Conclusion

The MyDigitalSSD SBX sits at the bottom of the NVMe SSD market, with prices that have closed the gap between SATA and NVMe SSDs. The SBX isn't quite cheap enough to be competing head-to-head against mainstream SATA SSDs, so the SBX still needs to offer compelling advantages over those SATA drives. Against other NVMe SSDs, the SBX seldom comes out ahead on performance comparisons, but it has the advantage of significantly lower prices and power consumption.

The main selling point for the SBX over SATA drives is performance. Mid-range and high-end SATA drives offer nearly identical real-world performance thanks to the limitations of the SATA interface. The PCIe x2 interface used by the MyDigitalSSD SBX is half as wide as that used by most NVMe SSDs, but still gives the SBX plenty of room to outperform SATA SSDs. The SBX doesn't always use all of that interface bandwidth, but it does manage to deliver real-world performance that exceeds SATA SSDs. For most users looking to step up from a mainstream SATA drive, the added performance the SBX brings will be much more useful than the added endurance of a similarly-priced premium MLC-based SATA SSD.

Because the MyDigitalSSD SBX is a low-end drive (within its NVMe market), it makes some sacrifices compared to most NVMe SSDs. The SBX is clearly optimized for peak performance on common client/consumer workloads. When subjected to particularly harsh workloads or the difficult operating conditions of a nearly-full drive, the performance of the SBX drops substantially. Previous budget-oriented SSDs like the Intel SSD 600p and the first-generation WD Black SSD have been similarly afflicted, but unlike those drives the MyDigitalSSD SBX manages to keep its performance at or above the level of mainstream SATA SSDs even on our harder tests.

With an emphasis on low price, it's no surprise to see the SBX product line including smaller capacities that many high-end NVMe SSDs have dropped. The MyDigitalSSD SBX is not able to avoid the performance hit that especially small SSDs suffer as a result of having fewer NAND flash devices to use in parallel. The 128GB SBX performs very differently from the 512GB SBX, but each is still a step up from SATA drives of similar capacity. The smallest capacities of the SBX also don't seem to be as acutely limited as the smallest Intel SSD 760p drives, which tend to offer better worst-case performance than the SBX at the cost of lower peak performance for common workloads.

Aside from pricing, the most significant and consistent disadvantage NVMe drives have compared to SATA drives is with power consumption: efficiency needs to be sacrificed in order to deliver the highest performance. The MyDigitalSSD SBX is without question the lowest-power NVMe SSD we have tested, but its low performance means that it doesn't provide any real improvements to power efficiency. The low power draw of the SBX means that it is no more susceptible to overheating than SATA drives, but the SBX won't give you the same battery life that a good SATA drive will.

This is especially true when taking into account the difficulties with NVMe power management. Phison-based drives are far from the only NVMe SSDs that have severe power management issues, but the earlier Phison E7 controller platform produced some of the most embarrassing power management quirks we've seen. The Phison E8 controller used by the SBX is a clear improvement, but the firmware still needs work. As tested and currently shipping, the SBX cannot use its deepest idle power state and cannot stay in its intermediate sleep state for more than a few seconds without waking back up. The MyDigitalSSD SBX is a poor choice for battery-powered systems, but this may be fixable with a firmware update.

NVMe SSD Price Comparison
  120-128GB 240-256GB 400-512GB 960-1200GB
MyDigitalSSD SBX $52.99 (41¢/GB) $84.99 (33¢/GB) $157.99 (31¢/GB) $309.99 (30¢/GB)
Intel SSD 600p $84.78 (66¢/GB) $151.00 (59¢/GB) $199.00 (39¢/GB)  
Intel SSD 760p $79.99 (62¢/GB) $118.99 (46¢/GB) $199.99 (39¢/GB) $442.30 (43¢/GB)
Samsung 960 EVO   $119.95 (48¢/GB) $199.99 (40¢/GB) $449.99 (45¢/GB)
ADATA SX6000 $47.99 (37¢/GB) $74.99 (29¢/GB) $139.99 (27¢/GB)  
ADATA SX7000 $54.99 (43¢/GB) $129.99 (51¢/GB) $154.95 (30¢/GB)  
SATA SSDs:        
Crucial BX300 $42.99 (36¢/GB) $87.99 (37¢/GB) $144.99 (30¢/GB)  
Crucial MX500   $69.99 (28¢/GB) $114.99 (23¢/GB) $249.99 (25¢/GB)
Samsung 860 EVO   $79.99 (32¢/GB) $139.99 (28¢/GB) $279.99 (28¢/GB)
Toshiba TR200   $59.99 (25¢/GB) $129.78 (27¢/GB) $279.99 (29¢/GB)

ADATA is one of the only brands offering NVMe SSDs at anything close to the pricing of the MyDigitalSSD SBX. Their SX6000 is a bit cheaper than the SBX but uses a Realtek SSD controller. Realtek is relatively new to the SSD controller space and we have never tested one of their drives, so we cannot say much about its performance. The ADATA SX7000 uses the Silicon Motion SM2260 controller and first-generation Micron 32L 3D TLC, which make it similar to the Intel SSD 600p in design and performance. The MyDigitalSSD beats the ADATA SX7000 on performance and usually on price as well.

Above the SBX on the price scale are drives that are truly high-end, with much higher benchmark performance results but only marginally better real-world performance. These drives should only be considered by consumers with heavy storage workloads, those who need a NVMe SSD with better power management for a notebook, or those who simply want bragging rights.

The value proposition of mainstream SATA SSDs is still hard to argue against, especially as prices are finally in decline. For all that it may be low-end by NVMe standards, the MyDigitalSSD is still a more premium product than something like the Crucial MX500, and the SBX requires you to pay at least 20% more per GB for its added performance. NVMe drives are getting more affordable, but they aren't for everybody yet.

Power Management
Comments Locked

46 Comments

View All Comments

  • MajGenRelativity - Tuesday, May 1, 2018 - link

    The price premium of lower-end NVMe SSDs forms a big part of their problem in my head. When I build a computer for somebody, I usually use an M.2 SATA SSD if I include an SSD, because SATA SSDs are the cheaper alternative, and most people won't use the performance of an NVMe SSD. If they *do* need the performance of NVMe, I find it a little hard to justify stopping at the low end when they can pay a bit more and bump up the performance by quite a lot. My thoughts are that while products like the SBX are a step in the right direction, they really need to match SATA drives in price to become fully worthwhile.
  • Dribble - Tuesday, May 1, 2018 - link

    The other thing they have going for them is size. I can see a cheap nvme being used quite a bit in mid range laptops that came with a SATA disk but have a spare nvme slot. For desktops not only does the drive sit flush with the motherboard mostly, but it requires no cabling and no hd cage to put it in. I could see myself getting one as a second drive - it's not like I'd really be able to tell it's any slower then a high end drive for standard desktop usage.
  • Dribble - Tuesday, May 1, 2018 - link

    Ah didn't read the previous comment carefully enough "M2 SATA SSD" not "SATA SSD", never mind.
  • MajGenRelativity - Tuesday, May 1, 2018 - link

    Yeah. I can see 2.5" SATA going away entirely / being replaced by 2.5" U.2, but M.2 SATA still has a place for me
  • eek2121 - Wednesday, May 2, 2018 - link

    My current machine no longer has any type of SATA drive in it. I have a single 1TB Samsung 960 EVO. I thought about going going for the pro or a 2 TB EVO, but this fits my needs perfectly. Now if we could just get a mini-itx threadripper board... ;)
  • MajGenRelativity - Thursday, May 3, 2018 - link

    For me, I need bulk storage, so SATA isn't going away any time soon. However, I don't think Mini-ITX Threadripper will happen, as the socket is too big
  • Ratman6161 - Monday, May 7, 2018 - link

    Price wise, for a lot of people in your situation, you could get the 500 GB 960 EVO for $200 and also the 1 TB MX500 for $249. That would give you a total of 1.5 TB for the price of a 1 TB 960EVO. Then EVO could then be used for OS and programs with some data while the cheap but still pretty good MX500 could provide the big storage.
  • gglaw - Saturday, May 19, 2018 - link

    The popular budget Micron 3D TLC 2TB drives are on sale all the time from $280-$300 range. They don't have much marketing or even a fancy name associated with them, come in a bare OEM type box but the few reviews out are all favorable. I have one as a secondary storage drive with a 960 EVO 500GB boot drive but tbh when I moved my Steam library over to it, I can't even tell the difference in performance between it and the NVMe EVO.

    https://www.amazon.com/Micron-1100-SATA-2-5-inch-M...

    that's the drive but it goes on sale lower than that pretty much every week.
  • wumpus - Tuesday, May 1, 2018 - link

    Why eat the slot? Do your clients get grumpy if they see and "old fashioned" 2.5" drive? I'd rather leave the M.2 slot waiting for a card that really needs it, and still have the SATA drive connected.
  • MajGenRelativity - Tuesday, May 1, 2018 - link

    I sell to a variety of clients (I co-own a small business so we cover all sorts), and usually they don't have enough technical knowledge to know the difference between a 2.5" drive and M.2. I use the M.2 slot because it allows me to either disconnect the SATA cable (for a modular PSU), or tuck it out of the way to increase airflow. Most of my customers won't need the performance boost of upgrading to an NVMe drive, so it hasn't been a problem before. In the cases where that is a viable upgrade path, I discuss it ahead of time, and do use a 2.5" drive in situations where necessary/desired.

Log in

Don't have an account? Sign up now