OCZ Vector 180 480GB and 960GB Review

1. Introduction2. OCZ Vector 180 480GB and 960GB3. OCZ Vector 180 (High Res Gallery)4. Testing Methodology5. CrystalDiskmark6. ATTO Disk Benchmark7. AS SSD8. IOMETER9. Closing Thoughts10. View All Pages

OCZ packaging is simple, yet effective. A close up of the drive features on the front of the box, with capacity and some basic information.

The rear of the box lists technical data although there is no mention of the 120GB drive. We asked OCZ about this, and we were told that we had a very early sample of the box, and that the 120GB drive was added later.

The box contains a drive adapter, some literature on the product, and mounting screws.

The 3.5 inch desktop adapter is nicely branded with the company name on the front.

The drives are instantly recognisable as OCZ products due to the artwork. The drives measure 7mm in height, meaning they are fully compatible with the thinnest ultra portable laptop systems. They measure 99.7 x 69.75 x 7mm. Weight is 115g.

The only way you can tell the drives apart (without opening them) is to check the rear of the case.

Above: OCZ Vector 180 480GB SSD.

Above: OCZ Vector 180 960GB SSD.

These drives use the latest Toshiba A19nm Multi Level Cell (MLC) NAND – tested in other reviews to be excellent with both compressible and incompressible data streams. The drive is powered by the OCZ Barefoot 3 M00 controller. While the pictures above don't show it – the controller ships with a thermal pad fitted, which connects it directly to the aluminum chassis – helping to ensure it is cooled. The drive offers 256-bit AES compliant data encryption. It is dynamically over-provisioned to increase endurance and sustained performance over time.

OCZ have introduced a Power Failure Management Plus system which detects power anomalies and helps protect the SSD from “bricking” while safeguarding at-rest data.

Drive endurance is rated at a 150% improvement over early models in the OCZ line up. Write endurance is increased from 20 GB Day to 50 GB per day of host writes for 5 years with typical client workloads. This works out at 18.2TB a year or 91TB over the five years of warranty coverage.

87% health? OCZ told me that the drives I received are pre release samples which have been through a myriad of firmware updates before reaching me. It goes without saying that when a user receives one of these drives they should show 100% health.

OCZ are offering the ShieldPlus Warranty system with all their products. In case of problems you speak to someone in OCZ directly, not a call centre drone. You can watch our interview with OCZ over on this page for further information on ShieldPlus (among other things).

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