SSD is a key element of any high-performance PC. The fastest SSD will improve everything from boot time to read and write speeds. The only drawback is that they can have pretty impressive price tags. To make sure that you are buying exactly what you need, it will be useful to study the rating of external hard drives with the test results. So what is the fastest SSD in the world you can buy today?
What is an SSD?
SSD (Solid State Drive) is the simplest and most cost-effective update you can make for a laptop or desktop computer. This will not only speed up the loading of your PC, but also make it easier to launch applications and search for files. In general, such an update will make your system run much faster.
Simply put, an SSD performs the same functions as a regular hard drive, but at a much higher speed. It replaces the mechanical parts of the HDD with fixed transistors. It gives an advantage in computer performance, but costs much more than a hard drive. However, such costs are paid off by the comfort and enjoyment of using a PC or laptop.
What are they like?
- NAND Flash: logical elements. They are similar to microcircuits used in RAM, but can store data even if power is not passing through them. They form the basis of all solid state drives.
- Controllers: SSDs, like other storage devices, are small computers in their own right. Controllers monitor algorithms that sort data. The faster the controller, the higher the performance. With high performance, such SSDs are faster than hard drives.
- SATA: Serial ATA. This is the most common and cheapest type of SSD. It connects through the SATA ports of your motherboard, and although it is several times faster than a regular hard drive, it is the slowest form of SSD with a maximum speed of about 500-600 MB / s.
- NVMe: Non-Volatile Express Memory. This type of SSD is connected via PCIe (PCI Express) with a maximum drive speed of more than 3000 MB / s. It usually connects directly to the motherboard’s PCIe slots or to the M.2 connector, and can also connect using PCIe lanes.
- M.2: This is a specific physical SSD format. This device may look like SATA or PCIe, but in any case it fits in a smaller M.2 slot. These drives are most often used on ultra-thin laptops to save space. Another advantage is their low cost. If you want to purchase the fastest M.2 SSD, make sure it is an NVMe drive.
How are they tested and tested?
How does the verification take place? How to determine which SSD is the fastest? There are special tools for this.
AS SSD and CrystalDiskMark test applications put each drive to different tests. Their sequential read and write procedures check the speed of copying files on each drive, while various random read and write checks show how quickly the disk responds to more random use during everyday tasks. The sense of speed of the drive is associated with the performance of random access for reading. Such a check will provide information on which SSD is faster than competitors.
The ATTO test also checks the read and write speeds of each drive, but it uses an even wider variety of file sizes, which adds additional information about how each drive will work. Therefore, if you decide to purchase the fastest external SSD, you should check each of the suitable options using these services.
Samsung 970 Evo 500GB
Samsung 970 Evo 500GB is currently at the top of the list of the fastest SSDs in the economy segment, which is likely to appeal to a wide range of customers. Its advantages are:
- excellent, stable speed;
- significant stamina.
A version of the Samsung 970 Pro is currently available. If you need a new hard drive for a gaming PC or just want to get a reliable SSD for basic office work, this is the best option you can choose.
Both versions show excellent test results, but the 970 Pro is still not much faster than the Samsung 970. Since it is more expensive, gamers can appreciate the opportunity to save and feel the difference in quality of use. What is the difference between the two models?
Samsung 970 Pro 512GB
This drive demonstrates exceptional speed in all tests. Samsung 970 Pro is an exceptionally good and one of the fastest SSDs with a high read and write speed, but in reality it is only slightly faster than its predecessors, including the Samsung 970, which are cheaper.
A small and inconspicuous increase in performance will benefit only the gamer, for whom only the most advanced drive will do. In addition, it can be useful to the user who creates a PC for the workstation and needs a fast and reliable hard drive for a relatively affordable price.
Intel Optane SSD 905P
According to the test results, some believe that this is a very fast SSD for a laptop. Its advantages are excellent performance in everything, as well as good write speeds of small files. The disadvantages include a shorter warranty period than professional devices of the highest class.
The Intel Optane SSD 905P uses its own Intel 3D XPoint technology, which reads and writes data differently in 3D V-NAND. This option is used by Samsung and almost all SSD manufacturers.
The main conclusion here is that if you create a computer for workstations for digital effects, animation and CAD, you will feel the benefit. This SSD will work better than anything else, as test results show.
Accessing data in parts means that accessing it will be faster than using a similar 3D V-NAND disc. This means that you can achieve a more efficient launch of the device.
But for normal work and games, this is unnecessary - if you create a full-fledged gaming PC, you will not get the many benefits of the Optane 905P and spend a lot of time downloading. Instead, select another fast SSD.
M.2: Samsung 960
This is one of the fastest SSD M.2 & ndash; very reasonable buyer's choice. It is available in two versions - Evo and Pro. You get great performance for much less money if you purchase the first option. This makes it an attractive choice for the mass market.
It uses some of the new technologies, including the new Polaris five-core controller, 3D V-NAND, and enough internal memory. The inclusion of cheaper TLC memory (unlike MLC) also makes its own adjustments. It is not as fast as in the more expensive version of the device, but it also uses Samsung TurboWrite technology, which gives it a significant increase in performance in short activity packets using a small amount of faster SLC cache.
During testing, the drive reached its maximum with a read speed of 2034 MB / s and a write speed of 1847 MB / s. This puts it on a par with the Toshiba OCZ RD400. We can say that he defeats many of his competitors in many ways, and at the same time he sells at an attractive price (about 8 thousand rubles).
It does not have the same long warranty as other similar devices, so if you intend to use this drive with heavy loads daily, you better choose a more expensive model with better coverage. However, for most ordinary gaming PCs this is a fantastic choice.
Samsung 860 Evo
The Evo 860 is the enhanced successor to the Evo 850, which has remained a favorite of many SATA SSDs for a long time. It offers a number of key updates, the most important of which is to increase its maximum capacity to a whopping 4 TB.
The 860 Evo takes every possible performance improvement with its familiar SATA 6 Gb / s interface. Because of this characteristic, it is an inexpensive and highly reliable solid state drive that runs noticeably faster than its successor.
Nevertheless, if you have the means and you can not save, and if at the same time you have a computer with newer, more modern equipment, do not rush to make a purchase. The 960 Evo noted above easily surpasses the 860 Evo and is therefore the best choice for high-quality installations.
Crucial MX300
The advantages of this fast SSD drive for a computer include accessibility (about 8 thousand rubles). However, sometimes performance problems can occur.
Crucial has generally gained a good reputation with affordable solid state drives, and the MX300 is the third generation in one of its flagship series.
With the advent of the new Micron drive, the device was first released with 3D Flash chips. This means that its technology is now consistent with the latest from Samsung and SK Hynix. 3D chips place transistors in four planes, so they can be denser. So the device becomes more compact and cheaper.
If the previous model - MX200 - used silicon matrices that could accommodate 256 GB of data, now they already contain 384 GB.
Cost is not the only advantage of a drive. The floating gate transistors used in it reduce electrical damage and losses in neighboring elements, which reduces power consumption and can help increase the life of the drive.
If we consider the 525-gigabyte version of the MX300, we can draw the following conclusions. The drive offers a significant amount, but experts will immediately notice that this is very different from the standards of 500 GB and 512 GB. This is due to the fact that the new matrices have a size of 48 GB, so Crucial creates the MX300 with eleven matrices and a small overproduction.
The MX300 includes TRIM support, 256-bit AES encryption and SMART monitoring, as well as data and power loss protection, which is a worthy set of features at this price. Its 160 TB endurance rating is not the largest, but everything should be in order with a three-year warranty.
The new technology in 3D Flash MX300 means that its prices may decrease, but tests show that performance has not increased too much, especially regarding reading. The sequential write speed of the new 482 MB disc is slightly higher than that of its predecessors, but the reading result is inferior to both the MX200 and Samsung 850 Evo.
Atto test reveals more strengths and weaknesses of the MX300. The results of reading and writing small files (378 MB / s and 404 MB / s) are in practice better than the MX200, and the latest version also works faster than similar Samsung devices. However, the new disk fails when large files are written to it. In addition, its average response time is worse than that of other similar models.
In short, the latest Crucial drive offers mixed performance compared to the MX200 and Samsung 850 EVo, but it’s important to remember that the MX300 is still not slow. Its price is attractive, its endurance rating is better than that of both competitors, and its volume is slightly larger than theirs. It will not break speed records, but it is a reliable and affordable SSD.
Samsung 850 Pro
This drive shows amazing SATA test results. In addition, it has a long warranty and excellent endurance rating.
Although almost three years have passed since the release date, its performance is still more than adequate for most gamers. In successive tests, it shows read and write results of 520 MB / s and 498 M / s, respectively, which is slightly slower than the Corsair Neutron.
In comprehensive ATTO testing, the 850 Pro was the leader in most tests, and the speed test result makes it one of the fastest SSDs.
The ten-year warranty for the 850 Pro is also much longer than its competitors offer, and its 7mm case is elegant and sleek. For the 512 GB model, it also has a fantastic 300 TB endurance rating. This is partly due to the updated Samsung V-NAND 3D system, in which transistors are housed in a device that reduces wear. The disadvantages of the drive can be attributed only to its high cost - more than 14 thousand rubles.
M.2 Samsung 960 Pro
The advantage of this one of the fastest SSDs M2 is a huge increase in speed compared to previous solid-state drives of this line. In addition, it features a nice compact design and a long warranty. Its minus can be called a high price - more than 45 thousand rubles.
Samsung 960 Pro is one of the best and fastest M.2 SSDs that shows amazing test results. Samsung over the past two years has shown leadership in the creation of flash memory technology.
The high price in this case means that you pay for really high quality. The 960 Pro is an improvement to its 950 Pro predecessor in several ways. It summarizes the load of more transistors on each other, which means an increase in capacitance in half the space.
The Polaris integrated controller has also been improved, and now has five cores instead of three, which provides even greater performance.
In the AS SSD test, he showed a read speed of 2823 MB / s and write 2346 MB / s. The latter parameter is almost 1 GB / s higher than that of one of the best PCIe models, released at about the same time. Small files are copied and opened a little slower, however, voluminous data is transmitted perfectly. Moreover, a long 5-year device warranty is offered.
This is one of the fastest SSDs, and it is really expensive. But for those who want maximum performance, it is perfect.
Corsair Neutron NX500
The advantages of this device include good characteristics at a low cost (about 19 thousand rubles). This is a pretty interesting external drive. It comes on a PCI card for high-performance systems that require better speeds.
Outwardly, it is also made in an original way. On its case there is a thick radiator that imitates the design from the Corsair One gaming PC, and the sides are covered with metal strips that perform the cooling function. The PCI bracket at the end of the card has triangular vents, and the back of the drive is covered with plain metal.
This is the largest PCI-E SSD available today. It is well suited for those who have a hole on the computer case, or if you really want to brag about the internal details of your PC.
The NX500 uses a PCI-Express x4 slot, so you will need one of these slots or a longer x8 or x16 slot to use Corsair on your computer. Inside, it is equipped with the familiar Phison E7 controller, which was configured using special firmware to provide more space for super-visualization, which should increase the reliability and speed of recording.
Corsair releases the 800 GB version of the NX500, and there are no other variations. Corsair's memory is a 15nm Toshiba MLC, which is an improvement over Intel - this drive had 20nm chips. The amount of memory is 1 GB or 2 GB, depending on what kind of disk capacity you buy - this is more than most solid state drives. Its five year warranty complies with Intel regulations.
The Corsair drive is impressive in most tests. Its sequential read and write speeds of CrystalDiskMark of 2839 MB / s and 1553 MB / s are easily ahead of the Intel drive. Atto's in-depth benchmark test once again demonstrates Corsair's stable speed. It works faster in every read test.