Introduction, Specifications and Packaging
ADATA launches new line of Marvell-based SSDs
Introduction:
ADATA has been in the storage market for a good while now. I like to think of them as the patient underdog. They don't necessarily come out with the shiny new controller or flash technology. Instead they tend to sit back and wait for a given set of hardware to mature and drop in price a bit. Once that happens, they figure out how to package the matured technology into a device of relatively low cost as compared to the competition. They have done so again today, with their new Premier Pro SP920 lineup:
As hinted at earlier, this line does not use the newest Marvell controller, but as Marvell controllers have been very capable SATA 6Gb/sec units for a long time now, that is not necessarily a bad thing. In addition, Marvell controllers have a track record of gaining significant performance margins as their firmware matures, which makes ADATA's later entrance more of a good thing.
Continue reading for the full scoop and performance benchmarks of all available capacities!!
Specifications:
Straight from the ADATA spec sheet:
…and a bit more detail on the performance spread among capacities – fitting as we are testing all of these capacities today:
Packaging:
These drives come nicely packaged, with 3.5" bracket, free downloadable Acronis migration / cloning software, quick start guide, screws, and even a 7mm – 9.5mm spacer plate used to prevent excessive motion within larger close-fit mobile SATA bays.
Great to see a new entry in
Great to see a new entry in the 512GB/1TB market. I would argue that now the major data-destroying bugs have been worked out of the SSD controllers, the major factor in the consumer market is price/GB. I’m hoping this new entry helps to force prices down further.
we are ever so close to the
we are ever so close to the ssd sweet spot, which i think is about $0.30-$0.35. $300-$350 1TB , or more importantly $175-$200 for 500GB is the point where fast silent ssd technology will be viable in every mainstream system, leaving the spinning drives for ultra budget systems and those of us who need crazy TBs of storage.
It’s good to finally see a
It’s good to finally see a competitor for the Samsungs and that there is actually a trend to give a price break to go larger. However, the main thing I worry about is reliability with these things. Only time tells the truth there. Glad you led off with the controller.
The 512GB version would be
The 512GB version would be fantastic in my new SFF build but it is a bit overkill considering I have a 2TB WD Black in there. These seem very promising.
I’ll take two 256 GB ones
I’ll take two 256 GB ones (instead of 1 512 GB one) please. #IfYouKnowWhatIMean
Despite the slightly slower
Despite the slightly slower writes at that capacity, it's still a better way to go if you can go RAID-0.