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 Gold P31'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. This had little impact on the Gold P31's read speed. However, its average writing speed dropped to 364.34 MB/s.
SK hynix Gold P31 - Dirty
To see how well the Gold P31 could recover, I let the computer sit for about 30 minutes and then reran the test. The drive's average read speed climbed up to 3115.25 MB/s. However, its write speed lagged behind, averaging out at only 598.90 MB/s.
SK hynix Gold P31 - After TRIM
Lastly, I used Parted Magic to perform a secure erase on the Gold P31. With the drive wiped clean, it had average read and write speeds of 2957.10 MB/s and 3051.78 MB/s, respectively.
SK hynix Gold P31 - Secure Erased
Final Thoughts:
The 2TB version of SK hynix's Gold P31 SSD is finally here and, like the other drives in the series, it's an excellent choice for the gamer, designer or content creator looking to boost the performance and storage capacity of their computer. This compact, M.2 form factor drive is powered by SK hynix's own "Cepheus" controller and is available with up to 2TB of their 128-layer 3D TLC NAND flash. Combine this with the company's HYPERWRITE technology and a PCIe Gen3 x4 NVMe 1.3 interface and you have a drive that delivers performance, reliability and storage capacity at a reasonable price. The 2TB version of the Gold P31 flew through our sequential transfer rate tests, reading at speeds as high as 3,603 MB/s and writing at more than 3,400 MB/s. The drive also did fairly well in our random write tests, producing more than 142,000 IOPS at low queue depths.
The Gold P31 is available now in 500GB, 1TB and 2TB capacities and is offered exclusively through Amazon. Prices currently range from $70 up to $245 for the 2TB version reviewed here.
Highs:
- Available in 500GB, 1TB and 2TB capacities
- PCIe 3.0 x4 interface with NVMe protocol
- Equipped with 128-Layer 3D TLC NAND
- Excellent sequential read and write performance
- Good random read and write performance
- Small M.2 2280 form factor
- Large DRAM cache
- Reasonably priced
- 5 year warranty
Lows:
- Does not support hardware based encryption
- Can get hot under heavy workloads
- Limited availability
