Pros: - Windows 10 Boot Time of 35 seconds isn't bad at all. Toshiba Bios is partly to blame there.
- Cheap, picked mine up for 39.99 - can't say I'd pay 50 if it goes that high
- Decent Read Write speeds
Cons: - No Custom Software that reports metrics or enables special features
- Small Cache so Burst rates drop substantially after the first 30 seconds of sustained reads or writes
Other Thoughts: Needed to expand storage space for a clients Toshiba Convertible as we determined a clean install was needed to regain functionality. Let's jump into the numbers:
AS SSD 313 MB/s Read 280 MB/s Write
Crystal Disk Mark 338 MB/s Read 295 MB/s Write
ATTO 561 MB/s Read 544 MB/s Write
Samsung Magician 337 MB/s Read 543 MB/s Write
Yeah, speeds are all over the place but the lower benchmark scores speak closer to the truth. As once I started moving real world files to the SSD via Sata Cable and utilizing my WD M.2 PCIe drive so as to not bottle neck performance. So, as I always do, I pick test files / folders which should better replicate what average users really would be doing. Moving a large movie rip, smaller numerous files like docs, pics, music, etc. and measuring how long that takes.
Avengers 720p 6.5 GB - From M.2 to Patriot took 59.4 Seconds Average of 111 MB/s Write
Avengers 720p 6.5 GB - From Patriot to M.2 took 30.5 Seconds Average of 215 MB/s Read
*Note, I noticed Burst of 360 MB/s for the first 30 seconds then leveled out and drops to 65 MB/s
Genesis Cruise Meet 2017 573 MB - From M.2 to Patriot took 2.4 Seconds Averaging 235 MB/s Write
Genesis Cruise Meet 2017 573 MB - From Patriot to M.2 took .76 Seconds Averaging 573 MB/s Read
PC Mark Zip File 2.9 GB - From M.2 to Patriot took 10.1 Seconds Averaging 287 MB/s Write
PC Mark Zip File 2.9 GB - From Patriot to M.2 took 9.9 Seconds Averaging 292 MB/s Read
Small Various Files (music, docs, pics, ect.) 5.85 GB - From M.2 to Patriot averaging 54.6 MB/s Write
Small Various Files (music, docs, pics, ect.) 5.85 GB - From Patriot to M.2 averaging 41.4 MB/s Read
Alright, so there ya have it. It's not terrible, I've seen some drives perform worse.. looking at you King ahem Town! But clearly, if you are looking to make your own external SSD drive or you'll be moving files back and forth often and you are looking for a fast option. Pass. It's definitely not that. But, the convertable it was used in.. Windows 10 booted up quickly, system was very responsive and as a cheap OS upgrade or replacement due to your hard drive dying in your laptop. Yes... it will fill that roll well.
Use as OS Drive = YES
Use as Storage SSD = NO