Performance
As expected, the Transcend is a clear winner of the read and write tests in both USB 2.0 and eSATA connections. While the USB benchmarks are only slightly faster than the hard disks and internal SSDs, the SSD18M really sets itself apart with the eSATA transfer speeds: 78.4 megabytes per second to write and 45.6 megabytes per second to read a 6.62GB folder, compared with the second best at 27.94MB per second read and 24.3MB per second to write. As we stated in the Intel X-25 SSD review, we're still waiting for prices to drop and capacities to go up before we fully endorse solid-state hard drives.
(Longer bars indicate better performance)
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eSATA write | |
eSATA read | |
USB read | |
USB write |
It's worth noting that at the time of this review, SSD technology remains in the early stages of adoption with primary backing in the Netbook market. We reported earlier this year on Anandtech.com's in-depth critique of SSDs (excluding Intel's X-25M) and their tendency to suffer performance degradation after long-term use, depending on the firmware and the controller chipset. Anandtech placed a chipset from JMicron at fault in many non-Intel drives. This Transcend driver uses a more recent JMicron chipset that , according to the company, fixed the issue.
Anandtech's article was the result of six months of research, a longer period of time than we (or most other review sites) devote to single product reviews. In our admittedly limited testing timeframe for this Transcend drive, we can only take JMicron's word that it has stabilized the long-term usage issues of earlier products that used its chipsets. If we hear or experience anything regarding long-term slowdowns of SSDs using this newer batch of JMicron circuitry, we'll update this review accordingly.
Service and support
Although the drive is physically protected from bumps and spills, Transcend still warranties the SSD18M with two years of parts and labor protection, as long as you don't disassemble, modify, or otherwise misuse it. The two-year life span is better than most external hard disks that only offer one year, but we've seen and prefer a three-year warranty to ensure the physical integrity of portable devices that see a lot of travel.
What You'll Pay
- Set Price Alert
