Comparing Two 1TB NVMe Drives with Same NAND, Same Controller: XPG SX8200 Pro vs HP EX950

Mixed Random Performance

Our test of mixed random reads and writes covers mixes varying from pure reads to pure writes at 10% increments. Each mix is tested for up to 1 minute or 32GB of data transferred. The test is conducted with a queue depth of 4, and is limited to a 64GB span of the drive. In between each mix, the drive is given idle time of up to one minute so that the overall duty cycle is 50%.

The ADATA SX8200 Pro and HP EX950 provide top-tier performance on our mixed random I/O test, just shy of the Samsung 970 EVO Plus. The 2TB EX950 has almost identical overall performance to the 1TB models.

Power Efficiency in MB/s/W	Average Power in W

The power efficiency of the ADATA SX8200 Pro isn't quite as good as the Toshiba XG6 or WD Black SN750, but it's well ahead of the rest of the flash-based SSDs, including the HP EX950.

ADATA XPG SX8200 Pro 1TBADATA XPG SX8200 480GBHP EX920 1TBHP EX950 1TBHP EX950 2TBSamsung 970 EVO Plus 1TBPlextor M9PeGN 1TBCorsair Force Series MP510 960GBKingston A1000 960GBCrucial P1 1000GBSilicon Motion SM2262EN 2TBWD Black SN750 1TBToshiba XG6 1TBIntel Optane SSD 900P 280GBCrucial MX500 1TB

Compared to their predecessors and most of the competition, the SX8200 Pro and EX950 offer better performance during the read-heavy half of the test. The 970 EVO Plus pulls ahead during the write-heavy half of the test, which is generally faster anyways since write operations can be cached and combined. The Toshiba XG6 and WD Black SN750 that are more efficient than the SX8200 Pro are slower during every phase of the test except for the final segment with pure writes.

Mixed Sequential Performance

Our test of mixed sequential reads and writes differs from the mixed random I/O test by performing 128kB sequential accesses rather than 4kB accesses at random locations, and the sequential test is conducted at queue depth 1. The range of mixes tested is the same, and the timing and limits on data transfers are also the same as above.

The SM2262EN drives provide great performance on the mixed sequential I/O test, but the Samsung 970 EVO Plus maintains a clear lead, and the 2TB HP EX950 is back to being slower than the 1TB models.

Power Efficiency in MB/s/W	Average Power in W

The 1TB ADATA SX8200 Pro just barely provides top-tier power efficiency on the mixed sequential I/O test, but the handful of drives that score better include most of the important competition: the latest from Samsung, WD, Toshiba and Phison.

ADATA XPG SX8200 Pro 1TBADATA XPG SX8200 480GBHP EX920 1TBHP EX950 1TBHP EX950 2TBSamsung 970 EVO Plus 1TBPlextor M9PeGN 1TBCorsair Force Series MP510 960GBKingston A1000 960GBCrucial P1 1000GBSilicon Motion SM2262EN 2TBWD Black SN750 1TBToshiba XG6 1TBIntel Optane SSD 900P 280GBCrucial MX500 1TB

The 2TB HP EX950 is slower than the 1TB model throughout the test, except for the pure read and write segments at either end. The 1TB SX8200 Pro and EX950 outperform their predecessors by an increasingly large margin as the workload becomes more write-heavy. The Samsung 970 EVO Plus that turns in the fastest overall performance runs up the score during the read-heavy half of the test but is no faster than the SM2262EN drives during the write-heavy half.