CoreRise Comay Venus 3S 120GB Fixed TRIM [F/W 2.54 - 5.04] 2.5" SATA3 MLC Flash Synchronous Solid State Drive Review @ ModSynergy.com
By: Michael Phrakaysone
If you've been keeping track of the prices of memory and storage solutions, you might have noticed that prices have been steadily dropping at a rapid pace. Not only are DDR3 memory modules now on the decline, storage mediums such as the conventional spinning hard disk are finally dropping in price from the recent price hikes seen by retailers.
The manufacturers were claiming that the higher prices that were seen was due to the floods that affected Thailand late last year, where a good number of these hard drives are being produced, but I only believe in parts of their story. In my opinion, I believe the manufactures (and partly the media) used the flooding as an excuse, exploited and over exaggerated the situation in order to charge more for their products for a lengthy period of time.
The negative that came of out of the hard drive situation made way for the solid state drive to increase its awareness as manufactures took this opportunity to implement deals to place their SSD's price in line with the price hikes of normal conventional spinning hard disks. I mean the price hikes were ridiculous at one point because the amount of money you spent on a hard drive, you could have purchased an SSD, and the noticeable improvement you would have gained would have made you a satisfied customer.
As SSD's continue to fall in price and offer incentives such as main-in-rebates to entice customers to buy their products, most customers are not sure who's product is better. Most people who know a bit about SSD's know that there are a handful of companies that offer them. The most popular brands you have out there right now are companies such as Intel, Patriot Memory, Corsair, Crucial, Kingston and maybe OCZ. But what about the companies you don't know about? Do you just turn a blind eye and not give them a chance? Aren't most of these computer products, and for that matter products in general, made in China in the first place?
This leads me into introducing the CoreRise brand. CoreRise Electronics Corporation is a Chinese company founded in 2008 and is based in Suzhou, China. They are a manufacturer of Flash based storage solutions for applications that include Enterprise Servers, Workstations, Industrial, and for consumers that own personal computers. The CoreRise company motto is Push the Future! which I found to be a good motto to stand by. Their SSD brand name is called Comay.
Always looking to review the products from companies that most have never heard and also looking for the unique products that customers might want to own, I jumped at the chance in reviewing one of CoreRise's newest Consumer Grade SATA 3 offering, the Comay Venus 3S 120GB 2.5" SATA III MLC Synchronous NAND Flash SSD. Sporting 120GB of Micron MLC Synchronous NAND flash memory, and utilizing the SandForce SF-2281 SSD processor, read on to know more about the CoreRise brand, what you can expect from their SSD's, and if SSD manufacturers should take notice with the CoreRise Comay movement.
About CoreRise Electronics Co., Ltd
CoreRise Electronics Corporation is a Chinese company founded in 2008 and bases their R&D and production in Suzhou, China, while their sales channel operates within Shanghai. CoreRise is a manufacturer of Flash based storage solutions for applications that include Enterprise Servers, Workstations, Industrial, and for consumers that own personal computers. The CoreRise company motto is push the future which I found to be a good motto to stand by. They look to devote themselves in providing the best SSD products to its customers all around the world. Their SSD brand name is called Comay.
About SandForce
‘SandForce Flash Storage and SSD Processors are designed to provide innovative and differentiated solutions for standard NAND flash memory to reliably operate in enterprise storage environments. SandForce Flash Storage and SSD Processors with DuraClass technology provide SSD's with best-in-class reliability, performance, and power efficiency.’
‘SandForce® Flash Storage and SSD Processors use DuraClass™ technology with RAISE™ and patented and patent pending DuraWrite™ to drive ubiquitous deployment of volume flash memory into primary and I/O intensive data storage applications. SandForce Driven™ SSD's dramatically optimize mission-critical application reliability, IT infrastructure ROI, green power preservation, and everyday computing user experiences.’
Comay Venus 3S MLC Synchronous SSD Product Overview
Accelerate To the Extreme High Throughput: Leveraging the cutting edge 2Xnm MLC Nand Flash and fine tuned circuit design, the Comay SATA III SSD Venus 3s delivers superior high throughput and exceptional low Total Ownership Cost.
Outperform HDD's: The Venus 3s series implements top quality Nand Flash chips, the most competent processor and the elegant fine tuned circuit design, providing superior performance and reliability that surpass the leading HDD's used today.
With no moving parts, the Venus 3s SSD has much faster performance and much lower power consumption than HDD's. Based on a SATA III 6Gbps interface, it offers sequential read speed up to 555MB/s, sequential write speed up to 520MB/s, 4KB random read IOPS up to 67500 and 4KB write IOPS up to 82500, while it consumes only 3W power during operation!
The Venus 3s series is made of Original IMFT MLC Nand Flash; it offers not only a trustful stable high performance but also a long endurance of 3K P/E cycle.
Solid State means reliable and rigid. The Venus 3s series eliminates the risk of mechanical failures and offers a highly rugged storage solution. It works well under 0~70℃ temperature and 20G vibration conditions. The MTBF is 2 million hours.
Preeminence with SandForce Processor: The SF2281 Processor is the best solution for mission critical and portable data storage applications where power application performance, responsiveness
data security and cost-performance ratio are important.
The SF 2281 processor features high level security protocols to protect data stored in Flash memory. DuraClass technology automatically stores data in a highly secure AES 256&128 hardware encrypted format that double encrypts the data. It also supports TCG OPAL security requirements.
Added Values by Exclusive Innovations: The Comay SSD Software Toolbox integrates SSD health condition monitoring, firmware upgrading and quick performance recovery. It maximizes hardware and software configurations and contributes to maintain the ultimate and stable performance. When the SSD performance declines after a certain period of operation, users can download the Comay SSD Toolbox from http://www.corerise.com/en/tech_show.php?id=34 and run the software. This will delete all garbage data, lower down the WA and extend the life span of the SSD.
CoreRise proprietary of fine tuned circuit design, minimizing data transferring distances, giving anti-static and cooling system architecture, promises Comay SSD's better operation efficiency, security and competence than most SSD's who adopts reference circuit designs.
Incomparable Quality Assurance: CoreRise innovations of non-harmful pre-SMT flash sorting and host-SMT testing eliminates potential Flash quality issues at the very beginning of manufacturing, ensuring Comay SSD's incomparable Flash reliability. The Venus 3s series passes CoreRise strict CR-C/E tests and low level in-depth tests, notably preventing maintenance or repairing cost.
Applications Guidance: Venus 3s series implements 2Xnm Synchronous MLC Nand Flash, providing superior high throughput for desktop/laptop and computing systems.
Comay Asynchronous solutions are also orderable with lower cost than Synchronous solutions.
However, for write intensive applications, we strongly recommend SLC Flash solutions with competent long write endurance.
Optional functions: strong ruggedness, conformal coating, extended temperature, etc.
Comay Venus 3S 120GB MLC Synchronous SSD Product Features
- High Performance
- Sleep-Wake up-Problem-Free
- One-Key Optimization ToolBox
- Overload-Proof
- Passed CR-C Standardized Test
- Pb-Free
- TRIM & RAID Support
- MLC Synchronous NAND Flash Memory
Comay Venus 3S 120GB MLC Synchronous SSD Product Specifications
- Max Sequential Read/Write (Compressible): Up to 555/520MB/s (Box sticker incorrectly states 515/490MB/s)
- Sustained Sequential Read/Write (Incompressible): 500/175MB/s
- 4KB Read/Write IOPS: Up to 13,000/81,000
- Seek Time: <0.2ms
- Shock Resistance: 2000G @ 0.5ms
- Vibration: 20G Peak, 4~2000Hz with 3 axis
- MTBF: 2,000,000 hours
About SandForce SF-2200/2100
‘Today’s award-winning SandForce Driven™ SSD's are well known for their performance and features. The SandForce® SF-2200/2100 - the second generation of SandForce SSD Processors - continue accelerating SSD deployment in enthusiast and mainstream client computing platforms. The SF-2200/2100 is an ideal solution for portable storage applications where power consumption, boot-up time, application performance, responsiveness, and small form factor are important.
The Client SSD Processors have integrated enhanced DuraClass™ Technology that is architected to leverage today’s densest SLC and MLC NAND flash memory. They deliver best-in-class performance, endurance, security, and power efficiency in a “DRAM-less”, single chip solution.’
Features:
- Second generation SSD Processor with enterprise-class features for cost-sensitive client environments
- 6Gb/s SATA III with NCQ support
- Best-in-class, consistent read and write performance (500MB/s, 20K Random Writes IOPS) for client applications
- Automatic double encryption (AES-256, 128), TCG OPAL and password at the drive level ensures secure data protection
- Supports the latest 3xnm & 2xnm SLC & MLC flash memory with Asynch/Toggle/ONFi2 interfaces
- DuraClass™ technology provides best-in-class endurance, performance, and low power
- Optimized, single-chip eliminates need for external memory saving cost, power and space
- High integration supports up to 512GB on a 2.5” or 1.8” drive
- Power balancing optimizes energy consumption (# active flash devices) vs. performance
- Ultra low-power mode to maximize battery life
- RAISE™ provides RAID-like protection for single SSD client systems
- Highly intelligent block management & wear leveling optimizes SSD longevity
- Complete solution provided through ASIC, FW, turnkey reference designs, tools, documentation and support
First Impressions
Being the first CoreRise Comay SSD product I've ever reviewed, I was anxious and excited going into this review. Not knowing anything previously about the product leaves me with an open-mind and unbiased viewpoint.
The design of the box is environmentally friendly because it's very compact and easy to discard of. Composed out of an outer paper shell, a well thought out cardboard enclosure seals the SSD out of harm's way with lots of foam padding for security. No plastic is used within the packaging meaning it's even easier to recycle. There was not even a hint of damage to the package being traveled through China to Canada.
The actual design of the outer packaging to be truthful isn't the prettiest. One of the things I learned from art and design classes is that the color grey is one of the harder colors to work with because the odds of it turning out bland is high if not done properly. The front of the Comay SSD box essentially features a simple grey-to-white background. It's like they didn't feel like trying.
Top left is the Comay Premium SSD logo, which isn't printed very sharp, the company motto and information at the bottom left, and two stickers on the top right, one describing the Comay model name, and the other for the SandForce driven logo.
To be honest this is probably one of the weakest design I've seen in a while for a product design package. They should have printed an image of the SSD in the front of the box where all the negative space is located, or they could have cut out a window to see the actual SSD product that is inside.
The back of the box thankfully has more information and looks busy, an opposite of the lackluster front. Located is a disclaimer, barcode serial number, product features and specifications of the Comay Venus 3S SSD. Please note that the sticker on this product box and SSD incorrectly states the Max Sequential Read/Write (Compressible) numbers. The real numbers should say: Up to 555/520MB/s, however, the box sticker and SSD incorrectly states 515/490MB/s. CoreRise regrets this error.
The sides of the box contain the company name and brief description saying: COMAY, your choice for SSD! Comay Solid-State Drives adopted the latest technology, the best Nand flash chips and strict management to deliver incredible performance, reliable quality and wonderful experience. It is compatible with Windows, Mac, and Linux. You will be amazed by its features as follows: Sophisticated Design, Latest Technology, Fine Components, Absolutely No Noise, Fastest Speed, Standardized Test, Long Life Span, Highly Reliable & Stable.
Open the box and you will find a corrugated pack that was well thought out. This should have somehow been the main design in the beginning. The way the corrugated shell opens and closes is clever, it has a window that shows the actual SSD. The bundle is within this shell.
There's really no bundle with the purchase of the CoreRise Comay Venus 3S 120GB SSD. All you really have is the actual CoreRise Comay Venus 3S 120GB SSD and User Guide Manual. There are no mounting screws, no 2.5" to 3.5" mounting frame bracket, and no SATA cable. Think of it as barebones because all you have is what you paid for. I can't really fault CoreRise because if the other guys don't bundle, why should CoreRise? It would have been a welcome bonus though to add in a 2.5" to 3.5" mounting frame bracket.
Visual Overview
I'm not going to deny that I am fond of the way the Comay Venus 3S looks because it's frankly stunning with the brushed aluminum appearance. Needless to say I'm a sucker for brushed aluminum, and this SSD has real and not fake brushed aluminum. When you look at the solid state drive under different lighting conditions, it sparkles while you notice all the uniform lines from the brushed aluminum exterior. It's just a look that is modern and industrial, something unusual from the standard drab exteriors of some SSD's The edges are rounded out to put a stop to any possible cuts when handling the SSD. There are four screw holes on the side and top of the SSD to mount the Comay Venus 3S into your PC case or notebook computer.
The front of the Venus 3S contains the blue printed Comay branded logo and the words Comay Premium SSD. The Venus 3S holds the conventional height of 9.3mm and can be used in desktops and conventional notebook computers and netbooks. The measurements are 100.2 x 69.9 x 9.3mm in size and this SSD cannot be used with the newer ultra-thin variants, as the height requirement for those is shorter at 7mm. However, in reality you can use this on an ultra-thin, but you would have to do so without the enclosure, which most won't elect to try.
The rear of the Venus 3S contains a large sticker that is the same as the one on the product box, displaying information such as the manufacture and model name, the features and specifications, and the serial number located at the bottom. The SATA power and data connectors sit on top of the SSD and feature bright gold contacts for better conductivity.
Notice around the stickers are four Philips screws that are to hold the enclosure shut. One of these screws has a warranty sticker on the top, but I will be sacrificing warranty to show you readers the internals of the CoreRise Comay Venus 3S 120GB SSD.
Tearing it down -- I mean opening it up :)
Please note that by opening the CoreRise Comay Venus 3S SSD, you forfeit the 2-year warranty that comes along with it. Luckily I will take that burden for you by opening up the SSD to see the components that the Venus 3S is comprised of.
Have a look at the internals of the Comay Venus 3S solid state drive. It's made from a predictable green color Plotech printed circuit board. You can tell it's finished on a machine since all the solder and contacts are flawlessly finished with no goops or mess. There seems to be no mistakes on this board and everything looks of high quality. There are no re-works on the board, the last thing you want to see on a PCB.
The layout of the board is spacious, but contains empty spots on the PCB meant for different components that have not been included with this model. Some of these empty spots are for extra NAND flash memory, and there's one big empty space that is surrounded by contacts on the backside just below the CoreRise logo. I wonder what that is for and if we'll be able to find out what's supposed to be there...I guess we'll leave that for another review (*cough*).
The first thing you become aware of is the SandForce SSD controller because everything beside it is empty. This processor is the SandForce SF-2281 and is used to support features such SATA 6GB/s with Native Command Queuing support, TRIM, automatic data encryption AES-128, 48-bit LBA, APM, and has a host of algorithms that control and extend the life of the SSD with features such as Garbage Collection, read and block management for wear leveling purposes.
The NAND flash memory on the 120GB version of the Venus 3S is covered by the serial number sticker. When taken off, it's revealed that four Micron IKA12 NW296 2xnm NAND flash memory chips lay on the same plane on the PCB. These are likely 32GB chips with the only 120GB (before formatting) being used and the rest reserved for other functions. These Micron NAND chips are Synchronous MLC based memory meaning they are the faster than their asynchronous counterparts. They are rated for a program-erase cycle of 3000 before the wear begins to deteriorate the integrity of the storage, however, that is where the SandForce SF-2281 SSD controller comes in to extend the lifecycle of the SSD with its block management and wear leveling algorithms.
Performance Benchmarks and Real-World Tests
ATTO Disk Benchmark is a trusted and established application that tests raw data in Compressible form within the drive being tested. It's demonstrated over the years to supply steady and consistent results, one of the reasons why ATTO Disk Benchmark is the preferred benchmark in order to give a baseline score of maximum throughput performance. Most SSD manufacturers' maximum sequential read/write speed claims are done with ATTO Disk Benchmark for this very reason.
The numbers you see here are the best case scenario numbers you can expect from this SSD. The default transfer size of 0.5 to 8192KB was selected to be tested along with a length of 256MB.
All remaining benchmarks used here such as AS SSD and CrystalDiskMark are testing with (for the most part) Incompressible data, which some SSD drive controllers may or may not struggle with. That is why on occasion you see the disparity between numbers that are in ATTO Disk Benchmark compared to those of other benchmarks. If the numbers are drastically different, you can draw the conclusion that the particular SSD drive controller suffers when reading/writing incompressible data.
For example, in AS SSD benchmark, the write numbers are much different than those of seen on ATTO Disk Benchmark, and the reason is because one is testing Compressible data, while the other Incompressible data.
As mentioned earlier, the sticker on this product box and Venus 3S solid state drive incorrectly states the Max Sequential Read/Write (Compressible) numbers. The real numbers should say: Up to 555/520MB/s, and NOT 515/490MB/s. Without further ado, let's see what the Comay Venus 3S can do in our Intel based 2012 PC build. Full specifications on our test bed can be found here.
I found a new and interesting SSD benchmark called Anvil's Storage Utilities that I will start to use from this point on because it tests a variety of scenarios and combines many of what the other benchmarks do separately into one full fledged benchmark with more flexibility. The SSD is tested under different queue lengths for read and write testing, it reports on access times and also IOPS performance. The version I am using is RC2. More information can be found here regarding Anvil's Storage Utilities.
URL: http://www.xtremesystems.org/forums/showthread.php?273661-Anvil-s-Storage-Utilities
Editors Note [F/W 2.54 - SandForce 5.0.4 TRIM fixed]: This is firmware 2.54 from CoreRise. The cross reference equivalent to the new SandForce firmware 5.0.4 that fixes broken TRIM functionality. This affected any SandForce SSD's that had firmware 5.02 or 5.0.3. Broken TRIM on these SSD's firmware means the SSD performance would degrade over continued normal usage without the user knowing a thing, even if it was being reported as working. The performance drop would continue the more you used the SSD, TRIM wasn't able to do what it needed to keep performance at optimum levels. The guys from TweakTown were the ones that found this issue first. It's best to read their article to know more about this issue.
TweakTown Article URL - Broken TRIM SandForce Firmware
CoreRise was contacted about this issue and responded professionally and swiftly, already having the latest SandForce 5.0.4 in their labs being validated and optimized for their SSD's. I could not express how easy it was to update the firmware using the CoreRise Comay SSD Tool.
Updating the Firmware
Updating the firmware on the CoreRise Comay Venus 3S was very easy. To update the firmware, you first need to download the Comay SSD Tool application on the CoreRise website. This simple application allows you to view information regarding the hard drives being used on your computer, the manufacturing date, the model, serial number, firmware version, supported features, SATA link speed, and monitoring status information.
The actual updating of the firmware is done online. Here's how to update the firmware.
1. Open up the Comay SSD Tool and verify the firmware revision. In this case, our SSD reads 2.52, which is CoreRise's numbering convention and relates to generic SandForce 5.0.2 firmware. It is advised that you back up information before attempting to upgrade the firmware.
2. Click on the Management tab. There are two radio buttons, one called Restore Perf, and the other called Update FW. Click on Update FW. A new window appears.
3. Click on the Check button. The Current version and Latest Version lines will populate with the firmware version currently on the SSD and the latest one available to download and install.
Click on Update. The tool automatically connects to the CoreRise server, downloads and flashes the firmware to the SSD automatically within a couple of seconds.
4. Once flashing of the latest firmware is complete, a new window appears and says that it is successful. Click OK. Turn off the computer, and turn back on the computer again after a couple of seconds.
5. Re-open Comay SSD Tool and head to the Properties tab with the SSD selected. Verify that the firmware revision indicates the latest firmware of version 2.54.
Comay SSD Tool information: http://www.corerise.com/en/tech_show.php?id=34
The Results
The following results will alternate between the before and after firmware upgrade results.
BEFORE firmware 2.54
AFTER firmware 2.54
BEFORE firmware 2.54
AFTER firmware 2.54
BEFORE firmware 2.54
AFTER firmware 2.54
BEFORE firmware 2.54
AFTER firmware 2.54
BEFORE firmware 2.54
AFTER firmware 2.54
BEFORE firmware 2.54
AFTER firmware 2.54
BEFORE firmware 2.54
AFTER firmware 2.54
BEFORE firmware 2.54
AFTER firmware 2.54
BEFORE firmware 2.54
AFTER firmware 2.54
AFTER firmware 2.54
BEFORE firmware 2.54
AFTER firmware 2.54
BEFORE firmware 2.54
AFTER firmware 2.54
BEFORE firmware 2.54
AFTER firmware 2.54
BEFORE firmware 2.54
AFTER firmware 2.54
BEFORE firmware 2.54
AFTER firmware 2.54
BEFORE firmware 2.54
AFTER firmware 2.54
BEFORE firmware 2.54
AFTER firmware 2.54
BEFORE firmware 2.54
AFTER firmware 2.54
I calculated with the stop-watch that boot up time into a brand new Windows 7 installation takes only about 13-14 seconds, whereas using a 10,000RPM hard drive took between 30-40 seconds. SSD's. like the CoreRise Comay Venus 3S makes an amazing difference!
The newest TRIM fixing firmware of 2.52 (equivalent to SandForce 5.0.4) on the CoreRise Comay Venus 3S 120GB SSD provided increased performance in just about every aspect, and in all benchmark applications run. It already made the great performance even better! The newest firmware upgrade allows the Comay Venus 3S to experience top performance, and I'm very happy to see the increased performance. This shows that TRIM was indeed not working as it was supposed to, that performance was being degraded each time benchmarks were ran. There were some numbers from the new firmware that were a few digits off from the old, but for the most part the performance improvements were easily noticed.
In AS SSD benchmark, the total score increased by a full 45 points using the newest firmware. Read performance and IOPS performance through 4K read improved greatly, while write performance stayed virtually the same.
In HD Tune you can visually see the improvements made by the new firmware. You can look at the graphs alone and see that it's almost completely different, in a great way. The plot on the graphs are drastically different as the squiggly lines and inconsistency is not as before. This resulted in faster average speed , and overall faster performance.
Even Anvil's Storage Utilities benchmark netted overall gains of almost 18 full points in the incompressible test and netted more than 36 points in the compressible test. In the 0-Fill compressible test, the write 4K QD16 score increased to 91,730.44 IOPS from the already insanely 91,613.40 IOPS score from the previous firmware. In some areas, the 4K read performance dropped with the new firmware, despite the overall score improving.
I said previously with the old firmware that the 120GB CoreRise Comay Venus 3S comes short of offering performance from that of our highest performing unit in the Patriot Memory Wildfire, however, this new firmware really closes the gap in that regard. And if you factor in the price of this 120GB drive being under $100USD, I feel the Comay Venus 3S is a no-brainer and even more impressive. In AS SSD benchmark, the Venus 3S is only 109 points away from the Patriot Memory Wildfire SSD, despite the Wildfire being substantially more expensive. In other benchmarks such as HD Tune and CrystalDiskMark, and with the new firmware, the Venus 3S now can hang with the best, offering compelling performance.
This SSD is targeted as being a consumer grade model that is used for upgrade situations in desktop and notebook computer applications, and I would see no reason why a regular consumer would ever look to upgrade once they ran the Venus 3S. Programs such as Adobe Photoshop open super quick and every execution is lighting quick. SSD's even make anti-virus and spyware programs finish much faster due to its lighting quick read speeds and super low access times.
Surprising was that the Venus 3S managed to best the numbers of its Max Sequential Read/Write (Compressible) numbers of 555/520MB/s in the ATTO Disk Benchmark. It managed in our Intel Core i7-2600K/Intel DP67BGB3 combo an impressive 559MB/s read and 530MB/s write, more than what the specifications call for, and a tad more than what the previous firmware managed.
Anvil's Storage Utilities 0-Fill compressible benchmark test revealed an incredible high of 91,730 write IOPS for its 4K QD16 test. An excellent result and much greater than the rated 81,000 IOPS write maximum. There's not many SSD's that can reach this number, so this is an insanely high 4K QD16 write IOPS score!!
The new firmware lost IOPS performance in the 4K QD16 read score. Unfortunate, but in the other read tests it increase and now offers a better final read score. Before we saw only 29,021 IOPS with the old firmware, but now we only see a drop to 22,940 IOPS despite the increase in the other areas resulting in a higher overall total read score. The increase in the final overall score is welcome, but the rated 40,000 IOPS maximum is still not met. Improvements still can be made.
The rated 40,000 IOPS is comparable with what is offered from the competition. I just find it peculiar that in one spectrum the drive managed an insane 4K QD16 write score of 91,730 IOPS, but in the other only managed 22,940 IOPS for its 4K QD16 read score. The gap between the two (read/write) is too large in this scenario. The SandForce controller obviously excels more with compressible data as opposed to incompressible data, so take that into consideration when SSD hunting.
As for the other benchmarks, it too revealed that the suggested Sustained Sequential Read/Write (Incompressible) of 500/175MB/s is in line with what you can expect. We were able to achieve roughly about the same numbers, and actually more in some other benchmarks.
AS SSD Benchmark obtained 488.94MB/s read, and 180.03MB/s write, with an increased total combined score of 541 using the latest TRIM fixing firmware. Previously we saw a total score of 496 using the old firmware. An increase of 45 points was seen, the majority coming from the read column, the write score increased by just 1 point. We saw a high of 43,855 write IOPS and nice boost of 35,017 read IOPS (previous 27,581 with old firmware). The 512B read result with the new firmware increased a ton from the previous firmware. Compared with the old 512B read result of 5,916, the new firmware obtained 11,869, an increase of 5,953 more IOPS!
Anvil's Storage Utilities incompressible benchmark test revealed a high of a 46,304 write IOPS (previously 45,941) and a score of 19,429 read IOPS (a decrease from 21,479). The other read scores increased overall though.
CrystalDiskMark achieved 507MB/s read, and 192MB/s write sequential speeds, an increase from the past firmware. Don't forget about the 4K QD32 test in CrystalDiskMark because this one also is something that can determine real world performance (unlikely scenario maybe) making use of the NCQ and AHCI support of the SSD. The Venus 3S manages 208MB/s read and 192.5MB/s write for its 4K QD32.
Access time numbers were improved with the new firmware and decreased overall resulting in fasterperformance. Though still a little slower than the Patriot Memory Wildfire and its Toshiba Toggle-Mode Synchronous NAND memory. However, I would say the Comay Venus 3S did a fine job at hanging in with the Wildfire. In no way was I let down, the new firmware made the overall performance improve.
With the old firmware, the interesting and unusual sight were the graphs that the HD Tune benchmark demonstrated. For the read and write benchmark tests, those lines were not smooth and consistent as in some of my other SSD reviews, but rather squiggly and atypical. The graph for the write benchmark, those orange lines are consistently large, meaning the SSD performance isn't as consistent throughout. Sometimes the performance is fast, then drops for a bit, then picks back up, this cycle would continue throughout.
The HD Tune benchmark graphs with squiggly and atypical lines is a thing of the past. The lines for both read and write are smaller and closer together, much more consistent, and better overall. The new firmware provides lower access times, higher average performance, and the minimum performance number is higher (better) with the new firmware.
With the latest firmware, the Venus 3S performs almost as close to the Patriot Memory Wildfire. The squiggly lines seen in HD Tune are now much improved, almost looking like an entirely different SSD. It now shows that it can sustain consistent performance for a longer period of time, even more than before. The SATA2 Patriot Memory Torqx original was the closest thing you had to a straight line that I could remember.
When I reviewed the Venus 3S with the previous 2.52 broken TRIM firmware, I said that the Patriot Memory Wildfire SATA3 SSD remains the fastest SSD we've ever reviewed. That still remains the case. But it came at a premium cost well north of $300. Was it worth it? Maybe for some. You be the judge.
With the new 2.54 (SandForce 5.0.4) firmware, the CoreRise Comay Venus 3S closes the performance gap even further! It's well within striking distance to the numbers put up by the Patriot Memory Wildfire SSD. It can certainly hold its own and the amazing part is the price that the CoreRise Comay Venus 3S SSD can be found for; under $100USD! The Patriot Memory Wildfire is almost 2-3x more expensive. Just compare the performance with my Patriot Memory Wildfire review and you'll be surprised like I was with the new firmware.
You have to remember something though. The specifications on the SandForce SF-2281 controller states that it provides "best-in-class, consistent read and write performance (500MB/s) for client applications". Well CoreRise wasn't about to play it safe and just offer performance of up to 500MB/s. Likewise with the manufactures who have experience and expertise, CoreRise increased these values into 555/520MB/s, and the results show that not only are the numbers attainable, they are beatable, which isn't always the case. This is to be commended and shows that CoreRise isn't fooling around. They are serious in making a splash into the SSD market. They are serious about people recognizing the CoreRise brand, and the Comay Venus 3S is only just one of those products that's going to help them achieve their goal.
Conclusion
Walking away from my very first review of a CoreRise product in the form of the Venus 3S solid state drive, I have to say that this has been a positive experience and I feel there is lots of potential from what I see from a CoreRise product.
Being targeted as a consumer grade solution that is used for upgrade situations in desktop and notebook computer applications, CoreRise did not skimp on their choice of components. They chose a proven and not budgetary means of an SSD controller in the form of a SandForce controller, they chose to use a quality name brand for their NAND in the form of a 2xnm Micron memory, and chose the faster choice in having their memory synchronous in design. They did not opt to use cheaper and slower asynchronous memory or an SSD controller that no one knows about. It's clear what kind of manufacture CoreRise is by the level of components they use.
Performance coming from the 120GB Venus 3S was highlighted by the excellent compressible 4K QD16 IOPS write score of 91,730 IOPS, something only a select few can manage to achieve, and the CoreRise Comay managed to pull it off. This alone left a lasting impression.
On the flip side, I felt that the gap between the 4K IOPS write score, and that of the compressible and incompressible 4K IOPS read score, was larger than it needed to be. It fell short of its rated 40,000 IOPS read maximum.
About the only negatives I have regarding the Venus 3S is solely based on product package design. I think it looks boring but they have time to improve for future generations of products. Also as I mentioned before, no mounting bracket for use in 3.5" drive bays.
The second negative is availability. CoreRise brand awareness isn't remotely high in North America, almost unknown, but that will continue to improve as CoreRise obtains distributors. All I know is that if you want a CoreRise product in North America, a Canadian distributor named Synetic Inc. distributes them along M-FACTORS.
I found out that customers from the USA/Canada can now purchase the 120GB Comay Venus 3S SSD from M-FACTORS. They are an authorized CoreRise distributor located in Santa Ana, California. The Venus 3S is remarkably priced against the competition, fantastic news because it's highly affordable and within everyone's reach. 120GB goes for only $87.50USD, which is an excellent price!
60GB sells for $59, 120GB for $87.50, 240GB for $156, and 480GB for $299. Shipping is extra, but a flat rate of $5.95 for USA shipments is really cheap. Shipping to Canada starts from $9.25USD which isn't bad at all. This is exceptional value folks, and now you can own a CoreRise Comay SSD rather easily in North America. Taking into factor the latest firmware that provides fixed TRIM functionality, and additional boost of performance, I seriously would not even hesitate in grabbing one. The Venus 3S is just THAT GOOD!.
With the latest 2.54 firmware (SandForce 5.0.4), TRIM is fixed and performance is even more than it was prior to the upgrade. The CoreRise Comay Venus 3S provides top performance at an hard to believe price, making it all the more attractive to own. Seriously at this price it's almost hard to overlook purchasing the Venus 3S. The saying "you get what you pay for" is certainly not the case with this SSD. The CoreRise Comay Venus 3S 120GB SSD is a must have.
