This SSD review reveals, even among the greats like the Samsung 860 EVO, the ADATA SU800 is nothing to turn your nose at and still manages to be one of the best SSDs on the market. The ADATA SU800 can stand toe to toe in terms of performance with its other contemporaries, and do so at a much lower cost.
Why We Like It – ADATA SU800
The ADATA SU800 128GB SSD is the perfect option for anyone looking to transfer their operating system to a separate storage device, transfer large files on the fly, or completely ditch hard drives altogether. If you need a device with a bit more storage space, compare with our Seagate 600 240 GB solid-state drive review.
- Great price point
- Free software included
- Performs on par with its contemporaries
- Storage is lacking
- Can run into latency issues
Performance
The ADATA SU800 has solid random read write speeds that are on par with the Samsung 860 EVO, but blows the Fantom Drives SSHD out of the water. Average sequential write speeds are 520MB/s, and sequential read speeds push to 560MB/s (sometimes a few MBs higher). The ADATA SU800 accomplishes this by utilizing 3D NAND flash memory, like the Silicon Power A55’s TLC NAND technology. Its power largely comes from Silicon Motion’s SM2258 controller.
SATA interface is on the way out, however. Sure, 6GB/s is nice, but we’re just now reaching the upper echelon up what SATA III can handle. You can keep an eye on its performance with ADATA’s SSD Toolbox software. You can also look at our for an SSD drive with read/write speeds of up to Crucial MX500 2TB review.
Design
The ADATA SU800 uses a common design the majority of SSD’s use. It’s a 2.5 inch SATA SSD with a matte black finish and a sticker of the company logo over the top. There’s four threaded holes to secure it to your PC’s chassis. You’ll find a sticker with its product information printed, which includes its storage size, model number, WWN code, and a warranty code. The ADATA SU800 doesn’t feel cheap in the hands; in fact, it’s a rather solid piece of hardware (no pun intended). You could check our WD blue SSD 250GB review.
Value
With how well the ADATA SU800 beside the Samsung 860 EVO, you’re getting a really good deal. It’s only $30 for 128GB, so if you’re looking to store your operating system on an SSD, this is the SSD that can handle it just fine.
However, the amount of storage the ADATA SU800 leaves a lot to be desired. Having 128GB is nothing if you want it for more than your OS. That’s why you should turn to its twin brother, the ADATA Ultimate SU800. For general use, the ADATA Ultimate SU800 SSD rocks the house with 1TB and it still costs less than the Samsung 860 EVO 1TB.
ADATA SU800 Wrap Up
The ADATA SU800 performs well beside other SSDs in the same bracket, even better than Crucial’s MX300 in most fields and for a much cheaper price, not to mention the free software you get to keep track of its performance. While 128GB is really small, you can purchase its Ultimate SU800 brother, a 1TB SSD, for $110, which is $60 cheaper than the Samsung 860 EVO 1TB. Its SATA interface does have some latency issues, but what SATA III interface doesn’t? Regardless, what you get in return is one of the best SSDs today.
