Review

ADATA XPG SX950 240GB SSD Review

Today we are reviewing ADATA XPG SX950 Solid State Drive from XPG product line featuring the first time implementation of 3D NAND Flash from ADATA which offers high durability and optimized performance and comes in a diverse storage capacities of 240GB, 480GB and 960GB.

We have already heared a lot about the performance of the SMI controller(SM2258G) used in this SSD, which on paper offers speeds up tp 560MB/s read and 530MB/s write. And maximum 4K random read/write IOPS is up to 90K/90K and more.

So now let's see what ADATA XPG SX950 240GB SSD have for us.

Features

Choose your gaming space – Thanks to the flexibility of 3D NAND, we can offer the SX950 SSD in diverse capacities of 240GB, 480GB, and 960GB. Whichever capacity you go with, the SX950 is a valuable ally in gaming success.

Faster boot, quicker loading – With SX950 gamers can boot PCs and load games much faster than when using an HDD or even 2D NAND SSD. Cut down waits and get into the action faster.

Superior performance leads to victory! – Implementing a high speed SMI controller and multiple performance-boosting technologies, the SX950 offers read/write up to 560/530MBs and 90K IOPS (4K random).

3D NAND Flash - higher capacity and reliability – Utilizing advanced 3D MLC NAND Flash, the SX950 features improved power efficiency and reliability compared to 2D NAND SSDs.

Stand out with optimized performance – With support for intelligent SLC Caching and DRAM cache buffer, the SX950 can accelerate sequential and 4K random read/write speeds to shorten the system response time, giving you an edge.

High stability with LDPC ECC Engine and RAID Engine – Thanks to support for LDPC (low density parity check) error correcting code and RAID Engine, the SX950 protects data and extends the P/E (program/erase) cycle for improved durability and a longer SSD lifespan.

High TBW - more durable than ever! – SX950 SSDs with MLC Flash outperform comparable models by providing high TBW up to 800TB and ultra-long MTBF of 2 million hours.

An easy upgrade – Bundled with a 2.5mm spacer and a 3.5" bracket, the 7mm-thick SX950 can easily fit in ultrabooks, gaming notebooks, and high-end desktops for hassle-free and quick upgrades.

6-year warranty – The SX950 is equipped with 3D MLC NAND Flash and backed by a 6-year warranty - our longest yet for consumer SSDs!

Specifications

Package

ADATA XPG SX950 SSD comes in a nice cardboard box with logos and product graphics highlighting some of the features in front and back side shows details about supporting technology and features in different languages

Inside the box

With this SSD ADATA also offers full up-gradation kit for laptops as well as desktops, by including 3.5" mounting bracket and 2.5mm thickness spacer along with the actual product inside the box.

Looks

SSD looks clean and simple. With a nice black colour scheme with top side made up of plastic and back side is made from metal with serial no and warranty code sticker.

Inside

After opening the SSD case, we found a half sized PCB with ADATA 3D MLC NAND (Part no. 121040096C) memory chips total of 4 ( 2 on each side of the PCB) which are produced by Micron, along with Silicon Motion SM2285 controller which is a 4-channel controller using a 32-bit RISC processor supporting 1z nm TLC and 3D MLC/TLC NAND. It supports LDPC ECC technology and has pseudo-SLC caching support. SSD board also have a Nanya 128MB DDR3L RAM for caching and some unpopulated BGA pads for more NAND chips and extra caches memory for 480GB or higer variant alongside the power supply section.

Testing

Bundled Software

SSD don't come with any bundled software inside the package, but one can download the SSD ToolBox app from ADATA's website. This is their SSD management utility which provide lot of information about the SSD along with some diagnostic tools and also help in upgrading firmware and secure erase.

Benchmarks

Comparing ADATA SSD‘s performance against other drives as following :

ATTO Disk Benchmark

Crystal Disk Mark

AS SSD Benchmark

AIDA64 Disk Benchmark

Anvil's Storage Utilities

Incompressible Data

HD Tune Pro

Random Access

Pros

• New 3D NAND results in very good performance.
• Only 7mm thick ideal for thin laptop installation
• WOW 6 Years Warranty
• The ADATA SSD ToolBox Utility

Cons

• Nil

Conclusion

We have used and tested so many SSDs till date, but no dough the ADATA XPG SX950 SSD is one of the best SATA-III interface SSDs we tested so far. Using as main OS driver or as secondary storage, the ADATA XPG SX950 SSD resulted in great responsive operating system performance as well as super fast game loading time and quick file management. The performance is close to other top SSDs, but the 6-year warranty makes this drive as one to be recommended for any gaming system build. And above that just add two ADATA SSD's in RAID-0 and you can double the performance and capacity to fulfill all your multi game installation needs. Finally we are very happy to award the ADATA XPG SX950 240GB SSD with our PC TeK Reviews Choice Award.

Manufacturers Info

Thanks.

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