Model: OCZ Vertex 4 256GB Solid State Drive
Manufacturer: OCZ Technology
Provided By: OCZ Technology

OCZ Technology is no stranger to the computer industry. Founded by enthusiasts, for enthusiasts, the company entered the memory market in 2002. Determined to manufacture the very best memory for overclockers, OCZ quickly established itself as a leader in the industry by breaking speed barriers and maintaining a reputation of quality. Today, OCZ continues to innovate. Along with their line of enthusiast-oriented power supplies, the company offers a wide range of high-performance SSD solutions for the enterprise and consumer markets.

This spring, OCZ launched its new flagship SSD, the Vertex 4. Instead of being "SandForce Driven" like the two previous generations of Vertex drives, the Vertex 4 is based on OCZ's advanced Indilinx Everest 2 controller platform. The Everest 2 is powered by a 400MHz dual-core CPU and offers features like TRIM support, dynamic wear-leveling, AES-256 encryption and Ndurance 2.0 technology, which extends the life of NAND flash well beyond its manufacturer rated specifications. In addition to the Everest 2 controller, the Vertex 4 is equipped with 25nm synchronous MLC NAND and an extra large DRAM cache to deliver up to 560MB/s read and 510MB/s write speeds as well as a maximum of 120,000 IOPS.

For this review, OCZ sent us the 256GB version of the Vertex 4. This SSD comes equipped with 512MB of on-board cache and is capable of delivering up to 560MB/s sequential read and 510MB/s sequential write speeds as well as up to 90,000 random read and 85,000 random write IOPS.

   OCZ Vertex 4 256GB Solid State Drive
General Specifications
Part Number VTX4-25SAT3-256G
Capacity 256GB
Flash Type 2Xnm Synchronous Multi-Level Cell (MLC)
Controller Indilinx Everest 2
Form Factor 2.5-inch
DRAM Cache 512MB
Interface SATA III 6Gb/s

Performance
Sequential Read 560 MB/s Max
Sequential Write 510 MB/s Max
Maximum 4K Random Read 90,000 IOPS
Maximum 4K Random Write 85,000 IOPS
Maximum IOPS 120,000 IOPS

Reliability
MTBF 2 million hours

Power Consumption
Active 2.5 Watts
Idle 1.3 Watts

Environmental
Operating Temperature 0 ºC to 70 ºC
Ambient Temperature 0 ºC to 55 ºC
Storage Temperature -45 ºC to 85 ºC
Shock 1500G

Dimensions and Weight
Dimensions 99.8 x 69.63 x 9.3 mm
Weight 101g

Other Features
Supports TRIM, SMART, NCQ, ATA/ATAPI-8
Indilinx Ndurance 2.0 technology
Dynamic and static wear-leveling
Background garbage collection
256-bit AES encryption
Ultra-low latency
Includes 3.5" desktop adapter bracket
Five year warranty

Needless to say, this is only a taste of what the Vertex 4 has to offer. To give you an idea of what to expect, we'll take a closer look at OCZ's new SSD and then see how well it performs. Does the Vertex 4 have what it takes? Can it deliver the performance we've come to expect from OCZ's Vertex series? Keep reading as we find out.


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