INTRODUCTION

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

   3 things always matter most in the electronics industry/market, price, performance and looks (and usually in that order). When it comes to SSDs (solid state drives) it may have taken them almost a decade to become mainstream but right now they do tick the first two boxes, meaning price and performance. Looks is honestly not something many people did care about but after the introduction of some 2.5" models (like the HyperX Fury RGB - review here and the Teamgroup Delta R model - review here) it became somewhat clear that many more than expected at first were open to the idea and so since then we've seen quite a few models featuring RGB lighting appear in the market, even M.2 ones. The latest Viper VPR100 PCIe Gen 3x4 M.2 NVME model by Patriot is one such model and today we'll be taking a thorough look at the 512GB variant.

   Viper Gaming is a brand of Patriot Memory, a global leader in performance memory, Solid State Drives (SSD's), and flash storage solutions. Viper Gaming was established in 2007 with the unveiling of the well-known, top-tier line of computer memory. Since then, the Viper Gaming brand has become synonymous with elite performance and reliability among gamers worldwide. In 2015, Viper Gaming decided to expand its product categories to include gaming keyboards, headsets, and mice. Offering entry, mid-level and high-end solutions with rich feature sets. Viper Gaming's award-winning peripherals provide gamers everywhere the best price-for-performance and reliability that enables every Viper Gamer to dominate in their sport.

   For their brand new VPR100 line of M.2 PCIe NVME SSDs (available in 256GB/512GB/1TB/2TB capacities) Patriot has once again (same as the VPN100 model - review here) paired the E12 high-performance 8-channel NAND flash controller by Phison (PS5012-E12 / Gen3x4 NVMe 1.3 interface / dual Cortex-R5 processors / CoXProcessor 2.0 technology) with Toshiba 64-layer 3D TLC NAND Flash memory and 512MB DDR4 SDRAM. This hardware combo allows the 512GB variant which we have here with us today to reach speeds of up to 3300MB/s in read and 2100MB/s in write so even though this is not the fastest model of this specific line (the 1TB variant with speeds of up to 3300-2900MB/s holds that title) it does offer very good overall performance. As with other models featuring the E12 controller by Phison the VPR100 line supports various technologies likes StrongECC, SmartRefresh, SmartFlush, end-to-end data protection, thermal monitoring, AES-256 encryption and TCG Pyrite/OPAL support. What makes the VPR100 line however stand out compared to the previous VPN100 line are the 13 RGB LEDs located on the PCB which are fully adjustable by using Patriot's RGB app (7 effects - 8 including with the off/DARK one). Patriot however indicates that RGB sync may decrease up to 20-30% Read/Write speeds so this too is something i decided to check myself. Finally, the entire VPR100 line is covered by a 3-year limited warranty and in terms of durability/endurance Patriot/Viper Gaming report numbers of up to 380TBW for the 256GB model, 800TBW for the 512GB model, 1600TBW for the 1TB model and 3115TBW for the 2TB model.

 

 

SPECIFICATIONS AND FEATURES

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

PACKAGING AND CONTENTS

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The VPR100 M.2 NVMe SSD arrived inside a small black and red box that has a large product picture at the front right over the advertised drive performance (max) and capacity.

 

 

Once again (like with the VPN100 model) the front opens to reveal a few words about the product on one side and the product itself behind a clear plastic window on the other.

 

 

Viper Gaming has placed the product features and specifications at the rear of the box in 9 languages.

 

 

Just the VPR100 M.2 NVMe SSD is found inside the box.

 

 

THE VPR100 512GB

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The VPR100 follows the typical M.2 2280 form factor and has a top heatsink with plastic bars for the RGB feature.

 

 

As expected, the rear of the drive has no cover, just a long sticker.

 

 

Just the two thermal pads hold the top heatsink on the PCB/modules so to remove it you just have to pull it upwards.

 

 

On the top side we see the Phison E12 controller, SKhynix DDR4 SDRAM module (512MB) and two 128GB Toshiba 3D TLCNAND flash modules.

 

 

Two more NAND flash modules are located on the other side right next to an empty NAND area (probably used with the other capacity models).

 

 

Even though for all tests i used the Z170 system i also used the X299 to double check the RGB Sync results (that being said the VPR100 does look nice).

 

 

RGB APP V2.1

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The VPR100 may not have the same Toolbox software we saw with the VPN100 model but it does have an RGB App which allows you to control the RGB LEDs even if you don't own an RGB compatible mainboard.

 

 

As you can see the app currently has a total of 7 effects you can choose from (unfortunately even though you can control speed you can't control brightness levels).

 

 

From the top left corner, you can access some options including about the appearance of the software.

 

 

Worth pointing out again is that if you have a compatible RGB mainboard (AURA Sync/RGB Fusion/Mystic Light) you will be able to control the drive from your mainboard's software.

 

 

TEST BED

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

TESTING METHODOLOGY

   After over 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

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

TEST RESULTS - AS SSD / IOMETER

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

TEST RESULTS - IOMETER SNIA

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

CONCLUSION

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

   This review took far longer to complete than expected since i ended up testing the VPR100 with the RGB LEDs both turned off and on (with the heartbeat effect) and with the RGB Sync mode (Fusion RGB - when tested with the X299 system) and even though i didn't see any performance changes between the first 2 there certainly was a performance hit when RGB sync was enabled (easy to tell from the charts). Initially i did record a hit when using the RGB LEDs (heartbeat effect) via the RGB App but that didn't last long (everything got normal after a couple of system restarts) which is why i decided to focus on RGB Sync. That being said there seems to be a connection between the RGB LEDs and performance (to some extent at least - not heat related since the temperature of the drive never surpassed 57 degrees Celsius so perhaps something to do with power draw?) so if you have any issues whatsoever i do recommend disabling the LEDs (Dark mode). With that out of the way performance is actually very good and on par with that of the VPN100 model (same hardware configuration after all).

   So how much will the Patriot Viper VPR100 RGB 512GB RGB M.2 NVMe SSD set you back? Well as it turns out this model is also priced well since currently the 512GB variant retails for USD94.99 inside the USA (Amazon.com) and for 119.99Euros inside the EU (Amazon.de) placing it just USD10/8Euros over the non-RGB VPN100 512GB model. Overall, I have no serious complaints from the VPR100 512GB M.2 NVMe SSD, performance is there as are build quality and looks so just like the non-RGB model it certainly deserves our Golden Award.

PROS

- Very Good Performance (Up To 3300MB/s Read & 2100MB/s Write for The 512GB Model)
- Looks (13 RGB LEDs / RGB Sync Compatible)
- Heatspreader/Heatshield
- Temperature Sensor
- 3 Year Limited Warranty
- Price (For Some)

CONS

- RGB Sync Performance (?)
- Warranty Period (Competing Products Carry Longer Ones)