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CRYSTAL DISK BENCHMARK VER. 3.0 X64
Crystal Disk Benchmark is used to measure read and write performance through sampling of random data which is, for the most part, incompressible. Performance is virtually identical, regardless of data sample so we have included only that using random data samples.
Crystal Disk Mark starts to paint us another picture, since it tests the drive with random data, the write speeds on the SandForce based drive plummet to 269MB/s. This is because SandForce drives rely on compression for their rated write speeds. In order for SandForce drives to achieve the highest write speeds they can, the data needs to be compressible, which random data is not. We did another pass with fully compressible data to show the difference in write performance, pictured to the right. From this we see a much faster write speed of 519MB/s. Read speeds with both types of data were similar, sequential read speeds hovered around 500MB/s here.
The toughest benchmark available for solid state drives is AS SSD as it relies solely on incompressible data samples when testing performance. For the most part, AS SSD tests can be considered the ‘worst case scenario’ in obtaining data transfer speeds and many enthusiasts like AS SSD for their needs. Transfer speeds are displayed on the left with IOPS results on the right.
Our AS SSD result provided a Total Score of 509. The Premier Pro SP900 M.2 reaches a max of 504MB/s and 257MB/s for sequential read and write tests. 4K results are average for a SandForce drive, 4K read and write reached 18MB/s and 87MB/s respectively. In the IOPS we see it reaches a max of 29K IOPS read and 53K IOPS write.
To complement this, the AS SSD Copy Bench presents us with transfer speeds for different file types. The SSD reached a high of 337.21MB/s for the ISO test.
ANVIL STORAGE UTILITIES PROFESSIONAL
Anvil’s Storage Utilities (ASU) are the most complete test bed available for the solid state drive today. The benchmark displays test results for, not only throughput but also, IOPS and Disk Access Times. Not only does it have a preset SSD benchmark, but also, it has included such things as endurance testing and threaded I/O read, write and mixed tests, all of which are very simple to understand and use in our benchmark testing.
In Anvil we did the same thing as we did in Crystal Disk Mark, first we tested with incompressible data and then again with compressible. The max sequential read reaches 506MB/s and sequential write came in at 257MB/s with incompressible data, however with compressible data the write speed went back up to 493MB/s. 4K speeds stayed the same with both types of data at 20MB/s for read and just over 90MB/s for write. In Anvil we were also able to see the drive was cable to reach a max of 86K random IOPS read, just shy of its rating of 90K.
The SSD Review uses benchmark software called PCMark Vantage x64 HDD Suite to create testing scenarios that might be used in the typical user experience. There are eight tests in all and the tests performed record the speed of data movement in MB/s to which they are then given a numerical score after all of the tests are complete. The simulations are as follows:
- Windows Defender In Use
- Streaming Data from storage in games such as Alan Wake which allows for massive worlds and riveting non-stop action
- Importing digital photos into Windows Photo Gallery
- Starting the Vista Operating System
- Home Video editing with Movie Maker which can be very time consuming
- Media Center which can handle video recording, time shifting and streaming from Windows media center to an extender such as Xbox
- Cataloging a music library
- Starting applications
PCMARK VANTAGE RESULTS
The ADATA Premier Pro SP900 M.2 256GB SSD achieved a Total Score of 62,753 points. This is a bit better than the Phison S8 powered Kingston SM2280S3 we reviewed last September. The highest transfer speed of 364MB/s was recorded during the “Windows Media Center” benchmark, while the lowest of 253MB/s was recorded during the “application loading” benchmark.
Would be best if this article started off by clearly stating if this is PCI-e or mSATA M.2. This is a big issue with the M.2 form factor – lack of clarity.
There is no such things as mSATA M.2. I am going to guess you meant SATA however, which is exactly the same as 6Gbps which is listed right after M.2 in the title. I might suggest lack of understanding rather than lack of clarity. 6Gbps is understood as SATA 3 since thats what it has always been. Thanks for taking the time.
From Wiki: “M.2, formerly known as the Next Generation Form Factor (NGFF), is a specification for internally mounted computer expansion cards and associated connectors. It replaces the mSATA standard, which uses the PCI Express Mini Card physical layout. M.2’s more flexible physical specification that allows different module widths and lengths, together with more advanced features, makes the M.2 more suitable for solid-state storage applications in general, especially when used in small devices like ultrabooks or tablets”
Does the 2242 have the same performance as the 2280? A lot of ultrabooks now only can fit 2242 slots but there is not a lot of choices or good reviews of the few choices in that size.
It depends on the combination of controller, memory and even DRAM cache. As the 2242 can accommodate less physical memory pieces, this could play a role in the end performance of the SSD.
Well specifically I meant the 2242
ADATA Premier Pro SP900 M.2. I think the review could use a blurb at the end. Like this model also comes in 42mm but the performance is about xx % less than the 80mm we reviewed.
I was thinking of buying it but cannot find any comparisons between it and the mydigitalssd models. Or even separate performance benchmarks I could compare on my own. Seems to be a real gap in information with the new thinkpads and many other models only fitting 42mm m.2s
My reply didn’t state that there was a performance difference, but rather, there may be and the reasoning for such. We can only comment on what we test and, having not compared both, could not make such a comment on our report. Thanks for the concern and we will see what we can do about getting the other in for testing.