Testing Methodology
Test Bench |
| CPU |
Intel Core i7-4770K (3.5GHz, 8MB cache, quad-core) |
| Motherboard |
Asus Z97-A |
| Memory |
16GB Corsair Vengeance Pro (2x8GB) DDR3 @ 1,866MHz |
| Storage Controllers |
Intel Z97 PCH (SATA 6Gbps, AHCI) |
| Graphics |
Integrated HD 4600 Graphics |
| Power Supply |
Corsair AX760i |
| Operating System |
Windows 8.1 (64-bit) |
Comparison Drive Configurations |
| |
Total Capacity |
Controller |
Firmware |
Interface |
| Corsair Neutron XT |
240GB |
Phison PS-3110-S10 |
1.0 |
SATA 6Gbps |
| G.Skill Phoenix Blade |
480GB |
SandForce SF2281 |
1.0 |
PCIe x8 |
Benchmarks |
| ATTO Disk Benchmark |
The freeware ATTO benchmark provides basic sequential speed results for both read and write operations. Using the default queue depth of four, we record read and write speeds during 1MB transfers. |
| CrystalDiskMark |
CrystalDiskMark provides various storage benchmarks, but we're interested in the returned 32-thread 4K performance numbers to see how well the drives fare when tasked with numerous small transfers. |
| PCMark 8 |
PCMark 8's storage test is a collection of workloads that isolate the performance of the PC's storage system. The Expanded Tests dig deeper into performance by looking at how the drives respond when in a degraded, steady and recovery state. |
Notes
The G.Skill Phoenix Blade is difficult to compare in the correct context. Positioned as a premium PCIe-based SSD so therefore not fitting into the enterprise space, where such drives are more common, our simple tack is to see how G.Skill's 4x SATA claims are borne out. Providing the comparison is the recently-reviewed Corsair Neutron XT - a SATA 6Gbps drive - that has shown top-tier performance in our tests.
We expect the Phoenix Blade to trample on the Corsair in sequential-throughput tests. The story in benchmarks that rely on randomised performance is less clear-cut, so let's see how it goes.
