INTRODUCTION

   SATA and even M.2 solid state drives may still be far away in terms of competing with regular hard disk drives for the highest price/capacity ratio but thanks to recent price drops in the flash memory industry things are looking better than ever before. Of course, the best price/capacity ratio is as always "taken" by the lowest performance SSD models but unlike in the past due to the introduction of new standards and specifications low performance for the latest M.2 NVMe lines translates to well over 2000MB/s in reads and 1500MB/s in writes. One such line is the brand-new Helix-L M.2 NVMe PCIe Gen3 x4 by Mushkin and today we're testing the 1TB variant to see just how it fairs against similar and higher-end models.

   For over 25 years, Mushkin has been dedicated to helping gamers, digital artists, IT managers and professionals alike enhance their computing experience by providing reliable, high-performance products. Mushkin’s products include a complete selection of USB, SSD and memory module upgrades for both the consumer and enterprise industries. Since the company’s founding in 1994, Mushkin has received numerous awards and commendations for quality, reliability, and technical excellence.

   The new Helix-L line of SSDs is available in 250/500/1000GB capacities and is based on the DRAM-less SM2263XT 4-channel high-performance PCIe Gen3 x4 NAND flash controller which Mushkin has paired with 64-Layer 3D TLC NAND Flash memory by Micron. Now this isn't the first DRAM-less M.2 NVMe SSD to reach our lab but it's probably the first to feature the Host Memory Buffer (HMB) architecture which makes up for the lack of DRAM by using the memory of your PC to cache mapping tables (at the time of this review this feature is only enabled on the 2 last versions of Windows 10). This small "trick" enables the SM2263XT controller to achieve performance numbers of up to 2400MB/s in reads and 1700MB/s in writes thus rivaling controller with their very own DRAM (the Helix-L however is rated for 2110MB/s in reads and 1700MB/s in writes). Of course, the SM2263XT controller comes ready with Silicon Motion's NANDXtend error-correcting code (ECC) with SRAM ECC, end to end data path protection, global wear-leveling and fully supports real time AES 256-bit encryption, SHA 256, TRNG, TCG Opal and IEEE-1667 (Microsoft's eDrive). Finally, in terms of endurance Mushkin reports 150TBW for the 250GB variant, 300TMW for the 500GB variant and 600TBW for the 1TB variant (the entire line is covered with a 3-year limited warranty).

SPECIFICATIONS AND FEATURES

THE HELIX-L 1TB

We received the Helix-L 1TB inside a blister pack so from the front you can see the drive itself.

A thank you text by Mushkin is placed at the rear along with a sticker which contains the product serial number and barcode.

Inside the pack you will find the Helix-L M.2 SSD, thank you note from the CEO of Mushkin and a sticker.

The Helix-L follows the typical M.2 2280 form factor (22mm wide and 80mm long).

On the top side of the PCB we find the SM2263XT controller right next to two 256GB 64-Layer 3D TLC NAND flash modules by Micron (the empty space is clearly designed for models with DRAM modules).

Moving on the other side of the PCB we find two more 256GB modules by Micron (and a second empty space again for DRAM placement).

TEST BED

TESTING METHODOLOGY

   After almost 10 years of testing solid state drives, we’ve concluded that it's almost impossible for any single benchmark suite to accurately measure their performance and that's why in certain benchmark suites we see amazing read/write performance numbers with some drives while in others things are quite different. The reason behind this is that some benchmarking suites are configured to read and write random chunks of data while others read and write constant (sequential) ones. So that's why i always use a very wide selection of benchmarking suites including AIDA64, HD Tach RW, HD Tune Pro, Crystal Disk Mark, Sisoftware Sandra Pro, AS SSD, IOmeter and ATTO. To get the most accurate results each test gets repeated a total of 6 times with the average performance numbers recorded into our charts*. Also, as of February 25th 2015 our results will also include the Storage Networking Industry Association’s (SNIA) IOMeter tests. These tests include a 12 Hour write test used to “simulate” performance degradation over time and a mixed workload test which basically shows what you can expect when using an SSD continuously for roughly two hours. Unfortunately, due to the time required for these tests we repeat them a total of 3 times and not 6 as the above.

   Many people have made inquiries about our charts in the past so once again please do keep in mind that the Charts have the average performance numbers of each drive recorded and not the peak (highest) ones. Also, although every single one of these programs can help potential buyers choose the right drive for their needs you should also remember that from any kind of benchmark up to real world usage the gap is not small (and usually most differences will go unnoticed by most people). All tests were performed in a fresh Windows 10 Pro x64 installation with every update installed up to the date of this review.

* Since November 2018 our SSD comparison charts have been divided to 2.5” and M.2 models to reduce their growing size.

TEST RESULTS - AIDA64 / ATTO

TEST RESULTS - HD TACH RW / HD TUNE PRO

TEST RESULTS - SISOFTWARE SANDRA PRO / CRYSTAL DISK MARK X64

TEST RESULTS – AS SSD / IOMETER

TEST RESULTS – IOMETER SNIA

CONCLUSION

   When Mushkin announced the availability of the Helix-L line of M.2 NVMe SSDs they told us that they represented the best their company had since it ticked the three most important boxes for the majority of the consumer base, price, performance and capacity. Today and after putting the Helix-L through our rather exhaustive testing methodology we can verify their claims, at least when it comes to performance. Granted the Helix-L does fall back in some of our tests (especially in IOmeter – just like with several other NVMe models thermal throttling is evident in the 12 hour endurance test) compared to some higher-end models like the CORSAIR MP510 or the Silicon Power P34A80 but for a DRAM-less model it does extremely well (not to mention that most consumers will never be able to tell the difference). Having to use the latest versions of Windows 10 to enjoy the Host Memory Buffer (HMB) feature did seem a bit odd to us at first but chances are that if you install them from scratch when you get a new SSD so that shouldn’t be a problem for anyone (and installing Windows 7 for example wouldn’t make much sense). Endurance numbers are also very good and so with 600TBW for the 1TB capacity variant we reviewed today it has nothing to be jealous from many far more expensive models.

   Being aggressively priced was yet another claim Mushkin made for the Helix-L line of M.2 NVMe SSDs many months back and with a current price tag set at USD108.99 inside the USA (Amazon.com) and at 117.01Euros inside the EU (Amazon.de) it seems they were correct about that too. Still with the higher-end Pilot-E model (review soon) being just 20% more expensive we expect some potential buyers to take that path instead. Regardless however the Helix-L 1TB M.2 NVMe SSD by Mushkin does combine performance, capacity and price and for that it gets our Golden Award.

PROS

- Very Good Overall Performance
- Endurance Numbers (600TBW For The 1TB Model)
- 3 Years Limited Warranty
- Price (For Some)

CONS

- Thermal Throttling (Evident In Our SNIA Tests)