How
does PNY’s high-end XLR8 brand translate to SSDs?
The XLR8 brand is more often seen on
PNY’s top-end, overclocked graphics cards, but it also adorns several of the
firm’s mainstream and high end SSDs.
PYN's SSD
This month’s Labs has seen 240GB
versions of the XLR8 and XLR8 Pro drives arrive and, like the Intel and
Transcend SSDs, they both rely on SandForce controllers. The chip in question
is the SF-2281, which has already demonstrated its age on the opposite page.
Both PNY drives also use 25nm Micron-made MLC synchronous NAND too. Both PNY
drives look the part, with dark metal and a stylish logo emblazoned across one
panel, but they both also use the older 9.5mm form factor, which means they
won’t fit inside some slimline ultrabooks, although they’ll be fine for use in
most desktops and standard-sized laptops.
PYN XLR8 240GB $314.27 inc VAT
The two drives are mainly
differentiated by the NAND used, with the Pro drive’s NAND flash rated at 3,000
P/E (program / erase) cycles. This in turn has an effect on warranties: the
standard model includes a three-year deal, while the Pro drive serves up five
years’ worth of support.
On the plus side, these drives look
great, and both have reasonable warranties. However, both will also put a
sizeable dent in your wallet. The standard XLR8 drive costs $314.27 inc VAT,
which makes it one of the most expensive mid-sized SSDs in the Labs. The Pro model
is a little cheaper, at $284.34, but it’s still in the top tier when it comes
to price per gigabyte.
Both PNY drives have middling, dated
specifications too, so it’s no surprise that their performance was
comparatively uncompetitive. The two drives spent much of their time towards
the bottom of our synthetic benchmarks.
Interestingly, across most of the AS
SSD and CrystalDiskMark tests, the standard XLR8 drive was faster than the Pro
model too. The Pro drive was particularly disappointing in several small file
reading tests, as its 18MB/sec and 171MB/sec results in AS SSD’s 4KB random
read and 64-queuedepth random read benchmarks illustrate.
PNY XLR8 PRO 240GB $284.34 inc VAT
There was a glimmer of hope for the
standard XLR8 drive in a handful of tests. It was one of the top drives in AS
SSD’s sequential read test, thanks to its 521MB/sec result, although this
behavior wasn’t replicated in CrystalDiskMark, and the XLR8 crept into the top
half of the results table in CrystalDiskMark’s 4KB random write run.
However, both PNY drives had good
showings in the boot time test, with the standard XLR8 drive just outpacing the
more expensive Pro SSD – its 11.54-secong boot was the second-best in the Labs.
The PNY SSDs faltered in the rest of
the real-world benchmarks though. The standard XLR8 was slightly faster than
the Pro model in the application boot test, with these positions reversed in
the gaming benchmark – but, in both tests, the PNY drives sat towards the
bottom of our results tables.
Our final test, Iometer, saw neither
drive impress – while neither was the worst on test, they were both in the
bottom third of our results table.
Conclusion
Like the Intel and Transcend models,
these PNY drives rely on the old SandForce SF-2281 controller, and the use of
25nm NAND also makes them outdated compared to the 19nm and 20nm NAND used in
drives elsewhere. This outdated hardware results in predictably uncompetitive
performance, and neither of these drives impress at the checkout either – the
slower Pro drive’s 76p-per-gigabyte figure is the third highest on test, and
the standard XLR8’s 84p-pergigabyte price is the highest on test. If you need a
mid-sized drive, the Samsung 840 Pro 256GB is a much better option; it’s
consistently far quicker and it’s much better value for money too, thanks to
its modern, efficient components. Meanwhile, if you’re after professional-level
performance and endurance, OCZ’s new Vector 150 240
Verdict
These XLR8 drives don’t live up to
their name, with uncompetitive performance and high prices.
