OCZ’s RevoDrive X2: When A Fast PCIe SSD Isn’t Fast Enough

Name: Test Setup And Benchmarks - OCZ’s RevoDrive X2: When A Fast PCIe SSD Isn’t Fast Enough
Author: Chris Angelini

by Chris Angelini January 11, 2011 at 10:00 PM

47 Comments

Test Setup And Benchmarks

Test Hardware
Processors	Intel Core i7-980X (Gulftown) 3.33 GHz @ 3.73 GHz, LGA 1366, 6.4 GT/s QPI, 12 MB Shared L3, Hyper-Threading enabled, Power-savings enabled
Motherboard	Asus Rampage III Formula (LGA 1366) Intel X58/ICH10R, BIOS 0505
Memory	Kingston 6 GB (3 x 2 GB) DDR3-2000, KHX2000C8D3T1K3/6GX @ 8-8-8-24 and 1.65 V
Hard Drive	OCZ RevoDrive X2 240 GB OCZSSDPX-1RVDX0240, PCI Express x4
	OCZ IBIS 240 GB OCZ3HSD1IBS1-240, HSDL
	OCZ RevoDrive 120 GB OCZSSDPX-1RVD0120, PCI Express x4
	OCZ Vertex 2 120 GB OCZSSD2-2VTXE120G, SATA 3Gb/s
	Intel X25-M 160 GBSSDSA2M160G2GC, SATA 3Gb/s
Graphics	Nvidia GeForce GTX 460 1 GB
Power Supply	Cooler Master UCP-1000 W
System Software And Drivers
Operating System	Windows 7 Ultimate 64-bit
DirectX	DirectX 11
Graphics Driver	Nvidia GeForce 260.99

Benchmarks
Performance Measurements	CrystalDiskMark 3.0 x64, set to read and write random data to drive PCMark Vantage 1.0.2.0
I/O Performance	IOMeter 2008.08.18, default configuration, not reading/writing random data File server Benchmark, Web server Benchmark, Database Benchmark, Workstation Benchmark Streaming Reads, Streaming Writes 4 KB Random Reads, 4 KB Random Writes

We went ahead and tested the Vertex 2 and X25-M drives using Intel's ICH10R controller in AHCI mode, since neither SATA-based SSD is able to saturate the interface's peak throughput. In a more business-oriented environment, you might use an Intel- or LSI-based SAS/SATA controller to enable higher port counts. Here, though, we're concerning ourselves with performance typical on a desktop platform.

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Summary

About the author

Chris Angelini @chris_angelini

Chris Angelini is an Editor Emeritus at Tom's Hardware US. He edits hardware reviews and covers high-profile CPU and GPU launches.

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joelmartinez 7 years ago

Too much money will get the vertex 3 though or intel
alikum 7 years ago

If only they could make SSDs cheaper ... Mechanical drives are still the way to go
eklipz330 7 years ago

although i think sandforce's new controller won't be as fast as they claim, i really think it's gonna change the face of the ssd race by the end of the year

and probably a new iteration of the revodrive as well... can't wait!! =D =D i need me a 160gb for less than $1/gb... that's how much i bought my raptor for like 4 years ago!!
dauthus 7 years ago

In related news, OCZ stock is up to $6.80 a share, rising 19%+ today.
Anonymous 7 years ago

How does this compare to the new Z-drive R3?
cmi86 7 years ago

Yeah its really cool and i wish i had 1...or 2 lol but it just costs waay too much money, isnt really practical for enthusiast use until the prices drop
dirtmountain 7 years ago

You routinely use $500 graphic cards (GTX580) and $1,200 displays (2560x1600)in reviews. The price for this upgrade ($650)isn't any harder to stomach then those.
cangelini 7 years ago

dirtmountainYou routinely use $500 graphic cards (GTX580) and $1,200 displays (2560x1600)in reviews. The price for this upgrade ($650)isn't any harder to stomach then those.

Aye, but it's a little less tangible than exotic graphics configurations, too.
razor512 7 years ago

a pci-e ssd seems good, I want one, MS word will run sooo much better
alidan 7 years ago

i realy wish they would put a 7200 10000 and 15000 drive in there, all top of their respective class, just so we can get some prospective of how much an improvement these are over traditional hdds.
palladin9479 7 years ago

Something like that is beyond anything any mechanical drive can hope to compete with, its even faster then a multi-channel directly connected SAN array. It looks to be one step away from a RAM Drive, if anyone can remember what those were.
utengineer 7 years ago

I am waiting to see if Intel's LightPeak tech will be used in the the storage arena(i.e. boot drives, etc). Seems like the SSD tech is evolving so quickly.
christop 7 years ago

I want one but will have to wait for the price to come way down.
moogleslam 7 years ago

Do SSD's or the RevoDrive improve gaming performance at all?
krisboro 7 years ago

Just load times...
syrob 7 years ago

There is no way to use REVO, Modern Video card AND INTEL RAID ICH10R RAID 10 AT THE SAME TIME, the option rom spoace is used all up.

DO not buy unless you do not ever want RAID through Intel ICHR10 !!!

See link below

http://www.ocztechnologyforum.com/forum/showthread.php?80739-revodrive-X2-and-intel-ICH10-controller

REVO is not worth it!
studioman22 7 years ago

Hmm, a little off topic, but what is that Cooler Master UCP-1000W used for the test rig? It's in a strange spot on the CM website, and not in their regular lineup. I guess it's either brand new and not for sale yet? Or is that a legacy product?
K2N hater 7 years ago

SYROBThere is no way to use REVO, Modern Video card AND INTEL RAID ICH10R RAID 10 AT THE SAME TIME, the option rom spoace is used all up.DO not buy unless you do not ever want RAID through Intel ICHR10 !!!See link belowhttp://www.ocztechnologyforum.com/ [...] controllerREVO is not worth it!

I've read the thread. If you boot from the Revo it's 100% safe to disable ICH RAID. The RAID support present on ICH can be replaced to Windows RAID. As discussed in that thread disabling PXE can also help.
68vistacruiser 7 years ago

Why would anyone spend hundreds of dollars just to boot up 30 seconds faster, when they spend hours a day on the same computer?
willy_ 7 years ago

What I miss in the review: Is the RAID on the card "invisible" to the OS, as in, the OS sees it as a single drive. Or does the OS need to load a driver for the controller? If that's the case many Linux distri's will not be able to use it as a single drive.