DRAMeXchange - 1H2010 SSD compared and analyzed - 64GB

SSD Evaluation Report

The following are results of each testing item:

64 GB Class

Most SSDs of 64 GB class are 64 GB size but there are also 60 GB and 80 GB products for evaluation this time. The storage capacity class mainly targets notebook users, who do not need larger capacity. It is also suitable as desktop boot system disk.

Boot time of Windows System

The most generally used operating systems in ordinary PCs are Microsoft's Windows XP, Windows Vista, and Windows7 launched in the 2nd half of 2009. The startup process of the operating system is an important testing item for hard disk and SSDs, for the complex startup file reading is a good parameter of comprehensive evaluation as its speed is directly reflected.

We installed Windows 7 and observed the startup file transfer speed via the PCMark Vantage Start UP test, monitored and analyzed the startup process of PC. The core program loading time can be seen in the analysis data sheet.

SSD performance differences are more distinct under heavily-loaded environment under the pressure of the complex startup process and the fragmentary reading process.

In this test, it can be seen that Intel X25-M SSDSA2M080G2GC 80GB scored the highest at a speed of 202MB/s, followed by Solidata SC-64 64GB SSD and KingFast KF2502-064S 64GB SSD.

However, Solidata SC-64 and KingFast KF2502-064S have adopted more expensive SLC NAND flash. In the case of MLC type, in addition to Intel, OCZ Agility EX 60GB SSD、KingFast KF251MCI 64GB SSD are also among the top performers.

ATTO Disk Benchmark v2.4.3

The writing and reading test was carried out on the basis of the well-known ATTO Disk Benchmark, used to test the writing and reading rate of large- and small-size files for the main evaluation of the continuous reading and writing performance test. The fastest SSD writing rate was 233422 KB/s (RiDATA X-series NSSD-X25-64-C07M-PN 64GB SSD) in the case of the file size set at 8MB. At the file size of 4MB, the fastest reading rate came from Apacer A7 Pro SSD A7201 64GB，and the fastest writing rate was from Solidata SC-64 64GB SSD(SLC)，and STAREX 64GB SSD(MLC). The reading and writing rates of SSD would be slower with smaller set file size of the testing software.

h2benchw v3.6

This test clearly shows the performances of SSDs of varying specifications under different applications, with the specific model information and firmware version numbers listed in the results. In the overall performance test, the top three items with highest continuous writing and reading rate are Apacer A7 Pro SSD A7201 64GB, Intel X25-M SSDSA2M080G2GC 80GB、PQI SSD S528 64GB respectively.

This test clearly shows the efficiency of SSDs of varying specifications under different applications including test scores of hard disk swap file, starting execution efficiency and comprehensive file copy. 

HDTune Pro v3.50

In the HDTune Pro test, we evaluated the items by average reading. This testing software is commonly seen. As shown in the chart, SSDs featuring high-speed Cache and better design outperform the others.

The top ones are Intel X25-M SSDSA2M080G2GC 80GB, Apacer A7 Pro SSD A7201 64GB, Silicon Power E10 SSD 64GB. Kinspec MG1-S064 64GB SSD performed well, too, but it is an SLC product.

IOMeter 2006.07.27

The significant part of this test is to measure the highest input/output performance of SSDs under big volume of IO, which reflects the design level of the SSD controllers. Solidata SC-64 64GB took the lead in this test, with CORSAIR CMFSSD-64GBG2D P64 SSD、Intel X25-M SSDSA2M080G2GC 80GB、KingSpec MG1-S064 64GB SSD、OCZ Agility EX 60GB SSD following behind, all of which were products with high performance. However, Solidata and KingSpec MG1-S064 are SLC products while the remaining three are MLC type.

As for the input/output performance, the SSD controllers will reveal performance differences if Flash chip discrepancies are considered.

PCMark05 / PCMark Vantage

In this test, we used PCMARK 05 as well as PCMARK05 Vantage, which supports Windows Vista and Windows 7.

As the HDD score in PCMark05 test is a overall measurement, it can be concluded that the products with the best overall performance are Intel X25-M SSDSA2M080G2GC 80GB、OCZ Agility EX 60GB SSD、STAREX 64GB SSD belonging to the MLC type products. The other two SLC type products, Solidata SC-64 64GB SSD、KingFast KF2502-064S 64GB SSD were also ranked in the top 5.

In light of the PCMark Vantage HDD comprehensive scores supporting Windows 7, the best MLC type products are Intel X25-M SSDSA2M080G2GC 80GB、OCZ Agility EX 60GB SSD、KingFast KF251MCI 64GB SSD while the best SLC type products are Solidata SC-64 64GB SSD、KingFast KF2502-064S 64GB SSD.

In Vista Start Up test of start-up time, the efficiency per second outperformed XP Start Up by far. SSD products are excellent in reading efficiency due to the near-zero search time. Unlike the hard disk, which require rotation from the motor rotation and the movement of the optical pickup, the near-zero search time increases the input/output per second which enhances random reading efficiency, reflected in SSD product performances. 

128 GB class SSD tests and the complete analysis of test results to be continued