Internals, Testing Methodology and System Setup
Internals:
We noted it was a bit easier than normal to get into these drives, as the ‘warranty void if removed’ stickers had not been fully seated prior to shipping:
Once open, we see the SandForce 2281 controllers and IMFT 25nm flash memory.
The fronts:
…and finally the backs. The 120GB models have flash on both sides of the PCB’s:
Testing Methodology
Our tests are a good mix of synthetic and real-world benchmarks. PCMark, IOMeter, HDTach, HDTune, Yapt and our custom File Copy test round out the selection to cover just about all bases. If you have any questions about our tests just drop into the Storage Forum and we’ll help you out!
Test System Setup
We’re breaking in a new Sandy Bridge test bed. Necessary for properly testing these new drives, even with the known issues. To get around this, we are using only the Intel SATA 6Gb/sec ports, which are known to not exhibit the inconsistent performance / connectivity issues.
PC Perspective would like to thank ASUS, Corsair, and Kingston for supplying some of the components of our test rig.
| Hard Drive Test System Setup | |
| CPU | Intel Core i5-2500K |
| Motherboard | Asus P8Z68-V Pro |
| Memory | Kingston HyperX 4GB DDR3-2133 CL9 |
| Hard Drive | G.Skill 32GB SLC SSD |
| Sound Card | N/A |
| Video Card | Intel® HD Graphics 3000 |
| Video Drivers | Intel |
| Power Supply | Corsair CMPSU-650TX |
| DirectX Version | DX9.0c |
| Operating System | Windows 7 X64 |
- PCMark05
- Yapt
- IOMeter
- HDTach
- HDTune
- PCPer File Copy Test
I installed the 120 gb as my
I installed the 120 gb as my boot disk and am very happy with the speed. It really helps me with 3d models in Autodesk Inventor and Revit. I would recommend going for a higher capacity than I did. I’ve installed windows 7, autodesk factory design and autodesk building design suites and i only have about 6 – 7 gigs left. WIsh I went for the 240.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0057QETGS/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=emjay2d-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B0057QETGS
It is highly recommended to
It is highly recommended to Install the latest firmware especially if you’re planning to run the drives in RAID.
Corsair Force 3/GT 3 1.3.3 Firmware
Allyn, I have the choice
Allyn, I have the choice between the 120gb Patriot Pyro for $182AUD or the 120gb Corsair Force 3 for $195AUD. What would you get at these price points?
Corsairs specs indicate
Corsairs specs indicate IOMeter 2008 was used for this test, and it’s important to note that 2008’s writes were a repeating pattern that is easily and fully compressible by the SandForce controller, meaning those specs were derived using fully compressible data.
http://www.aspectenterprises.com.au/