TEST BENCH CONFIGURATION
Motherboard | Asus Rampage III Gene SATA 6Gb/s USB3 |
CPU | Intel i7-930 CPU@2.80Ghz (OC’d to 3.2Ghz) |
RAM | 6Gb G.Skill 1600 Triple Channel |
Graphics | MSI N460GTX DDR5 768MB |
Power Supply | OCZ ModXStream-Pro 600w |
CPU Cooler | Cooler Master Hyper 212+ |
OS | Windows 7 64 Bit Ultimate |
Wifi | Belkin Surf & Share Wireless USB Adapter |
Monitor | Dell E228WFP 22″ Flat Panel |
Desktop Case | BitFenix Survivor Mid-Tower ATX Gaming Case (x) |
Front Loading Mobile SSD Rack | Icy Dock SSD 4 x 2.5″ Mobile Rack (x) |
SOFTWARE AND TEST PROTOCOL
Software used for testing by The SSD Review consists of Crystal Disk Mark, HDTune Pro, ATTO Benchmark, HDTach, along with FutureMark PCMark Vantage. The first four do a great job of showing us the numbers that we want to see, or don’t want to see in some cases, while PCMark Vantage x64 is an excellent program which recreates tests that mimic the average users activity, all the while providing a medium to measure each.
In order to ensure accuracy of tests throughout the evaluations, tests may be repeated or conducted in safe mode to confim consistency throughout and eliminate any possibility of a wild card result. Safe mode may be utilized as well as any other number of set criteria to ensure that tests conducted at present do not differ from those conducted in the past. Where comparative SSDs are still in the possession of The SSD Review, we will follow every opportunity to gain fresh test evaluations from sample media.
We also like to provide a bit of background to the reader that all SSDs are not created equal and this can have a confusing impression to users that are not aware of the intricacies of testing their SSD. SandForce SSDs utilize compression techniques in storage whereas many others do not. This presents a false portrayal of their ability when testing a SandForce SSD with software such as Crystal DiskMark-Random Data Mode or AS SSD.
A comparison of a Samsung, Crucial or Intel to the SandForce will result in the SandForce appearing to have inferior performance scores whereas, PC Mark Vantage HDD Suite provides synthetic testing criteria that represent the users normal daily computing pattern. This is followed with an accurate measurement for all tests that provides consistently accurate results across all SSD media. All comparison testing at The SSD Review is through use of this software.
SSD INFORMATION – CRYSTAL DISK INFO
Memoright, like many other manufacturers that use SandForce processors in their drives, chooses not to use the standard firmware provided by SandForce and this can be seen in the firmware naming convention alone. In addition to receiving standard firmware when purchasing from SandForce, manufacturers are provided with a a number of specific customizations that may fit their need. They also have the opportunity to add to the firmware themselves.
BENCHMARKS
1. Crystal DiskMark 3.0 x64 (0Fill)
This benchmark provides an excellent demonstration of the results as specified by the manufacturer simply because random data is not used to provide manufacturer listed performance specifications. Crystal DiskMark, and that of ATTO below, will best serve the user who simply wants to know if their SSD is up to par with manufacturer specifications.
Pg1 – Overview and Physical Description