Investigation uncovers SSD maker bait and switch practices

[CAT-THE-FIFTH]

Yes, but whatever happened to those first guinea pigs for TCL who bought the 840 and 840 EVO?

At least for the 840 EVO Samsung acknowledge a problem and a fix - although I always wondered what the fix did to endurance - but for the non-EVO nothing was ever acknowledged.
However, some people on this story report their non-EVO was also affected:
https://www.extremetech.com/computin...ped-by-samsung

Samsung also has a tendency to overcharge for some very mediocre SSDs too. The QVO range for example. I tend to find WD and Crucial reasonably solid and decent value.

[philehidiot]

There's a line here. I have no problem with, for example, Apple swapping out SSDs for different components but all performing within a specified range. I recently specified a laptop to be built for a lady who is partially sighted. The monitor was therefore of paramount importance and I spent weeks working on exact specs to maximise the optical function she retains. PC Specialist were totally open that their screens get swapped and changed but gave me the specs for what they were using.

They were very open about panels being swapped around as supply dictates. We established that the critical specifications were ones they specify as a minimum and therefore any replacement screen would fit the bill. Again, I have no problem with this.

The tightrope of a line here is walked by Nvidia, who have a product like "1660" and vary the GPU specs between different sub-models, depending on what the wafer has left over. I'm not a fan of this, but it's manageable, if confusing and misleading.

Swapping out the core components of the product for ones that perform differently and worse is outrageous and these companies are now on the s...... poopy list for about 5 years. I do NOT buy from companies who have done stuff like this. It's why I have a Vega64 and not a Nvidia card... I forget what they did to annoy me, which usually means they can come off the list. Apple is permanently on the list. They top it. Poopy stains extraordinaire.

[Corky34]

Is there anyway to know if the old NAND, controller, etc, are still available? In other words have they done this because they could no longer source the original components or for 'other' reason.

[Iota]

I guess the same is true everywhere. But a £200 "cheap" washing machine and it might last years, but might not. Buy a £1000 Miele and you'll be very unlucky if it doesn't .... and it might still be under maker's guarantee anyway. We all pays our money and takes our choice (if you can afford a grand, or more, for a washing machine).

PS. Before someone tells me, yes, the washing machine example is simplistic, quite a few other brands are £1000, and some Miele are a LOT more than that.

I'm on my third washing machine in 4 years. First one was a Bosch, which got killed by putting car polishing clothes in it (kids are NOT cheap), second one was a Bosch and the bearings decided to pack up fairly quickly and was nowhere near the build quality of the original Bosch (now built in China....). Third one is a Miele, so I'm hopeful it'll last a bit longer than two years. I know you imply they're rather costly, however it was cheaper than an iPhone...

As to Adata, I've never opted to use them regardless of favourable reviews and pricing. I've always stuck to Crucial or Samsung for my SSD / NVMe needs, the premium paid seems to be validated considering they've always performed as advertised and reviewed.

[Kanoe]

Ok so done some testing with my drives and results are below. Each drive is in a 4x PCIe Gen 3.0 slot that is connected direct to the CPU.

SX8200 1TB SX8200 Pro 1TB SX8200 Pro 1TB
Date Purchased Nov-19 Nov-20
Version 7.1 7.3
Space after format 895GB 953GB 953GB
Filled % 90% 88% 65%
5 passes Read MB/s Write MB/s Read MB/s Write MB/s Read MB/s Write MB/s
SEQ1M Q8T1 2539.75 1751.3 2497.31 1963.04 2491.74 2365.59
SEQ1M Q1T1 2234.5 1713.27 2301.56 1688.66 2268.08 2117.04
RND4K Q32T1 384.33 223.23 251.59 176.65 282.28 186.98
RND4K Q1T1 48.22 119.09 55.96 122.95 58.72 123.74

So no performance drop in this admittedly small amount of testing, still annoyed that they did that kind of thing but as performance of this drive isn't out of line with the others I don't think I will send it back.

(If an admin can format that better than I can please do, it looks fine whilst editing! grrrr)

[edmundhonda]

In other words have they done this because they could no longer source the original components or for 'other' reason.

Not only is write performance slower on average, but the v3 variant doesn’t even feature a spacious 160GB dynamic SLC cache like the original and v2 variant. Instead, the v3 variant comes with a small static SLC cache measuring roughly 12GB.

Sourcing alternate parts is one thing, but there's a clear downgrade here. That's a choice they made.

[[GSV]Trig]

Seems to be the done thing these days, be as vague as possible when it comes to specs so things can be changed at a later date, the same thing seems to have happened on spinners where they're not actually 7200rpm, but 7200rpm class, which is the same thing to most people but not actually the case for the manufacturers who seem to play by a different set of rules..

[CAT-THE-FIFTH]

Its really weird Adata didn't change the name. The SX8200 technical specs were changed during its lifespan,and hence Adata rebranded it the SX8200 PRO.

[Saracen999]

I'm on my third washing machine in 4 years.

...

Third one is a Miele, so I'm hopeful it'll last a bit longer than two years. I know you imply they're rather costly, however it was cheaper than an iPhone...

While not wanting to detour onto washing machines, current (John Lewis) prices .... from £559 to £1699. So yeah, much less than iPhone at the lower end. What I'm still trying to work out is what justifies paying £1699 rather than £559 (or in the middle). If it's build quality and longevity, I'm up for it. If its features we won't use, not so much. Target range £1000 - £1200.

[aniilv]

you get what you pay for, adata has always been cheapest, competing only with noname china brands so not like you expect it to perform better while paying the same

[CAT-THE-FIFTH]

While not wanting to detour onto washing machines, current (John Lewis) prices .... from £559 to £1699. So yeah, much less than iPhone at the lower end. What I'm still trying to work out is what justifies paying £1699 rather than £559 (or in the middle). If it's build quality and longevity, I'm up for it. If its features we won't use, not so much. Target range £1000 - £1200.

It will also be the motor,ie,larger motor which can carry a larger sustained load,and spin at a higher sustained speed. Some fancy washing machines also allow you to put in clothes midcycle IIRC and I suspect all the "smart" functionality might have made it along to some washing machines too.

[Saracen999]

It will also be the motor,ie,larger motor which can carry a larger sustained load,and spin at a higher sustained speed. Some fancy washing machines also allow you to put in clothes midcycle IIRC and I suspect all the "smart" functionality might have made it along to some washing machines too.

Right on all counts. Or at least, I'm assumng going from 2-yr, to 5-yr, to 10-yr warranty implies bigger, heavier motor, etc. Which is worth paying for. Certainly correct about adding items. Could be useful, but wouldn't pay much extra for that. Also, very fast spin. Well, meh.

And yes, it appears .... wait for it .... drum-roll .... SmartPhone control. I'm sure most regulars here can guess precisely my level of excitement over that.

[CAT-THE-FIFTH]

Right on all counts. Or at least, I'm assumng going from 2-yr, to 5-yr, to 10-yr warranty implies bigger, heavier motor, etc. Which is worth paying for. Certainly correct about adding items. Could be useful, but wouldn't pay much extra for that. Also, very fast spin. Well, meh.

And yes, it appears .... wait for it .... drum-roll .... SmartPhone control. I'm sure most regulars here can guess precisely my level of excitement over that.

I tend to look at load and especially spin number because the latter actually can make the difference between reasonably dry clothes out of the washing machine.....or a soggy mess!

Also smart control - wait until they emulate Wallace and Gromit and have smart trousers!

[Saracen999]

I tend to look at load and especially spin number because the latter actually can make the difference between reasonably dry clothes out of the washing machine.....or a soggy mess!

Also smart control - wait until they emulate Wallace and Gromit and have smart trousers!

Even the 'basic' Miele machines I've looked at, at a mere £600-ish, are 1400rpm spin. I doubt they leave stuff dripping. By the time you get to £1400-£1700, spin speed is 1600rpm.

Obviously, I have no experience of the difference but even my old 1400 Siemens machine leaves stuff barely damp. I wonder how much difference the extra 200rpm makes? That's really what I meant about not being terribly bothered about spin speed.

Don't joke about SmartTrousers. That's next year.

[kompukare]

Even the 'basic' Miele machines I've looked at, at a mere £600-ish, are 1400rpm spin. I doubt they leave stuff dripping. By the time you get to £1400-£1700, spin speed is 1600rpm.

Obviously, I have no experience of the difference but even my old 1400 Siemens machine leaves stuff barely damp. I wonder how much difference the extra 200rpm makes? That's really what I meant about not being terribly bothered about spin speed.

Don't joke about SmartTrousers. That's next year.

Well, the way I think of spins is not different as my thoughts on 10k and 15k HDDs. That kind of speed is going to put a lot of strain on bearings, motors etc. And in the case of HDDs, make a racket potentially in the middle of the night, whereas the washing machine only comes on when needed (don't have night saver electricity so no point running it overnight).

[CAT-THE-FIFTH]

Even the 'basic' Miele machines I've looked at, at a mere £600-ish, are 1400rpm spin. I doubt they leave stuff dripping. By the time you get to £1400-£1700, spin speed is 1600rpm.

Obviously, I have no experience of the difference but even my old 1400 Siemens machine leaves stuff barely damp. I wonder how much difference the extra 200rpm makes? That's really what I meant about not being terribly bothered about spin speed.

Don't joke about SmartTrousers. That's next year.

Prices must have gone up since I last looked I am certain 1600RPM models were under £1000,and our current Zanussi has last nearly 15 years so far.