INTRODUCTION

   M.2 NVMe SSDs (solid state drives) may currently be at the top when it comes to read/write performance numbers but just like 2.5/3.5" HDDs (hard disk drives) it's a safe bet that due to their compatibility with older systems (both desktops and laptops) 2.5" SATA SSDs aren't going anywhere at least not anytime soon. Because of that manufacturers still roll out several different models per year and although as many of you are certainly aware it's been long since the bandwidth throughput (600MB/s) of the SATA III interface was almost maxed out (at least in terms of maximum read/write numbers - not constant) newer NAND flash controllers and modules tend to offer increased endurance/durability numbers. Mushkin recently released their value oriented SOURCE line of SSDs and today with us we have the 250GB capacity model.

   For over 25 years, Mushkin has been dedicated to helping gamers, digital artists, IT managers and professionals alike enhance their computing experience by providing reliable, high-performance products. Mushkin’s products include a complete selection of USB, SSD and memory module upgrades for both the consumer and enterprise industries. Since the company’s founding in 1994, Mushkin has received numerous awards and commendations for quality, reliability, and technical excellence.

   Catering to the needs of the majority of the consumer base Mushkin has made the new SOURCE line of SSDs available in 120/250/500/1000GB capacities and in both 2.5" and M.2 2280 form factors. Under the hood of the SOURCE line of SSDs we find the DRAM-less SM2258XT quad-channel NAND flash controller by Silicon Motion along with 64-layer 3D TLC NAND flash by Micron (same as with our recent review of the BX500 model by Crucial). Once again the Silicon Motion SM2258XT NAND flash controller packs features like MEDS (Mushkin Enhanced Data-protection Suite - low-density parity check error correcting code) which ensures valuable data is protected, Static Data Refresh technology (ensures data integrity), S.M.A.R.T, TRIM, NCQ, thermal-throttling, active garbage collection, DevSleep (device sleep) and SLC write caching (algorithms for optimal sustained performance). Mushkin covers the entire SOURCE line of SSDs with a limited 3 year warranty and reports a write endurance of 50TBW for the 120GB model, 100TBW for the 250GB model, 200TBW for the 500GB model and 400TBW for the 1TB model along with an MTBF of 1.5 million hours (for the entire line).