G.Skill Titan 256GB SSD

[Denithor]

G.Skill has developed a new series of SSD utilizing two JMicron controllers (yep - still the old crappy ones) to share the load and improve performance.

The 256GB of MLC memory is split between 32 separate 8GB Samsung ?846? NAND flash modules, which have been double stacked on both sides of the PCB to save on space within the casing. These 32 modules are then evenly divided between the Titan?s dual JMF 602 drive controllers, which are in turn connected to a JMB390 SATA multiplier.

The result is reminiscent of a RAID0 array, with each drive controller connected to 128GB of MLC NAND flash and the two combining via the SATA multiplier to produce a 256GB SSD that?s much faster than a solitary 128GB drive. Unlike a RAID0 array though, data is not uniformly striped across the drive - entire files can be written to specific cells. While the result, just as with RAID, will unlikely double the drive?s performance, it should provide a significant improvement in both read and write speed, with G.Skill quoting peak performance of 200MB/s read and 160MB/s write.

Performance review at bit-tech.net

On that page, check out the write performance in the first two graphs. Here are their comments from the write testing (file creation & file copy).

This is a test where the JMicron drive controller really hurt the G.Skill and Patriot SSDs in our first look at SSD performance last December. Both drives encountered a problem with micro-stuttering where the drive became flooded with I/O commands simply could not process all of them, resulting in pretty awful performance that was well off a mechanical hard disk.

Amazingly though the switch to a dual drive controller setup on the G.Skill Titan, with an on-board SATA splitter, seems to dramatically improve performance by almost 50 percent, clocking in with a write time that amazingly beats the Intel X25-M!

The copying and re-writing of a large number of small files created a real micro-stuttering problem for the single drive controller SSDs, but again the Titan 256GB is able to enormously improve on their performance in our combined read/write test, with a result that's once again able to significantly better the Intel X25-M and is on par with the fastest of mechanical drives!

Priced at $500/256GB it's expensive but far less $/GB than the Intel SSD drives. It looks like they will have a 128GB model also which should be cheaper.

 

[imported_TimBob]

Nice. That's two reviews showing fixed write performance.

 

[Denithor]

Yep, Legion Hardware also has an article on the 128MB Titan with benchies showing fixed performance.

They had this amazing commentary at the end:

More than a few of you have been concerned with the lack of cache featured on the G.Skill Titan SSD?s. In the past MLC drives that have not been supported by a memory buffer have suffered from a ?shuddering? problem which causes the system to constantly hang once the small buffer within the controller is full.

The JMicron 602B controller has been the main culprit, the very controller that is used by the Titan SSD?s. This controller only features a tiny 16KB cache where as the Intel MLC controller scores a much bigger 256KB cache. This shuddering problem is most evident when reading and writing data at the same time.

Extracting a large amount of compressed files while trying to surf the net would be a real-world example of this scenario. However the G.Skill Titan features two JMicron 602B controllers which work in a RAID0 like configuration, and this seems to have solved the shuddering problem, at least as far as we can tell.

For roughly a week now I have been running Windows Vista 64-bit on the G.Skill Titan 128GB SSD, and if I am honest, it is incredible. Previously I was using the Intel X25-M, which was also very good. However there is a noticeable improvement when using the G.Skill Titan 128GB SSD. There is certainly no delay at all, and I have never seen a Core i7 965 Extreme Edition system move with such incredible pace - almost everything is instant!

 

[imported_TimBob]

It was in stock for a brief time at newegg yesterday, unfortunately I didn't get the email in time.

 

[aka1nas]

Woot, that means there is a good chance that the OCZ Apex series will likewise not have the stuttering issue (it's also a dual Jmicron controller with the same transfer rates). Hopefully, prices will start dropping on these soon!

 

[Denithor]

Do the happy dance!

This is what I've been waiting for - the makers to fix that annoying stutter - and for prices to come down while capacities go up.

These drives are going to be a lot more useful shortly and within reach of more people.

2009 - Year of the SSD!

Now, are WD/Seagate/etc working on their own models or should I go ahead and short their stocks?

 

[taltamir]

oh, since its cheaper than the intel AND outperforms it, we can expect the intels to drop in price!
Which will make the intels a viable choice, and leave the titan for the high end. Since the intel is the MINIMUM for an SSD to outperform a velociraptor that means we will have two viable SSD drives to choose from. That of course all depends on intel reducing their price, otherwise the titan is the only worthwhile choice.

I can't wait for the anandtech dissection of this drive.

 

[Denithor]

Originally posted by: taltamir
oh, since its cheaper than the intel AND outperforms it, we can expect the intels to drop in price!
Which will make the intels a viable choice, and leave the titan for the high end. Since the intel is the MINIMUM for an SSD to outperform a velociraptor that means we will have two viable SSD drives to choose from. That of course all depends on intel reducing their price, otherwise the titan is the only worthwhile choice.

I can't wait for the anandtech dissection of this drive.

Too true.

I did note these are "available" but out-of-stock at newegg.

128GB $300
256GB $500

 

[aka1nas]

The 128GB Titan has been in and out of stock there for the last few days.

 

[imported_TimBob]

Originally posted by: aka1nas
The 128GB Titan has been in and out of stock there for the last few days.

I was just able to place an order for the 128gb Titan at newegg. It's back to autonotify again though.

 

[taltamir]

i am waiting for anandtechs review before buying

 

[imported_TimBob]

I'll let you know how it goes (should be here by Friday). I was originally going to go with 2 64gb OCZ Vertex drives, but I like the idea of getting the same space at half the cost. And if it doesn't go as planned, I just get a single vertex as my main drive and can use the Titan for all my game installs.

So, at best, it flies at half the cost. Worst case, I go with my modified Vertex plan.

Also, they are available now at Newegg for anyone else interested.

 

[bradley]

Originally posted by: TimBob

Also, they are available now at Newegg for anyone else interested.

Cool. They have 17 remaining in stock too.

 

[Old Hippie]

Holy Crap!

$34.78 is the cheapest shipping to Ohio! :Q

I've been looking to buy one of these all week but I'm drawing the line at 35.00 shipping.

 

[imported_TimBob]

Originally posted by: Old Hippie
Holy Crap!

$34.78 is the cheapest shipping to Ohio! :Q

I've been looking to buy one of these all week but I'm drawing the line at 35.00 shipping.

Really? It was about $6 for ups 3 day to michigan.

 

[Old Hippie]

Originally posted by: TimBob

Originally posted by: Old Hippie
Holy Crap!

$34.78 is the cheapest shipping to Ohio! :Q

I've been looking to buy one of these all week but I'm drawing the line at 35.00 shipping.

Really? It was about $6 for ups 3 day to michigan.

Crap, You're right!

Boy did I screw that up! :laugh:


PS. Got one....6.99 shipping. I can only but hope this new toy works out well.

 

[Denithor]

Keep us posted, please!

 

[imported_TimBob]

I've read that I should disable defrag. Any other OS tweaks that I need to perform for an SSD?

Also, I've never bothered testing my Hard Drives. What benchmarks should I use?

 

[Old Hippie]

HD Tune is the program most used.

These drives are really too new to have general tweaking rules. That being said, there's been major discussions at the OCZ forums that deal specifically with their product's problems.

I'm just going to play with mine with no tweaks 'till I see what's going on......and with my vision, it may take years! :laugh:

 

[badlogic]

Im running 2 OCZ SSD's in Raid and have 0 write problems.

running these: http://www.newegg.com/Product/...x?Item=N82E16820227372

 

[Denithor]

You do want to disable automatic defrag because that will wear out the drive faster (these drives don't get fragmented & more writes = shorter lifespan).

 

[Viper GTS]

I hope the sites that are testing these drives are letting them reach steady-state performance before publishing their data.

I've been doing a lot of SSD testing in the last few weeks, & every model I've seen slow considerably once every block has been written at least once. This results in drastically lower performance, and greatly increased access times.

For reference the most recent drive I've worked with started out at roughly triple the bandwidth of a 15K RPM SAS drive and 1/3 the maximum access time. After a night of continuous testing it had dropped to about the same bandwidth and roughly the same access times as the 15K SAS. The read/erase/write cycle is just brutal. I can't talk much about the access pattern (heavily write intensive) or the drive itself, but I have seen the same behavior on every model we've had in-house.

Viper GTS

 

[Old Hippie]

For reference the most recent drive I've worked with started out at roughly triple the bandwidth of a 15K RPM SAS drive and 1/3 the maximum access time. After a night of continuous testing it had dropped to about the same bandwidth and roughly the same access times as the 15K SAS. The read/erase/write cycle is just brutal. I can't talk much about the access pattern (heavily write intensive) or the drive itself, but I have seen the same behavior on every model we've had in-house.

I guess I'll be finding out.

 

[Viper GTS]

Originally posted by: Old Hippie

I guess I'll be finding out.

For general purpose use they're probably just fine. And let's be realistic, equaling a 15K SAS drive is nothing to be ashamed of. It's just that the paper specs should positively obliterate a 15K SAS drive - And they do, until they're not new anymore.

Our access pattern is very industry specific and not at all representative of normal use. But any write intensive usage is going to see the changes from new to aged.

Viper GTS

 

[Old Hippie]

And let's be realistic, equaling a 15K SAS drive is nothing to be ashamed of

Being the optimist I am, that was my first thought.

I'm not looking to kill my new toy right off the bat but part of my intent is to stress the drive to see how well it holds up.

I will say this, had I read your assessment early yesterday, I wouldn't have hit the "Buy" button 'till I'd read a few more reviews.