Adata xpg spectrix s40g review in Spanish (full analysis)

ADATA XPG Spectrix S40G is the top-end PCIe 3.0 SSD storage unit from the ADATA brand and we are going to analyze it today for all of you. An SSD that was presented at Computex 2019 in which state-of-the-art NLC TLC memories, SLC cache and Realtek RTS5762 Controller are installed. And best of all, a striking cover with customizable RGB lighting that sets it apart from the rest of the models seen so far.

The version that we will test is 512 GB, but it is also available in 256 and 1024 GB with the same aesthetic section.

As always, we thank ADATA XPG for trusting us to give us this SSD and to be able to do our analysis.

ADATA XPG Spectrix S40G technical characteristics

Unboxing

This manufacturer's best performance XPG Spectrix S40G SSD has arrived in a very flat flexible cardboard box, but with enough width and length. The entire exterior is painted black with a photo of the illuminated SSD and behind it basic information of the SSD in multiple languages.

Inside, the product has been placed on a well-fixed plastic mold to prevent movement and with nothing else inside. We have not even been provided with a data sheet or an instruction manual in the purchase bundle, so if we need to know more about the product or download the programs, we will have to go to the product page and the Internet. Although of course, you already have our review with even more information.

Exterior design

This XPG Spectrix S40G was presented by ADATA during the Computex 2019 event that we attended and let's take a first look at what is the best-performing SSD under the brand's PCIe 3.0 x4 interface. Why do we specify the interface? Well, because the XPG Gammix S50 that works under PCIe 4.0 x4 has already been presented, for the new generation of AMD boards.

This SSD is available in the three star storages, we are talking about 256 GB, 512 GB, the one we analyzed, and 1 TB as the maximum exponent. All of them have a 2280 format, that is, 80 mm long and 22 mm wide to be compatible with any type of motherboard. Similarly, the communication slot is, of course, M.2 M-Key, here there are no surprises.

Where we do have something more appetizing to study is at the top of the XPG Spectrix S40G. And it is that the manufacturer has integrated an addressable RGB lighting system on a small aluminum plate that will serve as a heatsink. Let's see, I do not consider it a heatsink as such since it does not have fins, and the plate is so thin that it only serves to hold the semi-transparent plastic frame that will light up.

If you look closely at this cover, it does not have integrated LEDs, but they are directly integrated into the PCB, on both sides. This means that we can remove the cover without fear of breaking a cable or connector. Of course, it is attached to the memories using an adhesive silicone pad, so we must be very careful when removing it.

But of course, this has something positive and something negative. The positive is evident, one of the SSDs with the most striking and differentiating lighting system on the market. And the negative, that many current boards have all their M.2 slots covered by an aluminum heatsink, and to top it all integrated with the chipset itself, an example is the ASRock Extreme4 and other major manufacturers. This implies that if we want to install the SSD with its lighting we will have no choice but to remove this RGB cover or the heatsink on the board.

Speaking a little more about the RGB section, it has a total of 8 addressable LEDs, 4 on both sides. These can be managed through XPG RGB software, or through the programs of the main board manufacturers. Being compatible with Asus AURA Sync, Gigabyte RGB Fusion, MSI Mystic Light and ASRock Polychrome RGB, the truth is that the lighting is not totally uniform, and it would have required at least one more LED on each side to improve the result even more.

Hardware and components

We will remove what we see on top of the electronics of this XPG Spectrix S40G to see what elements we find.

As in other SSDs, we have state- of-the-art 3D TLC NAND memories, to provide this SSD with the maximum possible speed under the PCIe Gen 3.0 x4 interface under the NVMe 1.3 communication protocol. In total there will be four modules, two on the front side and two on the back side, presumably 128 GB each to form those 512 GB. ADATA has also implemented an SLC storage cache and DRAM buffer to improve data transfer speeds and operations per second.

All of this is managed by a Realtek RTS5762 controller, which is the most advanced of the brand for this interface, directly confronting Samsung's own. It supports sequential read speeds of 3500 MB / s and sequential write speeds of 3000 MB / s, as well as 300K IOPS and 240K IOPS in read and write operations. It is compatible with the memories that are installed here and also with the NAND 3D QLC, with 8 channels to address up to 2 TB of space. It supports LDPC error correction technology and the 256-bit AES encryption system.

The manufacturer gives us a total of 5 years limited warranty based on TBW (Terabytes of Written Information). Thus, for the 256 GB model we will have a maximum of 160 TWB, for the 512 GB model a maximum of 320 TBW and for the 1TB model a maximum of 640 TBW. The mean time between failures (MTBF) is 2, 000, 000 hours. We are not provided much more interesting information about this XPG Spectrix S40G, so we will continue with the programs to manage it.

Software and lighting

We could not leave behind the management possibilities we have for this XPG Spectrix S40G, since having RGB lighting we need a program that can help us customize it.

The brand's own program is called XPG RGB and we can download it from the product page. We have a fairly simple interface in which to select animation, color palette and the speed in question. We can configure a total of 4 lighting profiles to select the one we want according to our mood. Or not, because this program has not worked for us with an MSI MEG Z390 ACE. Changes do not apply to SSD and lighting remains the same. It is surely a simple bug that will be solved with a firmware update.

But MSI's Dragon Center and Mystic Light come to save our day, because this one has worked perfectly for us. We can link the lighting of the board with the SSD, or manage it independently. We have the manufacturer's own animations and they are perfectly applicable to the SSD.

We still have a third program, the ADATA SSD Toolbox that we will use to manage our SSD. With it, we can monitor the state of the unit and its useful life, as well as temperature and space occupied. We can make operational diagnostics, update the firmware, optimize the SSD or some interesting operations for the user. The manufacturer also gives us the ability to download Acronis True Image HD software for disk migration.

Test equipment and benchmarks

Being an SSD that runs under PCIe 3.0 x4, any current Intel or AMD chipset motherboard will work well enough for it. The equipment that we have used to carry out the battery of tests to the XPG Spectrix S40G is the following:

TESTING BENCH
Processor:	Intel i5-9400F
Base plate:	MSI MEG Z390 ACE
Memory:	16GB DDR4 T-Force Vulkan Z
Heatsink	stock
HDD	XPG Spectrix S40G
Graphic card	Nvidia RTX 2060 FE
Power supply	Cooler Master V850 Gold

Let's see then if this unit is capable of approaching those theoretical 3500/3000 MB / s it offers under the NVMe 1.3 protocol. The benchmark programs that we have used are the following:

Crystal Disk MarkAS SSD BenchmarkATTO Disk BenchmarkAnvil´s Storage

All these programs are in their latest available version. Remember not to abuse these tests in your units, since the life time is reduced.

We start with the results provided by CristalDisk, which marks that the SSD is reaching the maximum of its sequential reading performance with more than 3500 MB / s. The results for larger blocks are also very good, with more than 1200 MB / s. In writing, it has lagged a little behind, bordering on 2200 MB / s.

The manufacturer provides a data sheet in which you test your drives with ATTO Disk, our next program. We can see that the maximum rates reached in reading and writing are 3300 MB / s and 1570 MB / s for 2 MB blocks. In the manufacturer's records we have about 3, 500 and 1, 900 MB / s in reading and writing, which we have not yet reached.

The following program, AS SSD, has also been used by ADATA to test its 512 GB drive which has given 2950 and 1600 MB / s read and write. Our results are a little more discreet, with a little more than 2800 and 1200 MB / s. However, we have remained quite close. This program also provides data from the IOPS, whose maximum registers are at 293K and 193K IOPS for reading and writing. According to the manufacturer we should be at approximately 300K and 240K IOPS.

Finally, Anvil´s is the one that has behaved the worst with this unit, giving only 2000 MB / s in reading and 2300 in writing, a bit strange results we can say. It also doesn't appear to have lived up to IOPS staying well below specs.

Temperatures

Regarding temperatures, we have no surprise, since under stress we have only obtained 40 ⁰C in the area near the interface, where it always suffers from more heating, since the controller is there.

These units hold operating temperatures very handy and don't even need heatsinks. Something different happens with the new PCIe 4.0 SSDs, which achieve higher registers.

Final words and conclusion about ADATA XPG Spectrix S40G

This is the fastest XPG PCIe 3.0 x4 SSD available, and it has proven so at least in read rates. In general above 3, 000 MB / s comfortably, although it is true that in writing it lags a little behind what we expected, with a little more than 2, 000 MB / s.

This unit has been presented this year, and has a new generation of high-performance memories and available in the three configurations discussed throughout the review. Likewise, the Realtek controller seems to have been a good choice, since it is one of the closest in performance of the powerful Samsung.

We recommend our guide to the best SSDs of the moment.

But the most differential aspect of this SSD compared to the competition is in appearance and design. Yes, SSDs also have the right to have lighting, and this is the one with the most lighting. It is compatible with the main RGB lighting technologies of the motherboards and we have verified their perfect operation. On the contrary, the brand's own software does not seem to work correctly, hopefully it is a specific error due to our hardware or a bug.

We still do not know exactly the price of this SSD on the day of this review, but the figures that are considered are $ 70 for the 256 GB version, $ 100 for the 512 GB version and $ 190 for the largest of all with 1 TB. They are realistic and competent prices for what we find in the market with similar returns. What did you think of this SSD in general? Would you buy it

ADVANTAGE	DISADVANTAGES
+ WITH INTEGRATED A-RGB LIGHTING	- THE WRITING RECORDS ARE SOMETHING LOWER THAN WE EXPECTED
+ GREAT PERFORMANCE IN READING	- MANUFACTURER'S RGB PROGRAM HAS NOT WORKED CORRECTLY
+ REALTEK HIGH PERFORMANCE CONTROLLER
+ WITH BUFFER DRAM AND INTEGRATED CACHE SLC
+ THE ESTIMATED PRICE IS COMPETITIVE