In-Depth Review of Adata Legend 970 SSD: Embracing the Speed of PCIe 5.0
Adata has made a significant entry into the PCIe 5.0 SSD arena with its Legend 970 SSD, marking a crucial step forward after the somewhat delayed launch of the Legend 960 Max. Boasting an impressive 10 GB/s bandwidth, this drive is designed to cater to high-performance needs, particularly in sustained workloads for content creation. Adata's focus on performance over power efficiency is evident in the Legend 970, which targets the burgeoning market for DirectStorage applications.
Adata's Strategy with Silicon Motion and Phison Controllers
The Legend 960 Max's late entry was notable for its use of a Silicon Motion PCIe 5.0 SSD controller. However, Silicon Motion has recently fallen behind in the SSD controller race, giving Phison an edge in the market. Adata's choice of Phison's E26 controller for the Legend 970 aligns with this trend and represents a strategic decision to leverage the latest in SSD controller technology.
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Design Aspects of the Legend 970
While the Legend 970 may follow the trend of other early PCIe 5.0 SSDs, Adata's implementation of the heatsink deserves mention. The inclusion of a small, SATA-powered fan for active cooling, however, seems somewhat redundant, as it offers limited added value for most users. The drive we reviewed lacked Phison's updated firmware to address overheating issues seen in early PCIe 5.0 drives, but effective cooling mitigates this concern. Overall, the Legend 970 performs reliably, with few areas of concern.
Capacity, Performance, and Encryption
The Adata Legend 970 is available in 1TB and 2TB variants. It offers impressive speeds of up to 10,000 MB/s for sequential reads and writes, and 1,400K IOPS for random reads and writes. The drive comes with a 5-year warranty and a standard write endurance of 700TB per TB capacity. Featuring 256-bit AES encryption, thanks to its Phison E26 controller, the Legend 970 provides robust data security. Initial pricing was set at $169.99 for 1TB and $299.99 for 2TB, which is on the higher side.
Software Support and Accessories
Adata offers a comprehensive SSD toolbox for drive maintenance, which includes diagnostics, secure erase, firmware updates, and cloning capabilities. The drive also supports Adata's Backup ToGo software for enhanced backup functionality.
Cooling Solution and Controller Technology
The Legend 970 uses a Phison E26 controller, typically paired with Micron’s 232-Layer TLC flash. The drive reaches speeds of about 10 GB/s at 1600 MT/s, which is impressive but not significantly faster than some high-end PCIe 4.0 SSDs. The cooling solution, featuring a robust heatsink, effectively manages the drive's heat output. However, the additional small fan, requiring SATA power, is less essential as the passive cooling is generally sufficient.
Comparisons with Other SSDs and DirectStorage Optimization
Functionally, the Legend 970 offers enhanced bandwidth but doesn't significantly outperform top-tier PCIe 4.0 SSDs. Competitors like the Crucial T700 have pushed speeds up to 12 GB/s at 2000 MT/s. A unique feature of the Legend 970 is its optimization for DirectStorage, a benefit not commonly found in PCIe 4.0 drives, except in models like the Seagate FireCuda 530 and Sabrent Rocket 4 Plus-G.
Conclusion: The Adata Legend 970's Place in the SSD Market
The Adata Legend 970 SSD establishes itself as a formidable competitor in the PCIe 5.0 SSD market. Its impressive performance, especially in sequential read and write speeds, makes it a suitable choice for users engaged in intensive content creation and those looking forward to leveraging DirectStorage technology. While its price point is on the higher side, its robust performance and future-proofing features make it a worthy consideration, especially when found on sale.
