Performance: 90/100
On the one hand the FireCuda 520 does indeed outperform its predecessor the FireCuda 510 series. On the other, it is not the doubling of performance that one would infer from changing from PCIe 3 to PCIe 4. On the gripping hand, we did see a nice double-digit increase across the board… and it does so without any real difference in asking price versus its predecessor. So, while there is a veritable ton of room for improvement, such improvements will have to wait for PCIe 4.0 NVMe controller tech to catch up.
Technological Innovation: 95/100
Seagate really did an excellent job at packing in as much innovation as they could. It really is not their fault that when they spec’ed out and then built the FireCuda 520 series that the NVMe controller options were… limited to say the least. As such it is well above average, but once again there is room for future improvements.
Build Quality & Warranty: 80/100
On the one hand the combination of excellent BiCS 4 with a good PCB layout is a winning combination. On the other, this is a double-sided drive. A double-sided M.2 drive that does not come with any heat spreaders. Even thin copper ones hidden in the labels would have been an improvement. As such the build quality is good but not perfect. The warranty on the other hand is excellent and the only small tweak would like to see is the included Rescue Services cover the full five year warranty period. That however is it. So overall, there is some room for improvement but not too much.
Value: 80/100
In some ways the new FireCuda 520 is a great value. Easily blowing the doors off the launch day value of the 510 series. On the other, at the price it is going for there are faster options. So unless Seagate quickly realigns its 520’s price with current realities of this cut-throat market that value is going to sink like a stone. Time will tell where it ends up so while we can not comment of future prices we would mark the 520’s value as ‘tentative’… with a big asterisk.
Final Score: 87 out of 100
With its combination of noticeably better sequential file performance and improved small file performance the Seagate FireCuda 520 1TB is an excellent refresh to a series that had set the bar awfully high. The fact Seagate was able to do this and not really increase the asking price is impressive. The only problem is this corner of the market is downright cutthroat and moves at a blistering pace. As such its reliance on a Phison E16 controller is its Achille’s Heel and it will be quickly surpassed by the coemption in the price vs performance department. As such owners of the previous FireCuda 510 (or its equivalent) probably will not be in any rush to upgrade. Instead waiting for another generation before upgrading may make a lot of financial sense… especially if said buyers are using PCIe 3.0 based systems where the majority of PCIe 4.0 NVMe drives’ improvements are lost. By the same token, it still is a good drive in its own right and we are not one to wait on future develops… as people who do so tend to never buy and instead are constantly waiting for ‘The Next Big Thing’ that “is coming any day now!(TM)”. Weigh the pros and cons and go from there on deciding if it is right for your (or not).
