MyDigitalSSD OTG mSSD 512GB USB 3.0 Review

Introduction Pocket storage becomes faster and more affordable almost every day and once in a while something special comes along. One of those is the MyDigitalSSD OTG mSSD that I'm taking a closer look at today. The OTG mSSD connects through the SuperSpeed USB 3.0 and comes with UASP support for proper SSD speeds. The MyDigitalSSD OTG mSSD is a device that truly lives up to the USB 3.0 SSD hype with its transfer speeds of up to 465MB/s while reading and 450MB/s while writing. This tiny OTG drive is a powerhouse in compact form factor. But the pocket-sized wonder doesn't stop there as the use of just the best of components reduce the waiting times and maximizes the bandwidth utilization, thus enabling faster and more efficient transfers while helping lower CPU utilization for extended battery life for on-the-go users. The drive easily performs four times the speed of a traditional hard drive, so you could even run your operating system, play games and stream media directly from it, all without a hiccup. And even if your system doesn't support UASP yet, the OTG mSSD guarantees complete compatibility with all USB devices. USB 3.0 users will still see blazing speeds up to 210MB/s and USB2.0 users up to 38MB/s. Just saying tiny or small doesn't really justify this drive as it's just about the size of a credit card. The detachable micro-USB 3 cable further holds up the drives mobility. Oh, and it weighs just 35 gram, impressive. Solid state storage is the optimal choice for portable mediums as it naturally is more resilient against bumps, shakes, and drops. This is further aided in this drive by the durable outer case design, so there is no need to worry about data loss in that area. And without moving parts, the power requirements are a lot lower, making it even better as a portable drive and perfect for laptop or tablet use. Internally the mSATA SSD is using Micron MLC Sync NAND Flash and a Phison PS3108 S8 controller while the converter board is powered by an ASmedia ASM1051 SATA to USB bridge controller. Whether you're in the field on assignment, on vacation, or sharing with a friend, this versatile plug and play device makes transferring files hassle free by being compatible with both USB 3.0 and USB 2.0 ports on PC, Mac, and Linux operating systems. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NRkcpRH6Z5I Test Procedure Test system: Gigabyte Z79X UD5H-BK Intel Core i7-4790K Sapphire Radeon R9 290 Corsair Vengeance Pro 16GB 2400MHz OCZ Vertex 4 256GB SSD CoolerMaster Silent Hybrid 850W PSU Software used: AIDA64 Anvil's Storage Utilities AS SSD Benchmark ATTO Benchmark CrystalDiskMark In a bid to make our testing as thorough and as accurate as possible, we have devised a testing methodology to give us the maximum amount of data. Whilst this means that testing each drive will take considerably longer to test – nearly 36 hours in fact, the picture that we are able to build upon the overall performance of each drive is far clearer, providing a more accurate analysis at how a drive performs under different conditions. I will be testing the drives performance when it is clean and fresh out of the box and then start to fill it up with data, namely 25%, 50% and 75% of the drives capacity and rerun the tests under each of these scenarios. I'll be using the same sample files under each test to keep the results as consistent as possible. The files in question are a collection of files from my personal NAS, composed of a mixture of small and big files, media, programs, and archives. On top of this, I will also take the wear on the NAND into consideration and this process obviously takes a long time to perform – so long under real world conditions that it is simply not practical. In order to accelerate this conditioning process I will use the SSD endurance test that lies within Anvils Storage Utilities and read / write 15TB of data to the drive through a process of filling the drive with thousands of small files of various sizes and compressibility (with randomised duration between each of the writes), then reading each of them back with a randomised time between each file. After this has completed, the data is then erased and the process starts again. This process of conditioning the drive can take anywhere upwards of 12-15 hours on a typical 256GB SATA III SSD, however the performance and capacity of the drive will influence the time it takes to condition the drive. Following the conditioning process, the benchmarking process as described above is repeated again with the volume filled with the same sample data to each percentage between test runs. Furthermore between each benchmark, the drive will get a TRIM command sent and further left alone for a while to make sure the TRIM command has done its job. TRIM can heavily impact a drives performance as it takes place, so allowing a period of time between tests will eliminate this factor and any subsequent false performance figures. On each page that follows with the benchmark results, I have inserted the screenshots from the benchmark results when the drive is 75% full. In the drive comparison charts, the performance at 0% fill is used as these are the performance figures that are recorded from drives in previous SSD reviews. AIDA64 AIDA64 is a streamlined Windows diagnostic and benchmarking software for home users. It provides a wide range of features to assist in overclocking, hardware error diagnosis, stress testing, and sensor monitoring. It has unique capabilities to assess the performance of the processor, system memory, and disk drives and is compatible with most Microsoft Windows operating systems. Fresh Drive Conditioned Drive Drive Performance The chart below shows the drives performance under increasing load scenario, from empty to 75 percent filled. AS SSD The AS SSD software determines the performance of Solid State Drives (SSD). The tool contains five synthetic and three practice tests. The synthetic tests determine the sequential and random read and write performance of the SSD. These tests are performed without using the operating system caches. In Sequential tests, the program measures the time it takes to read and write a 1GB file respectively. To give a clearer picture of the drives tested, I've chosen to include all tests. Special the copy test is one that I think is relevant on the consumer level as it gives the user a view into one of the operations he's going to do many times. Fresh Drive Conditioned Drive Drive Performance The chart below shows the drives performance under increasing load scenario, from empty to 75 percent filled. Drive Comparison For the purpose of drive comparison, I will be using the performance figures from both unconditioned and conditioned tests with 0% data-fill. ATTO The ATTO Disk Benchmark is a performance measurement tool is for Microsoft Windows. It measures your storage systems performance with various transfer sizes and test lengths for reads and writes. It has multiple options to available to customize your performance measurement including queue depth, overlapped I/O and even a comparison mode with the option to run continuously. ATTO Disk Benchmark can be used to test any manufacturers RAID controllers, storage controllers, host adapters, hard drives and SSD drives. Fresh Drive Conditioned Drive Drive Performance The chart below shows the drives performance under increasing load scenario, from empty to 75 percent filled. Drive Comparison For the purpose of drive comparison, I will be using the performance figures from both unconditioned and conditioned tests with 0% data-fill. CrystalDiskMark CrystalDiskMark is a small HDD benchmark utility for your hard drive that enables you to rapidly measure sequential and random read/write speeds. Here are some key features of "CrystalDiskMark": Sequential reads/writes Random 4KB/512KB reads/writes Text copy Change dialog design internationalization (i18n) Fresh Drive Conditioned Drive Drive Performance The chart below shows the drives performance under increasing load scenario, from empty to 75 percent filled. Drive Comparison For the purpose of drive comparison, I will be using the performance figures from both unconditioned and conditioned tests with 0% data-fill. Anvil's Storage Utilities Anvil's Storage Utilities is a new benchmarking utility that we have started using here at eTeknix, it's completely free to download and has the ability to test mainly hard drives and solid state drives, but also any other form of storage medium that you can throw at it. As well as testing the drive in a variety of benchmarking tests, it also has a drive endurance test that consistently reads and writes data to the selected medium to give days, months and potentially even years of use in a shorter period of time to see how the drive copes in the longer term. Fresh Drive Conditioned Drive Drive Performance The charts below shows the drives performance under increasing load scenario, from empty to 75 percent filled. Drive Comparison For the purpose of drive comparison, I will be using the performance figures from both unconditioned and conditioned tests with 0% data-fill. Final Thoughts Pricing At the time of writing, the MyDigitalSSD OTG mSSD wasn't available in the UK, but US readers are lucky enough to be able to get their hands on this drive. NewEgg has the 512GB version listed for $229.99 and both Amazon and MyDigitalDiscount also list $229.99. At about $0.45 per GB, fast portable storage doesn't have to come expensive. Overview The MyDigitalSSD OTG mSSD is a marvelous little drive, it is lightweight, small and fast, perfect for portable storage. At just 220grams weight, the OTG mSSD performs impressive speeds up of to 452MB/s while reading and 432MB/s while writing. These speeds will require a UASP capable system, but the drive is equally compatible with non-UASP USB 3.0 ports as well as USB 2.0. The exterior design is kept simple, but it looks great. The 'nettet' surface helps to you have a great grip on the drive while the outer lines and logo gives it some contrast. The use of a microUSB connector allows to keep the drive at this tiny size. The internal parts are even more impressive with the actual drive just taking up about half the volume. The other half is the mSATA to USB converter PCB that handles traffic very well. The combined use of the Phison PS3108 S8 controller and Micron MLC Sync NAND Flash on the SSD with the ASmedia 1053 SATA to USB bridge chip on the converter board allowed this drive to take lead in almost all our benchmarks. I think it is safe to say that the MyDigitalSSD OTG mSSD is the fastest portable storage we have tested to date. The drive has added benefits of being able to open and replace the internal drive, or take it out - and otherwise repurpose the parts in case it shouldn't be needed at some point anymore. Pros Fast transfer speeds Quick access times Compact, Lightweight and durable Competitive price point Neutral Cable is short "MyDigitalSSD is the fastest portable storage we've tested to date, and it isn't even that expensive. The ultra light weight and compact form factor makes it perfect for people on the go." Thanks to MyDigitalSSD for providing this review sample.