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

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In a storage market where it's easiest to take one vendor's controller, another vendor's NAND flash, and put the two in a standard 2.5" SATA drive, OCZ continues innovating, giving IT professionals and power users more performance with its RevoDrive X2.

Test Setup And Benchmarks

Test Hardware
ProcessorsIntel 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
MotherboardAsus Rampage III Formula (LGA 1366) Intel X58/ICH10R, BIOS 0505
MemoryKingston 6 GB (3 x 2 GB) DDR3-2000, KHX2000C8D3T1K3/6GX @ 8-8-8-24 and 1.65 V
Hard DriveOCZ 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
GraphicsNvidia GeForce GTX 460 1 GB
Power SupplyCooler Master UCP-1000 W
System Software And Drivers
Operating SystemWindows 7 Ultimate 64-bit
DirectXDirectX 11
Graphics DriverNvidia GeForce 260.99

Benchmarks
Performance MeasurementsCrystalDiskMark 3.0 x64, set to read and write random data to drivePCMark Vantage 1.0.2.0
I/O PerformanceIOMeter 2008.08.18, default configuration, not reading/writing random dataFile server Benchmark, Web server Benchmark, Database Benchmark, Workstation BenchmarkStreaming Reads, Streaming Writes4 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.

47 Comments Comment from the forums
  • joelmartinez 12 January 2011 11:19
    Too much money :( will get the vertex 3 though :) or intel
    Reply
  • alikum 12 January 2011 11:38
    If only they could make SSDs cheaper ... Mechanical drives are still the way to go
    Reply
  • eklipz330 12 January 2011 11:50
    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!!
    Reply
  • dauthus 12 January 2011 12:00
    In related news, OCZ stock is up to $6.80 a share, rising 19%+ today.
    Reply
  • 12 January 2011 12:10
    How does this compare to the new Z-drive R3?
    Reply
  • cmi86 12 January 2011 12:32
    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
    Reply
  • dirtmountain 12 January 2011 13:12
    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.
    Reply
  • cangelini 12 January 2011 13:26
    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.
    Reply
  • razor512 12 January 2011 13:38
    a pci-e ssd seems good, I want one, MS word will run sooo much better
    Reply
  • alidan 12 January 2011 14:14
    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.
    Reply