We’ve said it countless times – the SSD market is growing and its growing fast and many of the well-known storage and DRAM manufacturers are all trying to get into the competition. This is an exciting time for consumers as the fierce competition helps drive innovation and reduce price. But when you’re at the shoes of these manufacturers, its a tough position getting your name across. Once such brand is Apotop who we have seen offering consumer products like memory cards, memory kits, power banks, etc. Now they are stepping into the SSD market.
Apotop is entering the SSD space with the S3x SATAIII SSD series and the one we have right now is the S3C series which will debut with capacities ranging from 128GB, 256GB and 512GB. The other series becing Apotop uses the Silicon Motion 2246EN controller, its debut in our test labs actually along with Apotop. We’re excited to see what this product brings to the table, given that it all offers this performance for a handsome price of only $59 for 128GB, $99 for 256GB and 512GB for $199.
[section label=”Specifications”]
Specifications
[table style=”table-striped”]| Capacity | 64GB / 128GB / 256GB / 512GB |
| NAND Flash | Multi-Level Cell (MLC) NAND Synchronous Flash Memory |
| NAND Controller | SMI SM2246 |
| Interface | SATA 3 6Gb/s (Backwards compatible with SATA II 3GB/s) |
| Form Factor | 2.5 inch; ultra-slim 7mm |
| Dimensions (L x W x T) | 100 x 69.85 x 7mm |
| Weight | 76g |
| Feature | TRIM COMMAND SUPPORT MAX 4K WRITE IOPS RAID SUPPORT |
| Performance | 64GB Performance (CDM) : Read: Up to 435MB/S Write: Up to 65MB/S128GB Performance (CDM) : Read: Up to 490MB/S Write: Up to 135MB/S256GB Performance (CDM) : Read: Up to 490MB/S Write: Up to 275MB/S512GB Performance (CDM) : Read: Up to 490MB/S Write: Up to 280MB/S |
| Operating System Support | Windows / Mac / Linux |
| Operating Temp | 0°C ~ 70°C |
| Storage Temp | -40°C ~ 85°C |
| Shock Resistance | 1500G |
| Power Consumption | 1.2W Active; 0.5W Idle |
| MTBF | 1,000,000hrs |
| Accessories | 3.5″ Adapter |
| Certifications | RoHS/CE/FCC/VCCI/BSMI |
| Warranty | 3 years |
| Disclaimer | 1 GB = 1,000,000,000 bytes. Actual usable space may be less than the total storage capacity listed to represent usable capacity of the SSD |
[/table]
[section label=”Closer Look”]
Closer Look
Apotop packages the Apotop S3C SSD in a sealed cardboard box which has a small clear window denoting the capacity of the SSD. Not much details is shown on the front with only essential details highlighted. At the back of the box though is a rich list of features and specs. The opening flaps of the Apotop S3C SSD are sealed for quality assurance.
Included in the packaging is a spacer for 9mm mounts and 3.5″ bracket.
The Apotop S3C SSD is clad in a semi-gloss, metal body lined with a purple label which denotes the model and capacity of the device. The S3C SSD is 7mm in thickness and is fully compatibly with any SATA-capable motherboards and devices.
Performance Testing
Test Setup
Processor: Intel Core i7 4770K
Motherboard:Â Biostar Hi-Fi Z87W 3D
Memory: Kingston HyperX Beast DDR3-2400
Storage: APOTOP S3C SSD 256GB
PSU: Seasonic Platinum 1000w
Maximum Potential Performance
Potential Write
Crystal DiskMark
AS SSD
Copy Tests
Performance at a glance: The Apotop S3C SSD delivered excellent figures especially on reads where it easily shows us some great results hovering past 500MB/s.
Conclusion
Let’s break down the score to see in detail our thoughts:
Performance. We usually keep our expectations in check when reviewing new items from brands we’re not familiar with thankfully though Apotop doesn’t hype their new SSD line as the messiah of storage. On a more serious note, the Apotop S3C SSD gives us some very decent read performance at past 550MB/s read speeds. Write speeds though are a bit more conservative but still Apotop does not overestimate its ratings with our test showing higher speeds that is written on the box.
Build Quality. Â The Apotop S3C SSD is similar to other SSD’s we’ve had in the lab. The aluminium body is well made and polished and there isn’t an apparent firmware bug with the latest revision. Something impressive for a first outing.
Functionality. Given the read rating of the S3C SSD, the Apotop S3C is recommended for read intensive applications like a boot drive, an app drive or for those that need to read-off databases more than they write, this can be a top choice for you guys.
Bundle. The package is minimal and covers all the basics although a cloning software would’ve been really helpful.
Value. At $99 for the 256GB model, that is the budget some have set for a 128GB model but with Apotop’s offering incredible low cost-per-GB values, its a no-brainer if you’re after a solid, high-performing storage solution especially for read applications like we’ve highlighted above.
The Apotop S3C SSD really surprised at how much it can do given its status as a relatively new player in the SSD space. Incredible read speeds at an irresistible price point, the Apotop S3C SSD is easily a top choice for anyone who wants faster storage that is well-within anyone’s budget.
One thing about availability though, Apotop plans to ship the S3C in the US and Asia first. Refer to your local dealer or favorite e-tailer for pricing and availability.
Apotop backs the S3C SSD with a 3-year warranty. We give it our B2G Value Award.
looks great.