Intel 525 Series mSATA SSD Performance Roundup

Test System & Drive Info

Legit Reviews Storage Benchmark Test System

All tests were performed on a fresh and up-to-date install of Windows 8 Pro x64 with no other applications running while using AHCI mode set through the BIOS. Synthetic Benchmarks were run with the OS loaded on a 120GB Corsair Force SSD. In between every test, the test drive was secure erased using an instance of Parted Magic. As such, all results should be indicative of optimal performance. All components were set to their default speeds and are listed below.

Z77 Test Bench

Intel LGA 1155 Test Platform
Component	Brand/Model	Live Pricing
Processor	Core i5 2500k	Click Here
Motherboard	ASUS Maximus V Gene Z77	Click Here
Memory	Kingston HyperX KHX16C9B1RK28 8GB	Click Here
OS Drive	Corsair Force 120GB (FW 2.4)	Click Here
Power Supply	Antec Basiq BP550W Plus-EC	Click Here
Operating System	Windows 8 Pro 64-Bit	Click Here

Drives In The Roundup:

In addition to the Intel 525 Series mSATA drives, we also had on hand a Mushkin Atlas 30GB mSATA drive that we are throwing into the mix for additional comparison. All the capacities of the Intel drives we were sent are listed below.

SSD MODEL	CONTROLLER(S)	Firmware	Interface
Mushkin Atlas 30GB mSATA	Marvell 88SS9175	504ABBF0	mSATA 6Gbps
Intel 525 30GB mSATA	SandForce SF-2200 (SF-2281)	LLKi	mSATA 6Gbps
Intel 525 60GB mSATA	SandForce SF-2200 (SF-2281)	LLKi	mSATA 6Gbps
Intel 525 120GB mSATA	SandForce SF-2200 (SF-2281)	LLKi	mSATA 6Gbps
Intel 525 180GB mSATA	SandForce SF-2200 (SF-2281)	LLKi	mSATA 6Gbps
Intel 525 240GB mSATA	SandForce SF-2200 (SF-2281)	LLKi	mSATA 6Gbps

CrystalDiskMark 5.2.0 Readout:

For the Intel 525 Series mSATA SSD drive, the readout on CrystalDiskInfo 5.2.0 shows that both NCQ and S.M.A.R.T. are enabled, as well as TRIM and the interface is confirmed at SATA III (6Gbps). The firmware version used for testing is the latest available at this time – LLKi.

Let’s look at some benchmarks…