Adata XPG SX8000 512GB
Not the fastest NVMe drive, but a definite cut above the SATA contingent, with stamina a notable strength
The XPG SX8000 is Adata’s top-of-the-range M.2 SSD, and it exploits the NVMe interface to deliver speeds in excess of anything over a SATA connector. But It’s far from this month’s fastest drive: the Samsung 960 Pro is 70% faster when it comes to sequential reads, and around 80% faster at sequential writes. Even the mid-range Evo outpaced the XPG.
Still, in real-world usage the XPG SX8000 feels snappy. That may be partly down to its hybrid buffer, which uses DRAM for short-term caching but can also address MLC cells in simulated SLC mode for faster access. With such tricks under its hood, the SX8000 bested every other drive in the multi-threaded read test.
The drive impressed us in PCMark 8’s storage tests: these exercises aren’t always revealing, as they (accurately) reflect the fact that drive speed has a limited impact on real-world application performance. Even so, it’s notable that – as you’ll see on p90 - the XPG SX8000 came near the top of the list. It finished the “Heavy Photoshop” benchmark in 353 seconds – a second behind the Samsung 960 Pro, and tied it for first in the After Effects test.
There’s no need for spacers or brackets with an M.2 drive, so you don’t get any goodies in the box aside from the unit itself. There’s also no hardware encryption on offer, but – as with Adata’s other drives – your purchase does entitle you to download Acronis True Image HD 2015, to help move an existing system onto your new drive.
The XPG SX8000’s strong suit is stamina. The 512GB capacity model is rated for 320TBW, with a mean time to failure of two million hours; in both cases that’s better than the Samsung 960 Evo, which promises 200TBW and a lifetime of 1.5 million hours. The drive also comes with a five-year warranty, versus the Evo’s three.
Overall, we’re inclined to prefer the Evo – for just £15 more it delivers significantly better sequential performance, not to mention built-in encryption. But the XPG SX8000 is worth considering, especially if you’re looking for heavy-duty reliability.