[SOLVED] Hp ex920 vs Sabrent Rocket 2280

Sep 24, 2019
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Since they're about the same price, which one should I get? I know both are great drives but which is the overall better one?
 
Sep 24, 2019
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I'm just debating which of those 2 to get because of the level of performance to the price. The next level up would be the 970 series and it's a little too expensive. The lower spec drives like 660p are almost the same price as those 2 drives and those 2 perform better. Just debating which one out of the 2 to buy.
 

crimson117

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Aug 2, 2006
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The Sx8200 has had many users here alone posting their drives slow down (writes mainly) and Adata support is unable to do anything to correct the issue and has them return the drive.

I'd still go with the HP.

This impacts specific batches of the drive (largest batch I know of was late 2018) and can take some time to manifest. However, it's not limited to the SX8200, I've also seen it on the SX8200 Pro and E16-based 4.0 drives. Basically any drive with a large, dynamic SLC cache can get stuck in direct-to-TLC mode. Usually I suggest a secure erase which has cleared up the issue for some. It's basically a firmware quirk due to how SLC caching works on such drives; some TLC is marked for SLC mode but this can shift around as the cache changes size or some flash gets more worn.
 
All right, so, number one, never use UserBenchmark. Number two, you guys keep comparing the Rocket 4.0. If you want to compare it to an E12 drive there are a dozen you can pick, don't make this too difficult. Number three, the hardware on the Rocket (3.0) has changed to less DRAM which is not reflected well in that benchmark (check Legit Reviews recent Rocket review, PCMark vs. the VPR100).

Number one and number two: UB comparison of the MP510 at 960GB/1TB. The EX920 has better 4K Read and Mixed results which most relate to consumer performance. This is true in the case of its controller vs. the MP510's E12. It has better sustained writes (SusWrite) because it has a larger SLC cache. This is a mixed blessing. Lastly, the MP510 wins all the "Nice To Haves" because the E12 is more powerful and it wins Write because the EX920 doesn't have firmware pass-through like the EX950. But neither category means anything for consumer use and further, you're likely to be bottlenecked before even the MP510's 4K performance becomes an issue.

Number three: this hardware change has little impact on consumer performance but is nevertheless worth mentioning because you're literally getting less value at the same price versus the old Rocket. However, the new one is single-sided with 96L flash, which isn't all bad. And while you don't really need that DRAM, the denser flash makes the drive less bandwidth-performant on PCMark at lower capacities (see my note in first paragraph).

With all of that out of the way: the EX920 doesn't have great support but is the faster drive for general use. The Rocket is a good alternative, though, especially at around the same price. For most users you won't be able to tell the difference.