ADATA announced the replacement of its flagship SATA SSD with the new SX950U. The major change concerns the type of memory as the new series will be based ‘entirely on 3D TLC NAND memory.
The older XPG SX950 (based on Micron 32-layer 3D MLC) is replaced by the new XPG SX950U with 3D TLC 64-layer. ADATA was one of the last major brands using MLC NAND in SSD drives, although Crucial temporarily reintroduced this technology with the BX300.
ADATA does not clearly state which NAND will be used in the SX950U, but both possible ones, Micron and Toshiba / SanDisk 64L 3D TLC, appear to be faster than the Micron 32L 3D NAND based on the drives that have been tested so far. It is expected that the SX950U will use Micron NAND and may switch to Toshiba if there is a large cost difference. The controller remains Silicon Motion but without any firmware and power loss protection, thus placing the SX950U perhaps at a slightly lower level than the Crucial MX500. The official performance specifications of ADATA still lack sufficient details as they only mention the read/write speeds, warranty period, and operating temperature.
The ADATA generally offers a wide range of SSDs using various controllers, therefore at least two more SATA with 64L 3D TLC NAND are expected to be added to their new series in the coming months. As for the M.2 PCIe, ADATA's lineup includes controllers from Marvell, Silicon Motion and Realtek, while the SX8200, which is expected to launch soon, will have similar 3D NAND memory.
