MyDigitalSSD Bullet Proof 128GB mSATA Review

I received my 64GB bulletproof about a week ago. Haven't noticed anywhere near the speeds you guys are seeing. I just upgraded to FW 15 (from 14), and am getting more stable results, but my benchmarks are wayyyy more jagged than the ones I'm seeing on this thread. My rig is a Lenovo W520, i7 2760QM, 16GM RAM. The BIOS is the latest from Lenovo, SATA interface set to AHCI. Running the latest version of Intel Rapid Storage / chipset drivers. Anyone else see results like these? Am I missing a setting / driver somewhere? Not that it matters (I wouldn't think) but my data drive is a Seagate Momentus XT 500GB. O/S and most program files are on the SSD.

The slower of the two benchmarks that is extremely varied and sawtoothed is firmware 14, the more smooth, slightly faster is fw 15.

 

PsyberEMT, we are working with people on the 64GB mSATA and there is a thread dedicated to the issues that people are having with the 64GB product.

Check in the main SSD category here and you should see the thread right at the top as it has been a hot topic.

But I will give you some history. The 64GB has never been as fast or stable as the 128GB but recently Toshiba forced us to change over to 24nm flash on this 64GB product instead of the 32nm flash we used to use and that has dramatically increased the differences between the 64GB and 128GB mSATA that we offer.

We are selling many pcs of the 64GB each day and all of our re-sellers have chimed in on the subject saying that so few people are having these problems that is is not time to discontinue or halt sales of the product. For example we have sold well over 400pcs of the 64GB since the change over and have only had around 6 people return their 64GB drive due to poor performance. The controller manufacturer is working to figure out what this problem is exactly but it is gong to take some time.

Side note: They are expecting FW16 to the their best FW yet with many new improvements on Trim and wear leveling.

At this time I am advising anyone with this problem to ether upgrade to the 128GB, hold on for FW16 and possibly other updates specific to this issue, or to send the product back for a full refund.

MyDigitalSSD

 

I received my Lenovo Y470 and MyDigitalSSD 128GB mSATA last Thursday and spent two days trying to get the system to sensibly boot either the mSATA in the 'wan' slot or the original HDD in it's slot, armed with little more than the system restore disks and an old copy of Acronis' Partition Expert... Reached detente as I could never quite get what I wanted... restore disks always make 14 GB partition on the drives which I could not shrink or remove without windows refusing to boot. Also, having two identical windows drives caused windows (7) to move the root drive from C: to E: when I had both HDD and mSATA in at the same time which caused all kinds of program installer problems... Most programs just don't expect that root is E:. Anyway, finally hid the small boot partition on the HDD and so if I want to boot it will have to unhide it, but at least the booting mSATA stays C: and I can read/write data to the HDD and boot it with a little effort if I want to.
Anyway, glad I got the 128GB because I still lose 14GB to the stupid restore partition I can't remove (well, I can remove it, but the system won't boot if I do). This whole process would no doubt be easier if loading windows from a separately purchased copy, but this is the way it is when using the OEM laptop stuff. Just FYI.

Anyway, I ran some tests with PCMark 7 for comparison purposes. I ran the first one with the HDD and Nvidia GPU off, but at some point afterward after the 3rd or 4th system restore I must have accidentally erased it. But I have direct mSATA vs. HDD for with the Nvidia GPU on so that's probably all that is important, in this thread, anyway.

The original HDD Lenovo claims is a 500GB 7200RPM drive, so it is kind of a quick drive compared to some laptop drives at 5400 RPM.

PCMark 7 Basic Edition v1.0.4

Column 1 Original 7200RPM HDD/Nvidia 550M GPU On
Column 2 MyDigitalSSD 128GB /Nvidia 550M GPU On
Column 3 MyDigitalSSD 128GB /Nvidia 550M GPU Off (Intel graphics ON)

PCMark score 2470 3574 3890
Video playback and transcoding:
Video playback 23.03 fps 23.07 fps 23.16 fps
Video transcoding - downscaling 5425.82 kB/s 5443.4 kB/s 17560.78 kB/s
System storage - gaming 4.01 MB/s 10.89 MB/s 11.19 MB/s
Graphics - DirectX 9 24.87 fps 24.6 fps 15.05 fps
Image manipulation 9.47 Mpx/s 9.49 Mpx/s 9.26 Mpx/s
System storage - importing pictures 5.77 MB/s 18.72 MB/s 18.47MB/s
Web browsing and decrypting:
Web browsing 13.75 pages/s 13.07 pages/s 14.22 pages/s
Data decrypting 86.91 MB/s 89.71 MB/s 87.97 MB/s
System storage - Windows Defender 1.32 MB/s 4.26 MB/s 4.36 MB/s

As you can see in the table, the mSATA drive is considerably faster in use than the original HDD. System storage gaming goes from about 4MB/s to about 11MB/s (2.75x) , system storage importing pictures goes up about 3.25x and system storage windows defender goes up about 3.25x as well.
Additionally, the system is super quiet as while I write this, neither the data drive is spun up (I set the hdd off timeout way low) nor the fan is operating.
The system definitely 'feels' quicker running with the mSATA as boot than when running with the HDD drive as the boot drive, it is definitely noticeable.

I included the column for Nvidia 550M gpu off just for the record. Note that the video transcoding is crazy fast for the built in Intel graphics since it has hardware specifically targeted to speed that up in the chipset. However, the Nvidia GPU is faster on actual 3D rendering.

Anyway, hope this is useful to someone. It was many hours of sweat to get this together.

PS. by way of additional Y470 review with msata information, it is a total scream for a 14" laptop and adding an mSATA (which fits easily into the empty WAN slot!) makes it even faster. I imagined that adding the mSATA as boot drive would improve battery life (so the HDD could spin down as a data drive), but Windows predicts battery life anywhere from about an hour and a half to over 6 hours depending on whether the GPU and quad cores are on full or if just idling along on text stuff- I haven't fully discharged it and tested it, but it seems about right. This thing can eat so much power that I can't really tell if the mSATA made any difference. The touchpad bar buttons are awful, though. They are so bad I am compelled to complain about them somewhat off topically (sorry). I was worried about that when I ordered it because every 'bar' button touchpad I've tried has buttons that are very difficult to press vs. Discrete buttoned touchpads. I was not disappointed... in being disappointed . This laptop would be just about perfect if it had the same quality touchpoint/touchpad combo that's on the Thinkpads. Just saying.
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Lenovo Ideapad Y470 (0855-2JU) | i72670QM 2.20/3.10Ghz | 4GBx2 | 14" 1366x768 | GT 550M (w/Optimus)| 128GB MyDigitalSSD mSATA SSD | 500GB/7200RPM | Blu-ray reader/DVD writer

 

I flash FW15 on my Z835.
when we get FW16?

 

Would there be any particular reason why my msata would go slower? i had 7.4 wei score. when it was 6.9 i checked with crystaldiskmark software and my speeds where satisfying but the 4k random read was 9 and writes were 23, bit slow compared to website.
i reinstalled the laptop and now my ssd is slower with 6.8 wei score. my firware is 14

what would be the cause for it to be slower despite a fresh install from factory image?

 

I received mydigitalssd 128g
and lenovo thinkpad T420 (i5-2420)
I got a wei score 7.3

After a clean install + common software
my test results are:
Sequential Read : 256.417 MB/s
Sequential Write : 215.137 MB/s
Random Read 512KB : 158.532 MB/s
Random Write 512KB : 144.140 MB/s
Random Read 4KB (QD=1) : 7.919 MB/s [ 1933.5 IOPS]
Random Write 4KB (QD=1) : 33.355 MB/s [ 8143.2 IOPS]
Random Read 4KB (QD=32) : 70.840 MB/s [ 17294.9 IOPS]
Random Write 4KB (QD=32) : 46.346 MB/s [ 11315.0 IOPS]

Satisfied

 

I'm trying to get me one after read 22 pages. And i try to get 10$ back too . So i think put this link in my sign isn't a big deal . Going to order now !!!

 

I got a sneak peak at the newest FW last night. It will defiantly be an improvement. Should be ready for release sometime next week. The major improvements are on the Trim functions. This should stop any slowdown over time.

MyDigitalSSD

Due to NBR policy constraints regarding linking directly to a reseller sites - everyone with the MyDigitalDiscount link in their sig please change it to the MyDigitalSSD web site. Don't worry you will still get your discount if you haven't already got it.

 

Thinking about getting one of these drives for my laptop which is coming in today. Is the 128gb mydigital still made with the 34nm memory?
Also putting the link in for the discount in case I do order it.

Michael

Lenovo Y470P

 

Yes sir it is still 34nm and they are in stock at our resellers right now.

MyDigitalSSD

 

Hello,

Received my 128GB today, flashed it to the last firmware.
Installing Windows updated

Will do a little bech after all the updates are done

 

when we get FW16?

 

OK...

Here we go!!!

Seq 257.8 213.3
512k 158.7 194.8
4K 10.91 30.48
4K QD32 69.59 46.72

Mostly happy with the beast!

Is it possible to get more throughput?
TRIM is activated and disabled indexing and defrag in windows.
Pagefile reside now on my SATA drive

 

Thanks for the post OliverC,

I am still waiting on the newer FW17. I was informed that there has been a delay in the release and they will inform me as soon as it is available.

But according to what I have seen this new FW is going to improve the speeds even more. Time will tell.

MyDigitalSSD

 

Looks like FW17 is out: MyDigitalSSD mSATA, Half Slim, and 2.5 Inch SATA SSD Firmware Update | My Digital Discount.

 

Yes sir it is let me know how it is working out for you guys.

MyDigitalSSD

 

I test my Toshiba Portege Z835 with two BIOS setting sata max performance or sata battery(eco performance):
MyDigitalSSD 128GB - 015FW sata max performance, 017FW sata max performance 017FW sata battery(eco performance)
original ToshibaSSD 128GB - sata max performance or sata battery(eco performance) i dont now, I forget position, it was 2 month ago...

 

Very nice what an improvement over 10X vs the original drive on random 4K write. And look at the huge jump in write access times. Gota love that.

MyDigitalSSD

 

I will update firmware on my 128gb tonight

 

Forgive my ignorance...

I have the 128SSD in my Lenovo W520. I'm thrilled with the performance, both of the laptop and the SSD. I have intentionally not updated any drivers or the BIOS in the laptop, as I follow the "if it ain't broke" theory.

Is this firmware update (FW17) something that gets applied JUST to the SSD? And is it worth doing, in the sense of, it will really make my SSD appreciably faster? (BTW, I bought my SSD from you about 3 months ago). And is my data absolutely safe doing a FW update?

It seems like this should be a safe update, since it doesn't affect the rest of the laptop (and my paranoia about updating).

Thanks for humoring me and my newbie questions.

 

This firmware update will wipe the SSD clean. You should backup or image the disk first.

 

I tend to only upgrade firmware or hardware whenever I plan on doing a clean wipe of my system and reinstall. As stated, when you update the firmware of the SSD, it will wipe your drive, so you will have to back things up before doing so then reinstall everything. The firmware will speed things up on benchmarks but for day to day tasks, will not see a noticeable benefit.

 

Was wondering if anyone had a chance to test this (FW17) out on the 64GB model? Is it any faster on random writes? 128GB is definitely nicer but don't think I need that much space having a 2nd HDD in there already...
___________________________________________________________
Thinkpad x220 | i7-2620M | IPS| 8GB DDR3 | 64GB MyDigitalSSD mSATA SSD | 320GB 7200 | Win7 Pro x64

 

As you can read here: http://forum.notebookreview.com/sol...d-msata-ssd-64gb-very-bad-performance-10.html it didn't help much. I would go for the 128GB model.

 

If you could get by with a 32GB then I would 100% suggest going with the 32GB Super Cache mSATA Drive. I will let you in on a little secret all 32GB MyDigitalSSD mSATA shipping right now are the super cache model so don't pay the extra $10.

The 32GB Super Cache drive is just as fast and stable as the 128GB. Even when full.

MyDigitalSSD

 

I went with a MyDigitalSSD 128GB mSATA SSD over the Samsung PM800 128GB SSD for my P150EM build. Since I'm exceedingly ignorant regarding most things SSD, can anyone advise if this was a good choice and why?

 

It's possible the Samsung may be a faster choice (though I haven't reviewed one); however, every choice is faster than a mechanical hard drive, and I'm sure the MyDigitalSSD drive is less expensive. Also, going with an mSATA SSD means you can add a mechanical hard drive for secondary storage in many laptops, as you can have both. Best of both worlds.

I am still using the 128GB MyDigitalSSD drive used in the page 1 review in my ThinkPad T420 daily-driver laptop, and have had no issues. I did erase the drive and install the new firmware several months back, which was uneventful. The drive has been completely reliable for me, and I have found no reason to go back to the 80GB Intel 310 mSATA SSD I used previously.

 

Just wanted to say thanks for the review! I still haven't decided which laptop I'm going to buy, but the two I'm looking at both support mSATA and your review along with a lot of others pushed me to go ahead and order one of these. I figured since they were back-ordered I should grab one now so I could (hopefully) have it by the time I decide on which laptop I'm getting

 

Doesn't the Samsung FW update/drive tools software let you updated the drive without having to wipe and re-install? That's why I would choose a Samsung drive.

 

While Samsung does have an mSATA version of the PM830 in the works, it is not currently available to the public, only to system builders. It is not clear when (or if) it will come to the retail channel.

For me, the form factor comes first, as I can choose an mSATA SSD for a fast boot drive and have a 3.5" drive for storage. I think the PM830 in 2.5" factor is a good drive, but I like having the best of both worlds.

 

I picked up a Samsung 128GB 810 mSATA off eBay. Couldn't wait for the 830.

 

I have to chip in:

I bought a Bullet proof 64GB last year, and it died after 6 month.

I wouldn't recommend it for its reliability at all.

 

LoneWolf15,
Thanks for the great review. I have ordered 2 128GB mSata drives for 2 x220 laptops that both have 500GB HDDs. Just need some help with how I should deal with recovery partitions on these drives after using Lenovo recovery disks to install on my SSDs. What do you usually do, leave the recovery partition on the SSD? I would like to delete this so it does not take up space. Can I leave the recovery partition on the HDD and just delete the Windows partition? Will be using spinning drive for my data. Just wanted to save the most space on SSD without any problems on the system. I appreciate your input on this and thanks.

Gary

 

One person's experience does not equal any more than one experience. Every product has a defect rate. There isn't a single product (computer, car, refrigerator, etc.) where the defect rate is zero.

I've had the 128GB model since I started this thread, with no issues. In the same vein, one person's success doesn't make a product perfect either. Statistics are measured by what percentage of product works properly and what percentage doesn't over a fantastically significant sample, not a single good or a single bad experience.

Did you take advantage of the 2-year warranty to get the drive replaced?

In my case, I did a clean install of Windows. I have a Microsoft TechNet membership, so I have access to clean install media. I did not use the Lenovo recovery disks.

Unlike previous Microsoft operating systems, it is likely you can use your OEM Lenovo Windows key with regular Microsoft Windows 7 media of the appropriate version, if you can obtain a copy. It may require phone or Internet validation of the key, but my understanding is that this should work as long as you install the identical version of Windows (e.g., don't install Win7 Ultimate, and expect your OEM Windows 7 Pro key to work with it).

 

Im owner of msata 64gb and got it in 2011 september (together with y470) its still working just fine (knocking on wood). Pretty happy with it. Good few weeks ago i did only a 3rd (1st one of course when i bought it, 2nd to upgrade to fw12) fresh windows install since i got it in september, and before fresh install, boot times still was pretty decent 39-47sec. Now its probably in low 30, not sure tho havent timed it yet. I know that with fresh windows its about 18-20secs, but once skype is installed and antivirus, boot times goes up. overall like i said, im happy with it.

edit: i havent been on this thread in a while, i have FW12, should i update to the newest one... fw17? Already downloaded it.. but i read some posts, saying fw12 is the best and the most stable... so not sure if i should update. Any opinions?

 

Definitely update to latest firmware. I have tried all the recent ones and each one has improved my speeds.
It usually takes me about 30mins using acronis image backup.

Sent from my DROIDX using Tapatalk 2

 

Ladies, Gentlemen, Girls, and Boys BP3 mSATA 64-256GB and 512GB 2.5" are in Route to MyDigitalDiscount in a big way and there are some left to ship after filling preorders. We will be getting them out into the hands of our reviewers as soon as they land.

 

As far as bricked drives within the past 2 years I could count them on one hand so you won the lotto on that one. I have been selling SSD since 2007 and I have never seen anything that could touch our reliability. We are at a less than .02% defect rate right now and anyone in CE production will tell you that is amazing.

I am sorry for any inconvenience that it caused you.

MyDigitalSSD

 

love one of the new drives but custom fee charges woud far price me out may have to wait for uk supplier

 

I just got the 128GB mSATA as a gift from a friend and I want to install the newest firmware.
I will be installing it on a W520.
What steps do I need to take to complete the above?
I install the mSATA, load the recovery media on onto the mSATA. Log online and download the firmware files and click on what? there tons of different files in there.

thanks for all the help everyone.

 

I've had my 64GB for over a year with no issues othe than it has less than 1% of space left and its lost some speed due to that... but still boots faster than a normal HDD...


Need to upgrade it sometime... :/

 

Can someone help me decide between Mushkin/Crucial/MyDigitalSSD msata for my W530? I'm kinda confused between the 3. I'm more concerned about picking the one with highest 4K Read/Writes and reliability but not sure which one to go with.

 

FYI, we will come out with a new firm ware (FW) soon to fix the compatibility issues with the EP121 and W500 tablets caused by the current FW. We will also add over provisioning (OP) this will make the drive sustain its like new performance even if you have it filled up 100%. The only downside is you will loss some storage on the SSD. We will call them 60GB/120GB/240GB. As a heads up we are having a heck of a sale right now so If you like the current FW or don't mind upgrading then you may want to jump now.

MyDigitalSSD

 

I believe even when you were calling it a 128GB the formatted capacity was actually reporting 119GB only. Now if you mention it as 120GB
are you saying that the formatted capacity is gonna be way below than 119GB?

 

Yes, you have to remember that advertising format and computer formats are completely different. The GB in advertising is a base 10 unit called a gigabyte, while the computer reads things in binary (base 2) and that GB should technically be labelled as GiB or gibibyte. The difference is subtle but important with increasing sizes. 1 GB = 10^9 = 1,000,000,000 bytes, while 1 GiB = 2^30 = 1,073,741,824 bytes. As you can see 1 GiB ~= 1.074 GB, so this means when you invert this value you get 1 GB ~= 0.93 GiB.

To summarize, advertising 128GB = 119GiB (what your computer sees). If advertising is now 120GB, you will now see 112GiB.

 

What he said

But it is going to be even faster and stay that way. Should be no slow down over time no mater how much you have it filled. This it a problem that has plagued all SSD for a very long time so hopefully this will be our best FW update yet.

MyDigitalSSD

 

The 128GB BP3 is currently out of stock. I'm not able to buy it anywhere. Can you help me buy the same? I badly need it immediately. I'm traveling abroad for quiet a long period and want to buy this before that.

 

I have Hard Disk Sentinel installed on my W530. It reports that the health of my MydigitalSSD 120GB BP4 msata is 95%. Is that something to worry about? Pls help.

 

MyDigitalSSD,

I am interested in buying either the BP4 mSATA 240 or the regular BP4 240 SATA3 for my Dell Precision M6600, by checking the MyDigitalDiscoult.com about these drivers the spec of PC Compatibility only listed for Dell Precision M4500, M4600, M6400, and M6500. How about Dell Precision M6600? Will these drives work for the M6600?

The MyDigitalDiscount website indicated the mSATA is Due in Stock: Restocking Soon. Can you provide a more close approximate dates so I can decide if I want to wait for it or get something else.