ADATA XPG SX950 240GB SSD Review

Rating: 8.0.

The last drive we looked at from ADATA's XPG range of SSD's aimed at gamers was the SX930. Now it's the turn of the latest member of the 2.5in format family of drives to be put through its paces, the XPG SX950, the first XPG 2.5in drive to use 3D NAND.

ADATA's XPG (Xtreme Performance Gear) range pass the companies most stringent tests for stability and high performance and are aimed at gamers, enthusiasts, and overclockers.

The SX950 range comprises just three capacities, the entry level 240GB drive, 480GB and the flagship 960GB drive. The drives use a combination of 3D MLC NAND and a Silicon Motion 4-channel controller. It also uses intelligent SLC caching and a DRAM cache buffer to boost performance.

ADATA quote sequential performance figures for the 240GB drive as up to 560MB/s for reads and up to 520MB/s for writes. That 560MB/s read speed is the same for all the drives in the range while the 480GB and 960GB drives have slightly faster write speeds at 530MB/s.

The random 4K read speed for the 240GB drive is quoted as up to 80,000 IOPS with writes topping out at 90,000 IOPS. Both the 480GB and 960GB have a maximum read speed of 90,000 IOPS with the 480B drive having the same write speed as the 240GB drive – 90,000 IOPS with the flagship 960GB drive writes dropping to 85,000 IOPS.

The 240GB drive has a rated TBW endurance figure of 200TB, the endurance figures for the 480GB and 960GB drives are quoted as 400TB and 800TB respectively. ADATA back the drive with a generous 6-year warranty.

Physical Specifications:
Usable Capacities: 240GB, 480GB, 960GB
NAND Components: Micron 3D MLC
Interface: Serial ATA (SATA) 6Gb/s (SATA III)
Form Factor: 2.5in
NAND Controller: Silicon Motion SM2258
Dimensions: 100x 69 x 7mm
Drive Weight: 58g

Firmware Version: EXM01B6Q

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