In the world of relational database management systems, MySQL is a popular choice1, widely used for everything from simple web servers to complex data warehousing in enterprise environments. But did you know that the performance of MySQL, or any relational database for that matter, is hugely dependent on the storage it sits on? As MySQL thrives on organizing, querying, manipulating and storing data swiftly, if the storage I/O is sluggish, performance can be seriously bottlenecked, resulting in slower responses and delayed database access that can impact user experiences. For those applications supported by MySQL where speed and response times are important, this bottleneck is a concern.
Adding to this concern is the data transfer rate of the SATA interface for which SATA SSDs rely upon that has been stuck at 6 gigabits per second (Gb/s) since 2009. This sluggish rate may not cut it anymore for modern MySQL workloads as SATA SSDs simply may not be able to keep up with the demand for faster data access and timely updates. But there is good news! Many servers that ship today with SATA SSDs allow SAS SSDs to reside in the same drive bay, so if you upgrade to SAS SSDs, you can potentially double the data transfer rate from 6 Gb/s to a whopping 12 Gb/s via the SAS-3 interface. This swap can be a game-changer for both server and MySQL performance.
A further game-changer is the availability of a unique class of SAS SSDs, called Value SAS SSDs. KIOXIA created Value SAS SSDs to outperform traditional enterprise SATA SSDs in almost every aspect – including performance, capacity, reliability, manageability and security. And the best part is that they're priced competitively with SATA SSDs, making them an ideal drop-in replacement.
To put these claims to the test, we conducted a performance comparison between KIOXIA RM7-R Series Value SAS SSDs and enterprise SATA SSDs using MySQL workloads. The tests were run on an HPE ProLiant DL380 Gen11 server using HammerDB2 software to simulate TPROC-C3 OLTP workloads.
The results4 were nothing short of impressive as the KIOXIA RM7-R Series Value SAS SSDs outperformed the enterprise SATA SSDs by a landslide. We saw 55% higher transactions per minute, 78% higher read throughput, 77% higher write throughput and an impressive 69% reduction in read latency. The Value SAS SSDs also delivered 37% higher transactions per watt making them more energy efficient than SATA SSDs, enabling a server to utilize its hardware resources more efficiently when servicing relational database workloads. Here’s the results:
Our lab tests demonstrated a significant leap in performance when moving from SATA SSDs to Value SAS SSDs. The higher TPM per watt also indicated that Value SAS SSDs were not only faster, but also more energy efficient. In an era where power consumption is a growing concern, achieving better performance per watt can help reduce operational costs, enhance overall system responsiveness and boost the ability for MySQL to handle more requests.
KIOXIA RM7 Series Value SAS SSDs deliver a compelling value proposition, and are replaceable with SATA SSDs, making them an excellent drop-in replacement for existing SATA SSD deployments or for new or existing SAS servers. For more information on the test results, select available here.
FOOTNOTES:
1 Source: https://db-engines.com/en/ranking, April 2025.
2 HammerDB is benchmarking and load testing software that is used to test popular databases. It simulates the stored workloads of multiple virtual users against specific databases to identify transactional scenarios and derive meaningful information about the data environment, such as performance comparisons.
3 TPROC-C is the OLTP workload implemented in HammerDB derived from the TPC-C™ specification with modification to make running HammerDB straightforward and cost-effective on any of the supported database environments. The HammerDB TPROC-C workload is an open source workload derived from the TPC-C Benchmark Standard and as such is not comparable to published TPC-C results, as the results comply with a subset rather than the full TPC-C Benchmark Standard. TPROC-C means Transaction Processing Benchmark derived from the TPC "C" specification.
4 Read and write speed may vary depending on the host device, read and write conditions and file size.
TRADEMARKS:
HPE and ProLiant are registered trademarks of Hewlett-Packard Enterprise Company and/or its affiliates. MySQL is a registered trademark of Oracle and/or its affiliates. TPC-C is a trademark of the Transaction Processing Performance Council. All other company names, product names and service names may be trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective companies.
DISCLAIMERS:
KIOXIA America, Inc. may make changes to specifications and product descriptions at any time. The information presented in this blog is for informational purposes only and may contain technical inaccuracies, omissions and typographical errors. Any performance tests and ratings are measured using systems that reflect the approximate performance of KIOXIA America, Inc. products as measured by those tests. In no event will KIOXIA America, Inc. be liable to any person for any direct, indirect, special or other consequential damages arising from the use of any information contained herein, even if KIOXIA America, Inc. are advised of the possibility of such damages.