The best budget ssd drive. How to choose an SSD drive. Criteria and advice. Additional advantages of an SSD drive
Tired of slow computer performance? All you need to do is replace your old hard drive with an SSD. The alternative will allow you to work comfortably with the data, and not worry about their safety. Solid state drives are capable of quickly processing large data streams, taking the load off the central processor. The drive has a standard connection connector, so it is suitable for both laptops and desktops. The parameters of each SSD may differ in terms of technical characteristics and price. Therefore, it is important to choose a quality product that fits your device perfectly.
We've compiled a list of the best solid state drives (SSDs) based on expert opinions and customer reviews. Our recommendations will help you make the best choice for your requirements and desires. There are many competitors on the world market for equipment, but we have selected the best manufacturers and recommend that you pay special attention to them:
Budget / Inexpensive
- ADATA
- Western digital
- Kingston
- Intel
- SiliconPower
- Transcend
- ADATA
- Samsung
- Silicon power
Dear / Premium
- Samsung
- Western digital
* Prices are valid at the time of publication and are subject to change without prior notice.
SSD drives: For laptops
Volume: up to 512 GB / Type: PCI-E / For computers/ For laptops
Main advantages
- SSD has increased reliability and is capable of writing up to 1.2PB of data
- Solid state drive is built for heavy-duty tasks and is fully compatible with high-performance PC components
- Despite its small size, the board gives off heat well. Continuous temperature monitoring will prevent overheating
- Ideal for ultra-thin laptops that do not support SDD with large chassis
- SamsungPolaris controller is capable of writing at speeds up to 2100 MB / s and reading at 3500 MB / s
- Unlike HDD, it consumes up to 5.1 watts. Low power consumption allows you to increase the battery life of your laptop
Show all products in the category "For laptops"
SSD drives: Type: SATA
For computers/ For laptops / Budget
Main advantages
- The solid state drive uses SLC cache technology. This improvement allows for faster download speeds as well as overall SSD lifespan.
- The drive performs automatic internal copying of SLC-block data into TLC memory in automatic mode. This procedure increases the overall operating speed by reducing the load on the device controller.
- Hibernation takes seconds to turn on and off, while hard drive boots up in minutes
- The solid state drive is vibration and shock resistant, making it ideal for devices that are often carried around
Type: SATA / Volume: up to 512 GB / For computers/ For laptops
Main advantages
- The SSD has BadBlockManagement technology. It allows you to track damaged blocks and replace them in time, which allows you to increase the life of the drive.
- At the time of purchase, the solid state drive comes with a minimum package, which will save money on useless parts.
- The write / read speed of an SSD drive is faster than a conventional HDD in the same price category, about four times in read mode and more than 5 times in write mode
- Unlike a hard dick, a solid state drive is able to withstand shocks
1500 G - The thickness and size of the SSD fits almost all laptops that support SATA III connectivity
For computers
Main advantages
- Intelligent TurboWrite technology allows the device to fully multitask at maximum workloads with up to 78 GB of memory buffer
- Updated MJX controller based on ECC algorithms optimizes the mutual exchange of data between the drive and the host system
- Robust housing is protected from external damage, vibration and other types of mechanical stress
- V-NAND technology extends functional write life up to 2400 TBW
- Hardware support for AES ensures correct operation of the 256-bit encryption algorithm and compatibility with IEEE 1667 / TCG Opal standards
For computers/ For laptops / Size: up to 512 GB / Type: SATA / Budget
Main advantages
- Compliant with Functional Integrity Testing Lab certification to ensure drive compatibility with a wide range of notebook and desktop PCs
- Proprietary software controls device parameters, allows you to create backups of the operating system, manipulate logical disk partitions
- A five-year manufacturer's warranty on the drive regulates its long-term operation in normal mode.
- Quad-channel 88SS1074 controller improves memory performance for multi-threaded write / read information
- Support for NCQ at the hardware level reorganizes the order of data processing commands from different sources, which makes it possible to use the product in simple servers with an average load level
Show all products in the category "Type: SATA"
SSD drives: Budget
Budget / For computers/ For laptops / Capacity: up to 512 GB / Type: SATA
Main advantages
- The drive design, which does not contain moving parts, has increased shock resistance against falls from low heights and excessive physical exertion.
- Low power consumption increases laptop battery life
- Silicon Motion controller ensures stable operation of TLC 3D NAND memory in multi-threaded mode
- Proprietary Dashboard / True Image software simplifies monitoring and working with SSD in low-level access mode
- Advanced SLC caching speeds up the processing of frequently accessed data and smooths out the effect of a drop in read / write speed when switching to main memory from the buffer
Budget / For computers/ For laptops / Capacity: up to 512 GB / Type: SATA
Main advantages
- The proprietary hardware technology End-to-End Data Protection guarantees the safety and security of data during the parallel movement of information to the device by creating a temporary backup buffer
- Support for the Smart Response function predetermines stable and correct interaction between solid state drives and classic hard drives with a large capacity
- Rapid Start mode provides near-instant recovery from hibernation
- Hardware support for AES regulates the full operation of 256-bit encryption
- Write / read speed corresponding to values of 440/550 MB / s, significantly accelerates the interaction of the solid state drive with the operating system and any applications
Budget / For computers/ For laptops / Capacity: up to 512 GB / Type: SATA
Main advantages
- The metal case of the solid-state drive provides additional protection for the device from physical impact, shock
- The shortened compact board that houses the memory efficiently dissipates excess heat during active work
- Secure Erase support guarantees correct and unambiguous physical erasure of disk data, including "bad" blocks
- High-quality assembly and high quality components predetermine the time frame of operation within one million hours to failure
- Standard form factor simplifies installation in any laptop with SATA 3/2 interfaces
Budget / For computers/ For laptops / Capacity: up to 512 GB / Type: SATA
Main advantages
- High-quality unit assembly of the device regulates its long service life - up to one million hours
- The metal case forms additional protection of the drive from shocks, vibrations
- Universal Serial ATA interface makes it easy to connect the device to any modern laptop, even without an M.2 connector
- Optimized arrangement of elements on the baseboard minimizes the risk of overheating and improves heat dissipation
- Phison PS3111-S11 controller provides full operation of the device in multitasking mode with parallel writing and reading
- TLC memory modules based on 15nm technology support 4K sectors in hardware
Show all products in the category "Budget"
SSD drives: External
External / For computers/ For laptops / Volume: up to 512 GB
Main advantages
- The drive is reliably protected by a metal case and can withstand drops from a height of up to two meters
- Supports USB 3.1 Generation 2 for speeds up to five times faster than a hard drive
- Due to its small size and weight of about 50 grams, the drive is ideal for convenient information transfer
- With software for PC, Mac and Android devices, you can quickly update the firmware and set passwords
- Thanks to the hardware implementation of the AES 256-bit protocol, the data on the device can be reliably protected from unauthorized access.
Interfaces, controllers and other subtleties - all within the framework of one non-boring text.
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Iron workshop
Magnetic drives have been popular with PC owners for decades, from eight-inch floppy disks to conventional hard drives. In the late 2000s, a new trend emerged: the transition to SSDs, or solid-state drives, which are much faster and more unpretentious.
In recent years, HDD sales have been slowly declining, while SSD shipments, on the contrary, have been slowly growing. Opening the catalog of any electronics store, you will find dozens and even hundreds of solid state models. They often come to the editorial office of Igromania for testing, and the prices have not seemed killer for a long time. In short, it's time to change the storage.
In this article, we will tell you which parameters you should pay attention to so as not to regret your choice.
HDD and SSD
A standard PC HDD is a 3.5-inch box that hides the readheads and magnetized platters where data is stored. Of the problems on the surface, let's name noisy work, unhurried execution of operations with small files and, so to speak, fragility - the "screw" is extremely susceptible to shaking and falls.
SSDs, on the other hand, are devoid of mechanical parts and therefore do not buzz and are not afraid of shocks, because they are just boards with soldered flash memory chips and a control controller. The read and write speeds are simply incredible against the background of similar HDD indicators, especially in the case of small files.
In practice, this means a quick start of the operating system and increased responsiveness of programs like Adobe photoshop... In games, this provides an instant transition from menus and cutscenes to gameplay, including in complex open world projects. Just don't expect an increase in fps - it all depends on the processor, video card and RAM.
Of course, with such advantages, solid-state devices would have long ago thrown hard drives into the trash can of history, but this did not happen. First of all, because of the high cost of production. In addition, if SSDs fail, then completely, and the lost data is extremely problematic to recover.
They are also accused of the limited resource of rewriting cycles - and in vain, because this is a relative value. Let's just say that a good model will definitely last five years, and by that time you will probably think about replacing the storage. Technology does not stand still!
SLC, TLC and MLC
Now let's try to disassemble the SSD bone by bone. The bones in our case are the types of NAND flash memory: SLC, TLC and MLC. In SLC, one data bit is inserted in one cell, in TLC - three, in MLC - two.
We will leave the first type overboard, you will not find such solid-state devices on sale. TLC has the worst performance, but the lowest price. Therefore, the recommendation is simple: pay attention to MLC disks. In comparison with "brothers" this the best option in terms of performance, endurance (in the characteristics it is indicated as the recommended recording volume, such as "30 GB per day") and the complexity of error correction.
By the way, about performance. SSDs have different speeds for sequential (for example, copying files) and random (operating OS) write speeds. In the model overview ADATA SX950 Note that 4KB random file writes are reported in IOPS (I / O operations per second), not standard MB / s.
Why aren't we talking about reading? Because reading does not affect the "aging" of the SSD - only writing.
Interfaces
An important nuance is related to the SSD connection. Common options: SATA 3 and PCIe (directly to the motherboard). Recently, the M.2 form factor has become a relevant solution for laptops, its plus is compactness, while the speed depends on the data transfer interface (SATA, PCIe 2.0, PCIe 3.0).
IN drive overview Toshiba OCZ RD400 Dmitry Kolganov, the editor of the Iron Workshop, thoroughly described the features of the NVMe protocol - a relatively fresh and, of course, expensive technology. Read it, there is a lot of useful information!
NVMe drives significantly outperform standard M.2 and SATA drives in read and write speeds. The novelty is in demand among professionals and server owners. By the way, if you decide to get an NVMe solid-state device, don't worry about a special port in your computer - they didn't come up with a new connector for NVMe.
Western digital clearly demonstrates how small solid-state can be.
Controller
The controller in the SSD is responsible for scattering data across the disk, that is, the write and read speed directly depends on it. Some manufacturers use their own designs (the same Samsung), others use popular third-party solutions. Walking into any store, you will find a standard list of controllers: Marvell, SandForce, Phison and Silicon Motion. Each has its own characteristics. Let's say in review Kingston hyperx fury we noted the specifics of the SandForce SF-228 controller: it writes large objects "as is", and compresses small things on the fly. The advantage of the second is in increasing the responsiveness of the operating system.
Manufacturers
Finally we got to the names. There are several strong players on the market: Intel, Samsung, Toshiba, Silicon power, Transcend, ADATA and a number of others. Let's mark a couple of trends: firstly, there are manufacturers themselves who are able to lower prices, supply products with the best internal technologies and update the firmware of controllers (there is more confidence in them), and, secondly, there are assemblers who are deprived of these bonuses.
For example, Toshiba has its own controllers and flash memory (and it owns OCZ and Indilinx). Sandisk also does not look to the side (owned by Western Digital, the king of the HDD segment), Intel and Micron started a joint venture IMFT for the release of flash memory in colossal volumes, Crucial is part of the Micron, and so on. The list of collectors is also long: Kingston, ADATA, Transcend, Corsair...
There is no universal advice here: give preference to the one whose technique you have encountered before and who you trust more. And look at the warranty period: Intel, let's say, gives five years on a number of models.
Prices
For questions of cost, you have a direct road to the online catalog of some major store. There you will see that the prices for 128 GB variants start at 3,700 rubles, for 256 GB - from 5,000 rubles, and for 512 GB - from 10,000 rubles. There is no point in spending money on a larger solid-state device now (still expensive!), Since HDDs are still indispensable in the role of a conditional "file storage".
As you can see, SSDs fell significantly in price by the second half of the 2010s. To pair with the hard drive a high-spirited solid-state device for operating systems, important programs and games are now striving for many. The result is worth it. We hope our material turned out to be useful and not tedious, but in order to decide on a specific device, read "Iron Workshop" more often - we don't take trash for tests!
Solid State Drive is a new generation of storage devices based entirely on memory chips and eliminating mechanical parts. The first generation of SSD, based on flash memory technology, came in 1995 and was a huge success in academia. Despite the fact that the stability of such a device left much to be desired and it was too early to consider it as a full-fledged alternative to HDD, a great future was predicted for it.
Since 2010, the computer hardware market has been replenished with models of SSD-drives with a memory capacity from 64 to 512 GB, which marked the beginning of the gradual replacement of traditional hard drives. Relative to the latter, solid-state drives had a number of undeniable advantages:
- disproportionately high speed of writing and reading data, which has a positive effect on performance and speed;
- less noise and high resistance to mechanical damage due to the absence of mechanical parts;
- low power consumption (in some cases up to 70%).
All this clearly indicates the possibility of a decent upgrade of "hardware", especially for gaming needs.
To help you choose, we have compiled a list of the ten best SSD drives from recognized market leaders. The selection of applicants was made according to the criteria of reliability, value for money, as well as on the basis of feedback from users and recognized experts.
The best manufacturing companiesSSD-stores
Samsung. One of the most popular and proven SSD manufacturers in the global market. Has several lines of storage devices for computers different levels... Budget and premium models, different form factors and top speeds.
Intel. The recognized leader in the field of computer electronics production has not bypassed the development of SSD-drives. Numerous experiments (including those from independent laboratories) have established the fact of the highest reliability of drives from this company, and partially justified the fact of their high cost.
Kingston. The company's entry into the solid-state SSD market is highly controversial and deserving of a portion of censure. The first samples of memory modules were purchased from Intel and re-branded under the Chinese brand name. After a brief performance as a packer, Kingston established its own production and became the strongest competitor to the flagship firms.
Transcend. A company whose main philosophy was to maintain a balance between the cost of products and their quality. As a manufacturer of SSD-drives, it has firmly settled in the niche of the mid-price segment, providing users with, albeit not the most productive, but the most reliable storage devices.
Plextor. A company from the Land of the Rising Sun, withstanding the competition of leaders due to the low price tag on the goods produced. Despite the use of purely budgetary stuffing in the manufacture of SSD-drives (for example, Marvell controllers are combined with not the most top-notch developments of Toshiba in the field of flash-memory), in terms of speed, the latter are practically not inferior to mid-range models from the same Samsung and Intel.
Best external SSD drives
3 Transcend TS1TESD400K
Large amount of memory (1 TB)
Country: Taiwan
Average price: 31 500 ₽
Rating (2019): 4.6
An interesting model of storage device created in the best traditions of the Transcend company. The first thing that catches your eye is the magnificent design of the disc body. But does the inner content of the model correspond to what is seen externally?
The answer to this question lies in the field of the concept of "controversial", and the reason for this is not at all the filling. The main problem with Transcend TS1TESD400K is the strange USB 3.0 component cable, which is constantly being complained about by angry users. Largely because of it, the SSD does not give out the declared read and write speeds (out of 380 and 410 MB / s, only 170 and 250 MB / s are realized, respectively, and in the best case). In addition, very often the data transfer process is interrupted due to the "disconnection" of the wire.
It is noteworthy that such problems can be avoided by the notorious replacement of the complete wire, after which the device (not always, but as a rule) continues to work flawlessly.
2 ADATA SD700 256GB
Best rugged portable SSD
Country: China
Average price: 4 949 ₽
Rating (2019): 4.7
The second line of the rating is occupied by a model that will clearly interest photographers, videographers and others, whose work is related to the processing of a huge amount of information far from civilization. Before us is a protected device that can withstand shocks, falls, submersion and severe vibrations. Protection is provided by a durable plastic casing and a thick rubber rim. However, it should be borne in mind that there is no official compliance with any protection standards, and therefore you should not hope for a miracle and use the SD700 in extreme conditions. It is not recommended to use an external disk even in cold weather - the operating temperature range starts from +5 о С
Inside the black or light green case, 256, 512 or 1024 GB of TLC 3D NAND memory can be hidden. The manufacturer claims read and write speeds of 420-440 Mbps. These figures are confirmed by independent tests and user reviews. Data transfer is carried out via the USB 3.1 interface.
Since the invention of SSD drives, the proven HDDs have gradually faded into the background. Despite obsolescence, the latter still have significant advantages, but the prevalence of new technologies turns out to be more significant. What are their advantages, and behind what parameters are disadvantages - we learn from the comparison table.
|
Drive type |
pros |
Minuses |
|
Low cost compared to SSDs Availability in the line of models with a volume of 1, 2, 5 and 10 TB, which SSD-drives cannot boast of High working life - unlimited number of rewriting cycles, eliminating technical breakdown Mechanical production reaches one million hours Availability of data recovery |
- Unstable even to the slightest mechanical damage - Low, compared to SSD-drives, file reading speed - Bulky (dimensions and weight are several times higher than those of SSD drives) - Large amount of heat dissipation (especially on capacious disk models) - Noisy due to the presence of a large number of mechanical parts in the structure |
|
|
High speed data access Lack of moving mechanical parts and, as a result, almost complete absence of noise High degree of reliability Better resistance to mechanical damage Large operating temperature range Low power consumption (economical) |
- The number of rewriting cycles is limited and depends on the amount of memory - Induced electromagnetic fields may damage the device - High price tag (especially on a drive model with a large volume) |
1 Samsung Portable SSD T5 250GB
The most modern. The best portable SSD for today's ultrabooks
Country: South Korea
Average price: 7 110 ₽
Rating (2019): 4.8
Sales statistics in recent years indicate that portable laptops with only the minimum required set of ports are increasingly replacing large desktop PCs. Take, for example, the popular MacBooks - only USB Type-C ports can be found on their edges. To work with such devices, external solid-state drives like the Samsung T5 were created. It is an extremely compact (57.3x10.5x74mm) and lightweight (only 51g) model with a minimalist anodized aluminum body.
Inside is a proprietary Samsung V-NAND memory. Available in 250GB, 500GB, 1TB, 2TB models. The declared read / write speed is good news - 540 MB / s. The drive is equipped with a USB 3.1 Type-C port. The set includes two cables: Type-C to Type-C and Type-C to Type-A, which allows you to connect the drive to both modern and fairly old devices.
In conclusion, it is worth noting the accompanying software: there are applications for Mac, Windows, iOS and Android. They can be used for AES 256 encryption, firmware upgrades, data backups, and more.
The best SSD drives for your desktop computer
4 Intel SSDPED1D280GAX1
Fastest PCI-E Solid State Drive
Country: USA
Average price: 29 864 ₽
Rating (2019): 4.6
Intel is one of the pioneers in electronics. The company is best known for processors, but it also boasts some success in the field of storage systems. For example, the fastest SSDs in the Optane family. Within this category, we will consider a couple of models at once. The first is a PCI-E card. The model is made in the "video card" format. Color - black only. The entire upper surface is covered with a massive heatsink preventing overheating of the memory chips. The device looks stylish, perfectly assembled and gives the impression of a top-level device, which it is. The radiator, by the way, is not for beauty - during operation, the card can heat up up to 50 ° C.
Why is a solid-state drive with a volume of only 240 GB worth 30 thousand rubles? It's about flash memory technology. It uses Intel-developed 3D Xpoint memory, which has the best speed and lowest latency to date. In tests, the card produces about 2500 MB / s for reading, and 1700 MB / s for writing. Please note - not megabits, but megabytes per second!
3 Intel SSDPE21D480GAM3
Fastest 2.5 '' SSD
Country: USA
Average price: 44 850 ₽
Rating (2019): 4.7
The second representative of the Optane line is made in a completely different form factor - this is a 2.5-inch drive more familiar to most users. But attention is drawn to two things at once. The first is the design of the case. On it we can observe a lot of "pimples" and ribs that act as a radiator. Do you remember that these drives get very hot? The second is the type of connection. U.2 connector is used. It cannot be found on all motherboards, and therefore the manufacturer has included an adapter for the more common M.2 in the kit.
There are practically no differences in technical characteristics - the bronze medalist only tolerates shaking and shock better (holds overloads up to 1000 G), works at a higher temperature (up to 85 degrees), and consumes 12.8 W of energy, instead of 14 W for the previous participant. The rest of the differences are in usability. Firstly, a 2.5 format disk does not take up space on the computer's motherboard, and given the class of the device, there probably already is a massive productive video card. Secondly, the possibility of "hot" disk replacement - you can't do that with a PCI-E card. Third, the cost / volume ratio.
2 Plextor PX-256M9PeY
Low cost PCI-E storage
Country: China
Average price: 6 890 ₽
Rating (2019): 4.7
Let's move from exotic to more mundane models, the cost of which corresponds to the capabilities of the majority of ordinary desktop computer users. The device is made in the form factor of a PCI-E card. The design can be called cheerful, because in addition to a black radiator and a small red insert on the case, there is an RGB backlight. Gamers will definitely be satisfied.
Inside there is a TLC 3D NAND flash memory that supports NVMe and TRIM. The read and write speeds are declared at the level of 3000 and 1000 MB / s, respectively. And to some extent, these figures are true - files up to 3 GB will indeed be processed at maximum speed thanks to the fast cache. When working with large amounts of data, the speed will drop to "terrestrial" 500-520 Mb / s. Also note that the model from Plextor is the only one in the category that does not support encryption.
1 Samsung MZ-V7E250BW
Best price-performance ratio
Country: South Korea
Average price: 6 150 ₽
Rating (2019): 4.8
The leader of the rating is Samsung's long-established solid-state drive 970 Evo line. It is the most affordable and most compact model in the category. The drive is installed in an M.2 slot, which means that it takes up almost no space in the case and on the motherboard. This allows you to install an SSD not only in a desktop PC, but also in a laptop. On the other hand, the form factor does not allow installing a cooling radiator, which is why the temperatures are slightly higher than those of competitors - about 55 degrees.
The situation with speed indicators turned out to be extremely interesting - the 250 GB model significantly lags behind the modifications for 500 and 1000 GB. For example, the sequential read speed is 2900 and 3500 MB / s for the younger and older models, respectively. When writing, the figures differ even more: 1000 and 3000 MB / s! Therefore, if performance is important to you, pay attention to the model with a capacity of at least 500 GB. Finally, we note that the manufacturer gives a 5-year warranty for its products.
Best SSD drives for laptop
3 Kingston SMS200S3 / 240G
The most reliable
Country: USA (made in China)
Average price: 4 240 ₽
Rating (2019): 4.7
The third position of Kingston SMS200S3 / 240G is due solely to the memory capacity of 240 GB, and does not hide under itself any reproaches to the technical part. Built on the basis of the SandForce SF-2281 controller, the SSD uses the popular MLC technology - a multi-level data storage model - as flash memory.
As for the operational characteristics, in addition to 240 GB of memory, the speed of writing and reading information should be designated as 530 and 540 MB / s, respectively. Proven SATA is used as the connection interface, the maximum external data transfer rate of which reaches 600 Mb / s.
Particular attention should be paid to the reliability characteristics. MTBF is a respectable 1 million hours - large values have SSD versions for desktop computers or premium versions for laptops. Combined with the cost, we get a solid drive model that will be able to revive any weak system.
2 Western Digital WD GREEN PC SSD 240 GB
Best price
Country: USA
Average price: 2 965 ₽
Rating (2019): 4.7
Western Digital is renowned for making excellent hard drives. In the SSD market, the leaders are very different, but WD has good options too. One of them is the 240 GB WD Green. This is a great option for those who want to speed up their laptop a little or replace a dying HDD with a more modern counterpart. The main advantage of the model is its cost. For the silver medalist, they ask only 3 thousand rubles.
There is no reason to expect a high speed of work for that kind of money. The model uses a SATA connection, which physically cannot provide speeds over 600 MB / s. Tests show sequential write and read speeds of 460 and 560 MB / s, respectively. Note that users in the reviews complain about the low read speed of 4K sectors. You can also find fault with the lack of TRIM, less than the competition, MTBF and much more. However, we remember the cost and stop paying attention to such trifles. In addition, not all laptops support NVMe, which means a solid-state drive via good old SATA is a real salvation for them.
1 Samsung MZ-V7P1T0BW
Fastest SSD drive for laptops
Country: South Korea
Average price: 28 390 ₽
Rating (2019): 4.9
In contrast to the previous participant, the top-end M.2 SSD from Samsung. The cost and characteristics of the model speak directly to the scope - the drive is designed for the most powerful laptops. It uses proprietary V-NAND memory and a Samsung Phoenix controller. Thanks to the PCI-E connection (M.2 slot) and NVMe support, the model is capable of delivering speeds of about 2700 MB / s for writing, and 3500 MB / s for reading! At this speed, even 1 TB of disk space can be filled in less than half an hour. Of the pleasant features, we also note the power consumption of 5.8 W, which is very useful for laptop computers to save battery power.
Modern SSD-drives are quite reliable, and given the fact that the price for 1 GB (in dollars) is gradually falling, then using an SSD is in many cases even more rational than working with an HDD. But which SSD should you choose?
A year and a half ago, a Tech Report journalist decided to conduct an experiment to identify the most reliable SSDs. He took six drive models: Corsair Neutron GTX, Intel 335 Series, Kingston HyperX 3K, Samsung 840, Samsung 840 Pro, and put all six on a read / write cycle. The memory capacity of each drive was 240-256 GB, depending on the model.
It should be said right away that all six models successfully withstood the load declared by the manufacturer. Moreover, most of the models withstood more read-write cycles than stated by the developers.
Nevertheless, 4 out of 6 models gave up before reaching the volume of 1 PB of information "pumped" through the disk. But 2 models from those that participated in this attraction of the "iron death" (Kingston and Samsung 840 Pro) withstood even 2 PB, and only then refused. Of course, a sample of 6 SSDs cannot serve as an indicator of performance for all SSDs without exception, but this sample still has a certain representativeness. The cyclic read-write procedure is also not an ideal indicator, because drives can fail for a variety of reasons. But the test results are very interesting.
One of the conclusions: manufacturers are rather delicate when it comes to choosing the operating limit for their drives - as mentioned above, all SSDs have withstood the set limit of the amount of recorded information.
As for the models themselves, the first out of order Intel 335 Series... The SSD of this model has one feature - they stop working as soon as bad sectors appear. Immediately after that, the drive enters the read mode, and then completely turns into a "brick". If it hadn't been for the “stop on failure” instruction, the SSD might have lasted longer. Problems began with the disk after passing the 700 TB mark. The information on the disk remained readable until the reboot, after which the disk turned into a piece of iron.
Samsung 840 Series successfully reached the 800 TB mark, but started showing a large number of errors, starting at 900 TB, and refused without any warnings, before reaching a petabyte.
Refused next Kingston hyperx 3k- the model also has an instruction to stop working when a number of bad sectors appear. Towards the end of the work, the device began to issue notifications of problems, making it clear that the end was near. After the 728 TB mark, the drive went into read mode, and after a reboot, it stopped responding.
Corsair Neutron GTX became the next victim, passing the 1.1 PB mark. But the drive already had thousands of bad sectors, the device began to issue a large number of warnings about problems. Even after another 100 TB, the disk will still be able to record data. But after the next reboot, the device was no longer even detected by the system.
Only two models left Kingston and Samsung 840 Pro, who heroically continued to work, reaching even 2 PB.
Kingston hyper x uses data compression whenever possible, but the tester began to write incompressible data for the purity of the test. For this, the Anvil "s Storage Utilities program was used, which is used to perform tests for reading and writing data.
The drive performed well, although there were already fatal errors, plus bad sectors, between 900 TB and 1 PB. There were only two errors, but this is still a problem. After the disk failed at 2.1 PB, it was no longer detected by the system after a reboot.
Samsung 840 Pro is the last Iron Soldier to fall in this battle.
