MyDigitalSSD Bullet Proof (PS3105) 1.8" microSATA SSD User Review

[User Retired 2]

Introduction

microSATA equipped notebooks such as a HP 2530P/2540P/2730P/2740P, Lenovo T400s/T410s/X300/X301 and Dell E4200 now have a new performance SSD upgrade option available to them at one of the lowest prices.

The MyDigitalSSD (MDS) Bullet Proof 1.8" microSATA use the same Phison PS3105 controller, NAND and cache as a Patriot Torqx 2. That link giving showing an identical internal architecture with slightly faster benchmark results probably due to the 1.8" vs 2.5" form factor. The MDS Bullet Proof is available now for purchase from MyDigitalDiscount and Amazon. Below is my user review of this product.

external housing	installed in HP 2530P	internals

MyDigitalSSD 128GB Bullet Proof 1.8" microSATA SSD specifications summary

Interface: 1.8” microSATA Price: 32GB-US$60, 64GB-US$90 128GB-US$170 Warranty: 3 years Power consumption idle/active: (measured 0.7/2.2W)

Random 4kb reads | writes: (measured 82MBps | 61MBps) Seq read/write MBps: 250/185 (measured 255/203 MBps) Average access time: 0.1ms

Installation

Installation was relatively straight forward. I placed the MDS Bulletproof in a USB enclosure then did a block-for-block copy using Linux. Windows users could use the Acronis TrueImage 15-day trial demo instead.

Performance Comparison: MDS Bullet Proof versus a microsata HDD

Drive	Idle/Active Power (W)	Benchmark
		CrystalDisk | AS-SSD | PerformanceTest | atto | BootRacer
128GB MyDigitalSSD Bullet Proof 1.8" microSATA SSD	0.7/2.2^
120GB Toshiba MK1229GSG 1.8" microSATA SSD	0.4/1.2

Test platform: HP 2530P L9600-2.13 ICH9M AHCI SATA I/O, MDS Bullet Proof S5FAM015 firmware with hdparm info
^ measured by using the Toshiba's 1.2W active to establish I/O overheads

The MDS Bullet Proof gives the same benefits as other SSDs over any HDD. Boot times decreased from 35s to 16s (more than twice faster), Firefox doesn't have momentary seek delays when scrolling windows or reading/writing cache, applications just popup instantly and there are no longer any HDD seek noises. Experiencing this sort of quiet speed makes it difficult to go back to using a slow, noisy HDD. Consider too that the HDD benchmark results were obtained with a defragmented disk and data sitting on the fastest part of the disk. Filling the HDD with more data will see it's performance gradually taper off, giving more performance advantage to the SSD.

Power Consumption and Running Temperature

The SSD always remains cool to the touch. The unit does however use more idle and active power than the microSATA HDD it replaces though I expect the SSD can complete it's read/write faster than a HDD and return to idle state sooner. So we can anticipate similar battery life results between this SSD and the HDD it replaces.

Garbage Collection

The Phison firmware has onboard GC as well as provides TRIM support. This ensures write performance is maintained at 'as new' levels.

Bang-per-buck Factor

The differentiating factor between SSDs is their write speed and IOPS both of which determine how well the SSD can handle loaded situations. It is there where the MDS Bullet Proof trails the latest and pricier Sandforce/Intel/Crucial SSDs which see two or more times faster IOPS performance. Therein lies the dilemma: is the user prepared to sacrifice performance for a lower cost unit?

Take for example, a 64GB MDS Bulletproof is retailing for $90 but a 64GB Crucial C300 is available for $120 (+33%), has more than twice faster 4KB IOPS. The 128GB MDS Bulletproof retails for $170 but a OWC Aura Pro (SF1222) is available for $215 (+26%) which again has more than twice faster 4KB IOPS.

So the MDS BP does offer good bang-per-buck for the budget conscious user.

Pros

• Noteworthy 255/205 MBps seq read/write and 82MBps Q=32 4kb reads with CrystalDiskMark
• Consistent read and write bandwidth
• Phison SSD processor supports TRIM, NCQ, and SMART
• 3 year warranty matching or exceeding that of competitors
• One of the lowest priced MLC microSATA SSDs available

Cons

• Less than half the IOPS performance of C300/SF1222 competitors
• Higher power consumption than a microSATA SSD bringing no battery life improvements over a HDD

Conclusion

The MDS Bullet Proof is a budget microSATA SSD offering considerable performance improvements over a HDD. It is certainly worth your consideration if shopping for a microSATA SSD.

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Related links

• mSATA & 1.8" SATA SSDs available - competing products currently available.
• Patriot Torqx 2 benchmarkreviews - in-depth technical review of a 2.5" SATA SSD with the same architecture.
• Windows 7 - AHCI Link Power Management - Enable HIPM and DIPM - to maximize battery life.

[Kenneth Chiu]

This was very informative, thank you. One question: was it hard to open the case? As posted in the other thread, I'm thinking about taking the case off of this model so that it will fit in a Dell E4200.

[User Retired 2]

This was very informative, thank you. One question: was it hard to open the case? As posted in the other thread, I'm thinking about taking the case off of this model so that it will fit in a Dell E4200.

Thank you for the positive feedback on the review.

Fitting a MyDigitalSSD microSATA SSD to a Dell E4200?

Deshelling the MDS Bulletproof required removing 4 phillips screws, removing the back cover then using a flat head to pop the SSD out of some plastic tabs holding it in place. Took less than 2mins to do.

As for fitting in a E4200, the screwholes would need to match the stock Samsung uSATA SSD delivered with a E4200. I presented the question of E4200 compatibility to to MyDigitalDiscount a while back as compatibility would give E4200 owners a faster, higher capacity option. The Dell E4200 is a standout system from the last few years so is definitely worth extending in this way. Wish someone would do a mSATA retrofit by re-routing the eSATA port internally. Then could have a dual SSD system

I've just alerted Matt to this post and hopefully we'll get a definite answer on the MyDigitalSSD Bulletproof chassis compatibility with a Dell E4200.

REF: replacing Dell E4200 SSD? 2.5" or 1.8" for hi-res photos of the stock E4200 SSD and it's 1.8" SSD drive bay.

[MyDigitalSSD]

Nando, what parts would be needed besides the mSATA Drive?

[User Retired 2]

Nando, what parts would be needed besides the mSATA Drive?

The Dell E4200 is factory delivered to use a specific Samsung 1.8" microSATA SSD as just a circuitboard. Kenneth is asking if a deshelled MDS BP microSATA could be substituted for that Samsung 1.8" SSD, presumably because the MDS BP is newer, faster and cheaper-per-GB. That would mean a deshelled MDS BP SSD's hole positions would need to match the positions the E4200's Samsung SSD uses to fit in the E4200 chassis. So someone needs to have the MDS BP SSD + Dell E4200 to do a trial fit. If it's mismatched, then it's a question of whether tracks run near those hole positions. If not, then it may be possible to create those hole positions. Will be interested to see if that invalidates the warranty.

My other suggestion above is for retrofitting mSATA to no-mSATA systems by routing e-SATA ports internally. Reserved for a different thread for tech-savvy users wanting to extend their older gear. Eg:HP 2540P, Dell E4200/E4300/E4310.

[MyDigitalSSD]

ZIf anyone wants to try to fit our MicroSATA deshelled then go for it any of our resellers will take it back for a refund if it does not fit. Don't everyone do this at the same time one person should try it 1st.

MyDigitalSSD

[User Retired 2]

ZIf anyone wants to try to fit our MicroSATA deshelled then go for it any of our resellers will take it back for a refund if it does not fit. Don't everyone do this at the same time one person should try it 1st.

MyDigitalSSD

Thank you. I've alerted E4200 owner's of your offer at Dell Latitude E4200 Info .

[Kenneth Chiu]

ZIf anyone wants to try to fit our MicroSATA deshelled then go for it any of our resellers will take it back for a refund if it does not fit. Don't everyone do this at the same time one person should try it 1st.

MyDigitalSSD

I'm willing to give this a shot. Let me know how we should arrange this. If necessary, I can just post my e-mail address. (Since this forum does not seem to support PMs.)

[MyDigitalSSD]

Actually if someone could get me the dimensions of where the holes should be I can figure it out from here.

MyDigitalSSD

[User Retired 2]

Actually if someone could get me the dimensions of where the holes should be I can figure it out from here.

Looks like Kenneth is going to try a msata-to-microsata adapter + mSATA SSD instead. Dell Latitude E4200 Info. Might be pricier but he'll gain more SSD options and futureproofing.