HP FX900 Pro 2TB SSD Review

1. Introduction2. HP FX900 Pro 2TB3. Testing Methodology4. CrystalDiskMark5. ATTO Disk Benchmark6. AS SSD7. 128KB Sequential Performance8. 4K Random Read v QD Performance9. 4K Random Write v QD Performance10. 4K 70/30 Mixed Performance11. 4K Random Performance QD1-QD812. Throughput13. PCMark 10 Full System Drive Benchmark14. 3DMark Storage Benchmark15. Performance Stability16. Drive Temperatures17. Real Life File Testing18. Closing Thoughts19. View All Pages

HP's latest SSD aimed at the enthusiast end of the market, the FX900 Pro is the result of the company teaming up with BIWIN Storage, the Chinese OEM manufacturer of high-performance memory and storage solutions. Unlike many of the PCIe Gen4 drives currently on the shelf, the FX900 Pro doesn't make use of Phison's E18 controller but instead uses the 8-channel InnoGrit IG5236 (codenamed Rainer) IC. The NAND used in the FX900 Pro is Micron's latest 176-layer B47R Fortis Grade. Currently, the FX900 Pro range is made up of four drives; a 512GB entry-level drive, 1TB, 2TB (the drive we are reviewing) and the recently introduced 4TB flagship drive.

The 2TB version of the HP FX900 is rated at up to 7,400MB/s for Sequential reads and up to 6,700MB/s for writes. When we tested the drive with the ATTO benchmark we couldn't quite hit those maximum figures with test results of 6,940MB/s and 6,280MB/s for read and writes respectively. While we couldn't hit the maximums, that read figure of 6,940MB/s is the fastest we've seen to date for a consumer NVMe drive while being tested with the ATTO benchmark.

We could, however, confirm those official Sequential figures using the CrystalDiskMark 8 benchmark. The fastest read result we saw was the 7,529.61MB/s when using the 0 fill setting in the Peak Performance profile. The best Sequential write figure we saw was the 6,716.76MB/s result in the default profile 0 fill test. As with the ATTO read the result, the two read results that we use in our results charts, from the default test (7,523MB/s) and the Peak Performance profile default (7,479MB/s) put the drive on the top of both respective charts.

When it comes to 4K random performance, HP quote very impressive figures of up to 1,344K IOPS and up to 1,122K IOPS for read and writes respectively.  With our standard 4-threaded tests we saw a best of 358.138 IOPS (QD16) for reads and 252,890 IOPS for writes at QD32. We did a quick test of the drive using eight threads at QD32 and got test results of 585,350 IOPS and 429,095 IOPS respectively, still well short of the official figure. Using the Peak Performance profile in CrystalDiskMark 8 we got a bit closer to the official figures with test results of 621,817 IOPS for reads and 503,628 IOPS for writes.

In terms of endurance, the 2TB FX900 Pro is rated at 1,200TB TBW and it's backed with a 5-year warranty.

We found the 2TB HP FX900 Pro on Amazon.com for $249.99 (plus taxes & shipping) HERE. Unfortunately we have not been able to find the FX900 Pro on sale in the UK – we have been told it will be available in the UK market at some point, but we are not yet sure when that will be.

Pros

• Sequential performance especially reads.
• Slimline heatsink design.
• Endurance.

Cons

• Couldn't meet the official maximum 4K figures under our tests.
• Not yet available in the UK.

KitGuru says: HP's offering into the bunfight that is the Gen4 SSD market, the FX900 Pro is a very capable drive. Well built, using high-end components, the FX900 Pro veers off the well-trodden path of using a Phison controller and mixes an InnoGrit controller with 176-layer NAND to very good effect.

 

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