AData's S511 is the firm's high-end drive,
and to deliver high-end performance, the firm has turned to the familiar
Sandforce 2281 controller, the chip that powers some of the fastest drives
around, and one that aims to knock the Marvell 88SS9174 off its perch.
It's partnered by familiar MLC memory
modules, and little about the specification of the S511 proves to be a surprise
but, nevertheless, the AData SSD is one of the most expensive here, at $2.208
per gigabyte or $494.4 for 240GB. The Patriot Pyro SE costs more per gigabyte,
at $2.32, but its 120GB capacity means a total price of just $259.2.
In practice, though, the S511 lagged behind
several of this month's faster drives. A large file write score of 500.9MB/s
was its only competitive result in our standard file benchmarks: its 301,4MB/s
large file read score pales in comparison to the 320MB/S of the Corsair, for
instance, and its small file write benchmark result of 157.7MB/s is poor when
compared to the 196.9MB/s speed of the Plextor M3 Pro.
There was little joy for the AData in the
third- party AS SSD tests either. Its sequential write score of 1 56.13MB/S was
the worst second only to the Patriot Pyro SE at the bottom of our benchmark
table - the Corsair Performance Pro, by way of contrast, ran through the same
benchmark at 413.85MB/S.
The AData's 490.83MB/S result in the AS SSD
sequential read test is closer to rivals but, again, other drives are faster -
the Plextor M3 Pro scored 492.25MB/S in the same benchmark. And in the 4K read
test the S511 scored 20.87MB/S, with the Corsair running through the same test
at 24.76MB/S and the M3 Pro proving even faster with a 27.1 MB/s result.
Our final set of benchmarks, in testing
suite PCMark 7, also saw the AData falling behind rivals. Its video editing
score of 21.72MB/s is the slowest on test, with the Corsair scoring 21.79MB/S
in the same benchmark, and its games loading score of 15.91 MB/s is also slower
than the competition. Only in the picture importing test did the AData improve
its performance, but its 19.65MB/s pace still isn't the best on test - that
honour goes to the Kingston HyperX and its 19.8MB/S result.
The S511 doesn't stand out in other areas
either. Its accessory pack includes a 2.5" to 3.5" bracket, for easy
PC installation, and drive migration software - the bare minimum we'd expect,
and something that's included with most of this month's SSDs. If you're after a
drive with an extensive selection of accessories, the Kingston Hyper X is the
best here.
The relatively poor performance would be
excusable in a cheaper drive but, at £1.38 per gigabyte and costing $494.4 for
240GB, the AData is the priciest SSD here. At this end of the market, mediocre
benchmark results are inexusable.
If you're after a high-end SSD, then, don't
look towards the AData S511. It's poor value and not quick enough. Instead, the
Corsair and Plextor offerings are much quicker, and cheaper, options.
ADATA's
S511 uses the SATA 6 Gbps interface
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Details
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Capacity
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240GB (223GB formatted)
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Price
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$494.4, $2.208 per gigabyte
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Manufacturer
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AData
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Website
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www.adata.com.tw
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