OCZ 64GB SSD OCZSSD64GB
EDITORS NOTE: Please read Solid State Drive (SSD) Benchmark Performance Testing to understand how the benchmarks used in this article should be interpreted.
Benchmark Reviews has been hard at work trying to ride the wave of innovation into the next big technology. While Solid State Disks can now finally promise the best of both worlds (speed and capacity), they are still extremely expensive. OCZ is very well known for their drive towards high performance, yet in this article you will see a different side to them with their SSD product line. We have tested and used the new OCZ 64GB SATA Solid State Drive OCZSSD64GB, and we're ready with the results.
Solid State Disks are going to be a hot item heading into 2008, and it's about time. Over a year ago and prior to the retail release, Windows Vista was supposed to require Hybrid Hard Drives if you wanted the new operating system on a notebook. However, once Microsoft caved in to manufacturer pressure the development seemingly came to a halt.
At the start of January we visited with OCZ during the 2008 Consumer Electronics Show and learned of their upcoming product releases. One of the most anticipated items was their first solid state drive (SSD). While most of the other products we test are aiming for the highest numbers they can achieve, OCZ is working to deliver a value line of SSD's.
In addition to aftermarket availability, the OCZSSD64GB is also an included feature as part of the Hypersonic notebook line. Presently you can customize the Aviator EQ7 and SR7 Series of high-end gaming notebooks with this 64GB SSD for an additional $939 (upgrading from standard disc drive). In the future however, all of the Hypersonic product lines will offer the SSD option.
Entering the memory market in August 2000, OCZ Technology was built around the determination to manufacture the best high speed DDR and RDRAM. OCZ was founded by enthusiasts, for enthusiasts, and their commitment to the end-user has not digressed. OCZ Technology has been an innovator in many areas.
We were the first manufacturer to make Dual Channel optimized memory available to the public, which originally took advantage of nVidia's Twinbank or Dual DDR architecture, found in their nForce chipset. We have now taken that technology and tailored it for the Canterwood, and Granite Bay chipset's. OCZ developed and was the first to implement ULN technology, which has been a critical element in the manufacturing process for some time.
We at OCZ diligently work to improve communication with CPU and motherboard chipset manufacturers prior to the release of their products. Only in this manner can we fine-tune the memory's SPD settings, ensuring a synergistic relationship between the memory module, memory controller, and microprocessor. In today's rapidly evolving semiconductor industry, such communication is not simply research, but a necessary component of the manufacturing process.
OCZ SSD Features
Featuring high capacities, excellent reliability, and low power consumption, OCZ SATA SSD series are an efficient, fast, and durable alternative to conventional hard disc drives. Compatible with standard SATA interfcace, SSD drives offer higher real-life transfer rates that result in faster boot and application launch times to boost any high-performance system. The OCZ SSD does not contain any moving parts that are subject to wear and tear, making it a top choice when replacing your hard drive. Top it off with a 1 year warranty, and you will have an excellent memory drive that won't let you down.
OCZSSD64GB Specifications
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Read up to 58MB / sec
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Write up to 35MB / sec
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Slim 2.5" Design
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100.2 x 70 x 9.5mm
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Lightweight 77g
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Low Power Consumption
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Shock Resistant 1500G
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High-Capacity 64GB
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RAID Support
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MTBF 2 million hours
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1 year warranty
OCZ SSD Support Addendum
EDITORS NOTE: Please read Solid State Drive (SSD) Benchmark Performance Testing to understand how the benchmarks used in this article should be interpreted.
Solid State Drives are not always a direct replacement to Hard Disk technology, because there are a few differences between products that make it important to properly configure your hardware for the best possible performance and stability. OCZ SSD's are not identical to other Solid State industry offerings, which is why they include a detailed guide for proper set-up on the OCZ support forum. Following their expert advice can help you avoid data write failures and delayed write data corruption errors on the OCZ SSD. Here are some important excerpts from their guide:
Known Issues
The original release of Microsoft Vista has problems with properly using SSDs that are resolved with Service Pack1. Installation of SP1 results in a substantial performance boost in synthetic benchmarks and smoother operation of the system in standard usage. Before using, please ensure that Service Pack1 (Vista32 and 64) is installed. Also, despite the fact that Vista contains generic chipset drivers, those drivers do not correctly enable any of the SATA controllers used on current motherboards, regardless of chipset manufacturer. Please make sure to install the latest chipset drivers, otherwise, especially the burst transfers will show a dramatic degradation and this will also affect sequential read and write performance.
HDTune uses fixed strides across the array to measure small block sizes. If these blocks fall on page or chip boundaries, the time delays result in atypically low "calculated" performance spot data that are not representative of the drive's real performance but an artifact stemming from inadequate testing methodology.
HDTach's fixed strides between sample points causes similar issues as those outlined in HDTune, in this case, the periodicities of the stride pattern and the flash memory address space cause some wave-like interference patterns of the benchmark results that are also measuring artifacts rather than being indicative of performance.
AHCI
the Advanced Host Controller Interface allows Hot-Plugging and Native Commands Queuing as well as multithreaded access of the drive by applications. Enabling AHCI results in conflicts between the controller and the drive that are apparent as sluggish overall system performance.
Benchmarks that actually work are those that are not geared towards quick and dirty assessment of a HDDs performance based on optimization of the test algorithms to meet the typical HDD architecture. Examples are PCMark Vantage, Winbench 99 2.0 "Drive Inspection Test" or ATTO.
This is just a very small example of the information OCZ provides consumers in their Setup and Testing Guide: Configuring and setting up SSDs. Visit the OCZ support forum for more information and the complete guide.
OCZ 64GB SSD Closer Look
At first glance, the new OCZ 64GB SATA SSD looks like a flight data recorder from an aircraft's black box... and in many ways it is, Solid State Drive are very popular items in military and aerospace technology, primarily because of their ability to withstand shock in excess of 1500 G's. The OCZSSD64GB offers the same rugged longevity, which amounts to safer data even after the worst disasters.
The OCZ 64GB Solid State Drive is encased in an aluminum half shell, which fastens from the top with counter-sunk Allen head screws. As much as I would have liked to disassemble the OCZSSD64GB, I was only allowed to test the product and not dissect the sample.
Standard 2.5" drive bay mounting points are pre-drilled and threaded in the OCZSSD64GB, which allows for quick upgrade or addition to any existing notebook or desktop system. The mounting positions matched up to the drive bracket on my Dell Inspiron laptop, and without any trouble at all I was quickly loading the operating system on this 64GB SATA SSD Solid State Drive.
The underside of the OCZ SSD reveals standard SATA power and data interface connections. Unlike desktop computers which utilize a SATA cable system to connect drive to motherboard, nearly all notebooks allow the 2.5" drive to simply slide directly into a connection bay within the system.
In addition to notebooks and desktop computer usage, the OCZ 64GB SATA SSD Solid State Drive can be utilized for mission-critical backups or high-abuse data systems.
Testing Methodology
EDITORS NOTE: Please read Solid State Drive (SSD) Benchmark Performance Testing to understand how the benchmarks used in this article should be interpreted.
At this point in technology, there are several key differences between Solid State Disks and magnetic rotational hard disk drives. While the DRAM-based buffer size is ever-increasing, there is still a delay in the initial response time. This is one key area in which the SSD dominates. However, once the SSD begins reading or writing data, it does so at a constant rate. This current rate is comparable to the data burst rate mentioned in hard disk drive tests.
It's unfair to compare a Solid State Disk to a standard hard disk drive; even if you're comparing the fastest rotational spindle speeds. One is going to be many times faster in response (SSD's), and the other is going to have higher throughput bandwidth (HDD's). So with this inevitable truth in mind, Benchmark Reviews will test this item and represent our findings as stand-alone results.
Benchmark Applications
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HD Tach RW v3.0.4.0
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System Speed Test v4.78
Test System Specifications
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Processor: Intel E6550 Core 2 Duo 2.33GHz (3.23GHz)
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Hard Disk 1: Western Digital WD360GD 10,000 RPM SATA
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Hard Disk 2 (Paging File): Mtron MOBI 3000 2.5-Inch 16GB SSD MSD-SATA3025
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Optical Drive: Toshiba Samsung SH-S203 SATA 20x DVD R/W
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Operating System: Windows XP Professional SP-2 (optimized to 16 processes at idle)
HD Tach RW Benchmark Results
The graphical user interface (GUI) of the Windows-based benchmark tool HD Tach is very convenient. and allows the test product to be compared against others collected on your system or those registered into the Simpli Software database. In this product review, it's very clear from the results below that OCZ is not trying to make claims to the performance crown.
While this 64GB SATA Solid State Drive does offer a decent random access time well beneath that of any spindle-based hard disk drive, it is not among the fastest SSD's we have tested to date. OCZ utilizes the Samsung MCBQE64GBMP solid state disk for their OCZSSD64GB product, which Samsung spec's with a 0.25ms response time.
System Speed Test v4.78
System Speed Test (SST) is probably the best disk bandwidth testing tool available, and yet so many product analysts are unaware of it. SST does not operate from within the Windows Operating System; instead it loads from MS-DOS and operates at the BIOS level. The downside is that the graphics are limited to text and colored lines, but the upside is that the most precise results attainable are recorded.
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SSD Drive
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Random Access Time
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Buffered Read Speed
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Lienear Read Speed
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OCZSSD64GB
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0.23 ms
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52,628 KBps
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44,187 KBps
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Based on the results of both the HD Tach and System Speed Test benchmarks, OCZ is being very modest with their system specifications. While I am not at liberty to divulge the test results of other SSD's because of non-disclosure, what I can reveal is that the OCZ 64GB SATA Solid State Drive OCZSSD64GB has tested closer to the stated specifications than any other manufacturer's SSD product thus far.
Solid State Final Thoughts
EDITORS NOTE: Please read Solid State Drive (SSD) Benchmark Performance Testing to understand how the benchmarks used in this article should be interpreted.
As a product analyst, I often get to have my hands on product that I would otherwise never spend my own money to purchase. Certainly, Solid State Drives might fall into this category. There are certain products which I feel are so new that it's better to let them ripen on the vine, so to say. However early adopters never follow the pack, and scoff at the notion of waiting out the next technologies maturity.
OCZ is certainly taking on a lot of new ground. Not only are they less than 5% dedicated towards the flash-based side of their product line, but they also practically alone with their entry into the retail SSD market. With only four other companies selling market-ready SSD's at this time, it's rather unique to have a performance system memory name offer a value-level 64GB SATA Solid State Drive.
For the past six months, or at least since Reno Hosted the SuperComputing Conference SC07, I have been on the prowl to test every SSD I could get my hands onto. It seemed that every time I requested a sample, I was given the run-around. Some manufacturers like to issue press release statements announcing their latest SSD product and specification ratings, and then give the excuse that they are in development even after a full six months after product announcement (shame on you, Transcend). It's nice to see that some companies still deliver what they promise. Perhaps OCZ will inspire other companies to actually release what they advertise, or at a minimum release a product that meets the stated specifications when it finally is released.
OCZSSD64GB Conclusion
OCZ is not too different from most performance aftermarket manufacturers. Their product packaging uses exciting colors and graphics, and the aura is created even before the box is opened. The OCZ 64GB SATA Solid State Drive OCZSSD64GB is no different; which is odd for a product which focuses less on performance and more on value.
Even despite the guise of "value" branding, the OCZSSD64GB SSD appearance certainly tries to convince you otherwise. The Alloy case with brushed finish is well beyond the plastic card case I've seen the competition using. It can look expensive, and it does, but thankfully the price tag is nowhere near the competition's level.
Construction is probably the strongest feature credited to the OCZ 64GB SATA SSD. Solid State Disks are by nature immune to most abuses, but add to this a hard shell and you have to wonder what it would take to make this drive fail. Keep wondering, because I'm not in a position to wreck one of these just yet.
Random access times were not among the best for all Solid State Disks we've tested, but at 0.23 ms the reaction is a full magnitude faster than spindle disks. Additionally, the linear read speed was comparable to most standard notebook hard disk drives, but (presently) as with all SSD's the buffered read speed is still well beneath HDD's. Until the SATA-II generation of SSD's becomes more than an empty press release (which is opposite of OCZ's common practice), we will have to wait for another day to have the functionality stalemate resolved.
Value is a relative term, especially when you discuss bleeding edge technology. People ridicule the thought of making the high-dollar purchase of an SSD over a standard hard drive, but then they get into their Hummer's and Porsche's and drive to Starbucks. At the end of every emerging technology is two sides: one which will buy and one which will not. Thankfully, Solid State Disk technology is made more affordable by OCZ's value play.
PRICE UPDATE 20 November 2008: The original OCZSSD series has since been replaced with a newer product line. The OCZ Solid Series OCZSSD2-1SLD60G is a direct replacement, and is currently available at NewEgg for $149. Although they are still not as inexpensive as HDD technology, OCZ sells their SSD products for much less than the others by far.
For now, the benefits are not quite there for me to recommend SSD's to the mainstream user. Certainly OCZ has helped make the technology available, but for the cost it would seem that 64GB worth of storage space on a SATA interface would have to be used for something critically important to warrant a Solid State Drive. Nevertheless, if you're after a replacement disk for your notebook, the OCZSSD64GB offers outstanding SSD capacity at the lowest price per gigabyte available.
Pros:
+ Low power consumption extends battery life
+ Lightweight storage solution
+ Resistant to extreme shock impact
+ Large 64GB SSD capacity
+ 1 Year OCZ full warranty
+ Best cost:gigabyte price ratio
+ Alloy casing adds to appearance and appeal
+ Very accurate product specifications
Cons:
- Expensive. Even with the best cost:gigabyte ratio.
- Lower buffered read speed than most SSD's
- Slower random access time than other SSD's
- Alloy case is heavier than plastic SSD cases
Ratings:
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Presentation: 8.50
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Appearance: 9.50
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Construction: 9.75
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Functionality: 8.25
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Value: 6.25
Final Score: 8.45 out of 10.
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Comments
My advise is to check with ASUS on the size of the drive in your netbook, or take it out and measure it yourself, and then go shopping.