Zalman S-Series 128GB SSD Review – Zalman Enters The SSD Arena!

It was only a matter of time before Zalman jumped into the SSD ring as they have an excellent reputation for just about any technology related product one can think of.

Their first entries are the N-Series and S-Series of SSDs, the N-series containing the SandForce SF-1200 controller while the S-Series contains the JMicron 616 controller.  Today we will be hard at work putting the S-Series 128GB drive to the test.

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The Zalman S-Series 128GB SSD is  a mid-level SSD which is available in capacities ranging from 32GB to 128GB with prices from $79 dollars up to $219, as would be the typical price for this test unit.  The N-Series is presently available in capacities from 64GB to 128GB but their product site relates that new entries of 40GB and 256GB are expected soon.

EXTERIOR PACKAGING AND CONTENTS

Unlike most other manufacturers, Zalman has probably one of the most compact exterior packages we have seen which is just about the side of two decks of cards placed side by side.  The exterior graphics are of a nice design where the stamp ‘ 3 Year Warranty’ is clearly displayed on the lower right of the case.

Inside we find the SSD, a USB cable and instructions for quick migration of your present system which brings forward something that we think should be standard in every SSD sold, this being  a mini-usb connector on the SSD itself.  This allows this SSD to be not only one amazing boot drive when installed, but also, it can serve as one of the most secure external drives available anywhere if you need to transport and safe protect data.

Can a more secure source be found for external backup of your computer through a simple plug and transfer format?

The Zalman S-Series 128GB SSD contains the JMicron 616 controller along with 16 chips of Intel 8GB NAND for a total capacity of 128GB, however, the capacity is reduced to 119GB once formatted.

SPECIFICATIONS

Disk Capacity SSD0032S1 SSD0064S1 SSD0128S1 Size 32GB 64GB 128GB Sequential Read Up to 260MB/S Up to 260MB/S Up to 260MB/S Write Performance Up to 60MB/S Up to 120MB/S Up to 210MB/S Controller JMICRON NAND Flash MLC Intel Current (mA) Write Mode Max 374 506 688 Min 260 356 441 AVG 326 410 614 Read Mode Max 356 343 360 Min 202 210 205 AVG 282 285 330 Idle Mode 218 207 213 Suspend Mode (uA) <0.1 <0.1 <0.1 Watt Write Mode Max 1.870 2.530 3.440 Min 1.300 1.780 2.210 AVG 1.630 2.050 3.070 Read Mode Max 1.780 1.720 1.800 Min 1.010 1.050 1.030 AVG 1.410 1.430 1.650 Idle Mode 1.090 1.040 1.070 Suspend Mode (mW) <0.5 <0.5 <0.5 MTBF 1,000,000.00 hours Voltage DC 5.0V _ 5% ECC Function 16 Bit / 512 Byte Endurance 10,000 Program/Erase Cycles Operating Temperature 0°C ~ 70°C ROHS Compliant Shock Resistance and Anti-Vibration Dual Interface with SATA II & Mini-USB 2.0 128MB DDR2 Cache Buffer

Pg1 – Introduction

Pg2 – Test Protocol and Crystal BenchMarks

Pg3 – BenchMarks

Pg4 – Vantage Comparison and Conclusions

DISCUSS THE REVIEW HERE!