SPECworkstation 3.0.2 Storage Benchmark
SPECworstation benchmark is an excellent benchmark to test systems using workstation-type workloads. In this test, we only ran the Storage component, which is fifteen separate tests.
SPECworkstation performance for the Inland Professional 1TB has it landing essentially where expected; near the bottom of the chart. Most of the results here are fairly low, though not catastrophically so and the Life Sciences score is fairly good.
Sustained Write Performance
This is not necessarily a benchmark, so much as trying to catch the post-cache write speed of the drive. While I am filling the drive with data to the 85% mark with 10 simultaneous write threads, I monitor the drive for the write performance to dip to the lowest steady point and grab a screenshot.
Coming in at a sustained post-cache write speed of 200 MB/s, the Inland Professional 1TB turns in a respectable result for this test.
Benchmark Comparisons
We are going to directly compare the Inland Professional 1TB its much higher rated Premium competitor, as well as a Crucial P2.
The Premium drive is premium in more than name only, turning in superior results in every test and charging more money to do so. This is very much a case of getting what you pay for; these drives are simply competing in different market segments.
On the other hand, the Inland Professional 1TB is much more of a competitor with the Crucial P2 1TB. While the faster burst speed of the P2 give it an edge in benchmarks that focus exclusively on sequential performance, the Inland drive makes a bigger impression on the more complicated benchmarks like Anvil and AS SSD.
Temperatures
We monitored the idle and maximum temperature during testing with HWMonitor to get some idea of the thermal performance and requirements of the drive. Please keep in mind that our test bench is an open frame chassis in a 22C room, but with no direct airflow. As a result, this is not representative of a cramped low airflow case and is instead intended to model temperatures of a drive ‘on its own’.
The Inland Professional 1TB runs very cool, topping out at 58C. Perhaps this is a SSD option for a cramped chassis and no SSD heatsink!
Final Words
Today the Inland Professional 1TB is $105 at Microcenter and Amazon. That price point slightly undercuts drives like the Crucial P2 and the WD Blue SN550. While an argument can be made that the Inland drive is superior to the Crucial P2 at a slightly cheaper price point, the WD Blue SN550 is generally a better drive for $5 more. With that said, both of those drives offer 5 year warranties while the Inland is only 3 years, which is something to consider as well.
While I considered the Inland Premium 1TB to be a great drive that surprised me with its excellent performance, the Inland Professional 1TB is a bit more ‘boring’ than that. Most of the time this Inland SSD met or got close to its own performance specs, but those specs were very modest to begin with which does not make for much excitement.
On the other hand, not everyone needs excitement from their SSD. Many just want competent better-than-SATA performance at an affordable price, and the Inland Professional 1TB delivers that. If the WD SN550 goes on sale then buy that one first, but this drive is a competent second choice.
I have issues associating “Inland” with “Professional”. Those 2 words just do no go together for me. Same with “Inland” and “Premium”.
Perhaps it is because I always saw Inland on the shelves at Fry’s with other shelf spots being empty. Maybe the only Inland products I even bought at Fry’s were cables. What could go wrong with a cable, right?
And Fry’s will always be known to me as the place for the “blue tag” specials – the repackaged stuff that others returned and Fry’s probably did not check out very well before rewrapping it and reselling it. I was never into buying other people’s problems.