INTRODUCTION

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

   M.2 NVMe SSDs (solid state drives) may currently be at the top when it comes to read/write performance numbers but just like 2.5/3.5" HDDs (hard disk drives) it's a safe bet that due to their compatibility with older systems (both desktops and laptops) 2.5" SATA SSDs aren't going anywhere at least not anytime soon. Because of that manufacturers still roll out several different models per year and although as many of you are certainly aware it's been long since the bandwidth throughput (600MB/s) of the SATA III interface was almost maxed out (at least in terms of maximum read/write numbers - not constant) newer NAND flash controllers and modules tend to offer increased endurance/durability numbers. Mushkin recently released their value oriented SOURCE line of SSDs and today with us we have the 250GB capacity model.

   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.

   Catering to the needs of the majority of the consumer base Mushkin has made the new SOURCE line of SSDs available in 120/250/500/1000GB capacities and in both 2.5" and M.2 2280 form factors. Under the hood of the SOURCE line of SSDs we find the DRAM-less SM2258XT quad-channel NAND flash controller by Silicon Motion along with 64-layer 3D TLC NAND flash by Micron (same as with our recent review of the BX500 model by Crucial). Once again the Silicon Motion SM2258XT NAND flash controller packs features like MEDS (Mushkin Enhanced Data-protection Suite - low-density parity check error correcting code) which ensures valuable data is protected, Static Data Refresh technology (ensures data integrity), S.M.A.R.T, TRIM, NCQ, thermal-throttling, active garbage collection, DevSleep (device sleep) and SLC write caching (algorithms for optimal sustained performance). Mushkin covers the entire SOURCE line of SSDs with a limited 3 year warranty and reports a write endurance of 50TBW for the 120GB model, 100TBW for the 250GB model, 200TBW for the 500GB model and 400TBW for the 1TB model along with an MTBF of 1.5 million hours (for the entire line).

 

 

SPECIFICATIONS AND FEATURES

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

PACKAGING AND CONTENTS

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The 2.5" version of the SOURCE arrived in a blister package from where you can see the drive.

 

 

A product picture placed at the rear just over a thank you note is used to showcase some of the product features.

 

 

Along with the SOURCE drive you will also receive a thank you note from Mushkin's CEO and a case sticker.

 

 

THE SOURCE 250GB

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The all-black enclosure of the SOURCE SSD only has a yellow and black sticker at the top with its name, company logo and drive capacity.

 

 

A small sticker at the base of the enclosure contains various details about the drive including its serial number, barcode and several certifications.

 

 

At the rear of the drive we find the typical SATA data and power connectors.

 

Opening the drive is very easy since it's held in place with 3 small screws.

 

 

On the bottom side of the PCB we find four 3D TLC NAND flash modules by Micron (32GB in capacity each).

 

 

Moving on the top side we find 4 more 3D TLC NAND flash modules by Micron (again 32GB in capacity each) and the Silicon Motion SM2258XT quad-channel NAND flash controller.

 

 

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 October 15th 2018.

* Since November 2018 our SSD comparison charts have been divided to 2.5” and M.2 ones 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

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

   As expected since the SOURCE 250GB SSD uses the same NAND flash controller and modules as the BX500 240GB SSD by Crucial it’s no surprise that these two models are trading blows in our charts. The SOURCE drive is slightly leading in the more demanding/intensive tests (like the IOMeter SNIA suite) but overall the performance of both drives is very similar. That being said MUSHKIN reports higher durability numbers for their SOURCE line of SSDs compared to Crucial and their BX500 line of SSDs (100TBW for the 250GB model reviewed today as opposed to 80TBW for the 240GB BX500 model we reviewed a while back) and that’s certainly something worth taking into account.

   The only reason several manufacturers have released DRAM-less SSDs is to reduce costs and with a current price set at USD41.99 inside the USA (Amazon) and 39Euros inside the EU (Amazon UK) the SOURCE 250GB SSD by Mushkin is certainly among the most affordable brand models in the market today. Of course such prices come at the cost of performance but for most consumers on a tight budget that might be a justified compromise which is why we highly recommend checking out the SOURCE 250GB SSD by Mushkin.

 

PROS

- Overall Performance
- Features (MEDs / SLC Write Caching / DevSleep)
- Available In Both 2.5” And M.2 2280 Form Factors
- 120/250/500/1000GB Capacities
- Endurance Numbers (100TBW For The 250GB Capacity)
- 3 Year Warranty
- Price

CONS

- Value Model (DRAM-Less Design)
- No Cloning Software In The Bundle