| Corsair Nova V128 Solid State Drive |
| Reviews - Featured Reviews: Storage | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Written by Olin Coles | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Thursday, 08 April 2010 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Corsair Nova V128 SSD ReviewOverclockers around the world use Corsair memory kits for their high-speed performance. Similarly, Corsair SSD storage products have continued this tradition. The Corsair Nova V128 CSSD-V128GB2-BRKT is an Indilinx-ECO Solid State Drive kit that designed to deliver 270 MB/s maximum read speeds and offer 195 MB/s write performance. In this article, Benchmark Reviews tests ACHI speeds for the Corsair Nova-series V128 SSD against the fastest SSDs available. The Corsair Nova Series is built using the popular Indilinx Barefoot controller with 64MB of cache memory, and is offered in drive sizes of 64GB and 128GB. The 128GB Nova Series SSD is able to achieve speeds of up to 270 MB/second read and 195 MB/second write, while the 64GB Nova Series SSD delivers speeds up to 270 MB/s read and 130 MB/s write. In a very short time span the entire SSD market has created and recreated itself many 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 tested dozens of Solid State Drive products, and we've seen everything from dual-SATA controllers in RAID-0 to extremely large cache buffer modules used inside of them. While the SSD industry grows daily, only a few select manufacturers offer popularly-accepted Flash NAND SSD controllers. As of April 2010 the most popular consumer SSD controllers are designed by: Indilinx, Intel, JMicron, Toshiba, Samsung, SandForce, and Marvell.
For decades, the slowest component in any computer system was the hard drive. Most modern processors operate within approximately 1-ns (nanosecond = one billionth of one second) response time, while system memory responds between 30-90 ns. Traditional Hard Disk Drive (HDD) technology utilizes magnetic spinning media, and even the fastest spinning desktop storage products exhibit a 9,000,000 ns - or 9 ms (millisecond = one thousandth of one second) initial response time. In more relevant terms, The processor receives the command and waits for system memory to fetch related data from the storage drive. This is why any computer system is only as fast as the slowest component in the data chain; which is usually the hard drive. The theoretical goal for achieving optimal performance is for system memory to operate as quickly as the central processor, and the storage drive to operate as fast as memory. With present technology this is an impossible task, so enthusiasts try to close the speed gaps between components as much as possible. Although system memory is up to 90x (9000%) slower than most processors, just consider that the hard drive is an added 1000x (100,000%) slower than that same memory. Essentially, these three components are as different in speed as walking is to driving and flying. Solid State Drive technology bridges the largest gap. The difference a SSD makes to operational reaction times and program speeds is dramatic, and takes the storage drive from a slow 'walking' speed to a much faster 'driving' speed. Solid State Drive technology improves initial response times by more than 450x (45,000%) for applications and Operating System software, when compared to their HDD counterparts. About Corsair Memory, Inc.Founded in 1994, Corsair specializes in premium, high-performance peripherals and components for personal computers. Corsair's award-winning products are the delight of the world's most demanding hardware enthusiasts. Corsair has been a leader in the design and manufacture of high-speed modules since 1994. Our focus has always been on supporting the special demands of mission-critical servers and high-end workstations, as well as the performance demands of extreme gamers. While maintaining this core focus, in recent years, we've also brought our expertise, technology leadership and legendary quality and reliability to memory and other technology products for the more mainstream consumer. With more high-speed experience than anyone in the industry, we know the importance of design features like tightly-controlled trace lengths, controlled impedances, clock trace design, unbroken power and ground planes, and selectively plated gold. Corsair has developed an industry-wide reputation for quality, compatibility and performance. Corsair's Nova Series deliver read speeds up to 270MB/s and write speeds up to 195MB/s for outstanding system performance, fast system start-ups, quicker game and application loads for your daily needs. Built-in 64MB of cache ensures smooth stutter-free operation for reliable performance. With storage capacities up to 128GB, a Nova Series model exists for your storage and performance needs.
Corsair Nova V128 Features
CMSSSD-V128GB2 Specifications
First Look: Corsair Nova V128Following the growing product line of storage products, Corsair has introduced the Nova V128 and V64 SSDs. Some visitors may recall that Benchmark Reviews bestowed our Editor's Choice Award to the Corsair X256 SSD not long ago, which was the fastest consumer Solid State Drive available at the time with specified speeds of 240/170 MB/s read and write. Six months later, Corsair is already out-performing their eXtreme-series with a value-series SSD: Nova. The Corsair CSSD-V128GB2-BRKT kit offers a 3.5-2.5" adapter tray inside the package, in addition to the SSD. The Corsair Nova V128 shows off a simple black painted finish on the metal casing that gives the drive a total weight of 80g.
Best suited for notebook and desktop computer installations, the 128GB Corsair Nova V128 SSD could also be utilized for mission-critical backups or high-abuse data systems. The Corsair Nova Solid State Drive series has been designed with a focus on high-performance data transfer speeds and data protection at an affordable price. Although the Corsair Nova V128 model does not offer an integrated USB Mini-B port, there are several new 2.5" SATA enclosures that utilize SuperSpeed USB-3.0 standard for high-performance portable file transfers.
Standard 2.5" drive bay mounting points are pre-drilled and threaded into the Corsair Nova 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-7 O/S without a hitch.
Unlike most Hard Disk Drive (HDD) storage products, SSDs are nearly impervious to impact damage and do not require (or benefit from) any kind of special vibration dampening or shock-proof enclosures. Corsair utilizes a familiar two-piece metal enclosure for their Nova models, which reveals the internal components after removing four small counter-sunk Phillips-head screws located at the bottom of this SSD. The Corsair Nova V128 has two warranty-void stickers covering the screws, and removing the enclosure cover will remove consumer protection with it. Benchmark Reviews will reveal all of the internal components on our next section anyway, so just be patient and save your warranty. Thanks to the Indilinx-ECO SSD controller architecture (detailed in the next section), the Corsair Nova V128 Solid State Drive suggests transfer speeds around 270/195 MBps read/write for high-performance enthusiasts. Now that you're acquainted with the basic exterior features for the Corsair Nova-series SSD, it's time to peek inside the metal enclosure and inspect the internal components... Indilinx-ECO Internal ComponentsCorsair has designed the Nova-series Solid State Drives to use the Indilinx-ECO processor, built on the same Indilinx Barefoot architecture shared by many other SSDs we've tested here at Benchmark Reviews. This section will detail the primary differences between the Indilinx ECO processor and the Barefoot controller previously used. To the untrained eye, the Corsair Nova SSD looks like every other Solid State Drive you've probably seen when the internal components have been exposed. There's a collective bank of NAND flash modules, followed by the SSD processor chip and a subordinate SDRAM buffer module. Indilinx delivers the SATA-3.0Gb/s controller used on this sample, which was taken from the Corsair Nova V128 Solid State Drive CMSSSD-V128GB2.
The IndiLinx-ECO processor reveals the part number IDX110M01-LC, which is a first revision of their original IDX110M00-FC Barefoot chip. Indilinx claims that their Barefoot controller offers a maximum read speed 230 MBps and supports the capacity up to 512GB with standard multi-level cell (MLC) NAND flash, but really this limit was based off of early generation chips. Although still part of the Barefoot family, the Eco revision adds processor refinements to enable native TRIM support in Windows 7 and better operational performance.
Sixteen 8GB multi-layer cell (MLC) Intel 29F64G08CAMDB 32nm flash NAND modules are joined to IDX110M01-LC data interconnect, and combine for 128GB of physical storage space. These 34nm NAND modules are now supported on SSDs, due in part to the new Indilinx-ECO processor revisions.
A single Elpida 64MB SDRAM module is marked with S51321DBH-6DTS-F, but the actual Elpida part number is EDS51321DBH-TS, which is a 166 MHz (CL3-3-3) mobile RAM component with an operating voltage of 1.75~1.95V. This 64MB cache buffer helps improve small write-to performance and removes any 'write stuttering' effect from all Indilinx Barefoot-based SSD products.
While Indilinx Eco/Barefoot SSD processors are non-exclusive components available market-wide, Benchmark Reviews respects that our sample was fitted to the Corsair Nova V128 CMSSSD-V128GB2. 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 HDDs 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 SSDs 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 (SSDs), while the other is usually going to have higher throughput bandwidth (HDDs). 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
Test Results DisclaimerThis article utilizes software tools to produce operational IOPS performance and bandwidth speed results. Each test was conducted in a specific fashion, and repeated for all products. These test results are not comparable to any other benchmark application, neither on this website or another, regardless of similar IOPS or MB/s terminology in the scores. The test results in this project are only intended to be compared to the other test results conducted in identical fashion for this article. AS-SSD BenchmarkAlex Schepeljanski of Alex Intelligent Software develops the free AS SSD Benchmark utility for testing storage devices. The AS SSD Benchmark tests sequential read and write speeds, input/output operational performance, and response times. Because this software receives frequent updates, Benchmark Reviews recommends that you compare results only within the same version. Beginning with sequential read and write performance, the Corsair Nova V128 Solid State Drive produced 234.8 MB/s read speed, and 182.2 MB/s write performance. 4K IOPS performance delivers 22.2 MB/s read and 9.7 MB/s write.
Compared to the recently-tested ADATA S599 SandForce SF-1200 based SSD, sequential read and write performance records 207.0 MB/s read speed, but only a 130.6 MB/s write. Conversely, 4K IOPS performance swings in the opposite direction, with 16.1 MB/s read and 50.1 MB/s write.
As the AS SSD Benchmark tool matures, our test results will be charted for comparison against other Solid State Drive products. Suggestions for the test result section to be included in the chart (Seq/4K/Acc Time/Score/etc) are welcome. Drive HardwareIn the next section, Benchmark Reviews tests transfer rates using ATTO Disk Benchmark. 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 Corsair Nova SSD connected to the Intel ICH10 controller, as the ATTO Disk Benchmark tools performs file transfers ranging from 0.5 KB to 8192 KB. The 100GB model we received reveals 270 MBps maximum read speed that plateaus from 128-8192 KB file chunks, and the 203 MBps peak write bandwidth plateaus from 32-8192 KB. These results surpass those suggested by Corsair.
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 tested the Corsair Nova V128 SSD against a collection of top-performing desktop storage drives for our IOPS benchmarks. The HD-Tune 4KB random operational performance measured 5690 (22.23 MB/s) read IOPS, and 15025 (58.69 MB/s) for maximum write performance. In comparison, the SATA 6Gb/s Marvell-based Crucial C300 offered 7941-IOPS (31 MBps) read and 2451 (9.6 MBps) write performance, while the Indilinx-based Corsair X256 scored 7444-IOPS (29.1 MBps) read and 16244 (63.5 MBps) write, whereas the Toshiba-based Kingston SSDNowV+ SNVP325 produced 4855-IOPS (19 MBps) read and 2583 (10.1 MBps) write.
The tight range of IO is an indicator of operational bottlenecks. For example, the WD VelociRaptor WD3000HLFS SATA Hard Disk Drive indicates a total top-to-bottom read-IOPS range of 10-150 whereas the average SSD might offer 200-10,000. 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 Indilinx-based SSDs received Sanitary Erase. In our tests we discovered that the maximum performance results (charted) would decay as subsequent tests were performed on the Windows 7 Operating System, 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. Leading the MLC SSD products was the ADATA S599 with 2005 read/2006 write I/O's, followed by the Corsair Nova with 1982/1995, then the OCZ Vertex Turbo SSD rendered 1774/1770, 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 WD SiliconEdge-Blue with 1625/1632 and OCZ Agility SSD with 1625/1618 IOPS. The SATA 6Gb/s Crucial RealSSD-C300 produced 1070 read-IOPS with 1069 write, and creates a third-level tier of operational performance suitable for personal computer systems. Kingston's SSDNow V+ SNVP325 offered 826/829 IOPS. Every other product thereafter responded with low IOPS operational performance, and are not suggested for high input/output applications or performance-orientated computer systems.
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. Bridging the gap between SLC and MLC construction was the ADATA S599 (SandForce SF-1200) SSD, which produced 0.26/0.25 ms. 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 while Western Digital's SiliconEdge-Blue offered 0.51/0.11ms, the Corsair Nova delivered 0.57/0.09ms, Crucial's 256GB RealSSD C300 responded in 0.87/0.06ms, 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 Lavalys EVEREST benchmark suite, 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 Gigabyte GA-X58A-UD7 motherboard. Using the 1MB block size, read performance of the Corsair Nova V128 Solid State Drive measured an average 247.8 MBps with a similar maximum peak of 252.6 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 waveform chart below illustrates how the integrated buffer manages file transfers, and makes linear write performance appear even yet unsteady. The results seen here are still relatively consistent compared to most other SSD products we've tested in the past. The Corsair Nova SSD recorded an average linear write-to speed of 188.0 MBps, with a maximum performance of 199.0 MBps.
The chart below shows the average linear read and write bandwidth speeds for a cross-section of SATA storage devices tested with EVEREST:
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. Our tests of the Corsair Nova V128 Solid State Drive were each consistent, and also nearly on-target for the suggested maximum speeds. Sequential tests on the Nova V128 produced a maximum read speed of 247.7 MB/s, while the write speed was 172.3 MB/s. Similarly, the 512K results delivered 181.3 MB/s read and 145.3 MB/s write. Up to this point, read speeds have far exceeded write performance. CrystalDiskMark 4K tests produced 27.11 read and 10.10 write performance..
Compared in the chart illustration below, our sequential read and write performance speeds are organized from highest to lowest based on combined total bandwidth:
The Crucial RealSSD-C300 enjoys a noticeable lead atop of our sequential performance chart, producing 363 MBps in read-from transfers and 226 MBps in write-to requests. Both the Intel X25-E Extreme (261/206 MBps) and the OCZ Vertex-EX Single-Layer Cell SSDs (256/182 MBps), along with the WD SiliconEdge-Blue (246/187 MBps) and OCZ Agility-EX (258/172 MBps) offer the highest read and write bandwidth performance. Following closely behind was Corsair Nova with 248/172, Kingston's SSDNow V+ SNVP325 that produced 237/182 MBps, and the Corsair X256 which scored 255/156. Not far beneath 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
In the next section, I share my final thoughts on the struggle between SSD and HDD technology before delivering my conclusion and final product rating. 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. Corsair Nova V128 ConclusionAlthough the rating and final score mentioned in this conclusion are made to be as objective as possible, please be advised that every author perceives these factors differently at various points in time. While we each do our best to ensure that all aspects of the product are considered, there are often times unforeseen market conditions and manufacturer changes which occur after publication that could render our rating obsolete. Please do not base any purchase solely on our conclusion, as it represents our product rating for the sample received which may differ from retail versions. Benchmark Reviews begins our conclusion with a short summary for each of the areas that we rate. Our performance rating considers how effective the Corsair Nova SSD performs in operations against direct competitor SATA storage products. For reference, Corsair specifies the maximum speeds to be 270 MB/s read and 195 MB/s write. In our benchmark tests, the Corsair V128 model CMSSSD-V128GB2 performed at or above this rating. The Corsair Nova delivered 270/203 MBps peak read and writes speeds using ATTO Disk Benchmark and trailed by 248/188 MBps in Everest, often times beating the Corsair X256 SATA-3GBps MLC SSD. Operational performance was very good in Iometer and HD-Tune, where the Corsair Nova V128 performed extremely well against SLC SSDs, and is arguably the best SLC model for operational performance. Based on these results, enthusiasts can expect high operational speeds and functionality for demanding applications. Solid State Drives are low-visibility products: you see them just long enough to install and then they're forgotten. Like their Hard Disk Drive counterparts, Solid State Drives are meant to place function before fashion. Anything above and beyond a simple metal shell is already more than what's expected in terms of the appearance. Corsair has kept production costs down while maintaining attractive looks by using a painted metal chassis for their Nova (and all other) series SSDs. As SSD controllers become faster and more advanced, heat dissipation through the enclosure walls may become critical, and makes chassis design more important that it previously needed to be. Construction is probably the strongest feature asset credited to any SSD product line, and Corsair products have never been an exception. Solid State Drives are by nature immune to most abuses because of their architecture and technology, but the hard metal shell adds a superfluous level of protection. If a Corsair Nova-series SSD product does happen to fail during the standard 2-year warranty period, end-users can contact Corsair technical support via the company website or support forums. Fortunately, there's also a toll-free telephone number for support or customer service questions in the US (888-222-4346). Benchmark Reviews has tested the Corsair Nova V128 Solid State Drive CMSSSD-V128GB2 against its closest competitors, and the performance results were impressive. High-performance enthusiasts will enjoy a noteworthy 0.09 ms response time, which assures a nearly-instant reactions when called upon. Based on the SATA-3.0 Indilinx-ECO SSD processor, the Corsair Nova V128 delivers native TRIM garbage collection and SMART support with impressive transfer speeds. One drawback all Corsair SSDs is that they lack any publicly available firmware updates. As of May 2010, the Corsair Nova V128 CSSD-V128GB2-BRKT Solid State Drive kit is available through many popular online retailers. Benchmark Reviews tested the 128GB Nova SSD for this article, which NewEgg sells for $309. If storage capacity isn't a top priority, the 64GB Corsair Nova CSSD-V64GB2-BRKT kit is avialable for $179. In summary, if Corsair was looking for a solid replacement to their already-impressive X-series SSDs, they found it with the Nova series. The Corsair Nova V128 is a high-performance SATA-3.0 GBps Solid State Drive that builds on the powerful Indilinx-ECO SSD processor. The Nova V128 SSD proved to meet or exceed its specifications, and 270/203 MBps read and write speeds are enough push the envelope of second-generation SATA performance. Unfortunately, most new SSDs coming to market are likely to be compliant with 3rd-generation SATA standards, and may also be faster. While the current retail prices make the Corsair Nova an attractive buy, expect even more discounts to come as additional SATA-6G SSDs join the market. The updated Indilinx Eco SSD processor compete with SandForce-based products in raw operational performance and read speed, while also delivering higher total storage capacity because of the external buffer. Pros:
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