Using an SSD (solid state drive) instead of a hard disk drive, at least as a primary unit to install the operating system and the most used programs and games, is the best option to build a PC with good performance, and the 240/250 GiB drives are getting affordable. We tested a low cost SSD, the SanDisk SSD PLUS of 240 GiB. Let’s see how it performs. The SanDisk SSD PLUS can be found on 120 GiB, 240 GiB, and 480 GiB capacities. The model we tested has 256 GiB total memory, but it is sold as 240 GiB because 16 GiB are reserved for “overprovisioning”. In our tests, we will compare the performance of the SSD PLUS to the Crucial BX100 and the Corsair Neutron XT, both with similar capacity. However, keep in mind that the Neutron XT is not a direct competitor to the reviewed model, since it is a mainstream model, not an entry one like the SSD PLUS. 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. In the table below, we compared the tested units. All of them use SATA-600 interface and the 2.5” form factor, with 7 mm height.
Prices we researched at Newegg.com on the day this review was published. * This price refers to the BX200 model, which replaced the BX100. In the table below, we compared technical specs of the tested drives.
A+ El Diablo Advance from Tagan is a full-tower case with a big 330-mm side fan, two 180-mm fans on the top and one 250-mm fan on the front, plus a thermometer. Let’s see if this is really a good case.
We took an in-depth look at this big 650 W power supply from StarTech.com that uses a dual-transformer design, feature that we’ve seen only on very high-end units. Let’s see If it survives our tests.
