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Comparison Seagate BarraCuda 120 ZA500CM1A003 500 GB vs Kingston KC600 SKC600/512G 512 GB

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Seagate BarraCuda 120 ZA500CM1A003 500 GB
Kingston KC600 SKC600/512G 512 GB
Seagate BarraCuda 120 ZA500CM1A003 500 GBKingston KC600 SKC600/512G 512 GB
from £76.79 
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Main
Best-in-class sequential read and write speed. Good IOPS. Metal case. Great rewrite resource. 5 years warranty. Useful proprietary software.
256-bit XTS-AES encryption, TCG Opal, eDrive. Support for Microsoft eDrive, the security specification for working with BitLocker.
Placementinternalinternal
Size500 GB512 GB
Form factor2.5"2.5"
InterfaceSATA 3SATA 3
Technical specs
ControllerSilicon Motion SM2259
Memory type3D TLC NAND3D TLC NAND
Write speed540 MB/s520 MB/s
Read speed560 MB/s550 MB/s
Shockproof1500 G1500 G
MTBF1.8 m h1 m h
Write IOPS90 K80 K
Read IOPS90 K90 K
TBW300 TB300 TB
DWPD0.3 times/day0.3 times/day
Manufacturer's warranty5 years5 years
General
TRIM
Data encryption
 /TCG Opal/
Size100x70x7 mm100x70x7 mm
Weight50 g
Added to E-Catalogmarch 2020february 2020

Size

Nominal drive capacity. This parameter directly determines not only the amount of data that can fit on the device, but also its cost; many SSD models even come in several versions that differ in capacity. Therefore, when choosing, it is worth considering the real needs and features of the application — otherwise you can overpay a significant amount for volumes that are not needed in fact.

In terms of actual values, a capacity of 120 GB or less is considered small these days. This can also be equated with a 240 GB SSD. Average values are already considered 500 GB, increased — 1 TB(in the range of which SSDs fall 400 and 800 GB). And the most capacious modern SSDs can accommodate 2 TB, 4 TB and even more.

Controller

Model of the controller installed in the SSD.

The controller is a control circuit, which, in fact, ensures the exchange of information between the memory cells and the computer to which the drive is connected. The capabilities of a particular SSD module (in particular, read and write speed) largely depend on this particular scheme. Knowing the controller model, you can find detailed data on it and evaluate the capabilities of the drive. For simple everyday use, this information is usually not needed, but for professionals and enthusiasts (modders, overclockers) it can come in handy.

Nowadays, high-end controllers are produced mainly under such brands: InnoGrit, Maxio, Phison, Realtek, Silicon Motion, Samsung.

Write speed

The highest speed in write mode characterizes the speed with which the module can receive information from a connected computer (or other external device). This speed is limited both by the connection interface (see "Connector"), and by the characteristics of the device of the SSD itself.

Read speed

The highest data exchange rate with a computer (or other external device) that the drive can provide in read mode; in other words — the highest speed of information output from the drive to an external device. This speed is limited both by the connection interface (see "Connector"), and by the characteristics of the device of the SSD itself. Its values can vary from 100 – 500 MB / s in the slowest models to 3 Gb / s and higher in the most advanced ones.

MTBF

The drive's time between failures is the time that it is able to continuously work without failures and malfunctions; in other words — the operating time, after which there is a high probability of failures, and even failure of the module.

Usually, the characteristics indicate some average time derived from the results of conditional testing. Therefore, the actual value of this parameter may differ from the claimed one in one direction or another; however, in fact, this moment is not particularly significant. The fact is that for modern SSDs, the MTBF is estimated at millions of hours, and 1 million hours corresponds to more than 110 years — while we are talking about pure operating time. So, from a practical point of view, the durability of a drive is often limited by more specific parameters — TBW and DPWD (see below); and the manufacturer's warranty generally does not exceed several years. However, data on the MTBF in hours can also be useful when choosing: other things being equal, more time means more reliability and durability of the SSD as a whole.

Write IOPS

The IOPS provided by the drive in write mode.

The term IOPS refers to the highest number of I / O operations that an SSD module can perform per second, in this case, when writing data. By this indicator, the speed of the drive is often evaluated; however, this is not always true. Firstly, the IOPS values of different manufacturers can be measured in different ways — by the maximum value, by average, by random write, by sequential write, etc. Secondly, the benefits of high IOPS become noticeable only with some specific operations — in in particular, the simultaneous copying of numerous files. In addition, in fact, the speed of the drive may be limited by the system to which it is connected. In light of all this, it is generally acceptable to compare different SSD modules by IOPS, but the real difference in performance is likely not to be as noticeable as the difference in numbers.

As for specific values, for the write mode with IOPS up to 50K is considered relatively modest, 50 – 100K — medium, more than 100K — high.

Data encryption

Data encryption ensures the protection of storing information on a disk: only someone who knows the password can access encrypted information. The encryption module is an integral part of the drive and does not depend on the computer to which it is connected. The ability to encrypt data is critical if you plan to write confidential information to discs; this feature is especially useful for portable drives and laptop drives, which are more at risk of theft than fixed systems and their components.
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