A Gamble Pays Off: Vertex 4 Looks Strong
Last year, in our Octane review, we alluded to OCZ trying to wean itself from SandForce's technology within a single product generation. That day arrived sooner than we anticipated. With the launch of its Vertex 4, OCZ shifts away from the bi-polar behavior of a controller that handles compressible and incompressible data differently. It's now forging its own path taking a different path in the SSD world.
In retrospect, OCZ was one of SandForce's most active evangelists, and the success of its Vertex 2 really put the company on the map. However, a subsequent wave of SSDs based on the same technology, sold by vendors eager to get in on such an accessible architecture, created too much competition doing the same thing.
OCZ responded by purchasing Indilinx, a company able to develop its own controllers. Vertex 4's Everest 2 demonstrates compelling performance—enough so to warrant a graduation from the Octane family to the Vertex class. And it puts OCZ in a position to compete more aggressively on its own terms.
| Header Cell - Column 0 | Vertex 3 (Market Price) | Vertex 4 (MSRP) |
|---|---|---|
| 120/128 GB | $200$1.67 per GB | $180$1.40 per GB |
| 240/256 GB | $340$1.42 per GB | $350$1.38 per GB |
| 480/512 GB | $770$1.60 per GB | $700$1.37 per GB |
Now that OCZ isn't paying for a third-party controller Although OCZ is using a different company's controller (it still has to purchase its NAND, of course), it has a little more flexibility it is being more aggressive with pricing. At least for the launch, OCZ tells us that its Vertex 4 lineup is cheaper than Vertex 3. And there's a good chance that prices on the Vertex 4 will get even more affordable moving forward.
Offering sub-20-second boot times, improved long-term performance, and more affordable prices on fast solid-state storage, the Vertex 4 truly marks a new chapter in OCZ's history. Competitors should take heed: OCZ has declared its controller independence and is on the march with a potent flagship.
