Integral SSD 2.5 SATA II USB 64GB

As its name indicates the Integral SSD 2.5 SATA II & USB 64 GB offers both an SATA-2 connection, so it can be used as an internal drive, and a USB 2.0 socket for use as an external storage device. This is also a good way of easily copying the content of the standard drive on a laptop before replacing it with this SSD from Integral.

It comes in 32 GB, 64 GB, 128 GB and 256 GB versions. We tested the 64 GB version.
Like the other versions, it uses MLC memory and a JMicron JMF602 controller. We weren't therefore expecting exceptional performance levels with small files, particularly for random reads/writes.


Pure performance

First we use CrystalDiskMark to give us an idea of the drive's performance:
 

CrystalDiskMark

The basic IOmeter tests generally support the analysis drawn from the first set of results:
 

Iometer

In both the previous tests, performances are good for reads but drop off for writes, particularly with small files.

The average and maximum access times were measured for random reads and writes of small 4 KB files in IOmeter:  

Access times for 4 KB files

Once again, the access times for writes are mediocre, largely down to the JMF602 controller that suffers from not being well-designed for this type of operation.

We also use Iometer to simulate use in four different working environments: database, file server, web server and workstation. We add to these a read and write test of small 4 KB files. The results are given in IO/s (inputs-outputs per second):
 

Profile simulations

Performances are well above those for standard hard drives but not up to the mark in terms of the best current SSDs, which are almost twice as good.


Performance in practice

These performances were measured with PCMark Vantage. They have been evaluated with an overall score and scores for each usage (Windows, Defender, gaming, Windows Vista startup and so on):

PCMark Vantage

In practice, like for most SSDs, even entry-level, this model allows you to boost the performance of an ageing computer or laptop. The hard drive is often a machine's weakest link. Once again the results don't measure up to the best SSDs but are a good deal better than mid or even high-end standard hard drives.


Performance consistency

After 15 minutes of intensive writing of small random files, we took a reading of write performance levels once again, using the same protocol as in the "pure performance" section. The idea is to see if there's a drop in speed, and in what proportion:
 

Test of speeds before and after intensive usage

The loss in efficiency is well contained in sequential writes for large files but things are a good deal worse with random writes for large or small files. Speeds can be divided by 5 and 25 respectively. Best to use some TRIM support software if you don't have an operating system (like Windows 7) which supports TRIM natively.