Despite the rapid price drops of decent sized solid state drives, pricing limits them from reaching the average consumer. The marketing has also convinced us that it takes the largest and flashiest hard drives to get the best performance which means we might not buy today. Granted, today’s platter drives are impressive versus those from 5 years ago not to mention the huge capacities but when it comes to starting up the system, it’s still the slowest component in today’s mainstream computers. There’s an easy fix for this and it’s called an SSD Boot Drive.
SSD boot drives are nothing more than a smaller, more affordable SSD that holds your system’s primary Operating System while your secondary platter drive(s) hold media, games, and other non-OS related files. This configuration converts your desktop or your laptop into very responsive systems. That’s why Kingston Technology has brought out their new SSDNow V Series 40GB Boot Drive. Just because it’s small and cheap, doesn’t mean it isn’t high performance!
Features and Specifications
While the 40GB SSDNow comes from the same series as the 128GB V Series we reviewed a while back, it does not share the same limited JMicron controller. The drive is in fact an Intel SSD fully equipped with an Intel Memory Controller. That got your attention, didn’t it?
The 40GB “Boot Drive” is rated to 170MB/s Sequential Read and 40MB/s Sequential Write. That’s not a very beefy Sequential Write rating, but it should smoke a regular platter drive where Random Read/Writes rates are concerned. That’s what gives a system that snappy boot time and responsiveness.
And of course, the warranty is important. It carries Kingston’s standard 3 Year SSD warranty. Putting the smaller capacities to use keeps the price limited to $115 MSRP or lower depending on the retailers. Overall, that’s not too shabby a deal.
One thing we are concerned about is the lack of immediate TRIM or Intel Toolbox cleaning software. Even some internal firmware cleaning support would be worth the investment. The word right now is that something could be available soon. Otherwise, you’ll have to manually clean it with a 3rd party utility. Either way, it’s been proven that Intel SSDs maintain their performance as they fill up.
The Retail Package
Popping open the box reveals an SSD retail package that mirrors the 128GB SSDNow V except for the 40GB label. The drive doesn’t offer any bling or flare other than it’s own SSD existence. Basically, the 40GB Boot Drive looks just like any other SSDNow V Series. There’s no new wrapping or fancy case (I patented that already).
Inside the bundle, you’ll find two drive bay brackets to help adapt the SSD to any hard drive bay. The brackets can hold two SSDs in one conventional HDD slot. Simply use the included screws to mount it. You’ve got to love the more compact size of SSDs!
Yep. Intel Inside.
The objective of this series is to offer you a taste of high performance while improving Boot times and overall system response that you you can’t get with standard platter drives. We know that Intel controllers can give you a much better and balanced level of performance than any JMicron could ever dream of doing.
It’s pretty slick putting those smaller SSD bins to use in this respect. We heard that there weren’t a great many small volumes lying around but more SSDs would be available depending on supply numbers. The point here though is that the 40GB Boot Drive can serve another purpose. It could double as a portable storage solution and is a far faster option compared to many 32 and/or 64GB USB flash drives which are only as fast as USB 2.0 and limited to 28 to 33MB/s on a good day.
We don’t think it would be tacky or odd to carry around one of these stylish little SSDs in your shirt pocket, or bag. In fact, you might start a trend if you’re not careful. “Geek wars” where you throw down your biggest and baddest SSDs!
Test System and Setup
It seems only fitting that we compare the 64GB SSDNow V+ against the new improved 40GB SSDNow. These are the two smallest SSDs we have on hand for the closest comparison. The objective here is to test the purpose of the 40GB SSD which is to provide faster Boot Times and see if it really does boot…faster.
I already had the Intel DP55KG test system assembled, so that saves some time. Here’s the break down of the test system:
- Intel Core i5 750 Lynnfield Processor
- Intel DP55KG Extreme Series Motherboard
- Corsair Dominator 4GB 1600MHz DDR3 Dual Channel
- Zotac Geforce GTX295 Graphics Card
- Kingston SSDNow V Series 40GB
- Kingston SSDNow V+ Series 64GB
- Antec CP850 Power Supply
Since, neither of these drives are really intended for any kind of database access which favours small file performance, the testing was kept fairly simple in this respect. The SSDs were loaded down with Windows Vista 64-bit as well as a massive 20GB bloated file. Crystal Disk Benchmark, Quick Bench, and a literal Boot Time test were performed. Let’s go!
QuickBench 4K – 1024K Benchmark
QuickBench is a easy to use favorite of mine. It benchmarks drive performance testing the various 4K to 1024KByte transfer rates. It even benchmarks large 20-100MB file transfer rates blending it all together. This should give us an ideal of smaller file size transfers.
The first screenshot here is the Boot Drive 40GB SSD’s results. Sequential rates are naturally pretty fast even with the smaller 4K, 8K, and 16K data blocks as it should be given that it has the heart of an Intel SSD. It’s the Random rates that will leave any and every platter drive in the dust which score less than half this.
Just above, you can see what the comparable V-Series+ 64GB SSD does with its Samsung based controller. Um, yes, I see it too! It’s noticeably slower in the Sequential rates but, very comparable in Random rates. I suspect the Samsung controller is having a harder time moving around data being that the drive is loaded down with files.
QuickBench 20-100MB Benchmark
Starting off with the 40GB SSD, we can see the Read rate is a little short of spec, while the Write rate exceeds it by 4.34 MB/s. It is at least faster than the data block results.
We finish off these tests with a look at the V+ Series 64GB SSD. There’s a definite change in the Read rates. This time it beats the 40GB SSD by about 32.4 MB/s. So, it appears there’s a little trade off when dealing with larger files.
Crystal Disk Benchmark – 100MB
Repeating the same process, CDB’s 100MB test was performed allowing 5 passes for an average while blending the major block size results including Sequential tests.
The results here a interesting. You can see that the Sequential Read matches the V+ Series 64GB. But, it’s in fact slower on the the Seq Write performance. That may seem like a kick in the pants, but this benchmark indicates that the 40GB is operating just above spec and it gets better.
Check out the 4K Write score. The 40GB just repeatedly destroys the other drive by about 31.5 MB/s. That’s also more than double the Write performance of my treasured Patriot Memory 128GB TorqX SSD. It’s obvious that the 40GB is primarily tuned for small block performance.
Crystal Disk Mark Benchmark – 1000MB
Repeating the 5 test cycle, the 40GB handles the larger files with very similar results. Again, the drive operates to spec in Sequential performance. It follows up with a 1-2 combination punch with the 4K Write performance. Again, the 40GB is tuned to handle 4KByte data most likely because our systems use them most.
Boot Time Races
This should be pretty easy to figure out. First, just the time it took from the Splash Screen to the OS was recorded. Then, four Office programs were added to the Startup process and again recorded. The results were rounded off to the nearest second.
The two systems traded spots loading just to the desktop. There’s not a whole lot going on for just this. It was a little surprising to see the the 40GB do a quicker job of booting to the desktop along with loading up the four Office based programs. It really makes use of 4KB data blocks which make up the bulk of PC data. Do we really need to comment on the SATA drive thrown in for comparison?
Final Thoughts and Conclusion
Before you go kicking your platter drives out the window, it’s obvious that the purpose of the Kingston SSDNow V Series 40GB solid state drive isn’t to replace your current platter drive entirely. In fact, its purpose is only intended to take over Operating System operations and even compliment your current platter drive. In Bootable terms, it will give your system many of the benefits as if you were running it all based on an SSD.
Overall, the performance is very similar to the V+ Series SSD which uses a Samsung controller. While I’m not sure yet what’s in the 40GB exactly (we think it’s INTEL), the controller used can at least produce some fast rates and even surpass the V+ in some cases. It has the performance and it has the Kingston name backing it. Plus, it’s an Intel SSD deep down inside, though you wouldn’t know given the labeling.
At present, the SSD does not offer TRIM support. However, we did hear from Kingston that users can expect something in the future. Plus, Intel based SSDs are a bit more resilient at self-monitoring than many others. You’ll just have to do a quick DIY firmware update. Till then, you more than likely won’t have to worry about any spring cleaning as long as it’s used as a “Boot Drive.”
In the meantime, keep your eye on Newegg. On November 9th, you’ll be able to find this little gem for $84.99 after rebates; just in time for the holiday season. Personally, I think these would come in very handy for those in the tech field. For a fraction of the larger capacity SSD prices, you can give your system or PC guru the gift of performance.
Pros
- Respectably quick and nimble
- Intel SSD at heart
- Gives your system SSD performance
- Maintains performance up to 89% capacity
- Great Boot Times
- Big enough for OS and main programs
Cons
- Size requires closer storage management
- Currently doesn’t support TRIM (coming soon)
Overall Rating: 8.75 / 10.0
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Kingston SSDNow V Series 40GB Boot Drive Photo Gallery
