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TSSDR TEST BECH AND PROTOCOL
SSD testing at TSSDR differs slightly, depending on whether we are looking at consumer or enterprise SSDs. For consumer SSDs, our goal is to test in a system that has been optimized with our SSD Optimization Guide. To see the best performance possible the CPU C states have been disabled, C1E support has been disabled, and Enhanced Intel SpeedStep Technology (EIST) has been disabled. Benchmarks for consumer testing are also benchmarks with a fresh drive so that not only can we verify that manufacturer specifications are in line, but also so that the consumer can replicate our tests to confirm that they have an SSD that performs as expected. We even provide links to most of the benchmark software being used; simply click on the section heading with the benchmark’s name.
SYSTEM COMPONENTS
This Test Bench build was the result of some great relationships and purchase; our appreciation goes to those who jumped in specifically to help the cause. Key contributors to this build are our friends at ASRock for the motherboard and CPU and be quiet! for the PSU and cooling fans, and Kingston for the RAM. We have detailed all components in the table below and they are all linked should you wish to make a duplicate of our system as so many seem to do, or check out the price of any single component. As always, we appreciate your support in any purchase through our links!
| PC CHASSIS: | Thermaltake Core V51 |
| MOTHERBOARD: | ASRock Z97 Extreme6 |
| CPU: | Intel Core i5-4670K |
| CPU COOLER: | Corsair H75 |
| POWER SUPPLY: | be quiet! Dark Power Pro 10 850W |
| SYSTEM COOLING: | be quiet! Silent Wings 2 |
| MEMORY: | Kingston HyperX Beast 2400Mhz |
| STORAGE: | Samsung 850 Pro |
| OS: | Windows 8.1 Pro 64-bit |
BENCHMARK SOFTWARE
The software in use for today’s analysis is typical of many of our reviews, and consists of Crystal Disk Info, ATTO Disk Benchmark, Crystal Disk Mark, AS SSD, Anvil Storage Utilities, Iometer, PC Mark Vantage, and PCMark 8. Our selection of software allows each to build on the last, and to provide validation to results already obtained. All results are displayed through screen capture of the actual benchmark’s results for better understanding by the reader of the testing process.
Crystal Disk Info is a great tool for displaying the characteristics and health of storage devices. It displays everything from temperatures to the number of hours and power-on cycles the drive has experienced, as well as informing you of the firmware version of the device.
Crystal Disk Info shows the 120GB as having only four power-on cycles, and no hours (less than one) on the drive. It also shows that S.M.A.R.T., TRIM and DevSleep are enabled, and that the drive is in good health.
Our 1TB mSATA 850 EVO shows virtually identical Crystal Disk Info as the 120GB version, including only 4 power-on cycles, less than 1 hour of operation, and the same features enabled.
ATTO Disk Benchmark is perhaps one of the oldest benchmarks going and is definitely the main staple for manufacturer performance specifications. ATTO uses RAW or compressible data and, for our benchmarks, we use a set length of 256MB and test both read and write performance of various transfer sizes ranging from 0.5 to 8192KB. Manufacturers prefer this method of testing as it deals with compressible data rather than random (which includes incompressible data), which although more realistic to everyday use, results in lower performance results.
The 120GB mSATA 850 EVO attained over 550MB/s sequential reads, and just shy of 535MB/s sequential writes. The drive bested the 500MB/s threshold for all transfer sizes of 32KB and larger, for both reads and writes. This performance level comes in above the stated specs of 540MB/s reads and 520MB/s writes.
With the 1TB mSATA 850 EVO, the writes maxed out at 534.5MB/s, but the reads crept up just a bit to just under 558MB/s. For the 1TB version, the 500MB/s threshold was bested in all transfer sizes of 64KB and larger. Again, this beats the stated specs of 540MB/s reads and 520MB/s writes.
It would appear, thus far that the Kingston HyperX Predator M.2 SSD. Is that a safe assumption?
Of course I’m only asking this because I purchased the Predator secondary to your stellar review last week!
Hi, Thanks for the comment!
Unfortunately, I’m not quite sure what your question is. You mentioned the HyperX Predator, so I’m assuming you’re comparing that to the drive in this report.
While both drives are very good and have their uses, they can’t be compared 1-1 as the Samsung 850 drive in this report is is an MSATA, which is meant primarily for use in mobile devices such a ultrabooks and tablets, etc. The Kingston drive is an M.2 PCIe SSD which is meant for use in desktop environments where either a full on PCI Express 3.0 or M.2 slot is available.
Both drives are also priced differently as well, which further places them at different sections of the market.
Again, we appreciate your feedback and hope we were able to answer your questions and provide helpful information.
Thanks for the reply Donny. With the recent release of the Intel PCIe ssd, I’m just wondering whether I should have waited to buy the Kingston HyperX Predator!
With a Samsung EVO 850 500Gb mSATA SSD, I tested “Rapid Mode” from Samsung Magician v4.9 on a HP Z15 laptop (i7-4700MQ 3.2 Ghz – Windows 7 x64). Using ATTO v3.05 to benchmark. I had a solid 548mb read / 420 Mb write starting at 32kb all the way to 64Mb whereas with rapid mode on, it peaked at 562Mb read / 478 write at 1Mb file size then went down from there – by 64Mb was 373 read / 304 write! Of course to fully understand the stats, you need to see the results bar graphs but wow…rapid nerf performance is really what “rapid mode” does! And as another article on this site about rapid mode proves that Windows already does a good job at caching and I am good with that! https://www.dropbox.com/sh/hyv8zgjl45lyf2d/AAD0Juvw7aIBWJ_IV_3l5b0Ga?dl=0
Please HELP with this question:
I have a samsung ativ book 9 (ultrabook) that has an internal 128GB ssd that is also a msata. I also have the samsung EXTERNAL 500GB msata ssd. I was wondering if I can open the external ssd cover and switch the ssd with the one inside my lapotop so I can upgrade the memory from 128 to 500GB. Is this possible? Thanks.