OCZ Vector 256 GB Review: An SSD Powered By Barefoot 3

[acku]

Less than two years after acquiring Indilinx for $32 million in stock, OCZ is ready to introduce its first SSD based on controller technology developed in-house. Can its new Barefoot 3 propel the 256 GB Vector we're testing into a performance victory?

OCZ Vector 256 GB Review: An SSD Powered By Barefoot 3 : Read more

 

[gnesterenko]

"In the real world, it's almost a certainty that you wouldn't be able to tell the difference between them (or a number of the nearly-as-fast but tangibly less expensive models featured each month in Best SSDs For The Money)."

This, This, This. All SSDs are pretty amazing at this point for me, the average user. What I care fare more about is - Are they reliable. At the moment, it still seems that Intel holds the reliability crown. Reviews like this are great, for sure, but they don't answer the most important question sadly.

 

[acku]

[citation][nom]gnesterenko[/nom]"In the real world, it's almost a certainty that you wouldn't be able to tell the difference between them (or a number of the nearly-as-fast but tangibly less expensive models featured each month in Best SSDs For The Money)."This, This, This. All SSDs are pretty amazing at this point for me, the average user. What I care fare more about is - Are they reliable. At the moment, it still seems that Intel holds the reliability crown. Reviews like this are great, for sure, but they don't answer the most important question sadly.[/citation]

Let's make one thing clear. Endurance, reliability, durability, they all refer to different things.

When it comes to reliablity, everything we know is rather anecdotal. There are no published RMA rates (only return rates and for a 500 sample size), so its rather flawed. Second, two users subject their SSDs in different ways. The first may have more random data in their workload. You can't make an evaluation that drive x failed for user y therefore its bad. What you do matters. Unlike HDDs, performance and characteristics of the drive change based on what you do to it. Since no two users do the same thing with their system, the only real way to test this out is to get a few thousand SSDs, subject them to the same workload in a big data center for a few years. I'd love to do this but naturally, it's really not feasible.

Cheers,
Andrew Ku

 

[mayankleoboy1]

So basically all good SSD's are constrained by the SATA3 interface. I cant wait for the direct PCIE interface(express pcie ?) to become standard.

 

[Hupiscratch]

Do these drives (specially the Samsung 840) support TRIM in RAID 0 arrays or this is a property related to the chipset?

 

[acku]

[citation][nom]Hupiscratch[/nom]Do these drives (specially the Samsung 840) support TRIM in RAID 0 arrays or this is a property related to the chipset?[/citation]

That's a mobo thing. You're going to want a 7-series chipset from Intel.

Cheers,
Andrew Ku

 

[Jerky_san]

Jebus Samsungs are such strong contenders on all fields..

 

[edlivian]

i dont care how much slower the crucial m4 is compared to the new kids on the block, I will keep stocking them for myself and company, since that is the only one that has never failed me.

 

[acku]

i dont care how much slower the crucial m4 is compared to the new kids on the block, I will keep stocking them for myself and company, since that is the only one that has never failed me.

Glad to hear the m4s are working out for you! Indeed, they have a pretty good track record.

Cheers,
Andrew Ku

 

[dingo07]

So should I buy some of thier stock now...? It can't get much lower than them going out of business from the lawsuits... :/

 

[Guest]

I just hope that there won't be as many firmware updates with this drive. I got tired of that with my past 2 OCZ SSD's (Vertex 3 & Vertex Turbo). It was way too often, almost as much as my GPU drivers. That being said, they both have given me no issues whatsoever and run like champs. I see a 256GB Vector in my future.

 

[jonjonjon]

didnt ocz assure you last time it was their own controller until they were forced to admit they lied? now im guessing that even a company as shady as ocz wouldnt be dumb enough to try to pull the same stunt twice. i personally wouldnt touch a new ocz controller. if they can prove its stable and not a beta product that requires 10 firmware updates to become a stable consumer grade product then maybe i would consider it if the performance/price was better then the competition. that said im all for continued firmware development/support and i know there is no such thing as perfect bug free code but that is what validation testing is for and its unacceptable to release unfinished/broken products. otherwise ill take my chances with intel/samsung/crucial.

 

[bentonsl_2010]

With so much drama in the LBC, it's kinda hard being a company selling SSDs.

Best quote ever!!!

 

[g-unit1111]

It makes me very glad to see companies putting more time and effort into their SSDs rather than letting Sandforce do it for them. I have a Vertex 4 and it's a very impressive drive - I had my doubts about buying one but it's definitely impressed me so far. I am really interested to see what Bigfoot can do.

 

[LordConrad]

I'll stick with Mushkin's Chronos Deluxe, best performance/price I've found in any SSD.

 

[mapesdhs]

It amuses me how many people say they'll stick with a particular model/brand of SSD because *insert reason*, as if
they've actually run statistically valid tests on a whole range of SSDs from which to draw any valid conclusion.
As Andrew said, everyone uses their SSDs in different ways. What works for one person may be invalid for
someone else.

Ian.

 

[BrightCandle]

I am just waiting for the inevitable scandal. Seems everything OCZ sells is tainted with lies and I see no reason why they will break with tradition this time. The specification of this drive will at some point turn out to be outright lies, again. A decade of dishonesty seems to be a constant with OCZ.

 

[xpeh]

[citation][nom]BrightCandle[/nom]I am just waiting for the inevitable scandal. Seems everything OCZ sells is tainted with lies and I see no reason why they will break with tradition this time. The specification of this drive will at some point turn out to be outright lies, again. A decade of dishonesty seems to be a constant with OCZ.[/citation]

Mind pointing out their lies?

 

[mayankleoboy1]

if only Vertex would have released before the Samsung 840Pro....
Now, its Samsung's reliability vs OCZ's dubious past.

 

[acku]

[citation][nom]mayankleoboy1[/nom]if only Vertex would have released before the Samsung 840Pro....Now, its Samsung's reliability vs OCZ's dubious past.[/citation]
I assume you mean Vector?

 

[JohnnyLucky]

Hmmm.... Neither OCZ nor Indilinx had their own fabricating facilities. Previous versions of the Indilinx controllers were manufactured by Marvell. Has that changed?

 

[nukemaster]

[citation][nom]acku[/nom]Let's make one thing clear. Endurance, reliability, durability, they all refer to different things.When it comes to reliablity, everything we know is rather anecdotal. There are no published RMA rates (only return rates and for a 500 sample size), so its rather flawed. Second, two users subject their SSDs in different ways. The first may have more random data in their workload. You can't make an evaluation that drive x failed for user y therefore its bad. What you do matters. Unlike HDDs, performance and characteristics of the drive change based on what you do to it. Since no two users do the same thing with their system, the only real way to test this out is to get a few thousand SSDs, subject them to the same workload in a big data center for a few years. I'd love to do this but naturally, it's really not feasible. Cheers,Andrew Ku[/citation]
Even my cheap 64gigabyte Kingston seems to fly(puts my old 3 x HDD raid 0 to shame). It feels basically the same as my M4's. Sucks that its firmware was destructive(Kingston, but it was a fast image either way).

Good Article.

 

[mayankleoboy1]

[citation][nom]acku[/nom]I assume you mean Vector?[/citation]

Yes, i meant Vector. The main competitor here is the Samsung 840Pro. And for desktop/client usage, the Samsung wins because of its Higher 4K random reads at QD1.

 

[abbadon_34]

Just bought a Vertex 4. Oh well, something to look forward to

 

[abbadon_34]

Sad how even a glowing review on a current product still gets tainted by old bigotry and predjudices. Silly me, I thought Tom's and PC's, hell tech in general, were about the best performance at the time. But, Intel made some slow ass 8088's and pathetic P3's once upon a time...