Hi everyone, this time we are reviewing a Solid State Drive(SSD), more specifically a M.2 SATA SSD from Kingston. The M.2 slot is now included in the latest motherboards and has a minimum bandwidth of up to 10 Gb/s. These types of SSDs are new in the market and perfect for system builders having very low footprint. The SSD supports TRIM, has shock resistant chips with lower power consumption, supports SMART and is backed by 3 years of warranty.
Here is the link to the product(KINGSTON official site) : Kingston SM2280S3 120 GB M.2 SATA SSD
Unboxing and packaging
The packaging is simple and is transparent so that you can check the exact model before buying:
There is a tamper proof seal and on the back, there are the serial numbers and place of manufacture information.
Packaging was okay. A shock proof membrane was given which holds the SSD in place and protects it from shock. Would have been happier if the package was a bit more appealing.
Component analysis
The label is neat and important information is printed here.
The main controller used is a PHISON PS3108 S8 chip.
A Nanya 2 Gb(256 MB) RAM chip is used for the buffer memory.
4 x Kingston FA32B08UCT1-BC ICs are used for providing the storage support. Each chip is 32 GB in size and combining 4 of them gives a total memory of 4*32 = 128 GB.
So that is it for the component analysis part. Lets move on and see how this drive performs in real time.
Test system
CPU: Intel Core i5 4670K
Motherboard: GIGABYTE GA-Z97X-UD5H-BK
RAMs: Kingston HyperX Beast DDR3 2400 MHz(2*8 GB)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Seidon 120V with push pull configuration
Graphics card: Sapphire Radeon HD 6770 1 GB DDR5
Hard disk/Solid State disk(s): Kingston SM2280S3 120 GB M.SATA SSD
Power Supply: Corsair GS 700 2013 edition
Monitor: Dell S2240M
Chassis: Open test bench table
Software: Microsoft Windows 7 Ultimate x64 Service Pack 1 and all updates till then.
Information from AIDA 64 and HDTune Pro:
Real time performance and benchmarks:
Test method: The performance of the drive was tested with various industry known benchmark software and such that scores can be compared with other sites as well.
Software used:
HDTune Pro, CrystalDiskMark3.0.3, Anvil’s storage utilities(1.1.0), AS SSD Benchmark 1.7.4739.38088
HDTune Pro read and CrystalDiskMark benchmark:
Anvil’s storage utilities benchmark:
AS SSD benchmark:
Speed:
IOPS(Input/Output Per Second):
Windows boot time:
Windows was booting in approx 8 seconds. Time was counted from the instant after POST finished and the motherboard logo went away.
I must say those are some really good scores for a SSD. The speeds are very close to what is advertised and the read speed almost reaches the SATA 6 Gbps bandwidth.
Input Output Per Second(IOPS) values are also good. You can compare the values with other sites as well.
Summary and conclusion
Pros:
1. Good build quality
2. M.2 SATA is new and compact
3. Shock proof and low voltage ICs
4. 3 years warranty
Cons:
1. Packaging could have been better.
Verdict:
This SSD can be a very good small form factor choice for PCs having a SATA M.2 slot. It is connected directly to the motherboard without any discrete cables and thus installation is a breeze. Performance is very good and promised as per specs.
Thanks for reading. Hope you like it. Please share your opinions. Criticisms and suggestions are warmly welcome. Last but not the least, I would like to express my thanks to Kingston Technology India and Social Nirvana for providing me the sample.
