CONCLUSION

   The SSDNow DC400 480GB is the very first enterprise-class solid state drive to reach our lab featuring the PHISON S10 (PS3310-S10) quad-core NAND flash controller and at first I honestly didn’t know if it would be able to compete with other entry-level enterprise class models like the M510DC by Micron. To my surprise not only does the SSDNow DC400 compete with every other SSD in our charts but it actually surpasses most of them and by a good margin. Performance however is not all you’re getting with the SSDNow DC400 since thanks to an MTBF (meantime between failures) of 2 million hours and 257TBW endurance it gets very close to the specifications of the higher-end and more expensive enterprise class models. Unfortunately the lack of tantalum capacitors means the DC400 may not be as “safe” as some other entry-level models (M510DC included) but thanks to its firmware power loss protection it can still (or at least should) move data from the transfer buffer and other temporary buffers to the NAND. As for Kingston’s SSD manager software it offers most of what we’d like to see but unfortunately it’s not actually as complete as some others we’ve seen in the past.

   Enterprise-class products always cost more than their consumer oriented counterparts and with a current price set at USD262.70 inside the USA (Amazon.com) and 238Euros inside the EU (Amazon.co.uk) the same can be said about the SSDNow DC400 480GB SSD by Kingston. Obviously however because of its endurance numbers, top of the charts performance and 5 years warranty we can’t really complain which is why it gets our Platinum Award.

PROS

- Build Quality / Durability (2 Million Hours MTBF / 257 TBW)
- Top Of The Charts Performance
- Features Set
- 5 Years Warranty
- Kingston SSD Manager
- Available in 400/480/800/960/1600GB/1800GB Capacities

CONS

- Price (For Some)
- Firmware Based Power Loss Protection