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Acer FA100 vs Seagate FireCuda 510: Comparison
Acer FA100 vs Seagate FireCuda 510 sequential write compared
Sequential write is where these two genuinely part company, Acer FA100 2700 MB/s against Seagate FireCuda 510 3200 MB/s, a 16% lead for Seagate FireCuda 510. Measured rather than claimed: in Speed Score the Seagate FireCuda 510 returns 7.1 against 6.4, a 10% lead. On sequential read there is little in it, 3300 MB/s on the Acer FA100 versus 3450 MB/s on the Seagate FireCuda 510. They differ on bus interface too, PCIe 3.0 x4 on the Acer FA100 versus PCIe 3.0 x4, NVMe on the Seagate FireCuda 510. There is a split on dram cache as well, DRAM-less on the Acer FA100 versus DRAM on the Seagate FireCuda 510.
Who each one is for
The Acer FA100 is the one to take for everyday storage use where 3300 MB/s reads are fast enough. It is equally the pick for budget laptop or desktop upgrades wanting 2000 GB on a PCIe 3.0 x4 M.2 slot. It is not the one for buyers wanting PCIe 4.0 performance, as this drive is limited to 3300 MB/s reads. Take the Seagate FireCuda 510 for owners of older PCIe 3.0-only motherboards who can't use a Gen 4 drive's extra bandwidth anyway. The 510 maxes out what that interface can deliver. The same goes for bargain hunters who find genuine clearance stock priced meaningfully below current Gen 4 alternatives. Avoid it for anyone with a PCIe 4.0-capable motherboard. The Seagate FireCuda 530, also covered on this site, roughly doubles the bandwidth for comparable money. Our rating of the Seagate FireCuda 510 (6.4/10): A capable PCIe 3.0 drive that's been surpassed by Seagate's own newer lineup; only worth it as genuine clearance stock.
What Acer FA100 and Seagate FireCuda 510 have in common
Everything else lines up. Nand type, form factor and drive type read the same on both, so those are not worth weighing.
Specs and benchmarks
Speed Score
- Acer FA100
- 6.4/10-10%
- Seagate FireCuda 510
- 7.1/10Best
How fast this drive is, rated from its read and write speeds, cache and NAND type. 10 is the fastest.
Brand
- Acer FA100
- Acer
- Seagate FireCuda 510
- Seagate
Model Number
- Acer FA100
- Acer FA100 (Micron B47R)
- Seagate FireCuda 510
- FireCuda 510
Series
- Acer FA100
- FA100
- Seagate FireCuda 510
- FireCuda 510
Drive Type
- Acer FA100
- Internal
- Seagate FireCuda 510
- Internal
Bus Interface
- Acer FA100
- PCIe 3.0 x4
- Seagate FireCuda 510
- PCIe 3.0 x4, NVMe
Form Factor
- Acer FA100
- M.2 2280
- Seagate FireCuda 510
- M.2 2280
Sequential Read
- Acer FA100
- 3300 MB/s-4%
- Seagate FireCuda 510
- 3450 MB/s
Sequential Write
- Acer FA100
- 2700 MB/s-16%
- Seagate FireCuda 510
- 3200 MB/s
DRAM Cache
- Acer FA100
- DRAM-less (HMB)
- Seagate FireCuda 510
- DRAM
NAND Type
- Acer FA100
- TLC
- Seagate FireCuda 510
- TLC
Which one should you pick?
Choose Acer FA100 if you already have it on hand or find it at a lower price.
Choose Seagate FireCuda 510 if you want the higher speed score (7.1 vs 6.4), the higher sequential read (3450 MB/s vs 3300 MB/s) and the higher sequential write (3200 MB/s vs 2700 MB/s).
Verdict
Seagate FireCuda 510
6.4 / 10 Expert Rating
A capable PCIe 3.0 drive that's been surpassed by Seagate's own newer lineup; only worth it as genuine clearance stock.