OCZ Vertex Overview
Just like most SSD drives there really isn’t much to the Vertex drive. It’s a 2.5-inch drive, mainly because it does not need to be that big since there are no moving parts at all. OCZ sent us the 32B version of the drive, but it also comes in 64, 128, and 256GB versions. There is an OCZ logo on the top of the drive, letting everyone know you are running a Vertex drive.
Flipping the drive over there really isn’t much to see, just an OCZ sticker with some information on it. The drive has your typical SATA power and data connections, I thought I might point that out for people who think SSD’s are a totally new type of drive.
I attempted to open the drive up to take a look inside, but I ended up stripping 2 of the 4 screws on the back right away. After doing some research I found out what’s inside the Vertex drive. Our 30GB version uses Samsung flash memory chips, the Indilinx Barefoot controller chip, and a 64MB cache chip from Elpida.
Most SSD drives that I’ve seen have a JMicron controller, but Indilinx decided to roll out their own controller. This controller code named “Barefoot” is an ARM7 chip which controls a data pipeline between the SATA interface and flash memory. It will be interesting to see how this setup performs compared to earlier SSD setups.
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32GB is little on the small size as far as storage goes.
32GB is little on the small size as far as storage goes.
32GB is little on the small size as far as storage goes.
Yea, i agree this harddrive should go on a laptop, probably only on a netbook, where you're mainly using to browse the web / email and for general use, since the storage of this drive is quite small.
Yea, i agree this harddrive should go on a laptop, probably only on a netbook, where you're mainly using to browse the web / email and for general use, since the storage of this drive is quite small.
Gimme a couple to run in RAID 0 and then we're talking.
Gimme a couple to run in RAID 0 and then we're talking.
Gimme a couple to run in RAID 0 and then we're talking.
Nice review! But what about battery life difference on the netbook between hdd and ocz ssd?
I, too, think they’re a bit pricey. In December they’ll be half the price, or less. W7 has trim, what does XP have to keep these drives in Shape?
I, too, think they’re a bit pricey. In December they’ll be half the price, or less. W7 has trim, what does XP have to keep these drives in Shape?