Transcend SSD230S 128GB review

Introduction

3D TLC NAND is the next step when it comes to driving prices down. Yes, there’s 3D QLC on the way, but we have yet to see a mainstream consumer drive featuring that technology. So yeah, 3D TLC. It has been in most recent SSDs, and we have here Transcend’s implementation in the Transcend SSD230S.

Packaging

This is pretty standard for Transcend’s packaging. Magenta and white all over the place, and of course, a label touting the performance figures and 3D NAND flash.

The back lists out more performance figures and detailed specifications. For some reason, Transcend decides to highlight the silent operation. Duh. It’s solid state. Silence was a given.

This is probably one of the most complete packages in recent memory. It even came with screws. And some promotional material. I thought the general idea was to pay to not have ads?

Appearance

Transcend has never changed their look from the SSD370S we reviewed back then. The Transcend logo is featured twice on the drive, with the naming too. Transcend really didn’t want you to mistake their drive for anyone else’s.

The underside of the Transcend SSD230S 128GB features a sticker with the regulatory logos and and more branding. I guess this SSD is great for those who really appreciate the clean sandblasted aluminium look.

Specifications

Transcend SSD230S 128GB SATA3 SSD

Capacity	128GB (119GB usable)
Interface	SATA 3
NAND Type	TLC 3D NAND
DRAM Cache	DDR3
Controller	N/A
Rated speed	Sequential: Read: Up to 560 MB/s Write: Up to 500 MB/s Random: Read: 85 000 IOPS Write: 35 000 IOPS
Endurance	90TBW
Dimensions	100 mm X 69.85 mm X 6.8 mm
Weight	63 gram
Included accessories	User guide, product brochures, screws
Warranty	3 years

Pokde Benchrig

CPU	Intel Core i7-5820K @ 4.125 GHz
Motherboard	ASUS X99-Deluxe
GPU	MSI GeForce GTX 970 GAMING 4G
Memory	4 x 4GB Kingston HyperX Predator 3000 MHz CL15
Storage	Kimtigo 120GB SSD
Power Supply	Cooler Master V850

Testing Methodology

The Transcend SSD230S 128GB is tested as a storage drive on Pokde’s benchrig. We ran several synthetic SSD benchmarks and real-time transfer speed tests to determine the performance.

Performance

Synthetic

Read speeds were pretty amazing for such a small drive, thanks to the 3D NAND technology. Write speeds were limited, as expected. We didn’t manage to achieve the rated write speeds though.

In AS SSD, it reveals that the Transcend SSD230S 128GB doesn’t really perform well either. In fact, it is slower than older MLC drives by Transcend themselves.

The Transcend SSD230S 128GB performance is middling here too.

Real world

This drive actually does pretty well in the real world tests, doing better than bigger drives like the SanDisk and WD duo in some tests.

It loads games really quickly too, so if you are looking into loading the Transcend SSD230S 128GB with games, you won’t be disappointed. You might want to look into a larger capacity though, as 128GB will fill up very quickly.

Unfortunately the cost per GB is not exactly all that desirable, but this is a 128GB drive we are talking about. If we compare the 1TB drive which costs RM942, we are looking at around RM1.087/GB. Slightly better than the Kingston UV500.

Conclusion

If you were to compare it against the other drives we have benchmarked, it would have been quite unfair considering the small capacity of this drive. The controller was not saturated, thus couldn’t deliver the best performance it was capable of. We did like seeing the nice read numbers, and we believe it would scale up nicely with the capacity. The Transcend SSD230S 128GB is pretty nice, not too expensive, and at RM156, would make a nice little boot drive. We can easily recommend this drive for anyone in the market for a drive that is nippy yet won’t break the bank.

Our thanks to Transcend for providing the unit of the Transcend SSD230S 128GB. To support us, check out the Transcend SSD230S 128GB on Lazada via the link below: