Temperature tracking enabled during all idling intervals.Restructured customm robocopy workloads, with multi-threaded copying enabled.Increased CrystalDiskMark workload span from 8GiB to 32GiB.Updated CrystalDiskMark software version to 8.0.2 from 7.0.0.The new test suite makes the following updates: Custom robocopy workloads reflective of typical DAS usage.Real-world access traces using PCMark 10's storage benchmark.Synthetic workloads using CrystalDiskMark and ATTO.The evaluation scheme for DAS units involves multiple workloads which are described in detail in the corresponding sections. Keeping these in mind, we have adopted some tweaks to our evaluation methodology. The vendors have also appropriately responded, with 4TB bus-powered units already available in the market. Backups tend to involve larger number of files, many of which are small in size. Game install sizes have also grown steadily, thanks to high resolution textures and artwork. High bit-rate 4K videos at 60fps have become quite common, and 8K videos are starting to make an appearance. Over the last few years, the typical direct-attached storage workloads have also evolved. The testbed hardware is only one segment of the evaluation. The specifications of the testbed are summarized in the table above. Thanks to ADATA, Intel, and SilverStone Tek for the build components SilverStone Tek SST-ECU06 USB 3.2 Gen 2x2 Type-C Host Intel provided us with a sample of the Quartz Canyon NUC, and ADATA helpfully sponsored 2x 16GB DDR4-2667 ECC SODIMMs and a PCIe 3.0 x4 NVMe SSD - the IM2P33E8 1TB. The 2021 AnandTech DAS TestbedĪfter considering various options in the market, we figured out that the Quartz Canyon NUC (essentially, the Xeon / ECC version of the Ghost Canyon NUC) was a good fit for our requirements. With USB 3.2 Gen 2x2 gaining traction, the inability to use an add-in card in the Hades Canyon NUC meant that we had to go hunting for a new DAS testbed platform. A botched Thunderbolt 3 firmware upgrade on the Skylake machine meant that we had to shift to the Hades Canyon NUC starting in early 2019. In mid-2014, we prepared a custom desktop based on Haswell, which was then upgraded to Skylake in early 2016. Our testbeds have kept pace with the introduction of new external interfaces - Thunderbolt 2, Thunderbolt 3, and USB 3.2 Gen 2 via Type-C. The evaluation routine for direct-attached storage devices - portable SSDs, storage bridges (including RAID enclosures), and memory cards - all utilize the same testbed and have similar workloads with slight tweaks based on the end market for the product. The table above presents a comparative view of the specifications of the different USB flash storage devices presented in this review. Low-power 2GBps-class, compact IP55-rated portable SSDĦ9.54 mm x 32.58 mm x 13.5 mm (without casing) Low-power light-weight thumb-sized flash drive, with protection against tough environmental conditions Comparative Direct-Attached Storage Devices Configuration While our test suite has retained the same framework, changes in the actual benchmarks mean that we can't compare old results against the ones obtained with our latest testbed and test suite. However, both of these were reviewed many years back with a now-retired testbed and test suite. The ideal comparison products for the MUF-256DA would have been the Mushkin Atom and the Strontium Nitro Plus Nano. It also doesn't support features such as UASP or TRIM - aspects that are usually absent in compact UFDs. The UFD presents itself to the host system as a storage device, but does not support fancy features such as temperature or NAND health reporting. Samsung supplied us with a 256GB version to put through our strenuous review process. It sports a USB 3.2 Gen 1 (5 Gbps) interface. Samsung's MUF-256DA is a compact USB Type-C flash drive (UFD) available in capacities ranging from 64GB to 256GB. Having last reviewed a compact UFD back in 2016, we also wanted to check out the improvements made in this product category over the years. We rarely review thumb drives (having made exceptions for the Mushkin Atom and Strontium Nitro Plus Nano in the past, thanks to some unique aspects), but Samsung's offer of the MUF-256DA/AM USB Type-C Flash Drive piqued our interest. Unlike high-performance portable SSDs, these UFDs are merchant products - under blind tests, most users wouldn't be able to differentiate a product in one performance class from another vendor's offering in the same class. While native flash controllers are now capable of delivering USB 3.2 Gen 2x2 (20 Gbps) speeds with the latest 3D NAND, the ubiquitous thumb drive (called UFDs - short for USB flash drives) has also managed to evolve. Thanks to advancements in smartphones, the amount of user-generated content that needs to be backed up or transferred from one device to another has grown exponentially. Portable SSDs have seen great demand over the last few years.
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