The SanDisk X300s SSD is based on the industry-leading 1Ynm NAND process technology and incorporates security and power efficiency without sacrificing performance. Hardware-based full-drive encryption protects the data without the performance penalty that software encryption incurs.

Ideal for corporate PCs and notebooks, the X300s features support for the TCG Opal 2.0 and Microsoft eDrive security standards and a low-power Device Sleep (DEVSLP) mode that is compatible with Windows 8 InstantGo.

Features

Industry leading 1Ynm MLC flash

nCache 1.0, TCG Opal 2.0 & eDrive

Support for TCG Opal 2.0 and Microsoft Encrypted Hard Drives

Compatible with Windows 8 InstantGo

Thermal throttling

Advanced flash management

Tiered caching - volatile and non-volatile cache

Windows WHCK Certified

Performance

The X300s uses a tiered caching structure to improve random write performance. Modern operating systems typically access the storage device using small 4KB access blocks. These small access blocks conflict with the physical block structure (>1MB) of newer flash memory technology. To bridge this difference, the X300s employs three storage layers: volatile cache - DDR DRAM cache, nCache - a non-volatile flash write cache, and mass storage - MLC NAND flash.

The nCache write cache is used to accumulate small writes at high speed then flush and consolidate them into the larger MLC section of the NAND flash memory array.

Security

The X300s SED seamlessly encrypts the drive data on the fly using hardware-based 256-bit AES encryption. It supports the following industry-standard security specifications: ATA Security Feature Set, TCG Opal 2.0, Microsoft eDrive (TCG OPAL 2.0 + IEEE 1667)

Thermal Throttling

A performance throttling technique is used as a safety measure to protect the integrity of the data and prevent excessive heat dissipation. The X300s employs an on-board thermal sensor to monitor the SSD’s critical component temperature. If it exceeds the normal range, drive performance is reduced until the temperature decreases to an acceptable level, at which time full performance is restored.

Reviews & Awards

"Overall, the X300s would be a good option for a laptop and it should help battery life relative to some alternatives." Kristian Vättö, AnandTech Read the full SanDisk X300s (512GB) review on AnandTech

Speed Testing

Test Environment

MSI Z270 SLI Plus / Intel Core i7-7700K 4.2GHz / 32GB RAM / Windows 10 Pro 64-bit / PCIe to SATA M.2 Adapter. Driver: storahci..

CrystalDiskMark 5.2.1 x64 Benchmark

ATTO Benchmark v3.05

SanDisk SSD Dashboard

Additionally, SanDisk X300s drives can be paired with SanDisk's SSD Dashboard toolbox software to help maintain peak performance in Windows® operating systems.

Featuring a user-friendly graphical interface, the SanDisk SSD Dashboard includes tools for analysis of the disk (including the disk model, capacity, firmware version, and SMART attributes) and firmware updates.

The SanDisk SSD Dashboard is not included with your SanDisk X300s purchase but is available as a free download on SanDisk.com.

SSD Dashboard 1.4.4.4 Additional Features