HP EX900 NVMe M.2 SSD Review (500GB)

AJA VIDEO SYSTEMS STORAGE BENCHMARK

The AJA Video Systems Disk Test is relatively new to our testing and tests the transfer speed of video files with different resolutions and Codec.

REAL WORLD FILE TRANSFER COMPARISON

For our Real World File Transfer Comparison, we have included the , Samsung 960 Pro, Samsung 860 EVO , HP EX920 NVMe SSD and WD Black 7200RPM 1TB HDD in our testing with the HP EX900 NVMe SSD. This test is conducted through the transfer of data from one spot on the test drive to another to give us the truest of transfer speed results for that device.

Short of a full understanding that this is a DRAM-less SSD, we never really expected the SATA 3 860 EVO to do better than our EX900 in this test.  It did.  This is definitely one SSD where the benchmarks don’t match up with true data transfer testing.

REPORT ANALYSIS AND FINAL THOUGHTS

The HP EX900 is one of the first DRAM-less SSDs to appear with a newer controller and the latest 64-Layer 3D TLC memory.  Although this is a DRAM-less SSD, we had hoped the fact the it was still a PCIe 3.0 four lane SSD would guarantee decent performance and, to some extent it does.  There is no question whatsoever that great performance was achieved in benchmarks typical to SSDs, benchmarks that do not necessarily mimic a true work usage scenario even exception to PCMark Vantage which, although a bit outdated, showed an excellent result with the HP EX900.

In moving to PCMark 8, Storage 2 Testing was good, displaying an above average transfer speed of 404MB/s, but PCMark 8 Extended Storage Tests did not fare so well.  Considering this is an entry level SSD, the fact that it successfully completed that 18 hour test is a compliment.  Next up we had true data testing where we transferred 15GB of OS, video, photo and music data, measuring the average transfer speed.  The EX900 placed below the Samsung 860 SATA 3 SSD yet above the HDD.  Its marks were respectable but we felt that it should have placed higher than the SATA 3 SSD, at least in this benchmark.

In examining the price point of the HP EX900, we took a look at similar 500/512GB SSDs and their price and performance.  The EX900 is, without a doubt, the best value available in looking at listed performance specs and suggested MSRP.  You simply cannot get a 500GB SSD, capable of 2GB/s for $179.  Lastly, there is also no ‘toolbox’ or management software for the HP EX900 family, but we still feel this would be an excellent value for the typical user.

Watch for HP EX900 Pricing at Amazon.