OCZ Vertex 450 Solid State Drive Review

Manufacturer: OCZ Technology Group, Inc.
Product Name: Vertex 450 7mm SSD 2.5" SATA-3 6Gb/s
Model Number: VTX450-25SAT3-256G (256GB Capacity)
UPC: 842024033813 (128GB) 842024033820 (256GB) 842024033837 (512GB)
Prices: 128GB- $129.99 (Newegg|Amazon), 256GB- $229.99 (Newegg|Amazon), 512GB- $549 (Amazon)

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

The last time we tested the OCZ Vertex 4, it was powered by a dual-core Marvell controller that combined technology from separate sources. This time, the OCZ Vertex 450 solid state drive is made of in-house components. Featuring an Indilinx BF3-M10 Barefoot 3 controller that supports 20nm Synchronous Multi-Level Cell (MLC) NAND flash components with AES-256 encryption and Trim support, Vertex 450 is good for 540 MB/s read speeds over a SATA 6-Gb/s connection. In this article Benchmark Reviews tests the 240GB OCZ Vertex 450 SSD, model VTX450-25SAT3-256G, against the leading competition.

Several key developments make Vertex 450 different from Vertex 4: 20nm Synchronous Multi-Level Cell (MLC) NAND flash components, OCZ-developed application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC) technology and firmware, in-house designed Indilinx Barefoot 3 (BF3-M10) controller, and 7mm form factor. Vertex 450 arrives in 128, 256, and 512GB capacities, offering read speeds up to 540 MB/s and 530 MB/s writes. 4K random read IOPS performance reaches 85,000, while random write operations top out at 90,000 IOPS.

OCZ Vertex 450 utilizes the Indilinx Barefoot 3 controller, which was used on the OCZ Vector Solid State Drive series that debuted at the beginning of 2013. The BF3-M10 edition controller features a power-optimized clock generator that runs at a slightly lower clock speed (compared to Vector). This produces lightly reduced transfer speeds and IOPS performance by comparison, but also improves yield which reduces cost to consumers.

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 Vertex 450 SSD

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 Vertex 450 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 246GB OCZ Vertex 450 solid state drive, which comes packaged in a cardboard retail kit with the SSD and drive bay adapter. OCZ Technology offers the Vertex 450 SSD series in three popular capacities: 128, 256, and 512GB. These models share the same part numbers with a capacity designator: VTX450-25SAT3-256G that represents the 256 GB model. All OCZ Vertex 450 solid state drive products measure 99.7mm L x 69.75mm W x 7mm H. Vertex 450 is available online: 128GB- $129.99 (Newegg|Amazon), 256GB- $229.99 (Newegg|Amazon), 512GB- $549 (Amazon).

The 256GB model we received is specified to reach 540 MB/s for sequential reads and 525 MB/s sequential writes. OCZ specifies 4K random reads up to 85,000 IOPS and random writes up to 90,000 IOPS. Although Vertex 450's product specifications advertise extremely fast performance ratings, these solid state drive products are designed with a focus on product reliability. The Indilinx controller and OCZ firmware inside Vertex 450 SSDs receive a long validation cycle to ensure optimal stability is delivered to the consumer, enabling OCZ Technology to offer a three-year product warranty. These features could help factor into the consumer's decision, as it improves 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 Vertex 450 series.

The OCZ Vertex 450 SSD features a 7.0mm thick chassis that comes with a textured silver metal finish. OCZ utilizes a standard two-piece metal enclosure for Vertex 450-series SSDs, with a series branding label at 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, the SATA 6.0 GB/s Indilinx Barefoot 3 M10 SSD controller offers: native TRIM garbage collection for supported Operating System (such as Microsoft Windows 7/8), Native Command Queuing (NCQ) with 32 command slots, and basic Self-Monitoring, Analysis, and Reporting Technology (SMART) command set. Indilinx Barefoot 3 SSDs offer BCH error correcting capable of 70 bits correction per 1KB of data.

OCZ Vertex 450 utilizes the Indilinx Barefoot 3 controller, which was used on the OCZ Vector Solid State Drive series that debuted at the beginning of 2013. The BF3-M10 edition controller features a power-optimized clock generator that runs at a slightly lower clock speed (compared to Vector). This produces lightly reduced transfer speeds and IOPS performance by comparison, but also improves yield which reduces cost to consumers. Maximum read speeds climb to 540 MB/s or 525 MB/s for writes on this 256GB model. 4K random read IOPS performance reaches 85,000, while random write operations top out at 90,000 IOPS.

At the heart of OCZ's Vertex 450 SSD series is the 65nm Indilinx Barefoot 3 controller branded with part number IDX500M00-BC, and comprised of an ARM Cortex processor and OCZ Aragon co-processor. The 256GB Vertex 450 SSD tested for this article included 512MB combined DDR3 DRAM cache buffer, using two 256MB Micron IC's (part 2DM77-D9PFJ) fixed to each side of the PCB. OCZ Vertex 450 utilizes ONFi 2.x-compatible 20nm synchronous Intel-Micron IMFT synchronous MLC NAND flash components, which are superior to asynchronous NAND but don't have the initial speed that Toggle-Mode NAND flash offers.

In the next few sections we'll test the OCZ Vertex 3.20 solid state drive, comparing this solid state drive to other retail products intended for notebook and desktop installations.

OCZ Vertex 450 Highlights

• Cutting-edge controller technology delivers maximum performance and superior endurance without compression or loss of usable capacity
• Advanced suite of NAND flash management keeps your drive at higher sustained performance over the long term
• Designed for ultimate reliability with in-house technology and high quality components
• Excels in both incompressible and compressible data types such as multimedia, encrypted data, .ZIP files and software
• Bundled with a 3.5-inch desktop adapter bracket and Acronis True Image cloning software with Windows® 8 support to easily transfer data from your old hard drive
• Sleek alloy housing offers slimmer 7mm z-height for compatibility with the latest thinner form factor notebooks

OCZ Vertex 450 Specifications

Source: 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 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 3.20 MLC SSD VTX3-25SAT3-240G.20 MLC SSD
• OCZ Vertex 4 VTX4-25SAT3-256G MLC SSD
• OCZ Vertex 450 VTX450-25SAT3-256G 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
• Finalwire AIDA64: 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.

AS-SSD Benchmark uses compressed data, so sequential file transfer speeds are reported lower than with other tools using uncompressed data. For this reason, we will concentrate on the operational IOPS performance in this section.

Beginning with sequential transfer performance, the 256GB OCZ Vertex 450 solid state drive produced speeds up to 496.33 MB/s for reads and 492.02 MB/s writes. Single-threaded 4K IOPS performance tests deliver 20.63 MB/s read and 66.49 MB/s write, while the 64-thread 4K reads recorded 326.98 MB/s and write performance was at 304.75 MB/s.

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 the 64-thread 4KB IOPS performance tests, the 256GB OCZ Vertex 450 SSD easily surpassed much of the competition, and nearly matched performance with the original Vertex 4 solid state drive.

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 Vertex 450 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.

The 256GB model provided to Benchmark Reviews for testing produced 552 MBps maximum read speeds that plateau from around 512-8192 KB file chunks, and 521 MBps peak write bandwidth that plateaus from 64-8192 KB. These results agree with OCZ's performance specifications of 540/525 MBps for the 256GB Vertex 450 SSD model.

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, so sequential file transfer speeds are reported lower than with other tools using uncompressed data. For this reason, we will concentrate on the operational IOPS performance in this section.

CrystalDiskMark 3.0 reports sequential speeds reaching 480.9 MB/s reads and 492.8 MB/s writes. 512K test results reached 384.8 MB/s read and 467.7 MB/s write performance. 4K tests produced 22.65 read and 86.36 write performance. All CrystalDiskMark results produced by this 256GB OCZ Vertex 450 SSD were roughly equal to the previous-generation Vertex 4 series, but were not high enough to surpass OCZ's Vector solid state drive.

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. Previously, the OCZ Vertex 4 SSD delivered the best combined IOPS performance we've seen from any SATA-based SSD with 83,494. That was before the OCZ Vertex 450 produced 87323 for a new all-time top score. OCZ's Vertex 3 Max IOPS Edition produced 83117, followed by the Intel SSD 520 Series at 80,433 peak combined IOPS, then the Intel SSD 335 Series with 80015.

It should be noted that nearly all modern SSDs deliver I/O far beyond the needs of multi-tasking power users and hardcore gamers, and would be ideal for workstation systems running utilizing virtual machines.

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.

AIDA64 Disk Benchmark

Many enthusiasts are familiar with the Finalwire AIDA64 benchmark suite (formerly Lavalys EVEREST), but very few are aware of the Disk Benchmark tool available inside the program. The AIDA64 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. AIDA64 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 AIDA64 Disk Benchmark are connected to the Intel P67-Express SATA 6Gb/s controller and use a 1MB block size option. Charted above, read performance on the 256GB OCZ Vertex 450 solid state drive measured average speeds of 498.4 MB/s with a relatively close maximum peak speed of 513.0 MB/s. These read results are among the highest we've ever tested from any SATA device, and remained very consistent across the full range of capacity. AIDA64 linear write-to tests were next...

The waveform chart below illustrates how well the OCZ Vertex 450 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 256GB OCZ Vertex 450 solid state drive recorded an average linear write-to speed of 345.4 MB/s, with maximum performance reaching 359.9 MB/s. While not as impressive as the read performance, the write-to results still surpassed many other SSDs.

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 Vertex 450 SSD produced a total PCMark Vantage (secondary) HDD Test Suite score of 69168. Specific speeds are reported below:

256GB OCZ Vertex 450 SSD

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 comparable 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 Vertex 450 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 first rating is Performance, which compares how effective the OCZ Vertex 450 SSD performs in operations against competing SATA-based solid state drive storage solutions. For reference, OCZ Technology specifies the Indilinx BF3-M10 Barefoot 3 controller capable of 540 MB/s maximum reads and 525 MB/s write speeds. In our storage benchmark tests the 256GB OCZ Vertex 450 solid state drive (model VTX450-25SAT3-256G) performed up to this speed, producing respectable results that compare the fastest SATA-based products previously tested. Our benchmark tests proved the 256GB OCZ Vertex 450 SSD was good for delivering 552/521 MBps peak read/writes speeds using ATTO Disk Benchmark. Linear testing with AIDA64 Disk Benchmark produced 463/397 MB/s, placing the OCZ Vertex 450 among our top results.

The OCZ Vertex 450 solid state drive sent to us for testing is advertised to deliver up to 85,000 random 4KB read IOPS, and 90,000 random 4KB write IOPS. 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 87,323 combined IOPS performance - the highest SATA-based test results we've obtained. In the 4K 32QD tests using AS-SSD and CrystalDiskMark, the 256GB OCZ Vertex 450 SSD outperformed every other enthusiast storage solution except the OCZ Vector and Crucial M500 SSDs.

Taking these results together, it's clear that OCZ have designed their Indilinx Barefoot 3 controller inside the Vertex 450 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 Vertex 450 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.

Durability is the strongest feature credited to the entire SSD product segment. SSDs are not prone to mechanical failure, but if any Vertex 450-series solid state storage product does happen to fail during the 3-year warranty period, end-users may contact OCZ Technology via their 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 June 2013, the OCZ Vertex 450 SSD series is available online in the following capacities and prices:

• 128GB- $129.99 (Newegg|Amazon)
• 256GB- $229.99 (Newegg|Amazon)
• 512GB- $549 (Amazon)

The OCZ Vertex 450 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 Indilinx Barefoot 3 controller produces fast SATA 6 Gb/s speeds while generating impressive IOPS performance to support massive concurrent transactions like those a database server might require. Additionally, the use of 20nm 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.

While hardware similarities between Vector and Vertex 450 virtually make them siblings, OCZ Technology does not lend the same five year warranty Vector received to their Vertex 450 series. Of course, Vertex 450 enjoys a much more affordable price, primarily due to 20nm NAND Flash component but also because of the shorter warranty period. Modern NAND components tend to let SSDs outlive the computer system they're installed into, so the initial installation period is really the most critical. Benchmark Reviews recognizes how well the OCZ Vertex 450 SSD series delivers operational performance to power users by topping our IOPS test results, proudly earning our Silver Tachometer Award.

Pros:

+ Outstanding 552/521 MBps read/write speed with ATTO
+ Random 4K read/writes produced 87,323 IOPS - best tested!
+ Indilinx Barefoot 3 processor offers native TRIM support
+ Automatic AES data encryption
+ 3-Year OCZ product warranty support
+ 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
- OCZ Vector offers five-year warranty

Ratings:

• Performance: 9.00
• Appearance: 9.25
• Construction: 9.50
• Functionality: 9.00
• Value: 7.75

Final Score: 8.9 out of 10.

Quality Recognition: Benchmark Reviews Silver Tachometer Award.

COMMENT QUESTION: Which brand of SSD do you trust most?

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