Patriot Pyro SE SSD Conclusion

IMPORTANT: Although the rating and final score mentioned in this conclusion are made to be as objective as possible, please be advised that every author perceives these factors differently at various points in time. While we each do our best to ensure that all aspects of the product are considered, there are often times unforeseen market conditions and manufacturer changes which occur after publication that could render our rating obsolete. Please do not base any purchase solely on our conclusion, as it represents our product rating specifically for the product tested which may differ from future versions. Benchmark Reviews begins our conclusion with a short summary for each of the areas that we rate.

Compared to toggle and asynchronous components used in older products, synchronous NAND flash used in new products like the Patriot Pyro SE represent the future of consumer-level solid state drives. Not only are these components fast, but they maintain better performance throughout the product's lifetime. Compared to toggle and asynchronous NAND flash, synchronous components resist performance degradation as storage capacity is filled. Add this to an already-impressive SandForce SF-2281 solid state processor, and there's a good chance you'll have enough speed and performance to last the drive's lifetime.

Our performance rating considers how effective the Patriot Pyro SE solid state drive performs in transfer operations against competing storage solutions. For reference, SandForce specifies the SF-2281 with 500 MB/s read and write, which Patriot increases to 550 MB/s read and 520 write maximum speeds for this SSD model. In our storage benchmark tests, the 240GB Patriot Pyro SE solid state drive (model PPSE240GS25SSDR) performed at or above this speed, and outperformed most other SATA-based SSD's. Our test results demonstrated the Patriot Pyro SE was good for delivering 558/528 MB/s peak read and writes speeds using ATTO Disk Benchmark SSD speed tests. Linear file transfers with Everest Disk Benchmark produced 486/471 MB/s, which exceeds performance of the OCZ Vertex 3 Max IOPS Edition SSD.

The Patriot Pyro SE SSD sent to us for testing is advertised to deliver 80,000 maximum combined IOPS, although it is unclear what tools and configuration were used to produce this particular figure. Using a SandForce-provided configuration for our own Iometer operational performance tests, we used a queue depth of 32 outstanding I/O's per target to produce 76,745 combined IOPS performance. Iometer proved that the Patriot Pyro SE could outperform nearly every other SandForce SF-2200 based SSD product, while also competing with OCZ's Vertex 3 Max IOPS Edition. In the 4K 32QD tests with AS-SSD and CrystalDiskMark, the Patriot Pyro SE SSD continued to trail the premium Vertex 3 Max IOPS Edition SSD.

Solid State Drives are low-visibility products: you see them just long enough to install and then they're forgotten. Like their Hard Disk Drive counterparts, Solid State Drives are meant to place function before fashion. Anything above and beyond a simple metal shell is already more than what's expected in terms of the appearance. Patriot has created a back-to-basics look with the painted black finish on their Pyro SE-series SSDs, a swift departure from the anodized red finish of their eye-catching Inferno SSD series. As solid state storage controllers become faster and more advanced, heat dissipation through the enclosure walls may demand that chassis designs become more beneficial than they previously needed to be. This isn't the case yet, and a metal chassis suits SandForce SSDs nicely.

Construction is probably the strongest feature credited to any solid state product line, and the Patriot Pyro SE series is no exception. Solid State Drives are by nature immune to most abuses because of their architecture and technology, but the hard metal shell adds a superfluous level of protection. Offering a three-year product warranty, the Patriot Pyro SE series protects consumers should anything go wrong after the purchase. If a Patriot Pyro SE product does happen to fail during the 3-year warranty period, end-users can take advantage of free tech support by calling 1-800-800-9600 in the USA or completing a Patriot Customer Service Request Form. It's a good practice to first contact the retail outlet where the product was purchased for return authorizations, as they could possibly offer quicker turn-around times.

As of December 2011, the following models and prices were available online:

• 60GB Patriot Pyro SE - Model PPSE60GS25SSDR: $117 (Amazon) / $130 (Newegg)
• 120GB Patriot Pyro SE - Model PPSE120GS25SSDR: $205 (Newegg) / $215 (Amazon)
• 240GB Patriot Pyro SE - Model PPSE240GS25SSDR: $470 (Newegg) / $470 (Amazon)

Patriot compliments their pricing with periodic discounts and/or rebates. At the time of this writing, the 240GB Patriot Pyro SE cost $410 after $60 rebate.

Built with synchronous NAND flash components and a second-generation SandForce SF-2281 SSD processor, Patriot's Pyro SE solid state drive delivers native TRIM garbage collection and basic SMART support with an impressive 558 MB/s read speed and nearly 78,000 IOPS. More importantly, SandForce DuraClass technology adds their proprietary RAISE and DuraWrite features not available to other SSDs, and the end result is a product that could last up to five times longer with less wear on NAND flash modules. Our testing of the Patriot Pyro SE demonstrated impressive performance across every benchmark, often rivaling the OCZ Vertex 3 series or outperforming OCZ's Max IOPS Edition. The asking price may seem higher than competing models, but discounts and rebates restore Patriot's competitive edge. Price notwithstanding, there's a lot of great features in the Patriot Pyro SE that make it an excellent SSD storage solution worthy of any notebook and desktop computer.

Pros:

+ Outstanding 558/528 MBps read/write speed with ATTO
+ TCG OPAL security with 256-bit AES encryption
+ Uses synchronous NAND flash components
+ SandForce SF-2281 processor supports TRIM, SMART, and RAISE
+ DuraWrite technology extends NAND lifetime
+ Enthusiast-level operational I/O performance
+ 3-Year Patriot product warranty support
+ 60/120/240GB high-speed SSD storage capacities
+ Lightweight compact storage solution
+ Resistant to extreme shock impact
+ Low power consumption may extend battery life

Cons:

- Patriot previously offered a five-year warranty
- Expensive enthusiast-level product

Ratings:

• Performance: 9.75
• Appearance: 8.75
• Construction: 9.75
• Functionality: 9.50
• Value: 7.25

Final Score: 9.0 out of 10.

Excellence Achievement: Benchmark Reviews Golden Tachometer Award.

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