OCZ Vertex 3 Pro is the first SSD sporting SandForc’e new generation of SSD controllers. With a SF-2500 controller under the hood Vertex 3 Pro has specifications to go around, and now the first benchmarks show what we can expect in 2011.
OCZ isn’t expected to ship Vertex 3 until 1-2 April so the test units that are circulating may very well be optimized further before launch. The most important to remember is that Vertex 3 and SandForce SF-2500/2200 will not be on the market until Q2 2011.
SandForce has with the SF-2×00 family built on the DuraWrite technology that minimize the amount of data written to the memory circuits. This will result in less wear and tear and im+prove the actual data speed.
The new generation of SandForce controllers support SATA 6,0 Gbps and judging from the tests that have been publishing it is obvious that Vertex 3 Pro requires a fast interface to really stretch its legs. In some tests SATA 6.0 Gbps isn’t even enough.
With support for Toggle Mode and ONFI 2 NAND flash SandForce has specified the controller to 500 MB/s at read and write of sequential files and 60,000 IOPS at read and write of 4K files.
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Anandtech and PC Perspective have published previews of Vertex 3 Pro and the conclusion is quite simple to make. Vertex 3 Pro pulveries the competition in most tests and worst case scenario the unit is only slightly faster than last generation SandForce units. At best Vertex 3 Pro offers performance unmatched by current drives.
It’s hard to say what the store prices and availability will be at this early stage, but SandForce and OCZ do have something special coming.
Source: Anandtech, PC Perspective
