The Team Group Delta RGB SSD Review: Lite Performance, Light Drive
by Billy Tallis on September 26, 2018 8:00 AM EST- Posted in
- SSDs
- Storage
- Micron
- SATA
- Silicon Motion
- SM2258
- 3D TLC
- Team Group
- RGB LED
Mixed Random Performance
Our test of mixed random reads and writes covers mixes varying from pure reads to pure writes at 10% increments. Each mix is tested for up to 1 minute or 32GB of data transferred. The test is conducted with a queue depth of 4, and is limited to a 64GB span of the drive. In between each mix, the drive is given idle time of up to one minute so that the overall duty cycle is 50%.
The mixed random read/write performance of the Team Delta RGB is nothing special, but even some of the larger drives with newer NAND are no faster so the Delta's performance isn't a disappointment. The Samsung 850 EVO leads among SATA drives at 35% faster overall than the Delta RGB, and the ADATA SX8200 NVMe SSD is more than twice as fast.
Power Efficiency in MB/s/W | Average Power in W |
Most of the SATA drives in this batch have fairly similar power consumption during this test, so the power efficiency scores largely mirror the performance rankings. However, the Delta RGB does have a clear efficiency advantage over the other two drives with the same controller and NAND.
The Delta RGB starts off the test with unimpressive random read performance but as more writes are added to the workload performance steadily increases. Power consumption is nearly constant across the whole test.
Mixed Sequential Performance
Our test of mixed sequential reads and writes differs from the mixed random I/O test by performing 128kB sequential accesses rather than 4kB accesses at random locations, and the sequential test is conducted at queue depth 1. The range of mixes tested is the same, and the timing and limits on data transfers are also the same as above.
The Team Delta RGB is essentially tied for best performance among small SATA SSDs on the mixed sequential I/O test. The other two drives with the same SM2258 controller and Micron 32L 3D TLC score very similarly. The ADATA SX8200 high-end NVMe drive is almost three times as fast, while the entry-level NVMe MyDigitalSSD SBX is slower than most of the mainstream SATA SSDs.
Power Efficiency in MB/s/W | Average Power in W |
The power efficiency of the Delta RGB on the mixed sequential I/O test is quite good, but the DRAMless HP S700 and the high-end NVMe ADATA SX8200 beat the Delta RGB for two very different reasons: the S700 uses much less power, and the SX8200 is far faster.
The performance of the Delta RGB during the mixed sequential I/O test is fairly steady save for a very gradual decline in performance as the workload becomes more write-heavy. This trend is matched by slight increases in power consumption.
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crimson117 - Wednesday, September 26, 2018 - link
What are some cases that would prominently display this SSD?Most I've seen hide the SSDs behind the motherboard tray...
rev3rsor - Wednesday, September 26, 2018 - link
Some cases, like mine (Thermaltake Core X31, I have an Intel SSD and happen to like the skull), have mounts on the power supply shroud under the motherboard. The Phanteks Evolv Shift I'm eyeing also does, from memory, it's SFF with a less conventional layout, SSD mounts around the motherboard tray.Chaitanya - Wednesday, September 26, 2018 - link
There are a tonne of cases from lots of manufacturers(Coolermaster, Nzxt, Phanteks, Fractal, etc..) which allow for the ssd to be shown off. Generally there are ssd mounting points near now removed 5.25in drive bay or on Psu shroud.The Chill Blueberry - Wednesday, September 26, 2018 - link
Deepcool BARONKASE is perfect for this! Two SSD display mount and one of those is right above an RGB water flow meter wich would look awesome! I just did a build in this case with Kingston A400 ssds and they looked very dull :/usernametaken76 - Thursday, September 27, 2018 - link
Cooler Master MasterCase H500M would be one.sonny73n - Wednesday, September 26, 2018 - link
Say this SSD has the best performance/dollar, I might get one but I’ll have to tear it apart and take out those stupid LEDs before installing it. However, it’s not worth the troubles. So to hell with the LED lightning trend.leexgx - Wednesday, September 26, 2018 - link
You could just turn them off?Ratman6161 - Wednesday, September 26, 2018 - link
i could care less about LED lighting and in fact for me, its a negative for anything that's got it, not a positive. What I care about is Price/performance. Given that, if looking for a SATA drive I see no reason to even consider anything other than the Samsung 860 Evo or the Crucial MX500. Personally I just went with the 1TB 860 Evo in M.2 format. That leaves me with my 512 GB 960 Evo as my OS drive and the 1 TB 860 EVO as a capacity driveeddman - Thursday, September 27, 2018 - link
"I do not care about LEDs, therefore I could NOT care less."milkod2001 - Wednesday, September 26, 2018 - link
When you think you saw it everywhere they put RGB on SSD drives now. Omg.