fanxiang S102 Pro 1TB 2.5-inch SATA SSD: specs and upgrade guide

The fanxiang S102 Pro is a 1TB internal solid-state drive in the standard 2.5-inch SATA format. It is aimed at people with an older laptop or desktop who want to replace a spinning hard drive and make the computer start and load faster.

Why swap a hard drive for an SSD

A hard drive has moving platters and heads, while an SSD stores data in flash memory with no moving parts. In most computers that change shortens boot times, speeds up application launches and makes file operations feel more responsive. fanxiang describes it as roughly a threefold improvement over an old drive, a figure that will vary from one machine to another.

What the speed figure means

fanxiang quotes up to 560MB/s for the S102 Pro. That is close to the practical limit of the SATA III interface, which is why SATA drives from different makers tend to quote similar numbers. Newer NVMe drives are much faster, but they need a compatible M.2 slot. If your machine only has a 2.5-inch bay, SATA is the format that fits.

Flash type and the write cache

The drive uses 3D NAND TLC flash, which stores three bits per cell and is the common choice for mainstream SSDs. It also uses an SLC cache, a portion of the flash that temporarily acts as faster memory so that bursts of writing are quick.

fanxiang says its TLC write algorithm enlarges that accelerated area from 25% to 70% of the drive, so large files can be written steadily without a drop in speed within that zone. As with any SSD, sustained writes beyond the cache usually run slower.

Data protection and durability

fanxiang lists ECC error correction, which detects and fixes certain data errors, and TRIM support, a command that lets the operating system tell the drive which blocks are no longer in use so it can keep its performance up over time.

The case is aluminium alloy. fanxiang says it resists shocks and vibration, and it points to low power use, little heat and silent operation, which suit laptops. With no moving parts, an SSD makes no mechanical noise.

Endurance and warranty

The drive is rated for 1200TBW, which is the total terabytes written over its life. fanxiang provides a three-year quality assurance with technical support.

Who it suits

It suits owners of laptops and desktops with a free 2.5-inch SATA bay, people reviving an older machine, and anyone who needs a roomy secondary drive for documents, photos and applications. It measures about 3.9 x 2.7 x 0.3 inches and weighs around 0.1 lb.

What to check before you buy

• Bay and thickness: make sure your device has a 2.5-inch SATA bay; this drive is about 0.3 inches (7 mm) thick.
• Cloning or fresh install: plan how you will move your system, using cloning software or a clean installation, and back up first.
• Mounting: some laptops need a bracket or screws; check the manual.
• Other connections: SATA data and power cables are needed in a desktop.
• Speed expectations: the drive cannot go faster than your computer's SATA port allows.

The short version

• A 1TB internal 2.5-inch SATA SSD, model S102.
• Rated at up to 560MB/s with 3D NAND TLC and an SLC cache.
• ECC error correction, TRIM support and an aluminium alloy shell.
• Rated at 1200TBW with a three-year quality assurance from fanxiang.
• Suited to replacing a hard drive in a laptop or desktop.

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