OCZ Vector 256GB SSD

OCZ has been in the SSD market for quite sometime, and OCZ has always been known as a underdog who tailored their parts more towards the power user/ tweaker crowd.They have been starting stepsto become a major player in the SSD market.In its major move OCZ has launched its new vector SSD series into the market as the first in a new series of drives that is sporting OCZ's new Barefoot 3 controller.

Specification: This new SSD controller was developed by the PLX and Indilinx teams which are acquired by OCZ. The controller also utilizes the Indilinx-infused firmware which has been previously used in conjunction with Marvell controllers.The new Barefoot 3 controller and firmware are specifically tuned for long-term performance in steady state conditions.The result of this hard work comes with the 256GB model touting 550 MB/s read and 530 MB/s write speeds. The vector also tops out at 100,000 4K random while write IOPS and 95,000 random read IOPS, all delivered over a SATA 6Gb/s connection. The OCZ Vector SSD comes in a mobile friendly 7mm form factor and three capacities of 128GB, 256GB, and 512GB. The listed power specifications are also good at 0.9W Idle and 2.25W active power consumption.

The architecture of the vector reveals that there is a DRAM cache for this controller, in contrast to the sandforce offerings. The 128GB and 256GB OCZ Vector models feature 512MB of cache and 512GB model holds 1GB of cache.The cahe leads to enhanced performance.The Barefoot 3 controller features 8 channels which will allow upto 8 NAND packages to be utilized. There is an ARM cortex processor in tandem with the OCZ proprietary Aragon co-processor, the Aragon is a 400MHz 32-bit processor that features an SSD-specific RISC instruction set. The Vector SSD comes with a 5 year warranty, and is good for 20GBs of data to be written for each day of that five year period. The MSRP for the 128GB is $149.99, the 256GB model for $169.99, the 512GB model for $599.99. Packaging: The box the OCZ Vector SSD comes in is standard fare, with a blue color scheme and the relevant information on the front and rear of the box. There are screws to connect the drive into the 3.5 drive ay adapter, and the screws to connect the adapter into the user's case included in the package. There is an included insert with a key for installing Acronis. Acronis is an easy to use drive image utility that will allow users to clone over existing operating systems to the SSD. This is a handy software tool to have, and a welcome inclusion to the kit. The OCZ Vector's black and blue case is bold and looks great.it comes in a 7mm Z-height it is surprisingly sturdy.There is an included thermal pad to keep the Barefoot 3 controller cool by shedding the heat into the SSD's case. There are 8x25nm NAND packages on the front of the PCB, and another 8 on the rear. There is one Micron 256MB DRAM package per side, for a total of 512MB of cache. The Indilinx Barefoot 3 controller is front and center, with the part number IDX500M00-BC. ATTO Benchmark ATTO Disk Benchmark is one of the industry standard benchmarks.ATTO is used to generate many of the marketed sequential specifications that you read on SSD packaging and marketing statements. In reality ATTO is a very simplistic tool that generates easy to understand results for market users. ATTO serves to verify that the rated specifications on the box are in fact attainable, and that the device is in basic good working order.ATTO runs independent of the file system, which allows it to operate outside of any file system restrictions or overhead. PC Mark Vantage PCMark vantage does a very good job of highlighting the performance difference experienced over the course of time with an SSD. PCMark vantage is currently one of the most widely used trace-based benchmarks that are available to the general public Gaming is one of the bigger attarctions for enthusiasts to spring on a new SSD. The OCZ vector wins this category with 186MB/s in steady state. As SSD includes a compression benchmark that is built into the utility.As SSD does measure latency at a 512b file size, when 4K QD1 is actually accepted method. The Barefoot 3 controller is designed to perform well in steady state and delivers well on that promise. More OCD Vector 256GB SSD reviews: visit :http://hardocp.com/article/2012/11/27/ocz_vector_256gb_ssd_review">