TRIM Performance:
While SSD's offer many benefits, there are some downsides to using flash memory. One of the biggest issues people run into is performance degradation. Over time, an SSD will run out of fresh blocks and will have to write over data the file system has marked as deleted. This procedure is very complicated and can slow an SSD's write speeds considerably.
To fix this problem, most manufacturers have added TRIM support to their SSDs. The TRIM command allows an operating system, such as Windows 10, to tell an SSD which data blocks are no longer in use. Using this information, the drive pro-actively erases these blocks and adds them to the free block pool.
To test the NQ100's TRIM and garbage collection functions, I first put the drive in a "dirty" state. I used Iometer to fill 80% of the drive and then ran a random write test for 30 minutes. Looking at the screenshot below, you can see that the NQ100's average read and write speeds dropped to 407.01 MB/s and 95.60 MB/s, respectively.
Lexar NQ100 - Dirty
To see how well the NQ100 could recover, I let the computer sit for about 30 minutes and then reran the test. The drive wasn't able to reach the factory fresh performance shown in our earlier tests. However, its sequential write speed jumped up to 426.20 MB/s.
Lexar NQ100 - After TRIM
Lastly, I used Parted Magic to perform a secure erase on the NQ100. With the drive wiped clean, it had average read and write speeds of 531.55 MB/s and 496.40 MB/s, respectively.
Lexar NQ100 - Secure Erased
Final Thoughts:
Lexar's NQ100 SSD is a great choice for the consumer looking for an easy and affordable way to improve the performance of their existing desktop or notebook computer. This entry-level, DRAM-less drive combines Lexar's DM928 controller with Micron's TLC NAND flash to deliver a fast and responsive computing experience at a price that won't break the bank. In our sequential read and write tests, the 480GB version of the NQ100 was able to read at speeds as high as 565 MB/s and write at speeds in excess of 514 MB/s. It also did reasonably well in our random write tests, but, for whatever reason, lagged behind many of the other drives when doing random reads at low queue depths.
The NQ100 is available now in 240GB, 480GB and 960GB capacities. Prices on Amazon.com currently range from $34 up to $100, with the 480GB version reviewed here retailing for about $56.
Highs:
- Available in 240GB, 480GB and 960GB capacities
- Equipped with Micron 3D TLC NAND
- Good sequential read and write performance
- Good random write performance
- Shock and vibration resistant with no moving parts
- Reasonably priced
- 3 year warranty
Lows:
- Mediocre random read performance
- DRAM-less
- Does not support hardware based encryption
