The Patriot Hellfire M.2 480GB Review: Phison NVMe Tested
by Billy Tallis on February 10, 2017 8:30 AM ESTMixed Random Read/Write Performance
The mixed random I/O benchmark starts with a pure read test and gradually increases the proportion of writes, finishing with pure writes. The queue depth is 3 for the entire test and each subtest lasts for 3 minutes, for a total test duration of 18 minutes. As with the pure random write test, this test is restricted to a 16GB span of the drive, which is empty save for the 16GB test file.
The Patriot Hellfire has great performance on the mixed random I/O test, tying the OCZ RD400 and falling behind only the much larger 2TB Samsung 960 PRO.
The Patriot Hellfire draws more power than the Samsung drives, but otherwise is one of the most efficient drives on the mixed random I/O test.
Performance increases slowly but steadily as the portion of cacheable writes increases, but the spike in performance when the workload shifts to pure writes is not as big as exhibited by some of the Patriot Hellfire's competitors.
Mixed Sequential Read/Write Performance
The mixed sequential access test covers the entire span of the drive and uses a queue depth of one. It starts with a pure read test and gradually increases the proportion of writes, finishing with pure writes. Each subtest lasts for 3 minutes, for a total test duration of 18 minutes. The drive is filled before the test starts.
The Patriot Hellfire turns in the second-worst performance from a PCIe SSD, but at least it is still clearly faster than any SATA SSD. Even the 250GB Samsung 960 EVO fares better. This test is another sign that the Patriot Hellfire does poorly when full.
The Hellfire's power consumption across the mixed sequential I/O test is about average for an NVMe SSD, so its overall efficiency is fairly poor.
The addition of a heatsink only slightly improves the minimum performance of the Patriot Hellfire across the mixed sequential I/O test, and actually led to slightly reduced performance overall.
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lilmoe - Friday, February 10, 2017 - link
It's sad that all these non-Samsung MLC NVMe SSDs can't even compete with the TLC 960 Evo... But then again, which has more endurance? VNAND TLC or 15nm MLC?bug77 - Friday, February 10, 2017 - link
V-NAND TLC has about the same number of p/e cycles as planar MLC.Bullwinkle J Moose - Friday, February 10, 2017 - link
"Which has more endurance" is a false choice!You need to specify Brand, Process, Controller and Firmware Version when comparing endurance
Mixing MLC and TLC also does not help in the least
I pay less over time for a better process like 40nm Samsung MLC than I do for a cheaper process like 15nm Toshiba MLC, even though the initial cost of the Samsung is higher
Likewise, you should only compare TLC with TLC
The only Non-Endurance issue I've ever had with 3D V-Nand is that I had to update Acronis True Image from the 2012 version to 2015/16 or 17 so the backups would restore correctly
guidryp - Friday, February 17, 2017 - link
That makes no sense.MLC has more endurance than TLC.
Adding more layers to TLC doesn't improve endurance.
lilmoe - Monday, February 20, 2017 - link
That's 40nm TLC vs 15nm MLC... I'd vouch for Samsung's process, and vertically integrated product.bogdan.anghel1986 - Friday, February 17, 2017 - link
can't even compete? this SSD is priced about the same with a 850 EVO SATA3, and a lot faster. try not to compare it with other SSD's that cost double. in reviews they put it up against the best so you can have an ideea where it sits.do you compare a Lamborghini with a VW Polo ?
lilmoe - Monday, February 20, 2017 - link
You call 20$ a difference for NVMe drives? Really? Lambos cost 20 times more than Polos, the heck is wrong with you?Arbie - Friday, February 10, 2017 - link
"Hellfire" - for a disk drive? If I buy this, I'd be promoting stupid naming. There's a point in such things where the prospective customer is simply being insulted. Hard to define, but "I know it when I see it".Murloc - Friday, February 10, 2017 - link
Everybody has a naming scheme. What's wrong with copying names already used by weapons, for a company named patriot?Hellfire sounds stupid but other missile names aren't much better, or they're boring.
BrokenCrayons - Friday, February 10, 2017 - link
Well, have a nap and then FIRE ZE MISSILES!!!