CrystalDiskMark results
| CrystalDiskMark 2.2 - sequential read speed | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| MB/s, higher is better | |||||
| Patriot Xporter Magnum 128GB | Samsung 160GB 7,200rpm 2.5in (eSATA) | Corsair Voyager GT 8GB | Corsair X128 SSD (SATA) | Corsair X128 SSD (eSATA) | Samsung 160GB 7,200rpm 2.5in (USB) |
| 32.5 | 84.88 | 33.1 | 251.3 | 222.4 | 29.06 |
The first test takes in reading a chunk of data from the test drive to the system's Seagate 500GB. What we see is that the USB-connected drives perform reasonably similarly, reaching the limit of the interface speed. The Xporter Magnum 128GB lives up to its 210x speed here.
Running the 2.5in mechanical drive via the eSATA interface frees up the speed of the drive, to the tune of almost 3x that of USB, but a (e)SATA-connected SSD is simply miles faster.
| CrystalDiskMark 2.2 - sequential write speed | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| MB/s, higher is better | |||||
| Patriot Xporter Magnum 128GB | Samsung 160GB 7,200rpm 2.5in (eSATA) | Corsair Voyager GT 8GB | Corsair X128 SSD (SATA) | Corsair X128 SSD (eSATA) | Samsung 160GB 7,200rpm 2.5in (USB) |
| 15.7 | 82.44 | 24.7 | 146.9 | 148.2 | 25.87 |
Here's the same test but with the sequential data being written on to the test drives. The Magnum isn't quite as fast as the other two USB-connected drives, averaging around 1GB per minute. eSATA/SATA simply rules.
| CrystalDiskMark 2.2 - random read speed (512K) | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| MB/s, higher is better | |||||
| Patriot Xporter Magnum 128GB | Samsung 160GB 7,200rpm 2.5in (eSATA) | Corsair Voyager GT 8GB | Corsair X128 SSD (SATA) | Corsair X128 SSD (eSATA) | Samsung 160GB 7,200rpm 2.5in (USB) |
| 32.41 | 37.32 | 32.74 | 182.6 | 155.7 | 17.33 |
Not all data is sequential, however. The random 512K test is reasonable on USB pen-drives as well as eSATA on the 160GB Samsung laptop model. The SSD wins out easily.
| CrystalDiskMark 2.2 - random write speed (512K) | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| MB/s, higher is better | |||||
| Patriot Xporter Magnum 128GB | Samsung 160GB 7,200rpm 2.5in (eSATA) | Corsair Voyager GT 8GB | Corsair X128 SSD (SATA) | Corsair X128 SSD (eSATA) | Samsung 160GB 7,200rpm 2.5in (USB) |
| 7.65 | 55.4 | 12.87 | 144.9 | 133.3 | 27.24 |
The writing speed isn't anywhere near as good. The USB-connected Samsung 160GB mechanical drive does better than at reading, which is strange. Again, the eSATA interface lets the drives breathe. The SSD is almost 20x faster here.
| CrystalDiskMark 2.2 - random read speed (4K) | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| MB/s, higher is better | |||||
| Patriot Xporter Magnum 128GB | Samsung 160GB 7,200rpm 2.5in (eSATA) | Corsair Voyager GT 8GB | Corsair X128 SSD (SATA) | Corsair X128 SSD (eSATA) | Samsung 160GB 7,200rpm 2.5in (USB) |
| 5.23 | 0.53 | 8.19 | 29.67 | 24.38 | 0.47 |
Moving randomised 4K files is where drives can really be separated. The very best SSDs hit 60MB/s here, and the Corsair manages half that. The Xporter Magnum's performance is reasonably good for a portable, host-powered drive, handily beating out the mechanical drive connected via either interface.
| CrystalDiskMark 2.2 - random write speed (4K) | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| MB/s, higher is better | |||||
| Patriot Xporter Magnum 128GB | Samsung 160GB 7,200rpm 2.5in (eSATA) | Corsair Voyager GT 8GB | Corsair X128 SSD (SATA) | Corsair X128 SSD (eSATA) | Samsung 160GB 7,200rpm 2.5in (USB) |
| 0.66 | 1.25 | 0.13 | 17.89 | 17.85 | 1.3 |
The worst-case scenario is 4K random writes. Every drive performs poorly except for the SSD.
