ADATA ASX900S3-256GM-C

ADATA’s ASX900S3 SATA III series is fairly standard, with an LSI SandForce controller and 25nm flash from Intel or Micron. Storage capacity ranges from 64GB to 512GB, but we tested the 256GB model. Manufacturer specs vary slightly for each capacity, but published specs indicate 256GB is the fastest model with read speed at 550MB/s and write speed at 320MB/s.

AS SSD

The model performed well in the AS SSD benchmark – both read and write speeds were on par with manufacturer specs. Sequential read speed was 507.76MB/s, write speed was 312.46MB/s.

CrystalDiskMark

On the CrystalDiskMark benchmark, however, read speed fell slightly short of expectation, but write speed matched manufacturer specs exactly. Also worth noting, ADATA’s 4K QD32 results were impressive.

HD Tune Pro

HD Tune Pro showed the opposite results, with write speed performance slightly higher than read speed figures.

IOMETER
IOps count as 17954.52673

IOmeter results revealed the SandForce controller’s disadvantages, showing unsatisfactory performance.

This SSD from ADATA showed average performance for the most part, with no major issues but also nothing to write home about.

Apacer Tubro II AS 610

Apacer’s new Turbo II AS 610 SSD has a SATA III interface, with a SandForce controller and Intel flash – with such a standard combo, performance is expected. Apacer lists read and write speeds at 550MB/s and 530MB/s, respectively.

AS SSD

The AS SSD benchmark shows a significant discrepancy in write results, sequential write speed in particular.

CrystalDiskMark

CMD results were similar to AS SSD figures, although write performance was slightly better.

HD Tune Pro

As the HD Tune Pro graph shows, Apacer’s Turbo II AS 610 performed similarly to other SSDs with the SandForce controller-Intel flash combo.

IOMETER
IOps counts as 18503.17405

SandForce-controller SSDs usually perform poorly on the IOmeter test, but Apacer’s Turbo II AS 610 had average results, comparable to other models with the same controller flash combo.

Apacer’s Turbo II AS 610 may come up short in some categories when compared to SSDs with different controller flash combinations, but performs satisfactorily when placed against other models with the SanDisk-Intel pairing.

Apacer SAFD25A-M

Apacer also sent samples of both 256GB and 128GB SAFD25A-M SATA III SSD models for review. This SSD uses a JM667 controller with a 19nm SanDisk flash, and Apacer lists read and write specs at 475MB/s and 360MB/s, respectively.

AS SSD

The SAFD25A-M performed surprisingly well on the AS SSD test, with higher read speed and far better write speed than published by the manufacturer. Other results were satisfactory as well.

CrystalDiskMark

CrystalDiskMark also showed impressive speeds, putting the SAFD25A-M a cut above the rest.

HDTune Pro

The HD Tune Pro results were unexpectedly high as well, although not as striking as figures from the other benchmarks.

IOMETER
IOps counts as 18046.14039

The SAFD25A-M took first place in its category on the IOmeter test, second only to OCZ’s brand new, cutting-edge SSD. 

Apacer’s SAFD25A-M was the dark horse for this round of reviews. The 240GB model outperformed its competitors in all respects.

Apotop S3A 256G

Carry Technology’s Apotop has an S3A series SATA III SSD, not to be confused with Apotop’s earlier S3B series. The S3A uses the SandForce-Intel controller flash combo, and the manufacturer specifies sequential read and write speeds at 550MB/s and 530MB/s, respectively.

AS SSD

The S3A’s read speed was on par with maker specs, but write speed fell significantly short of the mark. Overall, performance was typical for the controller combo.

CrystalDiskMark

CDM results indicate the model is very similar to other SSDs with the same controller. Write speed was slightly higher, but everything else was fairly standard.

HDTune Pro

The S3A’s write times were somewhat off.

IOMETER
IOps counts as 18390.27478

IOmeter results were middle of the road – SSDs with SanDisk controllers all performed very similarly on this test.

Apotop’s S3A fell short of maker specs in terms of write speed, but stacked up against other SSDs with the same controller combo, the results were within normal range.

crucial m4 CT256M4SSD2

The Crucial m4 is one of the more popular SSDs on the market – its firmware is updated frequently, and it has a solid reputation. With manufacturers developing SATA III SSDs, the m4’s update is not surprising. The m4 uses Micron’s flash and a custom controller from Marvell, and Crucial lists sequential read and write speeds at 500M/s and 260MB/s, respectively.

AS SSD

The m4’s AS SSD results were on par with advertised specs, but overall not especially impressive in comparison to the new generation of SSDs.

CrystalDiskMark

CDM results were similar to the AS SSD figures, roughly equivalent to manufacturer specs.

HDTune Pro

As for the HD Tune Pro test, read results were far superior to write results, but still average overall.
 
IOMETER

IOps count as 20299.15166.

While m4 performance was inferior to SandForce controller SSDs on most tests, the model’s IOmeter results were not bad.

While Crucial’s m4 was not as strong as other models in benchmark tests, the product still has a strong reputation on the market due to high stability and frequent firmware updates. The m4’s real-world performance is decent, which unfortunately is not reflected in its benchmark test results.