Testing
The following system was used to test the SSD and all competing SSDs:
– Processor: Intel i7 13700K @ 5.4GHz
– Motherboard: Biostar Z790 Valkyrie
– RAM: Neo Forza MDK5 DDR5 96GB 6000MHz
– Graphics Card: MSI GeForce RTX 3090 Suprim X
– SSD: NeoForza NFP075 2TB
– HDD: N/A
– PSU: Seasonic Prime TX-1000
– CPU Cooler: Arctic Liquid Freezer II 240
– Case: be quiet! Silent Base 802 White
– OS: Windows 10 64-Bit (After April Update)
To test the SSD, the following software was used:
– ATTO Disk Benchmark,
– CrystalDiskMark 8,
– Shadow of the Tomb Raider;
– Windows File Copy.
In order to obtain a precise result each test was performed three times.
CrystalDiskMark 8 – Read
CrystalDiskMark 8 – Write
ATTO Disk Benchmark Read
ATTO Disk Benchmark Write
Shadow of the Tomb Raider – Level Loading
File Copy Test 100GB
File Copy Test 50GB
Temperature
Final thoughts
The Silicon Power UD80 is a good and affordable M.2 SSD that makes some compromises, yet it delivers as good performance for daily usage. For starters, this SSD uses a DRAM less controller made by MAXIO and has memory chips made by YMTC. Still, even in this configuration, the performance is quite good given the price of 65 US Dollars.
The highlight of this SSD must be the performance, while not having a RAM chip for its cache, it still performs well. This allows you to move large files with ease as the speed will only drop to under 2GB per second when you are moving over 70gb worth of files.
The components used on this SSD are of good quality and reliable. The MAP1202A-F1C Cougar controller is made by MAXIO and while not having DRAM support is not great, this controller does not heat up at all. And thus, the SSD will run cooler and be more reliable in the long term.
The Xtacking 2.0 memory chips made by YMTC do perform well for their specifications and have been widely used so we know that they are reliable.
Even though, this SSD has no DRAM chip available, the speeds offered remain good and the daily performance is decent to say the least. Of course, the weakness of this SSD is large file transfers, as the cache cannot handle that much data at once, but with small transfers, the speed will remain high.
In conclusion, the Silicon Power UD80 1TB is an affordable M.2 SSD that while not having a lot of expensive components, it still manages to deliver a good performance, especially for daily usage. In truth, there isn’t really anything to complain about this SSD, it’s fast enough for daily usage and affordable which makes it accessible for most people.
