Review Toshiba HG5d 256 GB SSD (THNSNH256GCST)
For the original German review, see here.
More and more conventional hard drives are being replaced by faster mass storage devices in notebooks. The advantages are apparent: high transfer rates, short access times, low susceptibility, and a nearly silent system noise. Only the price per GB prevents rotating platters from being completely replaced.
Toshiba's HG5d series is first and foremost designed for OEMs and will be mainly built into notebooks and PCs. Nevertheless, end users are also offered OEM versions. 60 GB, 128 GB, 256 GB, and 512 GB models are available and all models are offered with 7 mm or 9.5 mm height. Apart from the drive with the biggest capacity, the models are also available in mSATA format. We reviewed the 7 mm 256 GB model. Currently, street prices start from 180 Euros (~$235) without P&P. Toshiba does not offer any coverage in addition to the statutory warranty. The manufacturer specifies a mean time between failure (MTBF) of 1.5 million hours of operation.
Performance
We tested the device in the second drive slot of an Asus N76VZ, which features a SATA 6G port (max. 6 Gbit/s). In addition, we ran some benchmarks for comparison and power consumption measurements on a desktop system (also via SATA 6G). The performance differences were within measurement inaccuracy.
The reviewed Toshiba HG5d solid state drive features a Marvell N6H89400.6JW controller and 19 nm MLC NAND flash memory from its own production line. The SATA 6G is standard and the specified maximum read performance of 534 MB/s and the maximum write performance of 482 MB/s are typical for this price range.
Sequential data transfer rates
We basically compared the results to the very popular Samsung SSD 840 Pro's. The two devices are very similar in terms of price and performance. The Toshiba HG5d is with 14 vs. 25 MB/s in sequential reading and 24 vs. 35 MB/s in sequential writing slower than the Samsung 840 Pro. However, the difference is small and hardly noticeable in practice.
AS SSD | |
Seq Write (sort by value) | |
Toshiba HG5d THNSNH256GCST 256 GB SSD | |
Samsung SSD 840 Pro 256 GB Desktop | |
Seq Read (sort by value) | |
Toshiba HG5d THNSNH256GCST 256 GB SSD | |
Samsung SSD 840 Pro 256 GB Desktop |
CrystalDiskMark 3.0 | |
Write Seq (sort by value) | |
Toshiba HG5d THNSNH256GCST 256 GB SSD | |
Samsung SSD 840 Pro 256 GB Desktop | |
Read Seq (sort by value) | |
Toshiba HG5d THNSNH256GCST 256 GB SSD | |
Samsung SSD 840 Pro 256 GB Desktop |
Data Transfer
The transfer rates differ more significantly. The rather high difference of 140 MB/s in HD Tune might become particularly apparent when moving files between two drives. In this aspect the OCZs Vertex 4 with Indilix Everest 2 controller is about on par.
The device performs significantly better in the ATTO Disk benchmark. Toshiba's HG5d SSD reaches its maximum transfer rate here. With 552 MB/s, it is only marginally slower than the competing model from Samsung, but in writing it is significantly faster with 521 MB/s vs. 468 MB/s.
HD Tune Transfer Rate Average - Transfer Rate Average (sort by value) | |
Samsung SSD 840 Pro 256 GB Desktop | |
Toshiba HG5d THNSNH256GCST 256 GB SSD | |
OCZ Vertex 4 256 GB Desktop |
ATTO Disk Benchmark | |
8192KB read (sort by value) | |
Samsung SSD 840 Pro 256 GB Desktop | |
Toshiba HG5d THNSNH256GCST 256 GB SSD | |
8192KB write (sort by value) | |
Samsung SSD 840 Pro 256 GB Desktop | |
Toshiba HG5d THNSNH256GCST 256 GB SSD |
4k Performance
Toshiba's HG5d cannot win any scenario in random access of 4 KB files. Samsung's SSD 840 Pro is significantly faster in writing. The difference becomes most apparent with 32 or 64 parallel accesses. However, these worst case scenarios are only of minor relevance in practice.
AS SSD | |
4K-64 Write (sort by value) | |
Samsung SSD 840 Pro 256 GB Desktop | |
Toshiba HG5d THNSNH256GCST 256 GB SSD | |
4K-64 Read (sort by value) | |
Samsung SSD 840 Pro 256 GB Desktop | |
Toshiba HG5d THNSNH256GCST 256 GB SSD | |
4K Write (sort by value) | |
Samsung SSD 840 Pro 256 GB Desktop | |
Toshiba HG5d THNSNH256GCST 256 GB SSD | |
4K Read (sort by value) | |
Samsung SSD 840 Pro 256 GB Desktop | |
Toshiba HG5d THNSNH256GCST 256 GB SSD |
CrystalDiskMark 3.0 | |
Write 4k QD32 (sort by value) | |
Samsung SSD 840 Pro 256 GB Desktop | |
Toshiba HG5d THNSNH256GCST 256 GB SSD | |
Read 4k QD32 (sort by value) | |
Samsung SSD 840 Pro 256 GB Desktop | |
Toshiba HG5d THNSNH256GCST 256 GB SSD |
Copy Performance
In the copy benchmark of AS SSD, the Toshiba drive performs better than Samsung's 840 Pro in two scenarios. As the results of the copy benchmarks can vary heavily from run to run, they should be taken with a pinch of salt. As in previous tests, we also recorded the Toshiba HG5d's best results.
AS SSD | |
Copy Game MB/s (sort by value) | |
Samsung SSD 840 Pro 256 GB Desktop | |
Toshiba HG5d THNSNH256GCST 256 GB SSD | |
Copy Program MB/s (sort by value) | |
Samsung SSD 840 Pro 256 GB Desktop | |
Toshiba HG5d THNSNH256GCST 256 GB SSD | |
Copy ISO MB/s (sort by value) | |
Samsung SSD 840 Pro 256 GB Desktop | |
Toshiba HG5d THNSNH256GCST 256 GB SSD |
Access Time
According to our measurements, the HG5d performs slightly worse than the competition in terms of access time, but this will be hardly noticeably in practice. Compared to conventional hard drives, which usually take 15 to 19 ms, 0.1 ms is excellent. You'll notice this advantage in every day tasks. In, particular files and programs will open faster.
AS SSD | |
Access Time Write (sort by value) | |
Samsung SSD 840 Pro 256 GB Desktop | |
Toshiba HG5d THNSNH256GCST 256 GB SSD | |
Access Time Read (sort by value) | |
Samsung SSD 840 Pro 256 GB Desktop | |
Toshiba HG5d THNSNH256GCST 256 GB SSD |
* ... smaller is better
Power Consumption
The power consumption is particularly crucial for components in notebooks. Compared to conventional hard drives, solid state drives first and foremost profit from their low energy demand under load. With the HG5d, Toshiba offers a very frugal drive. During sequential reading and writing, we measured maximums of only 1.48 watt and 1.7 watt. So, the power consumption is significantly lower than that of conventional hard drives and also considerably lower than competing SSDs' including the Samsung 840 Pro. As mass storage devices often wait idle, the minimum power consumption also plays an important role. While the Toshiba HG5d is very frugal with 0.65 watt, the Samsung 840 Pro performs even better with 0.3 watt. In addition, the minimum power consumption can be even lower in notebooks. Contrary to most desktop systems, notebooks can also use an existing power-saving mode and decrease power consumption even more.
Verdict
On the whole, Toshiba's HG5d delivers a decent performance. The test results are quite balanced and only significantly worse than those of established competitors in few aspects. In practice, you will hardly notice the difference in many scenarios.
Because of its low weight, low height of 7 mm and overall low power consumption the Toshiba HG5d is especially recommendable for light subnotebooks. While the price of currently 180 Euros (~$235) still appears appropriate, the end user will not like that the OEM product lacks a manufacturer's warranty.