Toshiba PX02SMF020 (6G) SAS 200GB Enterprise SSD Review

 

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Review: Toshiba PX02SMF020 6GB/s 200GB Enterprise
SSD
Reviewed by: J.Reynolds
Provided by: Toshiba
Firmware version: 0103

Welcome to Myce’s review of the Toshiba PX02SMF020 (6G) SAS Enterprise
SSD.

As the inventor of flash storage Toshiba’s SSD pedigree is
second to none.

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The first and important thing to note is that the PX02SM
series of SSDs is also available with a 12 Gb/s SAS interface but it is the
model with a 6 Gb/s interface that is the subject of this review.  We will
therefore not achieve the peak performance marks as specified by Toshiba below. 
We hope to have opportunity to review a 12 Gb/s model later in the year.

Regular readers may remember that I outlined the key
features of an SAS interface (in comparison to an SATA interface) as part of
Myce’s review of the Sandisk/Smart Optimus – please see here
The PX02SMF020 has a dual SAS port but does not have a ‘wide’ port like the
Smart Optimus does; it therefore has all the failover advantages afforded by
two access paths but does not have the ability to aggregate bandwidth across 2
ports for improved performance.

The PX02SM series uses Toshiba’s own 24nm eMLC NAND, with
56GB set aside for use by the controller.  The drive proves to be a great
performer.

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Now that Myce has gained some good experience of reviewing
Enterprise SSDs we will soon be publishing the first edition of the Myce –
Enterprise SSD Performance index (the ESP index, for short), where we will be
taking some of the key performance metrics from our regular enterprise testing
and comparing results for the enterprise drives we have thus far reviewed.  So,
look out for the Myce ESP index arriving in the near future.      

Market Positioning and Specification

Market Positioning

This is how Toshiba positioned the PX02 series, at the time
of its launch in August 2012 –

Toshiba’s Storage Products Business Unit, today announced
it is expanding its enterprise SSD family with the PX-Series, featuring three
models targeted for various enterprise applications: boot, read-intensive,
entry level servers; entry-to-mid-range applications servers; and
high-performance enterprise application servers. The PX-Series reflects
Toshiba’s continued storage innovation and coincides with the company’s
celebration of its 25th anniversary as the inventor of NAND flash
technology.  Each model is optimised for its target segment with NAND flash
processes, capacity and interface support.

          High-Performance:
Targeted at applications requiring the highest levels of SSD performance, the
PX02SM series is Toshiba’s first SSD to utilise 24nm eMLC (enterprise
multi-level cell) NAND technology, with capacities of 200/400/800GB and 1.6 TB,
and is Toshiba’s first offering with a dual-port 12 Gb/s SAS interface with a
form factor equivalent to industry-standard 2.5in HDDs.

          Value
Line
: Optimised for entry-to-mid-level server and storage
applications requiring balance, reliability, capacity and endurance, the PX02AM
series also features 24nm eMLC NANDflash in capacities of 100/200/400 GB, all
with a 6Gbs/s SATA interface. Featuring a slim 7mm 2.5in industry-standard
form-factor, all capacities offer power-loss protection.

          Read-Intensive/Boot
Server
: Targeted at entry-level server applications, the PX03AN
series is Toshiba’s first eSSD family using 19nm cMLC (consumer multi-level
cell) NAND flash in capacities of 55/120/240/480 GB.  Utilising the 7mm 2.5in
form factor, the PX03AN series drives also offer power-loss protection.

These three new products further
underscore the breadth of Toshiba’s storage products, both SSDs and HDDs for
mobile and enterprise markets, giving customers a ‘one-stop shop’ capability
for their storage design needs.

And here’s the established
marketing approach –

This mentions the intriguingly named ‘Quadruple Swing-By
Code’ (QSBC).  I understand that QSBC is a strong and highly efficient Error
Correction Code (ECC) protecting against any read errors in the device.

 

Specification

Here is Toshiba’s specification for the PX02SM, PX02AM, and
PX03AN series –

Toshiba has very recently announced the PX02SSX (12Gb/s)
series of drives which offers improved IOPS performance and improved endurance
– please click here
We hope to test an example later in the year.

Product Image

Here is a picture of the Toshiba PX02SMF020 6G that I tested

 


Now let's head to the next page, to look at Myce’s
Enterprise Testing Methodology.....

 

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