The SSD market is finally at price levels I would call palatable. There are 120GB SATA2 SSDs for $179.99 or less and SATA3 SSDs for $184.99 and above. This will undoubtedly impact sales for smaller 20-64GB SSDs used in conjunction with Intel Smart Response (ISR) technology on Z68 platforms. ISR is great for pairing a smaller and cheaper 20-64GB (max) SATA2 SSD with their hard drive so users don’t have to reformat. However, since many of those smaller SSDs are still around $100, I think it’s very safe to predict consumers are going to hand over another $80 or so to land a 120GB SSD in the SATA3 flavor.
The real questions are how will SATA3 SSDs benefit users, what price premium will drooling consumers have to pay and what’s going to happen to SATA 3Gb/s SSDs? And, given that a few of the Sandforce based SSDs have had very rocky starts, where are they in terms of quality control? We’re going to answer those questions as we take a closer look at the latest SATA 6Gb/s SSDs from Kingston, Corsair, Patriot Memory and OCZ.
The Field of Sandforce SATA3 Competitors
Corsair Force 3 and Force GT, Kingston HyperX, OCZ Vertex 3, and Patriot Pyro and Wildfire SSDs all utilize the SandForce SF-22xx series controller which is still arguably the optimal choice whether it be 3Gb/s or 6Gb/s SSDs. Much of this performance is influenced by variables such as SATA controller on your motherboard. Currently, these SSDs use NAND that is either ASynchronous or Synchronous. Synchronous NAND holds sustained transfer rates (MB/s) longer, provide the highest IO (good for enterprise) and is naturally more expensive. ASynchronous NAND provides very similar IO performance, but not quite the same sustained transfer rates which helps lower the the cost.
The new series of Sandforce controllers feature new enhanced DuraClass Technology designed to increase the endurance and reliability of any SSD featuring the SF-2200/2100. Here are the common benefits of the SandForce controller.
- DuraWrite extends SSD endurance (optimized writes)
- Intelligent Block Management and Wear Leveling
- Intelligent Read Management
- Intelligent “Recycling” for advanced free space management (Garbage Collection)
- Data Protection: RAISE (Redundant Array of Independent Silicon Elements) and 55-bits/512 Byte ECC (Error Correction)
- Intelligent Data Retention optimization
While these features are common in the group, there are other security measures that will be found on enterprise models. Basically, this is an enterprise controller with all of the applicable features offered to the end user. Let’s check out the group in the order we received them.
Kingston HyperX 120GB SSD
Kingston Technology previously entered the market with their SSDNow V and V+ series. While these were their mainstream solution, they weren’t exactly very exciting to look at. It was only a matter of time before the HyperX team got in on the action (with repeated recommendations to pimp their SSD casing). The HyperX SSD is the first to feature a very attractive blue with brushed aluminum exterior as enthusiasts do love to show off their components. The HyperX uses synchronous NAND which means higher sustained transfer rates. It’s designed to offer up to 550MB/s read and 510MB/s write sequential performance. Naturally, the NAND will make or break that performance rating.
The retail box includes a very good accessory bundle needed to assemble and maintain the HyperX SSD. Inside the sponge box is a blue SATA cable, USB cable, pen like installation tool, software CD and very attractive blue HyperX hard drive mounting tray. There is also a very nice external USB enclosure in case you have other applications in mind. The retail bundle will be roughly $269.99 and an SSD only model is estimated to be around $249.99 give or take a few bucks.
Corsair Force GT and Force 3 Series 120GB SSD
The Force 3 features a jet black aluminum SSD and hard drive tray adapter as well as the screws needed for installation. It doesn’t come with any software for things like transferring images, your system, or updating the firmware. However, if an issue arises, Corsair has a support group to help resolve any issues online and over the phone.
As far as performance goes, it’s 550MB/s read and 510MB/s write sequential performance as usual. The Force 3 utilizes Asynchronous NAND which should equate in to some what slower sequential transfer rates. Small data block rates may still do quite well. While not the flashiest nor offering the biggest accessory bundle, it has a very attractive $184.99 price tag.
The Force GT is Corsair’s top of the line SATA6Gb SSD. It features a red aluminum SSD jacket with a black hard drive tray adapter with screws. Again, no software comes with the SSD. Firmware updates will have to come directly from Corsair’s technical forums.
It essentially offers similar performance specs as the Force 3 except it offers a little faster sequential performance at 555MB/s read and 515MB/s write. It also uses synchronous NAND obviously aimed at those users who want an extra performance edge. Prices fall somewhere around $228.99 for that performance.
Patriot Memory Pyro 60GB and 120GB
The Pyro series use Asynchronous NAND while the Wildfire uses synchronous NAND. The Pyro 60GB model offers 520MB/s read and 490MB/s write sequential transfer performance. The 120GB model offers 550MB/s read and 515MB/s write sequential performance. While the 60GB costs $119.99, it would make one hell of an ISR performance SSD. The 120GB costs $204.99 which is very competitively priced in our batch.
The Pyro SSDs feature a dark charcoal basic casing. Surprisingly, the Pyro drives don’t come with any drive tray adapters or software. While some of today’s computer cases provide at least one location to mount an SSD, it is not a common feature, especially on older cases. Users will have to go looking for a cheap adapter kit which adds to the price.
Patriot Memory Wildfire
Thanks to the synchronous NAND, the Sandforce controller provides the Wildfire’s 555MB/s read and 520MB/s write sequential rates. Naturally, the Wildfire should provide higher sustained transfer rates and IOP performance. As with all premium performance components, it carries a $284.99 price tag for the fastest retail SSD performance around.
Wildfire SSDs will come with an adapter mounting kit minus the software. It’s the same adapter from from the previous generation SSDs. However, software updates come directly from product page along with documentation along with technical forums for those that need the extra help. Like any update software, it’s all pretty automated and easy to update your SSD.
OCZ Vertex 3 120GB SSD
The Vertex 3 series comes in a jet black jacket in two models: Vertex 3 and Vertex 3 Max IOP Edition (which we don’t have this round). Both offer 550MB/s read and 500MB/s write sequential transfer performance. While both are the same in that respect, it’s the 4K Random read and write performance that differs. The Vertex 3 provides 4K random read of 115MB/s and 150MB/s write. The Vertex 3 MAX IOP model offers 185MB/s 4K random read and write. That is why the Vertex 3 costs $219.99 and MAX IOP costs $289.99 from the usual online stores.
Included in our Vertex 3 retail box is a sponge like insert which contains your SSD, black adapter tray, screws, OCZ sticker for bragging rights and product paper work. Software updates are provided by OCZ online tech support if needed along with links on the product pages. Let’s put all these SSDs to work on the bench.
Test System Setup
There are several ways to interface with a SATA3 SSD. We’ll be using the two most optimum SATA3 configurations for our tests: motherboard native chipset (X58) and an add-on LSI SAS9211 “Spitfire” 4-port SATA3/SAS HBA (controller) card provided by Puget Systems. This is one of the better high performance RAID HBAs often used by pro users and will eliminate any bottlenecks presented by an onboard solution.
- Processor: Intel Core i7-2600K
- SATA3 Source 1: GIGABYTE GA-Z68XP-UD5 (F3 BIOS)
- SATA3 Source 2: GIGABYTE X58A-OC (F3 BIOS)
- SATA3 Source 3: LSI SAS9211 Spitfire HBA
- Memory: Kingston HyperX Genesis 2133MHz 4GB DDR3
- Graphics: MSI Geforce GTX 560 Ti
- OS HDD: Seagate 500GB SATAII Barracuda
- Test SSD 1: Patriot Pyro 60GB
- Test SSD 2: Patriot Pyro 120GB
- Test SSD3: Patriot Wildfire 120GB
- Test SSD4: Kingston HyperX 120GB
- Test SSD5: OCZ Vertex 3 120GB
- Test SSD6: Corsair Force3 120GB
- Test SSD7: Corsair Force GT 120GB
- Test SSD8: Patriot Inferno 120GB (SATA2 Comparison)
- SATA3 Test 1: Z68 Native Chipset
- SATA3 Test 2: LSI SAS9211 Spitfire PCIE
- Power Supply: Antec CP-850
- OS: Windows 7 Pro 64-bit
Marvell SATA3 testing was performed, but not included in the scores simply because it can’t produce bandwidth like the native Z68 SATA3 ports much less the LSI add on card. However, the SSDs didn’t have any real issues with the Marvell. Again, the LSI card eliminated any problems related to different controllers on different boards.
All the SSDs were updated to latest available firmwares, but updating an SSD involves some slight risk making it prudent to back up your data. Once you update they can never be rolled back to the previous firmware.
Installation Issues and Fixes Examined
Doing some online research has turned up users reporting issues like stuttering, freezing, dropping and BSODs. Some aspiring minds suggest the SF-2200 series controller is the culprit while others suggest that Intel chipsets may not have enough resources to accommodate all the bandwidth. With that in mind here are some issues I experienced and some suggestions to fixing yours. Keep in mind that all these issues were encountered using the native SATA3 ports. No problems occurred using Marvell controllers or the LSI card.
Just the Corsair SSDs encountered some IO errors at first but after updating to 1.3 firmware and swapping the cable, the issues were gone. After that, the Force GT disappeared and Pyro scored one IO error, but neither could be reproduced throughout retests. The Vertex 3 couldn’t communicate with the LSI card properly once in Windows on the Z68 system without firmware updates all around. Once updated, it was a non-issue. However, it worked perfectly on the X58 from the start.
Sloppy or insecure SATA cables can definitely affect performance. I was able to create random issues using a couple random SATA cables which included slow performance, errors and connection problems. The Corsairs were especially susceptible to questionable cables. If your native storage and system expansion ports are pretty packed and you continue to have problems, I suggest moving some things back up and putting ROM drives on your Marvell ports. You really won’t notice the difference between the ports for your optical drives.
Benchmark Suite and Notes
To better show the data transfer performance built in to each SSD, we’ll be using a combination of CrystalDiskMark which gives us some real world read/write transfer rates, Argus Monitor that offers a very detailed realistic storage benchmark analysis, ATTO which will give us the IO performance and QuickBench which provides data block performance readily supported by OSX, Linux and Windows. All benchmarks were performed with the system in AHCI mode.
For users not aware, IDE mode is hardly the optimal mode for getting the best performance from any SSD. Make sure it’s running in AHCI for best performance and for updating the firmware. Keep this in mind if you reset or update your motherboard BIOS later on as it will effect system performance.
Crystal Disk Mark 1000MB Test
CDM is often brutally honest about storage device performance especially using the 1000MB test. While 100MB tests often show better transfer rates, the storage device won’t work very hard nor show any controller characteristics. The more resilient the SSD and controller, the better the scores. The first graph includes scores using the GIGABYTE GA-Z68XP-UD5 native chipset SATA3 ports.
It’s a close race between the synchronous Force GT, HyperX, Vertex 3 and Wildfire. However, it’s the Wildfire that reports relatively strong 512K write and 4K QD32 read transfer rates. The HyperX read 4K data the best. The asynchronous Force 3 and Pyro SSDs scored similar 512K and 4K data block performance, but much less Sequential performance.
The LSI SAS9211 HBA improved sequential performance for the synchronous Force GT, HyperX, Vertex 3 and Wildfire. It improved performance minimally for the rest. In fact, it slowed the Inferno SATA2 SSD noticeably. This could be due to firmware or SATA2 miscommunication between the SATA3 HBA.
QuickBench – Data Block Test
In this round of tests, I tested all of the SSDs using the native Z68 port and HBA card. Again, you’ll notice that the LSI card performs a bit better using the PCIEx4 slot.
Once the SSDs cooled off, it was the Patriot Wildfire that lead the pack but only just over the Kingston HyperX. The Vertex 3 and Force GT fought a seemingly epic battle that would not end in either favored. With the scores so close, it got me to thinking that perhaps the PCIEx4 slot might be holding back the LSI card. Thus, we move on to the X58 testing platform.
X58 and LSI HBA Performance
The LSI SAS9211 Spitfire HBA card was inserted in to the last orange PCIEx8 slot on the GIGABYTE GA-X58A-OC motherboard. The reason is simple: the board has plenty of PCIE bus bandwidth to go around and I wanted optimal performance. Here are screenshots to draw your own conclusions.
As you can see, the SATA 6Gb/s performances increases noticeably across all the SSDs. The X58 and LSI HBA combination provides each SSD with ample room to stretch. In the end, the scores are very close with the exception of the Pyro 60GB which is expected to be a little slower although much faster than the Inferno 120GB. The HyperX just beats the pack in test averages.
The bottom line here is if you’re looking for the most performance, a full speed X58 and LSI HBA card are what the doctor orders.
SandForce’s Reign of P-P-Performance
The SandForce 2281 controller is the key component when communicating with the storage controllers found on motherboards and HBA cards. The current theory is that some where in that communication, the high strung SF-2281 seems to be having some intermittent, random issues mostly with the native Intel SATA3 ports. The integrated Marvell controllers are issue free for the most part although noticeably slower. Plus, to further support this theory, neither Marvell or the LSI card showed any signs of issues. At worst, I had to hold the LSI card’s hand and point it to the right SSD to complete some benchmarks.
Ultimately, any issues I encountered with the round up were random and mostly correctable on all the SSDs. While intermittent performance or connectivity issues can be attributed to poor cables, it’s unlikely that any chipsets are to blame alone. Speaking as a consumerist, no one should have to go through extensive steps like manipulating the BIOS or finding the absolute perfect miniscule settings to get any SATA3 SSD working properly. The manufacturers will have to polish up firmware to anticipate any compatibility issues on their part. Maybe even provide certified cables in the box. However, SandForce should do better validation testing on their part.
Final Scores and Thoughts
Performance, price and customer support are the scoring factors in our round up. Each SATA3 SSD in our group is equally capable of producing acceptable performance based on the NAND used to build each. While our experience shows that manufacturers are doing better with their perspective firmware, there’s always room for improvement. You can definitely expect further tweaking to zero in on the performance sweet spot.
Corsair Force 3 120GB SSD
In our asynchronous SSD competition, the Force 3 120GB ($184.99) and Patriot Memory Pyro 120GB($204.99) are very comparable in performance. Each, including the Z68 friendly Pyro 60GB ($119.99) are still noticeably faster than SATA2 SSDs. But the Force 3 comes with a drive bay mounting adapter and is aggressively priced. Thus the Corsair Force 3 earns our Valued Added Award in this round up.
OCZ Vertex 3 120GB SSD
The Corsair Force GT ($228.99), OCZ Vertex 3 ($219.99), Kingston HyperX ($269.99) and Patriot Wildfire ($284.99) synchronous SSDs all battled fiercely for the top spot. The Wildfire offered the fastest overall performance followed closely by the HyperX, OCZ Vertex 3 and Force GT prospectively. The Force GT, OCZ Vertex 3 and Wildfire offer meager bundles which is a surprise in respect to the price of the Wildfire. The Vertex 3 is just too good a deal and performer to ignore. It’s worth recommending to enthusiasts who can spend a little more, but are still on a budget.
The Wildfire will appeal to hardcore enthusiasts willing to pay the premium and don’t mind the meager accessories. It’s the fastest consumer SSD around that we’ve tested, but I would still like to see a better bundle worthy of its performance. Despite the weak bundle, this Spartan SATA3 SSD still deserves its place on the food chain as our top performer.
Kingston HyperX 120GB SSD
Alas, the HyperX comes with an impressive accessories and software bundle, offering admirable performance and quality to boot. Not to mention, many of the tools in the kit like the Acronis software, drive enclosure, and tool kit will continue to serve you if you do choose to pick up a high performance SSD with no bundle in the future. And of course, it’s easily the best looking enthusiast SSD currently offered by any manufacturer. Given these factors along with respectable pricing well within the pack, the Kingston HyperX SSD deserves our well earned Editors’ Choice Award.
Whether you blame the economy or other market factors, one thing is for certain. Pricing is lower than ever putting any of these SSDs within reach of many regular users and enthusiasts. If blazing data rate performance is what you crave, SATA3 SSDs are in your future. The technology is definitely poised to continue improving as well as continuing to drop in cost. We’d like to thank all the manufacturers for providing samples and for pushing each other in this highly competitive market.
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