ADATA S511 240GB SSD Review (Sandforce 2281)

1. Introduction2. ADATA S511 240GB SSD3. Testing Methodology4. CrystalDiskMark5. HD Tach 3.0.4.06. ATTO Disk Benchmark7. PCMark Vantage8. AS SSD9. IOMeter10. SiSoft Sandra11. Real World Testing12. Closing Thoughts13. View All Pages

The ADATA S511 240gb is an incredible performer, just as we would expect from a Sandforce 2281 powered drive. After testing the Vertex 3 several weeks ago, we had hoped the results would be close … we weren't disappointed.

Both of these drives are twice the speed of the previous generation and in the world of technology, these kind of performance gains don't happen often. Intel's 510 SSD is a quick solid state product, but it does look almost crippled by comparison. Unlike many other drives on the market, the ADATA S511 and OCZ Vertex 3 are exceptionally well balanced, with no discernible weakness. Sequential performance is superb, but the 4kb results are in a class of their own.

Our synthetic tests show that both ADATA and OCZ have clearly applied their own secret brand of ‘tweaks' behind the scenes. There are some minor differences in bandwidth performance which makes picking a clear winner almost impossible. Interestingly, while the OCZ Vertex 3 fell a little short of the claimed 60,000 IOPs throughput (scoring 58,345), the ADATA product scored 60,012. In our real world ‘everyday' tests, both drives were inseparable.

Those of you with deeper pockets will assuredly end up with two of these in a RAID 0 configuration, ensuring almost instantaneous system responsiveness.

The ADATA S511 240gb is not yet available and has only launched today. We were fortunate to get the first device to test in Europe. ADATA say they will begin arriving into the UK by the end of the week.

We are promised several stores will stock this device including Amazon and YoYoTech. Expect pricing of around £410 on the 240GB model (Vertex 3 was £455 when released but has dropped to just under £430 in recent weeks). The 120G version of the drive should sell for around £210, which is slightly cheaper than the Vertex 3 at the same size (around £220). Interestingly the S511 will also have a 60G offering, unlike the Vertex 3. This will arrive a week or so later and we have no indication on price yet.

Pros:

• slightly less expensive than the Vertex 3
• class leading performance
• IOPS results are better than Vertex 3

Cons:

• none we can see, but many will opt for the less expensive 128GB or 60GB version.

Kitguru says: A strong challenger for the OCZ Vertex 3, and very closely matched.

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