The Mushkin Source 500GB SATA SSD Review: A Value Proposition For An Everyday PC

Mixed Random Performance

Our test of mixed random reads and writes covers mixes varying from pure reads to pure writes at 10% increments. Each mix is tested for up to 1 minute or 32GB of data transferred. The test is conducted with a queue depth of 4, and is limited to a 64GB span of the drive. In between each mix, the drive is given idle time of up to one minute so that the overall duty cycle is 50%.

The Mushkin Source does not handle the mixed random I/O test well at all, with performance that is barely faster than the HP S700 and much slower than the Toshiba TR200, let alone the mainstream SATA SSDs that have a DRAM cache.

Power Efficiency in MB/s/W	Average Power in W

The Mushkin Source uses a bit more power than the HP S700 on this test, so it ends up falling to last place on the power efficiency ranking. The Toshiba TR200 uses less power than the other two DRAMless drives and substantially outperforms them, so its efficiency is close to competitive against the mainstream drives.

Mushkin Source 500GBIntel SSD 545s 512GBSamsung 850 EVO 500GBSamsung 860 PRO 512GBCrucial BX300 480GBPlextor M8V 512GBCrucial MX500 500GBHP S700 500GBADATA Ultimate SU800 512GBADATA XPG SX950 480GBToshiba TR200 480GBOCZ Trion 150 480GB

The Mushkin Source displays a typical bathtub curve for performance on the mixed random I/O test. With pure reads or pure writes, it is substantially faster than with any mix, and the lowest performance is with around a 50/50 mix of reads and writes. Most mainstream SATA SSDs these days show significant performance growth throughout the test as the workload becomes more write-heavy, finishing with a significant spike in performance at the end when the SLC cache can be used to the greatest extent possible.

Mixed Sequential Performance

Our test of mixed sequential reads and writes differs from the mixed random I/O test by performing 128kB sequential accesses rather than 4kB accesses at random locations, and the sequential test is conducted at queue depth 1. The range of mixes tested is the same, and the timing and limits on data transfers are also the same as above.

The Mushkin Source comes close to the performance of mainstream SATA SSDs on the mixed sequential I/O test, but it is still handicapped slightly by the DRAMless controller despite having turned in competitive scores in the tests of pure sequential reads and writes.

Power Efficiency in MB/s/W	Average Power in W

Unsurprisingly, the Mushkin Source continues its trend of very good power efficiency during sequential I/O, ranking just below the HP S700 and above all the mainstream SATA SSDs.

Mushkin Source 500GBIntel SSD 545s 512GBSamsung 850 EVO 500GBSamsung 860 PRO 512GBCrucial BX300 480GBPlextor M8V 512GBCrucial MX500 500GBHP S700 500GBADATA Ultimate SU800 512GBADATA XPG SX950 480GBToshiba TR200 480GBOCZ Trion 150 480GB

The Mushkin Source's behavior on the mixed sequential I/O test is quite similar to the HP S700: a steep decline in performance during the first half of the test as the workload shifts from pure reads to a 50/50 mix, followed by a moderate performance recovery. The mainstream SATA SSDs that show higher overall performance win out during the middle phases of the test, where they lose less performance as writes are introduced.