ADATA XPG SX930 240GB SATA SSD Drive Review: Value Beyond Speed
Like luxury cars, sometimes components not only have to perform fast but have to look the part as well. Since ADATA is aiming for the gaming and enthusiast segment with the XPG SX930 SSD, the cosmetic change is obvious but necessary to get some heads to turn. Having a cover package that is a lot less colorful than one would normally associate with ADATA, the XPG SX930 SSD also lacks the familiar multi-color hummingbird mascot on the front which the company is well-known for. Although from the promised speeds, it is far from joyless although value-oriented but not for want of trying.
In terms of specs, the ADATA SX930 combines a JMicron JMF670H controller with synchronous MLC “plus” NAND to deliver 540MB/s read and 420MB/s write speeds. While this is not the current best-of-the-best stats-wise, ADATA aims to appeal to the practical sensibilities of gamers by offering a long 5-year warranty and a recent price drop that makes the SX930 series much more competitive than it initially was when introduced several months ago.
[sc:sponsor sponsor=”ADATA” product_link=”http://www.adata.com/en/ssd/feature/328″ product_name=”SX930 240GB SSD” product_price_link=”http://amzn.to/1S0hsvG” product_price=”$79.99″ ]The label on the disk itself is visible through the front window of the packaging and the wider box suggests that a 3.5″ adapter is included as well as having sufficient protective padding. The back of the XPG SX930 includes a QR code that when scanned leads users to the software download page which includes Acronis True Image HD disk migration utility, ADATA’s SSD Toolbox and more.
The accessories include a 2.5mm thick riser which is typical of 7mm thick SSDs these days although unlike most, this one is quite a bit wider covering the entirety of the non-label area of the bottom. A 2.5″ to 3.5″ adapter is included as well with mounting screws and a quick start guide.
Specifications:
| Capacity | 120GB / 240GB / 480GB |
| Form Factor | 2.5″ |
| NAND Flash | Synchronous MLC Plus |
| Controller | JMicron JMF670H |
| Dimensions (L x W x H) | 100.45 x 69.85 x 7mm |
| Weight | 68g / 2.4oz |
| Interface | SATA 6Gb/s |
| Performance(Max) | 120GB Performance (ATTO) Read: Up to 560MB/s Write: Up to 460MB/s 240GB Performance (ATTO) Read: Up to 560MB/s Write: Up to 460MB/s 480GB Performance (ATTO) Read: Up to 540MB/s Write: Up to 420MB/s*Performance may vary based on SSD capacity, hardware test platform, test software, operating system and other system variables. |
| Operating temperature | 0~70°C |
| Storage temperature | -40~85°C |
| Shock resistance | 1500G/0.5ms |
| MTBF | 1,500,000 hours |
| Warranty | 5 years |
No hummingbirds present here either, although the dark anodized brushed aluminum enclosure certainly fits well with the flame-on-black label of the XPG SX930 series SSDs. At the back, a white label for contrast has the model number, warranty, code and wwn code. Apparently, removing this back label will also void the warranty.
Inside, the actual PCB only fills half of the enclosure. This is typical of SSDs used in embedded systems where the smaller form factor is more functional. There is a noticeable lack of any cooling pads on the PCB. To open the SX930, the screws are accessed on the sides and another warranty void sticker is present covering the top right screw.
A JMicron JMF670H 4-channel controller with a NANYA 800MHz DDR3 CL11 is found at the heart of it. The JMicron JMF670H was initially introduced to compete with the likes of Silicon Motion’s 2256 and Phison’s S8 controllers as the bulk of SSD sales are in the value and mainstream segment. ADATA bins the NAND chip for the SX930, hence the 5-year warranty confidence. Like their SP550 and SP560 SSDs, Micron provides the NAND but unlike those previous models which use 16nm Micron TLC, the SX930 uses 16nm MLC.
