Mach Xtreme Technology MX DS Turbo 120 GB SSD Review

Introduction

Presently, the fastest performance solid state drives on the market are based on the Sandforce SF-2281 controller. So they are one of the best options for those looking to upgrade their computer with an ultra fast SSD. We believe that 120 GB SSDs hit the sweet spot between price and capacity as 240 GB drives are a little expensive and 64 GB units are likely to get filled up too quickly. While many users may choose to combine a 120 GB drive with a mechanical hard drive for storing media files, it is just about large enough to use on its own in a laptop. Today we are going to look at the Mach Xtreme Technology MX DS Turbo 120 GB SSD.

Figure 1: Mach Xtreme Technology MX DS Turbo

Before proceeding, we highly suggest that you read our Anatomy of SSD Units tutorial which provides all the background information you need to know about SSDs. All the SSDs featured in this review use MLC memory chips.

The Patriot Wildfire 120 GB SSD comes with a 3.5”-to-2.5” adapter, so you can install it even if your case doesn’t have a 2.5” bay.

Figure 2: Mach Xtreme Technology MX DS Turbo 3.5” Adapter

In the table below, we are comparing the Mach Xtreme Technology MX DS Turbo with the three comparison drives we will be using, the Patriot Wildfire, Corsair Force 3 and Corsair Force GT. All four units use a SATA-600 interface and occupy the standard 2.5” form factor. The MX DS Turbo is supplied with an adapter that lets you use it with 3.5” drive mountings.

Manufacturer	Model	Model #	Capacity	Price
Mach Xtreme Technology	MX DS Turbo	MXSSD3MDST-120G	120 GB	USD 230
Patriot	Wildfire	PW120GS25SSDR	120 GB	USD 270
Corsair	Force 3	CSSD-F120GB3	120 GB	USD 195
Corsair	Force GT	CSSD-F120GBGT	120 GB	USD 225

We researched the prices at Newegg.com on the day that we published this review. In the table below, we provide a more in-depth technical comparison between the two drives. Most chip manufacturers don’t detail the specifics of their chips on their websites, so we are only linking to those we found.

Model	Controller	Buffer	Memory
MX DS Turbo	Sandforce SF-2281	NA	Intel 29F64G08ACME2 (16 x 8 GB)
Patriot Wildfire	Sandforce SF-2281	NA	Toshiba TH58TAG6D2FBA49 (16 x 8 GB)
Corsair Force 3	Sandforce SF-2281	NA	Micron 29F64G08CBAAA (16 x 8 GB)
Corsair Force GT	Sandforce SF-2281	NA	Micron 29F64G08CBAAB (16 x 8 GB)