3D V-NAND flash memory is higher than that of NAND.

3. Which SSD is faster

In addition to the type of memory, the performance of an SSD is also affected by other characteristics, such as the model of the controller installed in the drive and its firmware. But these details are often not even indicated in the description. Instead, the final indicators of read and write speed appear, which are easier for the buyer to navigate. So, when choosing between two SSDs, with all other parameters being equal, take the drive whose declared speeds are higher.

Remember that the manufacturer indicates only theoretically possible speeds. In practice, they are always lower than stated.

4. What storage capacity is right for you

Of course, one of the most important characteristics when choosing a drive is its capacity. If you are buying an SSD to use as a fast operating system, a 64 GB device is sufficient. If you are going to install games on the SSD or store large files on it, then choose a capacity that suits your needs.

But do not forget that the storage capacity greatly affects its cost.

Buyer's checklist

• If you need a drive for office tasks or watching movies, choose a 2.5″ or M.2 SSD with a SATA3 interface and TLC memory. Even such a budget SSD will work much faster than a regular hard drive.
• If you are engaged in other tasks for which high drive performance is critical, choose an M.2 SSD with a PCIe 3.0 x4 interface and MLC memory.
• Before purchasing, carefully check the compatibility of the drive with your computer. If in doubt, consult the sellers on this issue.

For those who don't like to read large texts, you can jump straight to the conclusions - at the beginning of 2017, the Samsung 850 Evo SSD with a capacity of 256 or 512 gigabytes is still the best choice for most people. It's fast, reliable, comes with a long warranty, and comes with proprietary software to make the transition from a regular drive to an SSD easy.

Updated September 2018.: Samsung released an update to all of its SSDs this year Evo 860 And 860 Pro, transferring their production to new memory (64-layer TLC 3D V-NAND) and a new controller. However, from the point of view of the average user, the characteristics of the SSD have remained virtually unchanged, in some places even becoming slightly worse. However, the price of new SSDs remains the same, and old models are simply sold out until they run out. Therefore, you can safely buy either an old or a new model. However, it's important to keep in mind that the new 860 series no longer has a 120GB SSD. Therefore, if you need just such an SSD, you should hurry up with your purchase. Because the production of such SSDs has ceased

And now about this in more detail.

Why should you believe me?

As I mentioned in the site description, I have been writing about technology for the last ten years, or even more. I spend even more time fiddling with this technique. This means that almost every day I try something new, tweak something, reconfigure something, change something, and so on in the same spirit. This text is a generalization of my (and not only my, but also my colleagues) experience. So yes, you can trust me.

Who needsSSD?

If your computer or laptop is from 3 to 5 years old (earlier models may contain SATA-II connectors, in this case the purchase should be considered separately, see the corresponding section below), and your system runs on a regular hard drive, then it makes sense to think about purchasing an SSD. The dollar is quite high right now, so you should have good reasons to buy it.

What does SSD give? As a rule, it has three main advantages: almost instantaneous loading of the operating system (less than 10 seconds), fast loading of files and programs, and lower power consumption (the latter is relevant for laptops and allows them to last longer on battery power).

Thus, if the operation of your computer is limited by the performance of the disk system, purchasing an SSD is more than justified. With it, the system will simply “fly” and last significantly longer on battery power.

The picture above shows an example of just such a case. The bottleneck in this laptop is two elements - the power of the built-in video card (there is nothing you can do about it) and the performance of the hard drive. The processor and memory are in perfect order. After installing the SSD, the system will become noticeably faster.

To whomDon't need an SSD?

If you have a relatively old computer (more than 5 years old), or are using an old SSD that is not very fast or has little memory, then there is little point for you to buy a new SSD. With this money, it is better to add memory or upgrade the processor. Well, or put it off for an upgrade. Yes, the system will boot faster and files will open much better. But opening a simple browser will turn your computer into a pumpkin again.

Update July 27, 2016: Disputes regularly arise in the comments regarding whether an SSD can be used for downloading torrents. Since opinions vary, let's listen to the manufacturers themselves. In a recent post on the Geektimes website (an hardware project that broke away from the legendary Habrahabr), SSD manufacturer Kingston directly writes:

But if you have a lot to choose from, it’s better to download torrents on your hard drive. Because there are SUVs for fun, and there are SUVs for traveling in the mud. The HDD rather belongs to the second category.

Those. It's simple, if the SSD is the only disk in the system, then download it. You still have no choice. Moreover, it is truly a magical sight to watch how the download speed is not limited by the capabilities of the hard drive, and reaches enormous values. But if you do have a hard drive in your system, then it is better to record torrents there. Because the SSD resource is not rubber, and regular downloading, deleting, downloading still reduces it.

What volumeShould I choose an SSD drive?

For desktop computers, the minimum comfortable volume is 256 GB. There is no point in taking less for two reasons:

1. As a rule, 128 GB models operate at significantly lower write and read speeds.
2. In order for an SSD drive to work long and reliably, it must have at least 30% free space. This is due to the fact that the disk controller must evenly distribute the load between the memory cells to ensure even wear.

Thus, 256 GB is the minimum size of an SSD disk for a desktop computer. To store files that do not require daily access, you can use a traditional hard drive (see).

With a laptop, things are a little more complicated. Since many laptops do not allow you to install both an SSD drive and a hard drive at the same time, the entire amount of information will have to be stored on the SSD. Therefore, 512 GB is the optimal solution that will suit most users. Unfortunately, the price of such a drive is impressive, but you get quick access to all files and noticeable savings in battery life. By the way, if for some reason your laptop has a DVD-ROM, you can remove it (this is done very simply) and replace it with a hard drive bay. In this case, you can replace the standard drive with an SSD, and connect the old drive instead of the DVD. This way you will speed up the system and expand the space.

Does it make sense to buy a SATA-2 SSD?

Judging by the comments, this point is worth discussing separately. So, if your motherboard supports SATA3, then the interface bandwidth is 6 Gb/s, SATA2 is only 3 Gb/s. Those. It would seem that the difference is twofold. However, as we said in the section about flash drives, it is not the linear speed that is important, but the speed of reading scattered files. Because when loading, the system assembles the OS into separate files, spread out haphazardly across the drive.

In order to answer the question of whether it is necessary to install a modern SSD drive in a system with SATA2, let’s turn to a thorough article from the THG.RU resource. The authors sequentially connected the Samsung 840 PRO drive, by the way, an excellent SSD of the previous generation, to SATA2 and 3 ports. To have something to compare with, the third one in the test was a very fast WD VelociRaptor hard drive. If you look at the linear write and read speed graph, the advantage of SATA 3 is more than noticeable.

Please note - in this case, the HDD practically does not lag behind the SSD connected via SATA-2. However, as we understand, linear writing and reading speed is not so important. In a real situation, we are more interested in the speed of an arbitrary (random sector). Let's see how the disks behave with a random sector size of 512 Kb.

As you can see, the difference is also twofold, while the hard drive begins to lag significantly. If you make the sector size 4Kb, the difference between SATA will practically disappear, but the HDD will generally become very slow. What does this lead to? Besides, say, loading your operating system from an HDD will take noticeably longer than from an SSD. Moreover, the difference in connection will not play a role. Windows will boot almost equally quickly.

What conclusion can be drawn? Everything is very simple - if you use the SSD exclusively as boot and system, there will not be much difference between SATA-2 and SATA-3. Both interfaces allow loading quite quickly. And even in this case, buying an SSD is justified.

And here's where the interesting part lies: if you have an old computer with only SATA-2, then you hardly need a modern high-speed SSD. It's not your problem. Yes, the system will boot noticeably faster. But the performance itself... Let's just say that for this money it is easier to buy additional memory and upgrade the motherboard and processor. The difference will be noticeable even on an old HDD. But if you have reached a bottleneck in terms of hard drive performance, and there is no desire to spend money on a significant upgrade, then yes, you can take a closer look at the purchase. But, again, it’s better to think about upgrading your computer, and then come here and choose a modern SSD that will reveal 100% of the potential of your system.

WhichIs SSD better to choose?

At the moment, the best choice would be to buy a Samsung 850 EVO SSD of the size you need (or a similar Samsung 860 EVO). At the start of sales, it was quite expensive, but now prices in dollars have dropped a little and the price has become more or less acceptable.

Why 850 or 860 EVO? The fact is that most modern consumer-grade SSDs have similar characteristics. Trust me, unless you are an SSD expert, in most cases you will not notice a difference in speed between different models. You will notice a significant difference between the performance of the hard drive and the SSD. But between different SSD models - no.

Then what comes to the fore if not speed? These are price, reliability, the ability to survive a large number of recording cycles, the quality of the controller, the quality of the firmware and proprietary software that makes life easier for the user.

In this regard, the Samsung 850 EVO currently has virtually no competitors.

• It is relatively inexpensive (at the time of publication, an average of 8 thousand for a volume of 256 GB and 12 thousand for 500 GB);
• it is fast (on average 516 Mb/s read and 426 Mb/s write);
• it is reliable (Samsung itself is the manufacturer of both the memory and the controller);
• it can pump up to 150 Tb of data through itself (this is a very large amount of data for most users);
• it has a 5 year warranty.

In addition, if you use Windows, then the kit includes proprietary software that allows you, firstly, to conveniently migrate from a hard drive to an SSD, and secondly, and this is the best part, to use up to 4 GB of RAM as a cache for the disk. This allows you to work with the disk even faster.

Another advantage to the purchase may be the presence of hardware data encryption. Most users do not need this at all, but for some it may be critical.

And if there is no noticeable difference in speed, is there something cheaper?

If the price of the Samsung 850 EVO seems too expensive to you, then I would put the Crucial BX100 in second place.

It costs 2 thousand rubles cheaper. He is also fast, he is also reliable.

In fact, for a slightly lower price you get a slightly smaller warranty - only three years, a smaller amount of data that can be pumped through the disk (72 TB instead of 150 for Samsung, although this value is enough for the eyes). Additionally, it doesn't come with the same software as the 850 EVO. But no one is stopping you from using third-party programs, of which there are quite a few. You'll just have to tinker a little with the settings.

So, if that doesn't bother you, the Crucial BX100 is a great alternative to the 850 EVO. Moreover, the Crucial BX100 consumes less energy and the laptop will last at least a little longer (about 10 minutes).

M.2 SSD drive

Despite the fact that M.2 slots are appearing in more and more laptops and motherboards, and a) can be faster than a regular SSD, b) allow you to use both an SSD for Windows and a HDD for storing files at the same time, it is very difficult to advise anything here . The fact is that at the moment there are two versions of the M.2 standard. These are M.2 SATA and M.2 PCI. Each of them is divided into several substandards depending on the physical dimensions, and M.2 PCI is also divided into several substandards depending on the number of connected PCI lines.

Those. You can’t just go to the store and buy an M.2 disk. First, you need to study the documentation of your laptop or motherboard, understand which standard suits you, and only then buy something specific. Therefore, I repeat, it is very difficult to advise anything specific here. If you are still determined to buy an M.2 SSD, I advise you to go to this one, our website, where we tried to collect the most complete information on the compatibility of various drives with various hardware. And based on the data obtained, select a specific model.

If you have M.2 SATA size 2280, then you don’t have to think too much and take the same Samsung 850 EVO in M.2 format. In all other cases, you will have to look hard.

SSD for professionals

If your work involves processing a lot of photos in raw RAW format, or you constantly edit large amounts of video, work with 3D graphics, are a fan of heavy daily torrents, or run several virtual machines at the same time, then a regular SSD will not suit you. In this case, I would pay attention to the Samsung 850 Pro version.

Why is he better? First of all, it's faster. This is actually noticeable when working with large files in random read mode. During normal work the difference is not noticeable, but in the case of professional use, the difference can be felt. Secondly, it has a 10 year warranty. Thirdly, it was originally designed for such a harsh operating mode and has appropriate reliability. In fact, it has no competitors in its class. The price, unfortunately, is also 30% higher: 256 gigabytes cost 10-11 thousand rubles, 500 GB - about 16 thousand.

Who else likes Samsung Evo SSDs?

As you can see, the Samsung 850 EVO is the best choice in terms of price/performance ratio. A few quotes from the review authors:

• Samsung 850PRO. This is the most productive and most technologically advanced SATA SSD, which is based on a unique three-dimensional MLC V-NAND. In addition to outstanding performance, this model also stands out for its high reliability, which is backed by a 10-year warranty. In addition, the Samsung 850 PRO boasts a whole bunch of different nice little things, for example, support for OS-controlled encryption and an excellent tool utility.
• Samsung 850 EVO. The younger brother of the invincible 850 PRO also stands out from the competition. Yes, it is based on TLC V-NAND and therefore produces lower performance during write operations, but this does not prevent it from remaining one of the best SSDs in terms of weighted average performance and occupying a leading position in the mid-price category. In addition, the 850 EVO inherits from the 850 PRO the entire proprietary set of additional advantages: encryption support, high-quality software, etc.

If it seems to you that the world of personal computers has long lost its former vibrancy and has become like a dull swamp, then you simply do not know what is happening today with solid-state drives. There is absolutely no hint of consolidation of players, a duopoly or a near-monopoly position of any of the manufacturers. On the contrary, SSD is not only a young and interesting industry that brings a fresh spirit to the PC, but also an extremely dynamic developing market, with intense price and competition and a very rapidly changing 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 pricing games and concern for the interests of users, and at the same time and how quickly the picture of what is happening can change over short periods of time.

But 2016 in the SSD market was somewhat different from previous years. Although few people noticed it, it provided answers to many questions that had arisen every now and then. And if in last year’s and the year before last’s final reviews we could only speak with complete 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 a fairly clear picture of the solid-state drive of tomorrow emerges before us.

However, this does not mean that surprises are not expected in the solid-state technology market in the near future. On the contrary, during 2016, three leading developers, Micron, Intel and Samsung, persistently built fundamentally new approaches to building memory for solid-state drives. And the fruits of these sprouts, which in fact can again change, if not everything, then a lot, in the SSD market, are expected in the relatively near future. But this is a topic for another discussion. Today our material is being published in the “results” series, so we will talk about what answers to pressing questions about solid-state drives the past year has given.

TLC is the new MLC

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

The production volumes of TLC NAND in physical terms overtook the production of MLC memory at the end of 2015, and today NAND memory with a three-bit cell is the most widespread and widespread option. And although 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 noticeable changes in the characteristics of three-bit memory, and today's TLC NAND has little in common with the memory we encountered in the early days of this technology. The standards of technological processes used in its production stopped being reduced two years ago. Therefore, now planar memory is produced using very mature 15/16 nm technical processes, which have been fine-tuned to such an extent that they not only provide a very high yield of usable crystals, but also guarantee good quality of the semiconductor cell structure. As a result, today's TLC NAND is capable of withstanding many times more rewrites compared to the three-bit memory of the first generations, for which the guaranteed resource was only 500-1000 rewrites.

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

Such controllers have been offered by Silicon Motion and Marvell for quite some time, and they make it possible to produce TLC drives with a level of reliability similar to that of older MLC models.

In other words, the mass adoption of TLC memory is a stable trend, which is based not only on the desire of manufacturers to increase profit margins. This is one of the manifestations of progress, thanks to which SSDs can continue to displace magnetic storage media from the market. After all, TLC NAND provides higher data storage density and makes it possible to make semiconductor chips with higher capacity. This means that its implementation opens the way to increasing maximum volumes and further reducing the specific cost of solid-state drives.

However, MLC NAND has not yet completely lost its role and has not become like the 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 one and a half times the advantage in latency and multiple times the advantage in writing throughput, so it continues to be widely used in high-speed PCI Express SSDs, as well as in high-end SATA SSDs aimed at serving heavy workloads.

However, there is no doubt that the share of MLC memory will continue to decline, and, moreover, in the future, even more dense memory is expected to come to the market compared to TLC - QLC NAND. It provides for the storage of four bits of data in each cell, and drives based on this technology are already in 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 any significant losses in performance within the next two to three years. This is expected to expand the scope of application of SSDs to include storage of “cold data” and will become another nail in the coffin of traditional hard drives.

3D NAND: slowly but surely

Another direction for increasing data storage density in NAND memory chips is the transition from planar to 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 full-scale production of three-dimensional flash memory for SSDs: Samsung and the joint venture IMFT (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. Samsung holds the undisputed lead on this front. 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 maintain leadership 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 not far off. 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 was able to establish mass production of 32-layer memory and begin using it in solid-state drives aimed at the mass segment. Micron is transitioning to new technology at a very steady pace. By the end of the year, memory with a three-dimensional layout surpassed traditional planar memory in terms of production volumes. And this allows the company not only to use 3D NAND in SSDs sold under its own name and under its subsidiary Crucial brand, but also to outsource 3D flash memory chips. Their largest customers are ADATA and Transcend, whose assortment already includes models based on Micron multilayer memory.

Intel is also systematically introducing 3D NAND into its own solid-state drives. The company uses the same technology as Micron, and so it is not surprising that it has now been able to introduce several SSD models (mainly aimed at the enterprise and server markets) based on 3D memory. And considering that Intel has abandoned the deployment of a planar 16nm semiconductor process at its NAND factory, this means that soon the company will finally return to using in-house made memory in its memory drives.

Unfortunately, other semiconductor manufacturers cannot yet boast of noticeable progress in the implementation of 3D NAND. Although Toshiba, Western Digital and SK Hynix launched production of 3D flash memory back in early 2016, in reality there is not a single SSD where it is used. The problem is quality: the memory of these manufacturers is so far only suitable for use as part of eMMC, UFS and eMCP products, but not for SSDs, where the requirements for cell endurance and stability are much higher.

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

The Rubicon should be crossed in mid-2017

In addition, we need 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, which Intel and Micron are working on. It is based on PCM (phase change memory) technology, which is expected to deliver approximately 10x lower latencies, 3x endurance, 4x write speeds, 3x read speeds, and a 30% reduction in power consumption compared to traditional NAND products.

True, 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 the 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. This means that we won’t have to talk about mass production 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 it’s quite possible to believe this: Z-NAND does not use any new physical principles, and, apparently, this memory is something similar to 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 are no longer falling, and even vice versa

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

For example: annual change in the spot price of 128-Gbit MLC NAND chips from Micron

Since mid-2016, the price of NAND crystals has increased by almost a third. And naturally, 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 SSD prices, and over the past year, prices for the most part have 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. Moreover, this is far from a one-time event. Forecasts suggest that over the next few months the cost of SSDs will increase by another 20-25 percent from today's levels, and there is no reason not to believe this.

The entire coming year looks like a difficult period for SSDs. Demand for NAND chips is expected to continue to rise throughout the year, eventually rising again by 45 to 50 percent compared to last year. At the same time, NAND production volumes can only be increased 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 product yield by increasing its density, is underway much slower than the original plan. That is, the shortage of flash memory will at least continue, and in the worst case, it will even intensify.

All this, naturally, will affect the expansion of SSDs. It is clear that the initially formulated goals of replacing traditional mechanical hard drives with solid-state drives cannot now be achieved. In addition, user demand for large-capacity SSDs will cease to grow. Yes, 256- and 512-GB SSDs have become more popular over the past two years than 128-GB SSDs, and the average capacity of SSDs sold has now increased to approximately 360 GB, but user interest is further shifting towards higher-capacity drive models at a lower cost. At least we don’t have to wait until 2018 now. The cost of 128-gigabyte solid-state drive models will not drop to the level of half-terabyte HDDs. That is, the mass introduction of SSDs in low-cost computers and laptops, which was expected in 2017, will obviously now be postponed to a later date.