Game Load Time

Moving into the application performance portion of the HP EX920 512GB coverage we see the mid-capacity doesn't perform as well as the larger drive in relation to the other SSDs in this size. The Adata SX8200 just squeaks past the EX920 in our game load time test. The two are so close you wouldn't actually see a difference, even with a stopwatch. The Intel SSD 760p is right in the hunt for the top honor as well.

PCMark 8 Total Storage Bandwidth

The general software performance test with ten commonly used applications shows the EX920 back on top, and many of the other drives close behind.

PCMark 8 Extended Storage Test

With less flash to clean from a dirty state, the 512GB EX920 recovers faster than the 1TB we tested. In the PCMark 8 Extended Storage Test, we see the recovered performance a little better. The Adata SX8200 gives us a better look. It has the reserved space, and that helps to recover faster. The EX920 does eventually recover, just not in the five-minute gaps this test provides between each recovery pass.

SYSmark 2014 SE System Responsiveness and Power Tests

The 512GB EX920 leads this capacity in the SYSmark 2014 SE Responsiveness Test. Even though the win is by a single point over the Adata SX8200, this really goes to show that the EX920's performance isn't just a fluke with one capacity. There is always some wiggle room between capacities; the drives are not the same. Case in point, the 512GB does is poor in the power efficiency test when we compare it to the other products. The 1TB EX920 was at the top of the system power chart.

Notebook Battery Life

You can't look at the 1TB EX920 result in our Lenovo Y700-17 gaming notebook and just assume the 512GB model performs just as well. There is only a 15-minute difference between the 1TB and 512GB EX920, but if this is what you care about for business travel, you need to look at the other products around the same budget.