SandForce SF-1200 SSD Processor

Written by Olin Coles

Monday, 05 April 2010

SandForce SF-1200 SSD Controller

The SandForce SF-1200 SATA-3GBps controller is new to the industry, but many manufacturers are already hailing it as the replacement for Indilinx's industry-leading Barefoot processor. Both are second-generation SATA products limited to 3.0 GB/s transfer speeds, and both offer similar specifications. SandForce adds DuraClass technology to their SF-1200 processor, which claims to provide best-in-class endurance, performance, and lower power consumption. DuraWrite technology extends the endurance of MLC-NAND memory by providing at least five year lifecycles measured with 3000-5000 cycle MLC flash. Additionally, SandForce RAISE technology provides RAID-like protection for single SSD computer systems, and data is secured with AES-128 automatic encryption.

SandForce has hit the 2010 SSD industry with full force, much the same way that Indilinx did back in 2009. Finished-goods companies can utilize the SandForce SF1200 processor in their own product line, which then receives a "SandForce Driven" badge. The SandForce SF-1222 processor is presently available in the ADATA S599, Corsair Force, RunCore Pro-V, Patriot Inferno, OWC Mercury Extreme Pro-RE, G.Skill Phoenix Pro, OCZ Vertex-2, PhotoFast G-Monster 2, OCZ Agility-2, and Mach Xtreme SSD series.

From the view above the printed circuit board (PCB), it doesn't look like there's anything dramatically innovative on the SandForce Solid State Drive. Eight flash NAND modules make a horseshoe around the SandForce SF-1200 SSD processor, and plenty of electronics fill in the remaining space atop the printed circuit board. But once the SandForce SSD board is turned to expose the underside, the difference is obvious: SandForce has used their DuraClass technology to remove the DRAM buffer.

The 2nd-generation SATA-3.0GBps SandForce SF-1222TA3-SBH processor is part of their SF-1200 family of SSD controller chips, and SSDs will utilize either the SF-1200 processor for retail consumers or SF-1500 for enterprise devices. All SandForce SSD controllers offer native TRIM support in Microsoft Windows-7, Native Command Queuing (NCQ) with 32 command slots, and Self-Monitoring, Analysis, and Reporting Technology (SMART) command set. While not directly important to transfer speeds or operational performance, SandForce utilizes a Tensilica Diamond Core DC_570T CPU inside the SF-1200 processor.

Another benefit of SandForce's SF-1200 architecture is that the SSD keeps all information on the NAND grid and removes the need for a separate cache buffer DRAM module. The result is a faster transaction, albeit at the expense of total storage capacity. SandForce SSDs utilize over-provisioning technology, which allocates a portion of NAND for data storage and the remainder reserved for transaction and cache buffer space. SandForce has also marketing custom firmware to the finished-goods companies that sell their SSDs, which remove performance restrictions.

The SF-1200 SSD processor provides ECC data protection and includes SandForce's unique RAISE (Redundant Array of Independent Silicon Elements) technology. RAISE provides the protection and reliability of RAID on a single SSD drive, thanks to flash architecture, without the significant write overhead of parity. The SandForce DuraClass technology automatically stores data in AES-128 encrypted format, preventing data extraction directly from the physical flash memory modules.

Sixteen multi-layer cell Intel 29F64G08CAMDB flash NAND modules are joined to the SandForce SF-1200 controller. On professional-level 28% over-provisioned SandForce SSDs, these NAND modules may combine for 128GB of physical storage space yet only 100GB of this capacity is designated for data. Consumer-level SandForce SSDs receive 7% over-provisioning and 128GB devices will yield 120GB of usable storage space.

Because the SandForce SF-1200 SSD processor inside the many SSDs is a non-exclusive component available market-wide, Benchmark Reviews expects to see many new solid state storage products using this controller in the near future. Please continue on for details and performance results for this Solid State Drive...

EDITOR'S NOTE: Benchmark Reviews has used this SSD to publish our SandForce SF1200 RAID-0 SSD Performance review.

ADATA S599 Solid State Drive

ADATA is a finished-goods company with deep roots in the enthusiast system memory market. Like nearly every company that sells DRAM-based products, ADATA has gone the way of the SSD. Promising 280/270 MBps read/write speeds with Windows-7 TRIM support, the ADATA S599 Solid State Drive offers 100GB of high-speed storage capacity. Built from the SandForce SF-1200 SSD processor, Benchmark Reviews tests ACHI speeds and performance with the ADATA S599 against some of the fastest storage devices available.

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: Indilinx IDX110M00-FC "Barefoot", Intel PC29AS21AA0, JMicron JMF612, Toshiba T6UG1XBG, Samsung S3C29RBB01-YK40, SandForce SF-1200/1500, and Marvell 88SS9174-BJP2 SATA 6Gb/s SSD controller.

SandForce SF-1200 SSD Processors enable commodity flash memory to reliably operate in cost and power sensitive client computing environments. The SF-1200 is a true single-chip SSD Processor designed for volume manufacturing and outstanding performance. Innovative DuraClass technology delivers world class reliability, endurance, performance and power consumption.

SandForce SF-1200 Features

Endurance and Longevity
As each generation of flash memory evolves and the silicon geometries shrink - performance, reliability, endurance, and data retention are negatively impacted. DuraWrite technology extends the life of the SSD over conventional controllers, by optimizing writes to the flash memory and delivering a write amplification below 1, without complex DRAM caching requirements.

Performance and Power Optimization
SSDs are capable of significantly outperforming traditional HDDs, but typical controllers haven't delivered the compelling value necessary for mainstream adoption. SandForce DuraClass technology enables the SSD to maximize both the endurance and performance for the life of the drive fulfilling the promise of high speed flash memory in client computing applications and improving system performance by up to 50% as measured by the SYSmark Benchmark.

Mobile Computing Security
The SF-1200 has built in AES-128 bit encryption controllable by a configurable user password. This feature prevents would-be thieves from extracting data directly from the flash memory should they ever have access to the drive.

Data Protection and Reliability
SF-1200 SSD Processors provide up to 100x greater data protection than today's SSDs, and leading enterprise HDDs. This is a result of superior ECC protection and unique RAISE (Redundant Array of Independent Silicon Elements) technology. RAISE provides the protection and reliability of RAID on a single drive without the significant write overhead.

SF-1222TA3-SBH Specifications

DuraClass Technology:	DuraWrite extends the endurance of SSDs Intelligent Block Management and Wear Leveling Intelligent Read Disturb Management Intelligent "Recycling" for advanced free space management RAISE (Redundant Array of Independent Silicon Elements) Intelligent Data Retention optimization Best-in-Class ECC protection for longest data retention and drive life Power/Performance Balancing
Host Interface:	SATA 2.6 Compliant, 3Gb/s and 1.5Gb/s support Native Command Queuing (up to 32 commands) SMART Command Transport (basic)
Max Capacity Supported:	512GB* (using 32Gb/die components)
Performance (sustained):	Sequential Read Transfer: Up to 260MB/s (@128K blocks) Sequential Write Transfer: Up to 260MB/s (@128K blocks) Random Read IOPS: 30,000 (@4K blocks) Random Write IOPS: 10,000 (@4K blocks) PCMark05: 40,000 (HDD test suite score) PCMark Vantage: 35,000 (HDD test suite score)
Flash Memory Support:	MLC from numerous top flash memory manufacturers
Power Consumption:	Typical: 550mW Sleep/Slumber: 50mW
Security:	Data Encryption: 128-bit AES Optional disk password
Protection:	ECC Recovery: Up to 24 bytes correctable per 512-byte sector Unrecoverable Read Errors: Less than 1 sector per 10¹⁶ bits read
Reliability:	MTTF: 2,000,000 operating hours Supports 5-year consumer life cycle
Operating Temperature:	0°C to 70°C ambient
Package:	361-Pin TFBGA - 13x13mm, 0.65mm pitch
Compliance:	RoHS, Halogen-Free, Green

SandForce SF-1200 Performance

Alex 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 ADATA S599 SandForce SF-1200 Solid State Drive produced a 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. ADATA's lab was able to produce 20.7 and 56.9 MB/s read and write IOPS, which is notably higher than our results using the same system hardware.

Access time is one area that draws our attention, as the S599 SSD we received produced 0.24 ms read response times and 0.29 ms write times. AS SSD Benchmark also includes a file-copy tool for measuring transfer time and speed. in ACHI mode, our results produced a high of 94 MB/s and a low of 84.1 MB/s.

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 ADATA S599 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 286 MBps maximum read speed that plateaus from 512-8192 KB file chunks, and the 277 MBps peak write bandwidth plateaus from 64-8192 KB. These results surpass those suggested by ADATA, who produced nearly identical results in their test lab.

Many 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 100GB ADATA S599 Solid State Drive measured an average 256.8 MBps with a similar maximum peak of 259.8 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 ADATA S599 recorded an average linear write-to speed of 249.3 MBps, with a maximum performance of 254.7 MBps.

Drive Hardware

ADATA S599 100GB SATA MLC SSD

For reference, SandForce specifies the SF-1200 at 260 MB/s read and write, yet ADATA suggests 280/270 MB/s performance. In our benchmark tests, the ADATA S599 SSD performed at or above this rating. The ADATA S599 delivered 286/277 MBps peak read and writes speeds using ATTO Disk Benchmark and trailed by 260/255 MBps in Everest, making this the fastest SATA-3GBps MLC SSD we've tested. Operational performance was very good in Iometer, where the S599 outperformed all other MLC SSDs and competed with SLC models. Based on these results, enthusiasts can expect high operational speeds and functionality for demanding applications.