3D TLC NAND | KitGuru https://www.kitguru.net KitGuru.net - Tech News | Hardware News | Hardware Reviews | IOS | Mobile | Gaming | Graphics Cards Tue, 05 Sep 2023 08:12:31 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.4.3 https://www.kitguru.net/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/cropped-KITGURU-Light-Background-SQUARE2-32x32.png 3D TLC NAND | KitGuru https://www.kitguru.net 32 32 Kingston XS1000 External SSD Review https://www.kitguru.net/components/ssd-drives/simon-crisp/kingston-xs1000-external-ssd-review/ https://www.kitguru.net/components/ssd-drives/simon-crisp/kingston-xs1000-external-ssd-review/#respond Tue, 05 Sep 2023 08:00:29 +0000 https://www.kitguru.net/?p=625098 The latest drive to join Kingston's extensive range of external devices is the XS1000

The post Kingston XS1000 External SSD Review first appeared on KitGuru.]]>
The latest drive to join Kingston's extensive range of external devices is the XS1000. A tiny pocket-sized drive, it uses a USB 3.2 Gen 2 interface and offers transfer speeds up to 1,050MB/s. We test the 2TB model, coming in at just over £100 here in the UK.

Available at launch in 1TB and 2TB capacities, the latter of which we are reviewing today, the XS1000 uses a Silicon Motion SM2320 controller and 3D NAND. The SM2320 uses a built-in USB 3.2 Gen 2 x2 interface (running at x1 in the XS1000) which offers much better performance than a controller that has to rely on a bridge chip. Another benefit of not using a bridge chip is that drive designers don't have to find space to accommodate it, allowing for more compact drives like the XS1000.

Kingston rates the read/write performance for the drive as up to 1,050MB/s and up to 1,000MB/s respectively for both capacities.

The XS1000 doesn't come with any hardware encryption or IP protection rating. Kingston back the XS1000 with a 5-year warranty.

Physical Specifications:

  • Usable Capacities: 2TB.
  • NAND Components: 3D TLC NAND.
  • NAND Controller: Silicon Motion SM2320.
  • Interface: USB 3.2 Gen2 x1.
  • Form Factor: external.
  • Dimensions: 69.54 x 32.58 x 13.5mm.
  • Drive Weight: 30g.

Firmware Version: 1000.

Be sure to check out our sponsors store EKWB here

The post Kingston XS1000 External SSD Review first appeared on KitGuru.]]>
https://www.kitguru.net/components/ssd-drives/simon-crisp/kingston-xs1000-external-ssd-review/feed/ 0
Acer SA100 1.92TB SSD Review https://www.kitguru.net/components/ssd-drives/simon-crisp/acer-sa100-1-92tb-ssd-review/ https://www.kitguru.net/components/ssd-drives/simon-crisp/acer-sa100-1-92tb-ssd-review/#respond Tue, 07 Sep 2021 07:36:15 +0000 https://www.kitguru.net/?p=527673 Acer has entered the SSD market - but can it compete with the likes of Samsung and WD?

The post Acer SA100 1.92TB SSD Review first appeared on KitGuru.]]>
Acer has entered the storage market with a range of 2.5″ SATA, M.2 SATA and M.2 PCIe NVMe drives, including the entry-level 2.5in SATA-based SA100 we are looking at here. Using a DRAM-less Maxio MAS0902A-B2C 4-channel controller, has the Acer SA100 got what it takes to mix with the big boys of the SSD market?

The Acer SA100 comes in a range of five capacity's; 120GB, 240GB, 480GB, 960GB and the 1.92TB flagship model we are looking at here. At the heart of the SA100 is a DRAM-less design Maxio MAS0902A-B2C 4-channel controller which looks after, in the case of the 1.92TB drive, four 3D NAND packages.

Sequential read performance is quoted as up to 560MB/s for the 480GB, 960GB and 1.92TB models with the 256GB drive rated at up 549MB/s and the entry-level 120GB drive, 561MB/s. The 1.92TB drive gets a Sequential Write rating of up to 508MB/s swiftly followed by the 960GB model at up 507MB/s. The 480MB drive is rated up to 493MB/s while the 240GB drive has the slowest write performance at up to 449MB/s. The 120GB drive is rated as up to 474MB/s.

When it comes to the official random performance, the 1.92TB drive is rated as up to 76,000 IOPS for reads and up to 77,000 IOPS for writes. The 960GB drive has the fastest random read performance, up to 84,000 IOPS (up to 72,000 IOPS writes while the 240GB drive has the slowest random reads at up to 40,000 IOPS (71,000 IOPS writes).

The 1.92TB drive has an endurance rating of 600TBW and Acer back the drive with a 3-year limited warranty.

Physical Specifications:

  • Usable Capacities: 1.92TB.
  • NAND Components: 3D NAND.
  • NAND Controller: Maxio MAS0902A-B2C.
  • Cache: none.
  • Interface: Serial ATA (SATA) 6Gb/s (SATA III).
  • Form Factor: 2.5in, 7mm.
  • Dimensions: 100 x 70 x 6.7 mm.
  • Drive Weight: 38g.

Firmware Version: SN6938.

Be sure to check out our sponsors store EKWB here

The post Acer SA100 1.92TB SSD Review first appeared on KitGuru.]]>
https://www.kitguru.net/components/ssd-drives/simon-crisp/acer-sa100-1-92tb-ssd-review/feed/ 0
MSI Spatium M480 HS 2TB SSD Review https://www.kitguru.net/components/ssd-drives/simon-crisp/msi-spatium-m480-hs-2tb-ssd-review/ https://www.kitguru.net/components/ssd-drives/simon-crisp/msi-spatium-m480-hs-2tb-ssd-review/#respond Wed, 25 Aug 2021 08:05:38 +0000 https://www.kitguru.net/?p=525602 MSI is now making SSDs. Yep - you read that right. But are they any good?

The post MSI Spatium M480 HS 2TB SSD Review first appeared on KitGuru.]]>
MSI's Spatium M480 is the company's first SSD offering, having announced its entry into the storage market earlier this year. Based around a Phison E18 controller and 96-Layer 3D TLC NAND, the 2TB model is (at the time of writing) the largest capacity drive in the M480 series.

The Spatium M480 model line consists of three capacities; 500GB, 1TB and 2TB. At the heart of the drive is a Phison PS5018-E18 controller, the go-to controller for most of the 2nd generation Gen 4 drives we've seen to date. For the M480, MSI has paired the controller with Micron 96-layer 3D TLC NAND which gives the Spatium M480 some impressive Sequential performance figures.

The official Sequential ratings for the 2TB drive are up to 7,000MB/s for reads and up to 6,800MB/s for writes. The 1TB drive is rated at the same 7,000MB/s for reads but with a lower write speed of up to 5,500MB/s. The entry 500GB model makes do with up to 6,500MB/s and 2,850MB/s for read and writes respectively.

Random performance is quoted as up to 650,000 IOPS for reads and up to 700,000 IOPS for writes for the 2TB drive, up to 350,000 IOPS and 700,000 IOPS for read and writes respectively for the 1TB model and up to 170,000 IOPS read and up to 600,000 IOPS writes for the 500GB model.

The HS SKU of the M480 comes with a chunky bronze-coloured aluminium stacked fin heatsink which adds 18mm to the overall height of the drive which may be a bit problematic using the drive with compact PCs.

Endurance for the 2TB drive is stated at 1400TBW and MSI back the drive with a 5-year warranty. Power consumption for the 2TB drive is listed as 8.2W for maximum operating power, 22mW for idle power and 3mW in low power mode.

Physical Specifications:

  • Usable Capacities: 2TB.
  • NAND Components: Micron 96-layer 3D TLC NAND.
  • NAND Controller: Phison PS5018-E18.
  • Cache: 2GB DDR4.
  • Interface: PCIe 4.0 x4, NVMe 1.4.
  • Form Factor: M.2 2280.
  • Dimensions: 80 x 22 x 2.15mm (80.4 x 23 x 20.40mm with heatsink).

Firmware Version: EIFM21.1

Be sure to check out our sponsors store EKWB here

The post MSI Spatium M480 HS 2TB SSD Review first appeared on KitGuru.]]>
https://www.kitguru.net/components/ssd-drives/simon-crisp/msi-spatium-m480-hs-2tb-ssd-review/feed/ 0
Kingston DC450R 3.84TB SSD Review https://www.kitguru.net/components/ssd-drives/simon-crisp/kingston-dc450r-3-84tb-ssd-review/ https://www.kitguru.net/components/ssd-drives/simon-crisp/kingston-dc450r-3-84tb-ssd-review/#respond Mon, 08 Feb 2021 10:51:56 +0000 https://www.kitguru.net/?p=502197 We check out Kingston's DC450R SSD, aimed at the data-centre market

The post Kingston DC450R 3.84TB SSD Review first appeared on KitGuru.]]>
Kingston's DC450R is part of the company's extensive Enterprise SSD range and has been designed for handling read-centric workloads in data centres. We review the 3.84TB model, priced around the £440 mark for UK buyers.

The DC450R is available in five capacities at the time of writing: 480GB, 960GB, 1.92TB, 3.84TB (the drive we are looking at here) and the massive 7.68TB flagship drive. At the heart of the drive is a Phison PS3112-S12DC controller which looks after 3D TLC NAND.

Sequential read performance is quoted as up to 560MB/s across the range. Sequential write performance varies with capacity. The entry-level 480GB is up to 510MB/s, the 960GB and 1.92TB models are up to 530MB/s, the 3.84TB drive up to 525MB/s with the 7.68TB model the slowest in the line-up at up to 504MB/s.

When it comes to 4K random read performance all the range bar one are rated as up to 99,000 IOPS, the exception being the 960GB model which is rated at up to 98,000 IOPS. Random writes are a bit of a mix. The 1.92TB drive has the fastest random write rating at up to 28,000 IOPS, while the slowest is the 480GB model at 17,000 IOPS. The 960GB and 3.84TB drives are both rated as up to 26,000 IOPS with the 7.68TB flagship rated at up to 19,000 IOPS.

Power consumption for the 3.84TB is stated as 1.48W for Max/Avr reads, 3.93W for average writes and 5.5W for maximum writes with an idle figure of 1.3W.

Endurance for the 3.84TB drive is quoted as 2,823TB which works out at 0.4 DWPD over the length of the 5-year warranty Kingston back the drive with.

Physical Specifications:

  • Usable Capacities: 3.84TB.
  • NAND Components: 3D TLC NAND.
  • NAND Controller: Phison PS3112-S12DC.
  • Cache: DDR4-2666.
  • Interface: Serial ATA (SATA) 6Gb/s (SATA III).
  • Form Factor: 2.5in, 7mm.
  • Dimensions: 69.9 x 100 x7mm.
  • Drive Weight: 92.3g

Firmware Version: SCEKH3.3.

Be sure to check out our sponsors store EKWB here

The post Kingston DC450R 3.84TB SSD Review first appeared on KitGuru.]]>
https://www.kitguru.net/components/ssd-drives/simon-crisp/kingston-dc450r-3-84tb-ssd-review/feed/ 0
Patriot PXD 1TB External SSD Review https://www.kitguru.net/components/ssd-drives/simon-crisp/patriot-pxd-1tb-external-ssd-review/ https://www.kitguru.net/components/ssd-drives/simon-crisp/patriot-pxd-1tb-external-ssd-review/#respond Thu, 04 Jun 2020 11:00:30 +0000 https://www.kitguru.net/?p=462671 How capable is this pocket-sized external SSD from Patriot?

The post Patriot PXD 1TB External SSD Review first appeared on KitGuru.]]>
The new PXD drive from Patriot is a slimline external SSD that uses a USB 3.2 Type-C interface, a Phison PS5013-E13T controller and 3D TLC NAND. With a price of €189.99, or around £165 here in the UK, is this drive worth buying?

At launch the PXD comes in three capacities; 512GB, 1TB (the drive we are looking at here) and the flagship 2TB drive. The drive combines a Phison PS5013-E13T controller with 3D TLC NAND and connects via a USB 3.2 Type-C interface supporting transfer speeds up to 10Gbit/sec. The official read/write speeds for all the drives in the range is up to 1,000MB/s.

Patriot back the PXD with a 3-year warranty.

Physical Specifications:

  • Usable Capacities: 1TB.
  • NAND Components:  3D TLC NAND.
  • Interface:  USB 3.2 Type-C.
  • Form Factor: External.
  • NAND Controller: Phison PS5013-E13T.
  • Dimensions: 103 x 31 x 9.8mm.
  • Drive Weight: 37g.

Firmware Version: 5204.

Be sure to check out our sponsors store EKWB here

The post Patriot PXD 1TB External SSD Review first appeared on KitGuru.]]>
https://www.kitguru.net/components/ssd-drives/simon-crisp/patriot-pxd-1tb-external-ssd-review/feed/ 0
Patriot Viper VP4100 1TB PCIe 4.0 SSD Review https://www.kitguru.net/components/ssd-drives/simon-crisp/patriot-viper-vp4100-1tb-pcie-4-0-ssd-review/ https://www.kitguru.net/components/ssd-drives/simon-crisp/patriot-viper-vp4100-1tb-pcie-4-0-ssd-review/#respond Mon, 30 Sep 2019 14:28:36 +0000 https://www.kitguru.net/?p=426308 It's an incredibly fast PCIe Gen 4 SSD from Patriot

The post Patriot Viper VP4100 1TB PCIe 4.0 SSD Review first appeared on KitGuru.]]>
The Viper VP4100 is Patriot's first PCIe 4.0 SSD. Built on an M.2 2280 format, the drive uses a combination of a Phison PS5016-E16 controller and Toshiba BiCS4 3D TLC NAND. Priced at £349.99, is this worth buying if you've moved over to the X570 platform?


The VP4100 takes over as the flagship SSD drive in Patriot's Viper gaming division product line from the PCIe Gen3 X4 Viper VPN100 (which we reviewed here). At the heart of the new drive is one of Phison's PS5016-E16 controller's, the world's first PCIe Gen4 x4 controller. The 8-channel controller looks after the Toshiba BiCS4 96-layer 3D TLC NAND that the drive uses. There is also 1GB of DDR-2400 cache.

The Viper VP4100 line comprises just two capacities (at the time of writing this review), the 1TB model and the flagship 2TB drive. Both drives have the same official Sequential and random 4K performance. The Sequential figures are up to 5,000MB/s for reads and up to 4,400MB/s for writes. Random 4K performance for the drives is rated as up to a very impressive 800,000 IOPS for both reads and writes.

Endurance wise the 1TB drive has a TBW figure of 1,800TB and Patriot backs the drive with a 5-year warranty.

Physical Specifications:

  • Usable Capacities: 1TB.
  • NAND Components: Toshiba BiCS4 96-layer 3D TLC.
  • NAND Controller: Phison PS5016-E16.
  • Cache: 1GB DDR4-2400.
  • Interface: PCIe 4.0 x4, NVMe 1.3.
  • Form Factor: M.2 2280
  • Dimensions: 22 x 80 x 7mm
  • Drive Weight: 45g

Firmware Version: EGFM11.1

Be sure to check out our sponsors store EKWB here

The post Patriot Viper VP4100 1TB PCIe 4.0 SSD Review first appeared on KitGuru.]]>
https://www.kitguru.net/components/ssd-drives/simon-crisp/patriot-viper-vp4100-1tb-pcie-4-0-ssd-review/feed/ 0
WD Blue 3D NAND 500GB SSD Review https://www.kitguru.net/components/ssd-drives/simon-crisp/wd-blue-3d-nand-500gb-ssd-review/ https://www.kitguru.net/components/ssd-drives/simon-crisp/wd-blue-3d-nand-500gb-ssd-review/#respond Tue, 08 Aug 2017 10:46:01 +0000 https://www.kitguru.net/?p=341894 Is this the standard of Solid State Drive that Western Digital fans have been waiting for?

The post WD Blue 3D NAND 500GB SSD Review first appeared on KitGuru.]]>
The first WD Blue SSD to see the light of day didn't really cause that many ripples in the market. Now we have the second generation WD Blue SSD and it's a totally different animal. This time people will take notice not least because it uses leading edge 64-layer BiCS3 3D TLC NAND technology.

The new WD Blue 3D NAND drive uses a combination of 64-layer 512Gb 3D TLC flash and a Marvell 88SS1074 controller. It comes in 250GB, 500GB, 1TB and 2TB capacities and in two formats, standard 2.5in 7mm and SATA M.2 2280.

The quoted Sequential read/write figures for the 500GB version of the WD Blue 3D NAND are 560MB/s and 530MB/s respectively. These are the same figures for the 1TB and 2TB drives, the 250GB drive has slightly lower read/writes at 550MB/s and 525MB/s respectively. Random 4K figures are stated at up to 95,000 IOPS for reads and up to 84,000 IOPS for writes. The read figure of 95,000 IOPS is the same for all four drives in the range with the 250GB drive write performance dropping to 81,000 IOPS.

Endurance for the 500GB drive is quoted at 200TBW. The rest of the range have endurance figures quoted as 500TBW for the 2TB flagship drive, 400TBW for the 1TB drive and 100TBW for the 250GB drive. WD back the drive with a 3-year limited warranty.

Physical Specifications:
Usable Capacities: 250GB, 500GB, 1TB and 2TB
NAND Components: 64-layer 512Gb 3D TLC NAND
Interface: Serial ATA (SATA) 6Gb/s (SATA III)
Form Factor: 2.5in 7mm
NAND Controller: Marvell 88SS1074
Dimensions: 69.85 x 100.2 x 7mm
Drive Weight: 57.9g

Firmware Version: X61130WD

Be sure to check out our sponsors store EKWB here

The post WD Blue 3D NAND 500GB SSD Review first appeared on KitGuru.]]>
https://www.kitguru.net/components/ssd-drives/simon-crisp/wd-blue-3d-nand-500gb-ssd-review/feed/ 0