OCZ Vector Solid State Drive Review

Manufacturer: OCZ Technology Group, Inc.
Product Name: Vector 2.5" Solid State Drive
Model Number: VTR1-25SAT3-256G (256GB Capacity)
UPC: 842024032342
Prices: 128GB for $159.99 (Newegg/Amazon), 256GB for $269.99 (Newegg/Amazon), 512GB for $569.99 (Newegg/Amazon)

Full Disclosure: The product sample used in this article has been provided by OCZ.

The OCZ Vector 2.5" solid state drive (VTR1-25SAT3 series) is an ultra-slim 7mm high-performance SSD storage device produced in-house by OCZ Technology with a focus on reliability. Featuring OCZ's new Indilinx Barefoot 3 storage controller, the Vector SSD series is built to produce optimized performance for enthusiasts wanting to capitalize on near-instant response times. OCZ Vector SSDs are available in 128/256/512GB capacities, and deliver up to 550MB/s read speeds with up to 95,000 Random Read IOPS. In this article Benchmark Reviews puts these specifications to test, and compares the OCZ Vector solid state drive against the leading competition.

Back in July 2011, OCZ Technology announced their Indilinx "Everest" SATA controller platform, which featured a 275 MHz dual-core Marvell-based CPU with 128KB on-chip SRAM for programs and another 64KB for data. The first product to utilize the new Everest platform was the OCZ Octane SSD, which debuted early in 2012 with a 512MB DRAM cache buffer operating at 400 MHz and custom Indilinx-programmed firmware. The second generation Everest 2 platform again featured a Marvell-based dual-ARM controller, which optimized reduced-write amplifications without data compression to yield better I/O and help extend the product warranty to an industry leading five years. The Indilinx Barefoot 3 SATA controller is an all-original design, yet still delivers these combined features into the Vector SSD.

Solid State vs Hard Disk

Despite decades of design improvements, the hard disk drive (HDD) is still the slowest component of any personal computer system. Consider that modern desktop processors have a 1 ns response time (nanosecond = one billionth of one second), while system memory responds between 30-90 ns. Traditional hard drive technology utilizes magnetic spinning media, and even the fastest spinning mechanical storage products still exhibit a 9,000,000 ns / 9 ms initial response time (millisecond = one thousandth of one second). In more relevant terms, the processor receives the command and must then wait for system memory to fetch related data from the storage drive. This is why any computer system is only as fast as the slowest component in the data chain; usually the hard drive.

In a perfect world all of the components operate at the same speed. Until that day comes, the real-world goal for achieving optimal performance is for system memory to operate as quickly as the central processor and then for the storage drive to operate as fast as memory. With present-day technology this is an impossible task, so enthusiasts try to close the speed gaps between components as much as possible. Although system memory is up to 90x (9000%) slower than most processors, consider then that the hard drive is an added 1000x (100,000%) slower than that same memory. Essentially, these three components are as different in speed as walking is to driving and flying.

Solid State Drive technology bridges the largest gap in these response times. The difference a SSD makes to operational response times and program speeds is dramatic, and takes the storage drive from a slow 'walking' speed to a much faster 'driving' speed. Solid State Drive technology improves initial response times by more than 450x (45,000%) for applications and Operating System software, when compared to their mechanical HDD counterparts. The biggest mistake PC hardware enthusiasts make with regard to SSD technology is grading them based on bandwidth speed. File transfer speeds are important, but only so long as the operational I/O performance can sustain that bandwidth under load.

Bandwidth Speed vs Operational Performance

As we've explained in our SSD Benchmark Tests: SATA IDE vs AHCI Mode guide, Solid State Drive performance revolves around two dynamics: bandwidth speed (MB/s) and operational performance I/O per second (IOPS). These two metrics work together, but one is more important than the other. Consider this analogy: bandwidth determines how much cargo a ship can transport in one voyage, and operational IOPS performance is how fast the ship moves. By understanding this and applying it to SSD storage, there is a clear importance set on each variable depending on the task at hand.

For casual users, especially those with laptop or desktop computers that have been upgraded to use an SSD, the naturally quick response time is enough to automatically improve the user experience. Bandwidth speed is important, but only to the extent that operational performance meets the minimum needs of the system. If an SSD has a very high bandwidth speed but a low operational performance, it will take longer to load applications and boot the computer into Windows than if the SSD offered a higher IOPS performance.

Closer Look: OCZ Vector SSD Series

Solid state drive devices have gained quick popularity with performance-minded consumers because they work equally well in PC, Linux, or Apple computer systems. Likewise, these drives install quite easily into both desktop and notebook platforms without modification. The OCZ Vector SSD Series is best suited for performance-orientated users, giving personal computers a much faster response time and boosting productivity.

In this article Benchmark Reviews will test the OCZ Vector SSD series. The 256GB model we received (VTR1-25SAT3-256G) is specified to reach 550 MB/s for sequential reads and 530 MB/s sequential writes. OCZ specifies 4K random reads up to 100,000 IOPS and random writes up to 95,000 IOPS. All capacities include Acronis True Image drive cloning software, and a 3.5" to 2.5" drive adapter tray for desktop installation.

OCZ Technology offers the Vector SSD series in three capacities: 128 GB, 256 GB, and 512 GB. All models share the same part numbers with a capacity designator: VTR1-25SAT3-256G represents the 256 GB model.

Although the product specification advertise extremely fast performance ratings, OCZ Vector SSDs are designed with a focus on product reliability above all else. The Indilinx Barefoot 3 controller and firmware inside Vector SSDs receive a long validation cycle to ensure optimal stability is delivered to the consumer, which is punctuated by an industry-leading OCZ Technology five-year product warranty. This will certainly factor into the consumer's decision, as it guarantees long-term value.

Unlike fragile Hard Disk Drive (HDD) storage products, SSDs are not nearly as sensitive to impact damage and do not require (or benefit from) any kind of special vibration dampening or shock-proof enclosures. Once installed the SSD is usually hidden away from view, which explains why OCZ has maintained a conservative appearance on the Vector solid state drive.

The OCZ Vector SSD features a 7mm thick chassis that comes finished with a silver textured aluminum look. OCZ utilizes a standard two-piece metal enclosure for their Vector-series SSDs, with a series branding label on the top panel and product information label on the bottom. Internal components are revealed by removing four small counter-sunk screws located at the bottom of this solid state drive.

Backwards compatible with SATA 1.5 GB/s and 3.0 GB/s interfaces, this SATA 6.0 GB/s controller includes features such as Native Command Queuing (NCQ), S.M.A.R.T. health monitoring, and TRIM-based garbage collection. Indilinx Barefoot 3 SSDs offer BCH error correcting capable of 70 bits correction per 1KB of data.

In the next few sections we'll test the OCZ Vector solid state drive, comparing this solid state drive to other retail products intended for notebook and desktop installations.

OCZ Vector Features and Specifications

Features OCZ In-House Technology

• OCZ-acquired Indilinx and PLX teams developed the Barefoot 3 silicon and firmware
• Vector marks the first major OCZ release with 100% captive, in-house technology (aside from NAND flash)
• OCZ also purchases and packages NAND flash wafers and passes the cost savings to the customer

All features and specifications courtesy OCZ Technology:

SSD Testing Methodology

Solid State Drives have traveled a long winding course to finally get where they are today. Up to this point in technology, there have been several key differences separating Solid State Drives from magnetic rotational Hard Disk Drives. While the DRAM-based buffer size on desktop HDDs has recently reached 64 MB and is ever-increasing, there is still a hefty delay in the initial response time. This is one key area in which flash-based Solid State Drives continually dominates because they lack moving parts to "get up to speed".

However the benefits inherent to SSDs have traditionally fallen off once the throughput begins, even though data reads or writes are executed at a high constant rate whereas the HDD tapers off in performance. This makes the average transaction speed of a SSD comparable to the data burst rate mentioned in HDD tests, albeit usually lower than the HDD's speed.

Comparing a Solid State Disk to a standard Hard Disk Drives is always relative; even if you're comparing the fastest rotational spindle speeds. One is going to be many times faster in response (SSDs), while the other is usually going to have higher throughput bandwidth (HDDs). Additionally, there are certain factors which can affect the results of a test which we do our best to avoid.

SSD Testing Disclaimer

Early on in our SSD coverage, Benchmark Reviews published an article which detailed Solid State Drive Benchmark Performance Testing. The research and discussion that went into producing that article changed the way we now test SSD products. Our previous perceptions of this technology were lost on one particular difference: the wear leveling algorithm that makes data a moving target. Without conclusive linear bandwidth testing or some other method of total-capacity testing, our previous performance results were rough estimates at best.

Our test results were obtained after each SSD had been prepared using DISKPART or Sanitary Erase tools. As a word of caution, applications such as these offer immediate but temporary restoration of original 'pristine' performance levels. In our tests, we discovered that the maximum performance results (charted) would decay as subsequent tests were performed. SSDs attached to TRIM enabled Operating Systems will benefit from continuously refreshed performance, whereas older O/S's will require a garbage collection (GC) tool to avoid 'dirty NAND' performance degradation.

It's critically important to understand that no software for the Microsoft Windows platform can accurately measure SSD performance in a comparable fashion. Synthetic benchmark tools such as ATTO Disk Benchmark and Iometer are helpful indicators, but should not be considered the ultimate determining factor. That factor should be measured in actual user experience of real-world applications. Benchmark Reviews includes both bandwidth benchmarks and application speed tests to present a conclusive measurement of product performance.

Test System

• Motherboard: ASUS P8P67 EVO (Intel P67 Sandy Bridge Platform, B3 Stepping)
• Processor: Intel Core i7-2600K 3.4 GHz Quad-Core CPU
• System Memory: 4GB Dual-Channel DDR3 1600MHz CL6-6-6-18
• SATA 6Gb/s Storage HBA: Integrated Intel P67 Controller
  • AHCI mode - Intel Rapid Storage Technology Driver 11.7.0.1013
• SATA 3Gb/s Storage HBA: Integrated Intel P67 Controller
  • AHCI mode - Intel Rapid Storage Technology Driver 11.7.0.1013
• Operating System: Microsoft Windows 7 Ultimate Edition 64-Bit with Service Pack 1

Storage Hardware Tested

The following storage hardware has been used in our benchmark performance testing, and may be included in portions of this article:

• Crucial RealSSD-C300 CTFDDAC256MAG-1G1 256GB SATA 6Gb/s MLC SSD
• Crucial m4 CT256M4SSD2 256GB SATA 6Gb/s MLC SSD
• Intel X25-E Extreme SSDSA2SH032G1GN SATA 3Gb/s SLC SSD
• Intel SSD 311 Series Larson Creek SSDSA2VP020G2E
• Intel SSD 320 Series MLC Solid State Drive SSDSA2CW160G3
• Intel SSD 335 Series Solid State Drive SSDSC2CT240A4K5
• Intel SSD 520 Series MLC Solid State Drive SSDSC2CW240A3
• OCZ RevoDrive OCZSSDPX-1RVD0120 120GB MLC PCI-Express SSD
• OCZ RevoDrive X2 OCZSSDPX-1RVDX0240 240GB MLC PCI-E SSD
• OCZ RevoDrive 3 X2 RVD3X2-FHPX4-480G 480GB MLC PCI-E SSD
• OCZ Agility 2 OCZSSD2-2AGTE120G 120GB MLC SSD
• OCZ Agility 3 AGT3-25SAT3-240G 240GB MLC SSD
• OCZ Vertex 2 OCZSSD2-2VTXE120G 120GB MLC SSD
• OCZ Vertex 3 VTX3-25SAT3-240G 240GB MLC SSD
• OCZ Vertex 3 Max IOPS VTX3MI-25SAT3-240G MLC SSD
• OCZ Vertex 4 VTX4-25SAT3-256G MLC SSD
• OCZ Octane OCT1-25SAT3-512G MLC SSD
• OCZ Vector VTR1-25SAT3-256G MLC SSD
• Patriot Torqx 2 PT2128GS25SSDR 128GB MLC SSD
• WD SiliconEdge-Blue SSC-D0256SC-2100 256GB MLC SSD

Test Tools

• AS SSD Benchmark 1.6.4067.34354: Multi-purpose speed and operational performance test
• ATTO Disk Benchmark 2.46: Spot-tests static file size chunks for basic I/O bandwidth
• CrystalDiskMark 3.0.1a by Crystal Dew World: Sequential speed benchmark spot-tests various file size chunks
• Iometer 1.1.0 (built 08-Nov-2010) by Intel Corporation: Tests IOPS performance and I/O response time
• Lavalys EVEREST Ultimate Edition 5.50: Disk Benchmark component tests linear read and write bandwidth speeds
• Futuremark PCMark Vantage: HDD Benchmark Suite tests real-world drive performance

Test Results Disclaimer

This article utilizes benchmark software tools to produce operational IOPS performance and bandwidth speed results. Each test was conducted in a specific fashion, and repeated for all products. These test results are not comparable to any other benchmark application, neither on this website or another, regardless of similar IOPS or MB/s terminology in the scores. The test results in this project are only intended to be compared to the other test results conducted in identical fashion for this article.

AS-SSD Benchmark

Alex Schepeljanski of Alex Intelligent Software develops the free AS SSD Benchmark utility for testing storage devices. The AS SSD Benchmark tests sequential read and write speeds, input/output operational performance, and response times.

Beginning with sequential transfer performance, the OCZ Vector solid state drive produced speeds up to 506.14 MB/s for reads and 495.86 MB/s writes. Since the OCZ/Indilinx Barefoot 3 platform is not dramatically effected by the compressed data used in this benchmark, sequential file transfer speeds appear higher than SSDs that prefer uncompressed data. For this reason, we concentrate on the operational IOPS performance for this section.

Single-threaded 4K IOPS performance tests deliver 24.37 MB/s read and 70.79 MB/s write, while the 64-thread 4K reads recorded 356.20 MB/s and write performance was 304.24 MB/s. This is significantly better than all other SATA-based SSDs previously released.

AS-SSD 64-thread 4KB IOPS performance results are displayed in the chart below, which compares several enthusiast-level storage products currently on the market. In these 64-thread 4KB IOPS performance tests the OCZ Vector series outperformed all other previously tested SATA-based SSDs. The chart below is sorted by total combined performance, which helps illustrate which products offer the best operational input/output under load:

In the next section, Benchmark Reviews tests transfer rates using ATTO Disk Benchmark.

ATTO Disk Benchmark

The ATTO Disk Benchmark program is free, and offers a comprehensive set of test variables to work with. In terms of disk performance, it measures interface transfer rates at various intervals for a user-specified length and then reports read and write speeds for these spot-tests. There are some minor improvements made to the 2.46 version of the program that allow for test lengths up to 2GB, but all of our benchmarks are conducted with 256MB total length. ATTO Disk Benchmark requires that an active partition be set on the drive being tested. Please consider the results displayed by this benchmark to be basic bandwidth speed performance indicators.

ATTO Disk Benchmark: Queue Depth 4 (Default)

Our bandwidth speed tests begin with the OCZ Vector solid state drive attached to the Intel P67-Express SATA 6Gb/s controller operating in AHCI mode. Using the ATTO Disk Benchmark tool, the test drive performs basic file transfers ranging from 0.5 KB to 8192 KB.

ATTO Disk Benchmark: Queue Depth 10

The 256GB model provided to Benchmark Reviews for testing produced 559 MBps maximum read speeds that plateau from 128-8192 KB file chunks, and 536 MBps peak write bandwidth that also plateaus from 128-8192 KB. These results agree with OCZ's performance specifications of 550/530 MBps for all 256/512GB Vector SSDs.

In the next section, Benchmark Reviews tests sequential performance using the CrystalDiskMark 3.0 software tool...

CrystalDiskMark 3.0 Tests

CrystalDiskMark 3.0 is a file transfer and operational bandwidth benchmark tool from Crystal Dew World that offers performance transfer speed results using sequential, 512KB random, and 4KB random samples. For our test results chart below, the 4KB 32-Queue Depth read and write performance was measured using a 1000MB space. CrystalDiskMark requires that an active partition be set on the drive being tested, and all drives are formatted with NTFS on the Intel P67 chipset configured to use AHCI-mode. Benchmark Reviews uses CrystalDiskMark to illustrate operational IOPS performance with multiple threads. In addition to our other tests, this benchmark allows us to determine operational bandwidth under heavy load.

CrystalDiskMark uses compressed data in its benchmark tests, and since the OCZ/Indilinx Barefoot 3 platform is not dramatically effected by the compressed data used in this benchmark sequential file transfer speeds appear higher than SSDs that prefer uncompressed data. For this reason, we concentrate on the operational IOPS performance for this section.

CrystalDiskMark 3.0 reports sequential speeds reaching 522.0 MB/s reads and 510.8 MB/s writes. 512K test results reached 422.9 MB/s read and 499.5 MB/s write performance. 4K tests produced 27.37 read and 96.72 write performance. All the results produced by CrystalDiskMark for the OCZ Vector SSD are significantly better than previously tested solid state drive products.

Maximum 4KB IOPS performance results at queue depth 32 are reported in the chart below. These values represent the performance levels for several enthusiast-level storage solutions, and illustrates which products offer the best operational performance under load:

In the next section, we continue our testing using Iometer to measure input/output performance...

Iometer IOPS Performance

Iometer is an I/O subsystem measurement and characterization tool for single and clustered systems. Iometer does for a computer's I/O subsystem what a dynamometer does for an engine: it measures performance under a controlled load. Iometer was originally developed by the Intel Corporation and formerly known as "Galileo". Intel has discontinued work on Iometer, and has gifted it to the Open Source Development Lab (OSDL). There is currently a new version of Iometer in beta form, which adds several new test dimensions for SSDs.

Iometer is both a workload generator (that is, it performs I/O operations in order to stress the system) and a measurement tool (that is, it examines and records the performance of its I/O operations and their impact on the system). It can be configured to emulate the disk or network I/O load of any program or benchmark, or can be used to generate entirely synthetic I/O loads. It can generate and measure loads on single or multiple (networked) systems.

To measure random I/O response time as well as total I/O's per second, Iometer is set to use 4KB file size chunks over a 100% random sequential distribution at a queue depth of 32 outstanding I/O's per target. The tests are given a 50% read and 50% write distribution. While this pattern may not match traditional 'server' or 'workstation' profiles, it illustrates a single point of reference relative to our product field.

All of our SSD tests used Iometer 1.1.0 (build 08-Nov-2010) by Intel Corporation to measure IOPS performance, using a SandForce-created QD30 configuration: 4KB 100 Random 50-50 Read and Write.icf. The chart below illustrates combined random read and write IOPS over a 120-second Iometer test phase, where highest I/O total is preferred:

In our Iometer tests, which are configured to use 32 outstanding I/O's per target and random 50/50 read/write distribution, SandForce SSDs generally outperform the competition when tested with this large queue depth. The OCZ Vertex 4 SSD tops our charts with an impressive combined IOPS of 83,494 - the best we've seen from any SATA-based SSD. The 240GB OCZ Vertex 3 Max IOPS Edition trails behind with 83,117 IOPS while the Intel SSD 520 Series produced 80,433 peak combined IOPS. OCZ's Vector SSD trailed behind the SandForce and Marvell-based solid state products, producing a noteworthy 60,052 combined IOPS in this test. Although not among the highest I/O marks, Vector's performers delivers operational performance far beyond the needs of multi-tasking power users and hardcore gamers, and would be ideal for systems running virtual machines.

OCZ Technology suggested an additional Iometer test using their own configuration file (4KRW-15m.icf), and Benchmark Reviews was happy to ablige. We set the sector size to 250053918, which created a 50% LBA load on the SSDs tested. Then we tested again with the default sector size of 0 for 100 LBA load. This tested write performance on the Vector SSD compared to a select few other drives available, and showed some interesting results. Although the results are too complex to graph properly in our charts, the trend showed that Vector was sucessful in producing high I/O when capacity was seriously reduced, as opposed to an empty drive. Random write performance reached 57,398 IOPS, which was nearly the same as combined IOPS performance with 100% capacity. Overall, the OCZ Vector SSD showed great promise in real-world performance scenarios, where the drive will be filled with data and only a portion of it will be writable.

In our next section, we test linear read and write bandwidth performance and compare its speed against several other top storage products using EVEREST Disk Benchmark. Benchmark Reviews feels that linear tests are excellent for rating SSDs, however HDDs are put at a disadvantage with these tests whenever capacity is high.

EVEREST Disk Benchmark

Many enthusiasts are familiar with the Lavalys EVEREST benchmark suite, but very few are aware of the Disk Benchmark tool available inside the program. The EVEREST Disk Benchmark performs linear read and write bandwidth tests on each drive, and can be configured to use file chunk sizes up to 1MB (which speeds up testing and minimizes jitter in the waveform). Because of the full sector-by-sector nature of linear testing, Benchmark Reviews endorses this method for testing SSD products, as detailed in our Solid State Drive Benchmark Performance Testing article. However, Hard Disk Drive products suffer a lower average bandwidth as the capacity draws linear read/write speed down into the inner-portion of the disk platter. EVEREST Disk Benchmark does not require a partition to be present for testing, so all of our benchmarks are completed prior to drive formatting.

Linear disk benchmarks are superior bandwidth speed tools in my opinion, because they scan from the first physical sector to the last. A side affect of many linear write-performance test tools is that the data is erased as it writes to every sector on the drive. Normally this isn't an issue, but it has been shown that partition table alignment will occasionally play a role in overall SSD performance (HDDs don't suffer this problem).

The high-performance storage products we've tested with Lavalys EVEREST Disk Benchmark are connected to the Intel P67-Express SATA 6Gb/s controller and use a 1MB block size option. Read performance on the OCZ Vector solid state drive measured average speeds of 484.3 MB/s, with a relatively close maximum peak speed of 491.9 MB/s. These read results are among the highest we've tested, and very consistent across the full range of capacity. Everest linear write-to tests were next...

The waveform chart below illustrates how well the OCZ Vector manages file transfers, and makes linear write performance appears relatively uneven. The results seen here are consistent with most other SSD products we've tested in the past that use a DRAM cache buffer. The OCZ Vector solid state drive recorded an average linear write-to speed of 378.4 MB/s, with maximum performance reaching 400.0 MB/s. Write-to results fell behind many recently-tested SSDs, which could be explained by Vector's mission to deliver superior stability and NAND reliability opposed to raw performance figures.

The chart below shows the average linear read and write bandwidth speeds for a cross-section of storage devices tested with EVEREST:

Linear tests are an important tool for comparing bandwidth speed between storage products - although HDD products suffer performance degradation over the span of their areal storage capacity. Linear bandwidth certainly benefits the Solid State Drive, since there's very little fluctuation in transfer speed. This is because Hard Disk Drive products decline in performance as the spindle reaches the inner-most sectors on the magnetic platter, away from the fast outer edge.

In the next section we use PCMark Vantage to test real-world performance...

PCMark Vantage HDD Tests

PCMark Vantage is an objective hardware performance benchmark tool for PCs running 32- and 64-bit versions of Microsoft Windows Vista or Windows 7. PCMark Vantage is well suited for benchmarking any type of Microsoft Windows Vista/7 PC: from multimedia home entertainment systems and laptops, to dedicated workstations and high-end gaming rigs. Benchmark Reviews has decided to use the HDD Test Suite to demonstrate simulated real-world storage drive performance in this article.

PCMark Vantage runs eight different storage benchmarks, each with a specific purpose. Once testing is complete, results are given a PCMark score while and detailed results indicate actual transaction speeds. The 256GB OCZ Vector SSD produced a total PCMark Vantage (secondary) HDD Test Suite score of 74980, with specific speeds reported below:

Our tests were conducted on an Intel P67-Express Sandy Bridge motherboard using the onboard native SATA 6Gb/s controller with 64-bit Windows 7. Because new drivers were used, this test is not comparible to past tests and may not be fairly compared to storage devices attached to other computer systems.

In the next section, I share my review conclusion and final product rating.

OCZ Vector SSD Conclusion

IMPORTANT: Although the rating and final score mentioned in this conclusion are made to be as objective as possible, please be advised that every author perceives these factors differently at various points in time. While we each do our best to ensure that all aspects of the product are considered, there are often times unforeseen market conditions and manufacturer changes which occur after publication that could render our rating obsolete. Please do not base any purchase solely on our conclusion, as it represents our product rating specifically for the product tested which may differ from future versions. Benchmark Reviews begins our conclusion with a short summary for each of the areas that we rate.

Our performance rating considers how effective the OCZ Vector SSD performs in file transfer operations against competing solid-state storage solutions. For reference, the 256GB model is specified by OCZ to produce up to 550 MB/s read speeds and 530 MB/s writes. In our storage benchmark tests the OCZ Vector SSD (256GB model VTR1-25SAT3-256G) performed slightly above these speeds. Our test results demonstrated that OCZ's Vector SSD was good for delivering 559/536 MB/s peak read and write speeds using ATTO Disk Benchmark SSD speed tests. Linear file transfers with Everest Disk Benchmark produced 484/378 MB/s, which exceeds performance of the OCZ Vertex 4 and OCZ Octane SSDs. Transfer speeds were very fast overall, and among some of the best we've recorded.

The 256GB OCZ Vector SSD sent to us for testing is advertised to deliver up to 100,000 random 4KB read IOPS and 95,000 random 4KB write IOPS... which is greater than any past SATA-based SSD that OCZ Technology has offered. Using Iometer operational performance tests configured to a queue depth of 32 outstanding I/O's per target across 100% of the drive, our benchmarks produced 60,052 combined IOPS performance. Using OCZ's own suggested test configuration, which more accurately represents an SSD with 50% data fill, the random 4K write test produced 57,398 IOPS. In 4K 32QD tests using AS-SSD and CrystalDiskMark, the OCZ Vector SSD excelled well past the competition by a very sizable margin.

Taking these results together, it's clear that OCZ have designed their Indilinx Barefoot 3 controller inside the Vector SSD series to deliver superior performance and reliability in real-world usage scenarios. Compared to other SSD products that utilize toggle or asynchronous NAND flash components, the synchronous NAND flash components used in the OCZ Vector series resist performance degradation as storage capacity is filled and represent the future of consumer-level solid state drives. Not only are these components fast, but they maintain better performance throughout the product's lifetime.

Solid State Drives are low-visibility products: you see them just long enough to install and then they're forgotten. Like their Hard Disk Drive counterparts, Solid State Drives are meant to place function before fashion. Anything above and beyond a simple metal shell is already more than what's expected in terms of the appearance. OCZ Technology has created a sleek 7mm profile with appealing finish on their Vector series SSDs. As solid state storage controllers become faster and more advanced, heat dissipation through the enclosure walls may demand that chassis designs become more beneficial than they previously needed to be. For now, the thermal transfer pad that joins the metal chassis to an Indilinx Barefoot 3 controller suits it nicely.

Construction is probably the strongest feature credited to the entire SSD product segment, and OCZ products seldom offer exception to this rule. Solid-state storage is by nature immune to most abuses, but add a hard metal shell and the chance of failure is reduced to internal component defects. If any Vector series SSD product happens to fail during the 5-year warranty period, end-users may contact OCZ via the company website or extensive support forums. Fortunately, there's also a toll-free telephone number (800-459-1816) for free technical support and customer service questions. OCZ has been proven to be one of the best companies in the business when it comes to customer service, and replacement parts are often sent with priority delivery.

As of January 2013, the OCZ Vector SSD is available online in the following capacities and prices:

• VTR1-25SAT3-128G (128GB): $159.99 (Newegg/Amazon)
• VTR1-25SAT3-256G (256GB): $269.99 (Newegg/Amazon)
• VTR1-25SAT3-512G (512GB): $569.99 (Newegg/Amazon)

The OCZ Vector SSD series reflects OCZ Technology's dedication towards product reliability, and the Indilinx Barefoot 3 controller delivers usable I/O performance rather than simply generating fast file transfer speeds. Consumers have been brainwashed into thinking SSDs are all about transfer speeds even though operational input-output performance is the most important metric. Most of us use our computers to actually do and store things, instead of just moving data across an empty drive. The new 400MHz Indilinx Barefoot 3 controller produces impressive SATA 6 Gb/s speeds while generating IOPS performance to support massive concurrent transactions like a database server might require. Additionally, the use of 25nm synchronous NAND flash components and large 512MB cache buffer ensure that power-users never have to wait for their programs to open or data to be fetched.

OCZ is so confident of their Vector SSD that five years of warranty support go above and beyond what we've seen offered for their other product lines. Vector does cost a bit more than other recently launched solid state products, however this difference is offset by the product's performance, stability, and warranty features. Benchmark Reviews recognizes how well the OCZ Vector SSD delivers useful performance for power users and enthusiasts while still topping our performance charts in several tests, proudly earning our Golden Tachometer Award.

Pros:

+ Industry-leading 5-Year OCZ product warranty support
+ Impressive 559/536 MBps read/write transfer speeds
+ Random 4K writes produced 57,398 IOPS at 50% capacity
+ Indilinx Barefoot 3 processor offers native TRIM support
+ Automatic AES data encryption
+ Offered in 128/256/512GB storage capacities
+ Lightweight compact storage solution
+ Resistant to extreme shock impact
+ Low power consumption may extend battery life

Cons:

- Expensive enthusiast-level product
- Above-average SSD heat output

Ratings:

• Performance: 9.00
• Appearance: 9.25
• Construction: 9.50
• Functionality: 9.25
• Value: 8.00

Final Score: 9.0 out of 10.

Excellence Achievement: Benchmark Reviews Golden Tachometer Award.

COMMENT QUESTION: What do you like most about the OCZ Vector SSD?

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