| G2 Kingston SSDNowV+ Series SSD SNVP325 |
| Reviews - Featured Reviews: Storage | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Written by Olin Coles | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Monday, 25 January 2010 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Kingston SSDNowV+ SNVP325 ReviewSolid State Drive (SSD) technology is developed for two groups of users: large-scale Enterprise environments and individual end-users. Kingston Technology has been in the business of satisfying enthusiasts and gamers for many years, and their SSDNow series of NAND-flash storage products has been the affordable solution for system upgrades. In this article, Benchmark Reviews introduces the second-generation Kingston SSDNowV+ Solid State Drive series. Based on the high-performance Toshiba T6UG1XBG processor, the Kingston SSDNowV+ SNVP325-S2 delivers native TRIM support with a maximum rated read speed of 230MBps and write-to bandwidth peaking at 180MBps. For over twelve years Kingston has sold system memory upgrade kits to help boost personal computer performance. Installing RAM system memory is a simple process, and it generally speeds-up an old PC. Yet, because the processor and memory both operate at level much faster than the average hard disk, the real bottleneck is the computer's primary drive. Solid State Drives are the ideal upgrade for hard drive users wanting dramatic performance improvements, and the difference an SSD makes is far noticeable than any memory upgrade. Up until recently, Solid State Drive popularity was only growing inside elite enthusiast circles. Value is how Kingston markets their entire SSDNow-V series. Knowing that price was the biggest challenge, Kingston did an outstanding job of making SSD technology affordable for the masses with their SSDNow-V 40GB Boot Drive SNV125-S2/40GB upgrade kit, a product that sells for only $129.99. Even the Kingston SSDNow V+ SNV225 series, which were all based on the Samsung S3C29RBB01-YK40 controller, offered a 64GB version for $185. Not known for offering the status quo, Kingston has returned with a second-generation technology for the new SSDNow V+ SNVP325 models built around the Toshiba T6UG1XBG controller.
Just over two years ago there were only five companies involved in Solid State Drive technology, and as of January 2010 there are nearly 140 names in the business. Without doubt, the SSD market has enjoyed a powerful growth period with relatively painless consumer acceptance. Benchmark Reviews has been on top of the SSD scene since retail products were first introduced at the 2008 Consumer Electronics Show In such a short amount of time, the entire SSD market has created and recreated itself several times over. Counting the generations of SSD processors has become difficult for experienced experts, and keeping-up with controller architecture has come with its own set of challenges. Benchmark Reviews has already tested dozens of Solid State Drive products, and we've seen everything from dual-SATA controllers in RAID-0 to large cache buffer modules used inside of them. In this article Benchmark Reviews inspects the Toshiba T6UG1XBG Solid State Drive controller, which is used in the second-generation Kingston SSDNow V+ SNVP325 (which replaces the older SNV225 series with Samsung controller). While the SSD industry grows daily, only a few select manufacturers offer popularly-accepted Flash NAND SSD controllers. The most popular consumer controllers at the moment are: Indilinx IDX110M00-FC "Barefoot", Intel PC29AS21AA0, JMicron JMF612, Toshiba T6UG1XBG, Samsung S3C29RBB01-YK40, Marvell 88SS8014-BHP2, and SandForce SF-1200/1500. SSD Testing DisclaimerEarly on in our SSD coverage, Benchmark Reviews published an article which detailed Solid State Drive Benchmark Performance Testing. The research and discussion that went into producing that article changed the way we now test SSD products. Our previous perceptions of this technology were lost on one particular difference: the wear leveling algorithm that makes data a moving target. Without conclusive linear bandwidth testing or some other method of total-capacity testing, our previous performance results were rough estimates at best. Our test results were obtained after each SSD had been prepared using DISKPART or Sanitary Erase tools. As a word of caution, applications such as these offer immediate but temporary restoration of original 'pristine' performance levels. In our tests, we discovered that the maximum performance results (charted) would decay as subsequent tests were performed. SSDs attached to TRIM enabled Operating Systems will benefit from continuously refreshed performance, whereas older O/S's will require a garbage collection (GC) tool to avoid 'dirty NAND' performance degradation. It's critically important to understand that no software for the Microsoft Windows platform can accurately measure SSD performance in a comparable fashion. Synthetic benchmark tools such as HD Tach and PCMark are helpful indicators, but should not be considered the ultimate determining factor. That factor should be measured in actual user experience of real-world applications. Benchmark Reviews includes both bandwidth benchmarks and application speed tests to present a conclusive measurement of product performance. About Kingston Digital, Inc.Kingston Digital, Inc. ("KDI") is the Flash memory affiliate of Kingston Technology Company, Inc., the world's largest independent manufacturer of memory products. Established in 2008, KDI is headquartered in Fountain Valley, California, USA. For more information, please visit https://www.kingston.com/ or call 800-337-8410. About Kingston Technology Company, Inc.
Kingston Technology Company, Inc. is the world's largest independent manufacturer of memory products. Kingston designs, manufactures and distributes memory products for desktops, laptops, servers, printers, and Flash memory products for PDAs, mobile phones, digital cameras, and MP3 players. Through its global network of subsidiaries and affiliates, Kingston has manufacturing facilities in California, Malaysia, Taiwan, China and sales representatives in the United States, Europe, Russia, Australia, New Zealand, India, Taiwan, China, and Latin America. Founded in 1987 with a single product offering, Kingston now offers more than 2,000 memory products that support nearly every device that uses memory, from computers, servers and printers to MP3 players, digital cameras and cell phones. In 2006, the company's sales exceeded $3.7 billion. With global headquarters in Fountain Valley, California, Kingston employs more than 3,300 people worldwide. Regarded as one of the "Best Companies to Work for in America" by Fortune magazine, Kingston's tenets of respect, loyalty, flexibility and integrity create an exemplary corporate culture. Kingston believes that investing in its people is essential, and each employee is a vital part of Kingston's success. Kingston serves an international network of distributors, resellers, retailers and OEM customers on six continents. The company also provides contract manufacturing and supply chain management services for semiconductor manufacturers and system OEMs. At the Forefront of Memory: The History of Kingston Kingston Technology grew out of a severe shortage of surface-mount memory chips in the high-tech marketplace in the 1980s. John Tu and David Sun were determined to find a solution. They put their engineering expertise to work and designed a new Single In-Line Memory Module (SIMM) that used readily available, older technology through-hole components. A new industry standard was born - and, on October 17, 1987, so was Kingston Technology. Kingston SSDNow V+ SNVP325Adding an SSD to a desktop already using a standard hard disk drive is a smart and efficient way to upgrade. Transferring the operating system and applications from the HDD to the SSD allows the SSD to be used as a bootable drive that takes full advantage of the Flash-based technology. The SSD and the HDD then co-exist to drive optimal performance in the upgraded desktop.
For notebooks, SSDNow drives are a perfect replacement for hard drives resulting in faster, more reliable performance. Making this change will improve a notebook's efficiency in a wide range of tasks, from booting up to running the most robust operating system and demanding applications. The addition of TRIM support helps keep the SSDNow V+ maintain optimal write speed throughout its lifespan. The SSDNow V+ is the latest addition to Kingston's SSDNow family of solid-state drives. It is available in 64GB, 128GB, 256GB and 512GB capacities. As part of Kingston's goal to provide an easy upgrade path, the drive is also available with a bundle that includes cloning software, 2.5" USB enclosure, 2.5" to 3.5" mounting brackets and SATA data and power cables. The Kingston SSDNow V+ solid-state drive is backed by a three-year warranty, 24/7 tech support and legendary Kingston reliability. Kingston SSDNow V+ Features:
SNVP325 SSD Specifications:
Kingston SSDNow V+ Series Part Numbers:
Upgrade Kits:
First Look: Kingston SSDNow V+Manufacturers dress-up their products to help them sell, but don't get too caught-up on the flashy stickers because they'll be out of sight soon enough. When it comes to notebook computer drives you've got to remember that once installed, that SSD gets hidden away from view and forgotten. Keeping in mind that this product is also of solid state design and therefore has no moving parts, it takes extra attention towards product presentation in order to help keep consumers feeling comfortable with their premium-priced purchase. Kingston might have borrowed the controller design for their 2nd-generation SSDNow V+ series, but the outside bares the always-unique Kingston artwork. A textured gunmetal enclosure disassociates itself with so many of the plain black designs we've seen lately, and adds a touch of class to the product line.
Kingston recognizes that desktop computer enthusiasts may also want to use 2.5" notebook drives on their system. All Kingston SNVP325-S2B models include an upgrade kit with the SSD, and offer 3.5-to-2.5" adapter rails and a data transfer guide, Unlike desktop computers which utilize SATA cables to connect a drive into the motherboard, nearly all notebooks are designed to allow the 2.5" drive to slide directly into a connection bay within the system. In addition to notebooks and desktop computer application, this Kingston SSDNow V+ series MLC Solid State Drive can be utilized for mission-critical backups or high-abuse data systems; but its real focus is on high-performance data transfer speeds. Unfortunately, the Kingston SSDNow V+ SNVP325 series does not offer any integrated USB Mini-B port for making this into a portable backup storage device.
Unlike most Hard Disk Drive (HDD) storage products, SSD's are nearly impervious to impact damage and do not require (or benefit from) any kind of special vibration dampening or shock-proof enclosures. Kingston utilizes a textured rough-looking metal enclosure for their SSDNow V+ Solid State Drive series, which reveals the internal components after removing just four small counter-sunk Allen-head screws on the underside. Standard 2.5" drive bay mounting points are pre-drilled and threaded into the SSDNow V+ SSD, which allows for quick upgrade or addition into any existing notebook or desktop system. The mounting positions matched up to the drive bracket on my notebook computer, and after only a few minutes of drive cloning I was quickly loading the Windows O/S.
Thanks to a new controller architecture (detailed in the next section), the second-generation Kingston SSDNow V+ series receives a thermal filler pad to transfer heat to the metal enclosure. Now that you're acquainted with the basic exterior features of the Kingston SSDNow V+ SSD, it's time to peek inside the SNVP325 enclosure and inspect the internal components... Toshiba T6UG1XBG SSD ControllerThe second-generation Kingston SSDNow V+ SNVP325 series utilizes Toshiba's T6UG1XBG Solid State Drive controller, which replaces the older SNV225 series SSDs with Samsung controller. While the SSD industry grows daily, only a few select manufacturers offer popularly-accepted Flash NAND SSD controllers. The most popular consumer controllers at the moment are: Indilinx IDX110M00-FC "Barefoot", Intel PC29AS21AA0, JMicron JMF612, Toshiba T6UG1XBG, Samsung S3C29RBB01-YK40, Marvell 88SS8014-BHP2, and SandForce SF-1200/1500.
From the top-view image above you'll notice that Toshiba utilizes a close-knit layout for their SSD-controller and flash NAND modules, with few electronics to fill in the remaining space atop the printed circuit board. Toshiba optimized this design to better server the thermal envelope of their design, as the entire bed of IC components receives a 4mm thermal filler pad to transfer heat to the metal enclosure. This is the first time Benchmark Reviews has seen an SSD with improved thermal management considered in the design. With the circuit board turned over to expose the underside, it becomes obvious that Toshiba's ergonomic layout allowed for single-side construction, which reduces production time (and costs).
The Toshiba T6UG1XBG processor used in this architecture article was taken from the 2nd-generation Kingston SSDNow V+ Solid State Drive. This is the same control board used in the recently announced Toshiba HG2-series SSD (THNS512GG8BBAA), and both share firmware version AGYA0201 with identical NAND construction. The Toshiba T6UG1XBG SSD controller is a 43nm part with native TRIM support, and offers a maximum rated read speed of 230MBps and write-to performance peaking at 180MBps.
Toshiba launched their HG2-series SSD late into 2009, and a 32nm HG3 SSD is already scheduled to debut later into 2010. The Toshiba TH58NVG7D7EBAK0 flash NAND modules (TH58NVG7D series) used on the HG2 control board are rather new to the industry, and do not have detailed information available. These are lead-free RoHS-compliant 48-pin ICs, and use multi-layer cell 64Gb density that require 3.3V per module.
Toshiba, the original inventor of NAND Flash and world's most experienced NAND flash producer built and designed both the SSD controller and NAND modules used in the Kingston SSDNow V+ SNVP325, making it one of the few single-source units on the market (Samsung being another). A single 128MB Micron 9LA17-D9HSJ DDR DRAM module offers decent cache performance for fast transaction buffering.
While the Toshiba T6UG1XBG processor is an ambiguous component, we respect that our sample came inside the Kingston SSDNow V+ SNVP325 series. Please continue on for details and performance results for this Solid State Drive... SSD Testing MethodologySolid State Drives have traveled a long winding course to finally get where they are today. Up to this point in technology, there have been several key differences separating Solid State Drives from magnetic rotational Hard Disk Drives. While the DRAM-based buffer size on desktop HDD's has recently reached 32 MB and is ever-increasing, there is still a hefty delay in the initial response time. This is one key area in which flash-based Solid State Drives continually dominates because they lack moving parts to "get up to speed".
However the benefits inherent to SSD's have traditionally fallen off once the throughput begins, even though data reads or writes are executed at a high constant rate whereas the HDD tapers off in performance. This makes the average transaction speed of a SSD comparable to the data burst rate mentioned in HDD tests, albeit usually lower than the HDD's speed. Comparing a Solid State Disk to a standard Hard Disk Drives is always relative; even if you're comparing the fastest rotational spindle speeds. One is going to be many times faster in response (SSD's), while the other is usually going to have higher throughput bandwidth (HDD's). Additionally, there are certain factors which can affect the results of a test which we do our best to avoid. SSD Testing DisclaimerEarly on in our SSD coverage, Benchmark Reviews published an article which detailed Solid State Drive Benchmark Performance Testing. The research and discussion that went into producing that article changed the way we now test SSD products. Our previous perceptions of this technology were lost on one particular difference: the wear leveling algorithm that makes data a moving target. Without conclusive linear bandwidth testing or some other method of total-capacity testing, our previous performance results were rough estimates at best. Our test results were obtained after each SSD had been prepared using DISKPART or Sanitary Erase tools. As a word of caution, applications such as these offer immediate but temporary restoration of original 'pristine' performance levels. In our tests, we discovered that the maximum performance results (charted) would decay as subsequent tests were performed. SSDs attached to TRIM enabled Operating Systems will benefit from continuously refreshed performance, whereas older O/S's will require a garbage collection (GC) tool to avoid 'dirty NAND' performance degradation. It's critically important to understand that no software for the Microsoft Windows platform can accurately measure SSD performance in a comparable fashion. Synthetic benchmark tools such as HD Tach and PCMark are helpful indicators, but should not be considered the ultimate determining factor. That factor should be measured in actual user experience of real-world applications. Benchmark Reviews includes both bandwidth benchmarks and application speed tests to present a conclusive measurement of product performance. Test System
Drive Hardware TestedThe following storage hardware has been used in our benchmark performance testing, and may be included in portions of this article:
Test Tools
ATTO Disk BenchmarkThe ATTO Disk Benchmark program is free, and offers a comprehensive set of test variables to work with. In terms of disk performance, it measures interface transfer rates at various intervals for a user-specified length and then reports read and write speeds for these spot-tests. There are some minor improvements made to the 2.34 version of the program, but the benchmark is still limited to non-linear samples up to 256MB. ATTO Disk Benchmark requires that an active partition be set on the drive being tested. Please consider the results displayed by this benchmark to be basic bandwidth speed performance indicators.
Our basic bandwidth speed tests begin with the Kingston SSDNow V+ SNVP325 connected to the integrated Intel ICH10R Southbridge chip, as the ATTO Disk Benchmark tools performs file transfers ranging from 0.5 KB to 8192 KB. The Kingston SSDNow V+ MLC SSD reveals an impressive 238 MBps read speed that plateaus from 128-8192 KB file chunks, while the 188 MBps write bandwidth plateaus from 32-8192 KB. These results are higher that the stated 230/180MBps maximum given by Kingston.
Drive Hardware
In our next section, Benchmark Reviews compares random access IOPS performance among high-end storage devices using HD Tune Pro... HD Tune Pro BenchmarksThe latest edition of HD Tune Pro allows random access read and write testing, a feature not available to other similar software benchmark tools. HD Tune is a low-level test that will not operate on a drive which contains a partition, so Benchmark Reviews uses DISKPART to prepare hardware and remove any partitions before conducting these tests. Random Access tests are divided into 512b, 4KB, 64KB, 1MB and random size test files sizes. The Random Access test measures the performance of random read or write operations. The amount of data which will be read varies from 512 bytes to 1 MB. Performance is reported in operations per second (IOPS), average access time, and average speed. Because it is our intent to compare one product against another, Benchmark Reviews has focused on 4KB and random transfer size IOPS performance.
Benchmark Reviews has tested the Kingston SSDNow V+ SNVP325 MLC SSD against a collection of top-performing desktop storage drives for our IOPS benchmarks. The 4 KB random IOPS performance in HD Tune measured 4855 for read IO, and 2583 for write. In comparison, the 4KB read IOPS was behind Corsair's X256 SSD which scored 7444, and the Vertex Turbo's 7272. Both the Vertex Turbo (17358 4KB write IOPS) and Corsair X256 (16244) SSDs well ahead of the Kingston SSDNow V+ SNVP325 in terms of IOPS write performance.
The tight range of IO is an indicator of operational bottlenecks. For example, the WD VelociRaptor WD3000HLFS SATA Hard Disk Drive indicates a total read-IOPS range of 10-150 whereas the average SSD might offer 200-1,000. As a direct result, in most cases SSDs will offer a much higher IO over their hard disk counterparts. The random read/write operations per second is charted below:
Our test results were obtained after each SSD had been prepared using the DISKPART program with the "clean all" command, and in the case of products using the Indilinx Barefoot controller they were further prepared with the Sanitary Erase application. In our tests we discovered that the maximum performance results (charted) would decay as subsequent tests were performed, even with TRIM available. As a word of caution, alignment and garbage collection applications offer immediate but temporary restoration of original 'pristine' performance levels. Drive Hardware
Benchmark Reviews measures I/O Response Time and IOPS performance using the Iometer tool in our next section... Iometer IOPS PerformanceIometer is an I/O subsystem measurement and characterization tool for single and clustered systems. Iometer does for a computer's I/O subsystem what a dynamometer does for an engine: it measures performance under a controlled load. Iometer was originally developed by the Intel Corporation and formerly known as "Galileo". Intel has discontinued work on Iometer, and has gifted it to the Open Source Development Lab (OSDL). Iometer is both a workload generator (that is, it performs I/O operations in order to stress the system) and a measurement tool (that is, it examines and records the performance of its I/O operations and their impact on the system). It can be configured to emulate the disk or network I/O load of any program or benchmark, or can be used to generate entirely synthetic I/O loads. It can generate and measure loads on single or multiple (networked) systems. Benchmark Reviews has resisted publishing Iometer results because there are hundreds of different configuration variables available, making it impossible to reproduce our tests without having our Iometer configuration file. To measure random I/O response time as well as total I/O's per second, Iometer is set to use 4KB file size chunks over a 100% random sequential distribution. The tests are given a 50% read and 50% write distribution. Our charts show the Read and Write IOPS performance as well as I/O response time (measured in ms). Iometer was configured to test for 120 seconds, and after five tests the average is displayed in our benchmark results. The first tests included random read and write IOPS performance, where a higher I/O is preferred.
In the Random IOPS performance tests the single layer cell (SLC) OCZ Agility EX (3982/3988), Intel X25-E Extreme (3543/3548), and OCZ Vertex EX (3106/3091) outperformed all other products by a wide margin. The OCZ Vertex Turbo SSD rendered 1774 read/1770 write I/O's, while the Corsair recorded 1769/1773, both of which are just slightly ahead of a single Vertex SSD that produced 1702 for read and write IOPS. Finishing out the second-tier IOPS performance is the OCZ Agility SSD with 1625/1618. Kingston's SSDNow V+ SNVP325 offered 826/829 IOPS, and creates a third tier of performance. Every other product thereafter responded with low IOPS operational performance, and are not suggested for high input/output applications.
The Iometer random IOPS average response time test results were nearly an inverse order of the IOPS performance results. It's no surprise that SLC drives perform I/O processes far better than their MLC versions, but that gap is slowly closing as controller technology improves the differences and enhances cache buffer space. The Read/Write IOPS performance for the 64GB OCZ Agility-EX SLC SSD was 0.19/0.06 ms, with the Intel X25-E Extreme SSD measuring 0.22/0.06 ms, while the OCZ Vertex-EX achieved 0.26/0.06 ms. Both of these premium MLC products share a dramatic lead ahead of the other SSDs tested. The Corsair X256 and OCZ Vertex Turbo SSD both scored 0.50/0.06ms, while the Vertex SSD offered 0.52/0.06ms. The mainstream Agility SSD produced 0.55/0.06ms, and the second-generation Kingston SSDNow V+ SNVP325 responded to read requests in 0.27ms while write requests were a bit slower at 0.93ms. The Western Digital VelociRaptor did very well compared against SSD products, producing 6.59/0.82ms. These times were collectively the best available, as each product measured hereafter performed much slower. Drive Hardware
In our next section, we test linear read and write bandwidth performance and compare its speed against several other top storage products using EVEREST Disk Benchmark. Benchmark Reviews feels that linear tests are excellent for rating SSDs, however HDDs are put at a disadvantage with these tests whenever capacity is high. EVEREST Disk BenchmarkMany enthusiasts are familiar with the EVEREST benchmark suite by Lavalys, but very few are aware of the Disk Benchmark tool available inside the program. The EVEREST Disk Benchmark performs linear read and write bandwidth tests on each drive, and can be configured to use file chunk sizes up to 1MB (which speeds up testing and minimizes jitter in the waveform). Because of the full sector-by-sector nature of linear testing, Benchmark Reviews endorses this method for testing SSD products, as detailed in our Solid State Drive Benchmark Performance Testing article. However, Hard Disk Drive products suffer a lower average bandwidth as the capacity draws linear read/write speed down into the inner-portion of the disk platter. EVEREST Disk Benchmark does not require a partition to be present for testing, so all of our benchmarks are completed prior to drive formatting. The high-performance storage products tested with EVEREST Disk Benchmark are connected to the Intel ICH10R SATA controller resident on the Gigabyte GA-EX58-UD4P motherboard. Using the 1MB block size, read performance of the Kingston SSDNow V+ SNVP325 measured an average 224.6 MBps with a matching maximum peak of 224.6 MBps. Linear write-to tests were next...
Linear disk benchmarks are superior tools in my opinion, because they scan from the first physical sector to the last. A side affect of many linear write-performance test tools is that the data is erased as it writes to every sector on the drive. Normally this isn't an issue, but it has been shown that partition table alignment will occasionally play a role in overall SSD performance (HDDs don't suffer this problem). The 128MB buffer and fast NAND flash memory on the Kingston SSDNow V+ SNVP325 Solid State Drive helped improve results in our linear write testing, as shown in the waveform chart below. Although the chart makes the linear write performance appear unsteady, the results seen here are actually very consistent compared to most other SSD products we've tested in the past. The second-generation Kingston SSDNow V+ recorded an average linear write-to speed of 142.4 MBps , with a maximum performance of 195.5 MBps. Remember these numbers, because a few tests fail at properly recording write-to performance.
The chart below shows the average linear read and write bandwidth for a cross-section of other SATA drives attached to the Intel ICH10 Southbridge:
Linear bandwidth certainly benefits the Solid State Drive, since there's very little fluctuation in transfer speed. Hard Disk Drive products decline in performance as the spindle reaches the inner-most sectors on the magnetic platter. I personally consider linear tests to be the single most important comparison of storage drive products, although hard disk drive products decrease performance as they reach the edge of the spindle, SSD products operate at a relatively smooth speed from start to finish. Drive Hardware
In the next section, Benchmark Reviews tests sequential performance using the CrystalDiskMark software tool... CrystalDiskMark TestsCrystalDiskMark is a very basic read and write benchmark tool by Crystal Dew World that offers performance speed results using sequential, 512KB random, and 4KB random samples. For our tests, sequential read and write performance was measured using a 1000MB file size, with 50, 100, and 500MB being the other available options. CrystalDiskMark requires that an active partition be set on the drive being tested, and all drives are formatted with NTFS. Benchmark Reviews uses CrystalDiskMark to confirm manufacturer suggested bandwidth speeds. In addition to our other tests, the sequential read and write benchmarks allow us to determine if the maximum stated speed of any storage product is within reasonable specification. In the chart below illustrated below, our sequential read and write performance speeds are organized from highest to lowest based on total bandwidth. Enjoying a noticeable lead atop of our sequential performance chart, both the Intel X25-E Extreme (261/206 MBps) and the OCZ Vertex-EX Single-Layer Cell SSD (256/182 MBps) and OCZ Agility-EX (258/172 MBps) offer the highest read and write bandwidth performance. Followed closely behind was the Kingston SSDNow V+ SNVP325 that produced 237/182 MBps, and the Corsair X256 which scored 255/156. Not far behind the top leaders was the OCZ Vertex Turbo, which offered 248/145, which is slightly faster than the standard Vertex SSD performance of 230/138. The OCZ Agility followed closely behind the other Indilinx Barefoot SSDs and shared the same sequential write speed penalty. Although the remaining drives are all within a respectable range of speed, the high-performance VelociRaptor hard drive still keeps pace with a few SSDs. The WD VelociRaptor offers sequential read and write performance comparable to the Mtron MOBI 3500.
Drive Hardware
Please continue on to the Final Thoughts sections, where the state of SSD testing and Data Storage market sector are put under analysis... SSD vs Hard Disk DriveThe last days of old technology are always better than the first days of new technology. Never has this saying been more true than with the topic of storage technology, specifically in regard to the introduction of Solid State Drive technology a few years ago. The only things standing in the way of widespread Solid State Drive (SSD) adoption are high storage capacity and affordable price of Hard Disk Drive (HDD) devices. Because NAND flash-based SSD technology costs more per gigabyte of capacity than traditional magnetic hard drives, the benefits of immediate response time, transfer speeds, and operational input/output performance often get overlooked. Like most consumer products, it wasn't a question of how much improvement was evident in the new technology, it was price. I'll discuss product costs more in just a moment, but for now consider how each new series of SSD product employs greater performance than the one before it, convincing would-be consumers into waiting for the right time to buy. There's also a gray area surrounding SSD performance benchmarks that has me concerned. You might not know this, but SSDs can be very temperamental towards the condition of their flash NAND. My experience testing dozens of Solid State Drives is that a freshly cleaned device (using an alignment tool) will always outperform the same device once it's been formatted and used. A perfect example is Indilinx Barefoot-based SSDs, which suffers severely degraded performance when writing to 'dirty' flash NAND. The reason that all of this will matters is simple: the performance results reported to consumers in product reviews (such as this one) often report the very best performance scores, and the process used to obtain these results is not applicable to real-world usage. This is where garbage collection techniques such as TRIM become important, so that end-users will experience the same performance levels as we do in our tests.
Garbage Collection (GC) is the current solution for keeping flash NAND in 'clean' condition, while maintaining optimal performance. Windows 7 offers native TRIM support, and most retail SSDs also include this special GC function or at least offer a firmware update that brings the drive up-to-date. For anyone using an Operating System or SSD that does not offer Garbage Collection functionality, you'll be using 'dirty' flash NAND modules and suffering sub-optimal performance for each write-to request. A few SSD manufacturers offers free tools to help restore peak-level performance by scheduling GC to 'clean' used NAND sectors, but these tools add excessive wear to the NAND the same way disk defragmenting tools would. SLC flash modules may resist wear much better than MLC counterparts, but come at the expense of increased production cost. The best solution is a more durable NAND module that offers long-lasting SLC benefits at the cost of MLC construction. Adoption is further stalled because keen consumers aware of this dilemma further continue their delay into the SSD market. Getting back to price, the changes in cost per gigabyte have come as often as changes to the technology itself. At their inception, high-performance models such the 32GB MemoRight GT cost $33 per gigabyte while the entry-level 32GB Mtron MOBI 3000 sold for $14 per gigabyte. While an enjoyable decline in NAND component costs forced consumer SSD prices down low in 2009, the price of SSD products has been on the rise during 2010. Nevertheless, Solid State Drives continue to fill store shelves despite price or capacity, and there are a few SSD products now costing only $2.03 per gigabyte. Although the performance may justify the price, which is getting dangerously close to the $1.00 per gigabyte WD VelociRaptor hard drive, costs may still close some buyers out of the market. Price notwithstanding, the future is in SSD technology and the day when HDDs are obsolete is nearing; but there are still a few bumps in the road to navigate. Kingston SSDNow V+ G2 ConclusionBenchmark Reviews begins our conclusion with a short summary for each of the areas that we rate. The first section is performance, which considers how effective the Kingston SSDNow V+ series performs in operations against direct competitor products. For reference, Kingston specifies that the model SNVP325-S2/128GB Solid State Drive should offer a maximum 230 MBps read and 180 MBps write performance. In many of our benchmark tests, the 128GB second-generation SSDNow V+ performed at or above this rating. The Kingston SSDNow V+ SNVP325 offered up to 238/188MBps read and writes speeds in ATTO Disk Benchmark trailed by 237/182MBps in Crystal DiskMark, while Everest reported a 225/192MBps linear bandwidth speed. Input/Output performance was modest in Iometer and HD-Tune, indicating that the SNVP325-S2/128GB would perform extremely well for enthusiast consumers but not offer the high operational functionality needed in the Enterprise sector. Solid State Drives are low-visibility products: you see them just long enough to install and then they're forgotten. Despite this, Kingston has taken the added step of upgrading the SSD enclosure from the standard black painted chassis used on nearly all other SSD products, and uses a textured metal finish. Because Solid State Drives, like their Hard Disk Drive counterparts, are meant to place function before fashion, anything above and beyond a simple metal shell is more than what's expected of the appearance. To this end I still wish manufacturers would return to using sealed plastic enclosures (such as the MOBI 3000) to prevent moisture or electrical shock damage, though the trend doesn't seem likely. Construction is probably the strongest feature credited to the entire SSD product segment, and Kingston Solid State Drive products are no exception. Solid State Drives are by nature immune to most abuses, but add to this a hard metal shell and you have to wonder what it would take to make this drive fail. If a Kingston SSDNow V+ product fails during the 3-year warranty period, end-users can contact Kingston Technology via the company support website. Fortunately, there's also a toll-free telephone number for support or customer service questions (800-435-0640).
Benchmark Reviews has tested the Kingston SSDNow V+ SNVP325-S2/128GB model, and the performance results were leading-edge. Based on our benchmark tests of this second-generation storage product, the SSDNow V+ delivers a noteworthy 0.14 ms response time which assures a nearly-instant reactions when called upon, and the SNVP325-S2/128GB model showed absolutely no sign of data-write stuttering during our tests. Based on the high-performance Toshiba T6UG1XBG SSD processor, the Kingston SSDNowV+ SNVP325-S2 series delivers native TRIM garbage collection support with impressive transfer speeds nearing the SATA-II bandwidth limitation. Although a mini-USB port would have been a nice touch, the included Kingston upgrade kit simplifies the transition for hard drive users. As of March 2010, the second-generation Kingston SSDNow V+ SNVP325-S2/128GB sells at NewEgg for $319. Several other online retailers also stock this SSD, so compare prices before making a purchase. In conclusion, the Kingston SSDNow V+ SNVP325-series introduces an excellent candidate for consumers picking through SSD choices. Garbage Collection functionality is included via TRIM support in Windows 7, and linear bandwidth speeds reached as high as 225/192MBps in Everest with nearly no wavering. Input/Output operational performance was good, and offers more than desktop or notebook users could ever utilize. Kingston's price point for the new SSDNow V+ SNVP325 is on par with other industry leaders, making it a good value compared to other SSD devices. With all of this in mind, understand that replacing the hard drive with a Solid State Drive is an easy way to dramatically speed-up your computer system. Don't take my word for it though; make sure to read around for a differing perspective if one exists. Pros:
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SSDNow uses a standard SATA interface but, unlike a regular HDD, SSD is very rugged and built with no moving parts, making it ideal for power users and road warriors who push the limits of their notebooks. Other benefits include reduced power usage, less noise and less heat generation.
