SSD MEGA TEST Want to know whats best for you? Look inside!! UPDATE 14/02/2012

Andrew Moore · 28 Jan 2012 at 13:48

AS SSD Read/Write Test

Force 3

HyperX

[FONT=&quot]

[/FONT]

M4

[FONT=&quot]

Vertex 3

[/FONT][FONT=&quot]

ADATA S510

ADATA S511

[/FONT]Kingston V+ 200 120GB

Intel 520series 120GB

Corsair Performance Pro 128GB

Samsung 830 series 256GB

[FONT=&quot]

AS SSD IOPS Test

[/FONT][FONT=&quot]
Force 3

[/FONT]

HyperX

[FONT=&quot]

M4

[/FONT][FONT=&quot]

Vertex 3

[/FONT][FONT=&quot]

ADATA S510

ADATA S511

Kingston V+ 200 120GB

[/FONT]

Intel 520series 120GB

Corsair Performance Pro 128GB

Samsung 830 series 256GB

[FONT=&quot]

ATTO

Force 3

[/FONT][FONT=&quot]

HyperX

[/FONT][FONT=&quot]

M4

[/FONT][FONT=&quot]

Vertex 3

[/FONT][FONT=&quot]

[/FONT]

ADATA S510

ADATA S511

Kingston V+ 200 120GB

Intel 520series 120GB

Corsair Performance Pro 128GB

Samsung 830 series 256GB

CrystalDiskMark

Force 3

[FONT=&quot]

HyperX

[/FONT][FONT=&quot]

M4

[/FONT][FONT=&quot]

Vertex 3

[/FONT]

ADATA S510

ADATA S511

Kingston V+ 200 120GB

Intel 520series 120GB

Corsair Performance Pro 128GB

Samsung 830 series 256GB

Conclusion

So what SSD is best for you?

Are you a soul gamer or do you like to take a moment with some photo or video editing as well?

Heres the OcUK "What to buy" based on budget and what you get for your money!

True Gamer!

Budget: Kingston V+ 200 or Force 3 (Agility 3, Adata S510 also fit this level)
Better: Adata S511, M4, Performance Pro
Best: Vertex 3, HyperX, Intel 520series

Multi tasker!

Budget: Adata S510, V+200, Force 3
Better: Vertex 3, Intel 520 Series, Adata S511
Best: Performance Pro, M4

Gamer and Multi tasker!

Budget: V+200
Better: Vertex 3, Intel 520 Series
Best: M4, Performance Pro

Overall

True Gamer: Intel 520 Series
Multi Tasker: Performance Pro
Gamer and Multi Tasker: M4

Helios1234 · 28 Jan 2012 at 13:51

No Samsung?

Andrew Moore · 28 Jan 2012 at 13:53

Helios1234 said:
No Samsung?

There will be later

It performs in a similar way to the M4 (slightly slower) but has much faster write speeds and IOPs perfomance where the M4 lacks. A very good drive but I think Intels 520 series, the M4 and the Performance Pro have the edge.. *just*

Ary101 · 28 Jan 2012 at 14:03

Very nice

Gibbo · 28 Jan 2012 at 14:10

Good stuff.
If I was buying be a tough choice between the M4 and new Intel.

CaptainUnlikely · 28 Jan 2012 at 14:15

What's the difference between the Performance Pro and the M4? Both Marvell controllers but the Corsair drive's write speeds are a big improvement.

Andrew Moore · 28 Jan 2012 at 14:18

CaptainUnlikely said:
What's the difference between the Performance Pro and the M4? Both Marvell controllers but the Corsair drive's write speeds are a big improvement.

They have sacrificed some performance on certain levels of how the drive can read and gained in areas on the writes. The IOPs performance is a smidge better on the M4 too so if you looking at DATA already on the drive the M4 is quicker (good OS drive). The Performance Pro is a little more of an all round drive and certainly an excellent alternative!

Intel 520 series is the one to look out for though! IOPs performance near the M4, reads above, writes destroying it! AS SSD may not score quite as high but the Intel is certainly the drive of choice for a Gamer!

Uther · 28 Jan 2012 at 14:28

Can you sticky this (hard drive sub forum perhaps) as its a useful guide!

CaptainUnlikely · 28 Jan 2012 at 14:28

Andrew Moore said:
They have sacrificed some performance on certain levels of how the drive can read and gained in areas on the writes. The IOPs performance is a smidge better on the M4 too so if you looking at DATA already on the drive the M4 is quicker (good OS drive). The Performance Pro is a little more of an all round drive and certainly an excellent alternative!

Intel 510 series is the one to look out for though! IOPs performance near the M4, reads above, writes destroying it! AS SSD may not score quite as high but the Intel is certainly the drive of choice for a Gamer!

I see the read speeds are slightly slower in some areas, yes, interesting how much that's gained on the writes. IOPS seems to be higher on the Corsair than the Crucial in almost every case. The Intel does well in some benchmarks, absolutely decimates the other drives in CDM sequential and 5k writes! Shame it's so expensive and you don't stock any Intel drives

chippy08 · 28 Jan 2012 at 14:29

what about reliability which is the most reliable is it the M4 as it seems a good all rounder.

Andrew Moore · 28 Jan 2012 at 14:31

CaptainUnlikely said:
I see the read speeds are slightly slower in some areas, yes, interesting how much that's gained on the writes. IOPS seems to be higher on the Corsair than the Crucial in almost every case. The Intel does well in some benchmarks, absolutely decimates the other drives in CDM sequential and 5k writes! Shame it's so expensive and you don't stock any Intel drives

Intel isnt released for a week or so yet

The higher IOPs are on the Crystaldiskmark test not AS SSD however showing IOPs via a screen shot isnt possible as you have to hover your mouse to do so...

Ill get IOmeter done on them so this can be seen but itll have to wait for another day I am affraid.

Andrew Moore · 28 Jan 2012 at 14:34

chippy08 said:
what about reliability which is the most reliable is it the M4 as it seems a good all rounder.

M4s are pretty much bullet proof! I would hope the Performance Pro is too as its marvel but I cant be sure quite yet.

The Intel drive should also be very reliable too from all of the testing they have done but we dont have our own figures to go by yet so I cannot be sure.

A 5 year warranty however does say a lot for how reliable this drive could potentially be as Intel are certainly confident with it

CaptainUnlikely · 28 Jan 2012 at 14:34

Andrew Moore said:
Intel isnt released for a week or so yet

The higher IOPs are on the Crystaldiskmark test not AS SSD however showing IOPs via a screen shot isnt possible as you have to hover your mouse to do so...

Ill get IOmeter done on them so this can be seen but itll have to wait for another day I am affraid. :

Oops, I thought it was the Intel 510 you were testing, you typo'd the model number in your reply heh.
What happened to the other Intel drives though, the 320 series? Being refreshed also, or just no longer carrying them?
I'll take your word for it re the higher IOPS in CDM as I know you can't screenshot them, be interesting to see the IOmeter results when you do them though

Andrew Moore · 28 Jan 2012 at 14:38

CaptainUnlikely said:
Oops, I thought it was the Intel 510 you were testing, you typo'd the model number in your reply heh.
What happened to the other Intel drives though, the 320 series? Being refreshed also, or just no longer carrying them?
I'll take your word for it re the higher IOPS in CDM as I know you can't screenshot them, be interesting to see the IOmeter results when you do them though

Aye typo lol!

Fixed

But yes, write IOPs and write speeds are better on the Performance Pro but the 4K-64thrd has a nice boost over the Performance pro with the M4 which is why I would recommend the M4 as a drive of choice purely for OS and the Performance Pro or Intel 520series as an all rounder (the latter more game orientated)

newgamer91 · 28 Jan 2012 at 14:57

so it looks like my choice and recommendation by others for buying the M4 was the right one. turn up monday

Moothead2 · 28 Jan 2012 at 15:07

The M4 used to be the best Price/Performance SSD, is this still the case?

Andrew Moore · 28 Jan 2012 at 15:11

Moothead2 said:
The M4 used to be the best Price/Performance SSD, is this still the case?

With the M4 going up in price is was debatable however the M4 is now dropping a little again which is excellent!

The Performance Pro is a little more expensive as will the Intel 520 series so with that in mind I would say that it still has the best bang for buck for 128GB and above.

The best bang for buck on 60GB sizes is probably going to be for the Agility 3 or the Force 3.

Not as fast but £10 cheaper which for 60Gb is a fair amount.

Colasanto · 28 Jan 2012 at 15:20

Brought a 128gb M4 yesterday from OCUK and picked saturday delivery. Was £30 or so more than the force 3. Did a firmware upgrade prior to OS install.

Just finished windows updates, drivers etc and did a bench:

Extremely impressed

Andrew Moore · 28 Jan 2012 at 15:25

Colasanto said:
Brought a 128gb M4 yesterday from OCUK and picked saturday delivery. Was £30 or so more than the force 3. Did a firmware upgrade prior to OS install.

Just finished windows updates, drivers etc and did a bench:

Extremely impressed

Thats how the M4 will look with the firmware update I assume?

If so, that makes it even more appealing

Colasanto · 28 Jan 2012 at 15:31

Andrew Moore said:
Thats how the M4 will look with the firmware update I assume?

If so, that makes it even more appealing

Indeed it is. Not that it matters but it also got 7.9 (max score) on windows assessment.

But the bench speaks for it's self, imagine getting two in raid 0

** SSD MEGA TEST ** Want to know whats best for you? Look inside!! UPDATE 14/02/2012

SSD MEGA TEST Want to know whats best for you? Look inside!! UPDATE 14/02/2012