OCZ, SSD supplier, was recently saddled with a fallible CEO and is now under new direction. OCZ has launched its new consumer SSD through the use of its in-house controller technology, called the Vector.
OCZ's tumultuous story from a promising start-up to a failing business can be found through this link (insert link). The new power of OCZ, Ceo Ralph Schmitt announced that the product was almost exclusively developed under the previous CEO by using the technology that was purchased with Indilinx in March 2011.
Schmitt states that the product consists of a 7mm thick 2.5-inch format SSD that is shipped out with a 3.5 inch adapter. It comes in 128Gb and 512 GB capacities. It features a 6Gbit/s SATA interface. The performance numbers are pretty impressive: 100,000 random read IOPS, 550MB/sec and a sequential read bandwidth at 530MB/sec for sequential wiring. These numbers only apply to the compressed or uncompressed data. The device has a five year warranty that guarantees that it will perform 20GB of host writes per day.
This device uses the Indilinx Barefoot 3 controller with MLC NAND, reported the CEO Ralph Schmitt. He also informed the press that these are some of the first SSD products that are delivered by the new OCZ and they offer leverage with a cutting-edge controller technology that has the ability to deliver groundbreaking levels of both sustained reliability and performance for customers who require a superior SSD for their high-performance computer applications and programs.
Onyx 3 is a 120GB-240GB MLC SSD using an earlier Barefoot 2 controller from Indilinx and is positioned as a low cost, value product. It is well outclassed by Vector doing a maximum of 23,000 random read IOPS, 235MB/sec sequential reads and 230MB/sec sequential writes.
OCZ will not be required to pay any license per their component fees to have the ability to use this technology as they would if they were using LSI Sandforce controllers.
Their existing 2.5 inch consumer SSDs include the Onyx, Vertex, and the Agility product lines. The Vertex 4 uses MLC NAND and has a capacity range from 64GB up to 512GB. It has the same 6Gbit/s SATA interface. The Vertex performs up to 95,000 random read IOPS with incompressible data. It has 560MB/sec sequential reads and 520MB/sec sequential writes. The product uses the Indilinx controller and also has a 5 year warranty. Vector will be replacing Vertex 4 with a smaller amount of performance improvement.
The Agility 4 is also another MLC, 6Gbit/s SATA and there is a SAS version as well. The Agility 4 performs 48,000 random read IOPS and 85,000 random write s at 400MB/sec on both sequential reads and writes. Vector clearly outperforms it.
Onyx 3 is a 120GB to 240GB MLC SSD that uses an older Barefoot 2 controller from Indilinx and is a low cost valued product. It is very well outclassed by Vector, only performing a maximum of 23,000 random read IOPS at 235MB/sec on sequential reads and 230MB/sec on sequential writes.
OCZ will probably introduce Barefoot 3 controllers into other products in its range, using SAS and they are looking forward to improving their gross margin on products using Barefoot 3. If it performs as they expect and is reliable enough, then OCZ can look to gain a better product reputation, one of their weakest areas of business.
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