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REAL WORLD FILE TRANSFER COMPARISON
For our Real World File Transfer Comparison, we have included the Intel Optane 900P, Samsung 960 Pro, Toshiba OCZ RD400, Intel Optane 800P, Samsung 860 EVO and the HP EX900 NVMe SSD in our testing with the HP EX920 1TB NVMe M.2 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.
This test floored us. As impressed as we were with the HP EX920 during PCMark 8 Storage 2.0 testing, this chart says a ton about the performance of this SSD. ‘King of the Hill’ in NAND flash memory SSDs is the Samsung 960 Pro and the EX920 kept right up there with true file testing, placing just behind that.
REPORT SUMMARY AND FINAL THOUGHTS
I will be the first to admit that I was a bit apprehensive when first receiving the HP EX920 and that comes from the fact that specifications list 3200MB/s read with 1800MB/s write. I am admittedly a bit critical seeing lower write transfer speeds than I would like to. After all the Samsung 960 Pro pushes out 3500MB/s read and 2100GB/s write data transfer speeds in our testing and reigns as ‘King of the Hill’ for NAND flash memory SSDs. The 960 Pro also contains MLC V-NAND memory whereas this SSD contains the latest 3D TLC memory…which we will get to.
SSD reviewers spend a great deal of time testing SSDs. There has been more than a few occasions when I will get a message in the early hours of the morning, only to realize the time and that I am not alone, having been testing a certain product for more than 16-18 hours non-stop. Unexpectedly, there lies an unrealized benefit in all of this, in that, it becomes very easy to recognize a SSD that is special, one that you may initially not have held much hope for, but one that you just can’t wait to write about in the end. This is the HP EX920 NVMe M.2 SSD.
The HP EX920 is rated at 3.2GB/s read and 1.8GB/s write with up to 350K IOPS and absolutely glowed in our test regimen in all but our PCMark 8 Extended testing where it seemed to fall just a bit short, but this is a trait that we are starting to see with this specific test and 64-Layer 3D TLC memory. On the other hand, the EX920 literally blew through the PCMark 8 Storage 2.0 Test with one of the highest transfer speeds (over 700MB/s) and scores we have seen yet, only to be beat by the likes of Intel Optane and Samsung 960 EVO. This brought us to our ‘true data transfer testing where the EX920 caught us off guard and stood right beside the Samsung 960 Pro, even bettering it transferring photos. Take another look at the EX920 beside the Samsung 960 Pro and Optane, and then see how performance seems to drop from there.
Now let’s take this one step further and throw a great price into the equation. Looking at the 1TB capacity, MSRP is only $369 which is the lowest price to date for an SSD of this caliber. Check Amazon now! Sorry, but I had to get that link in there. But seriously, the pricing of the HP EX920, coupled with the performance we have seen makes this a no-brainer of a recommendation. Would we like to have seen a 5-year warranty vice three? Absolutely. That doesn’t take away the fact that this is going to be the best bang-for-the buck that you can get in a M.2 SSD for performance and price.
Watch For HP EX920 NVMe SSD Pricing at Amazon.
