OCZ Agility 4 256GB
Overview
Hardware: Storage, HDs & SSDsWHAT WE LIKED:
Very fast, Excellent incompressible data results, Affordable, Full 256GB capacity pre-formatWHAT WE DISLIKED:
Slightly shorter lifetime than premium SSDs, Need SATA 6G motherboard to use the full speedDiscuss in the Forum
Summary
When OCZ acquired Indilinx, there was some understandable skepticism, as the SandForce-based drives were starting to come into their own, easily surpassing the 1st-Gen Indilinx Barefoot drives. With the release of the original Everest controller, as we saw in the OCZ Octane, it was a step forward, but nothing terribly earth shattering. But it appears that was a stepping stone, with the new Everest 2 the result, looking to push things even further.
As we saw during most of the testing today, the Agility 4 can’t quite match the performance of the SandForce SF-2281 drives, though that shouldn’t come as a surprise because they’re not competing in the same price bracket. Sequential speeds are still very fast, random writes are impressive, and the 4K results are very good.
But what’s particularly impressive is the incompressible data results, especially at lower queue depths which are indicative of an OS drive. We tried several setups with ranging queue depths, and the simple fact is that the Agility 4 chewed through all of them without missing a beat. That’s something that SandForce can’t do, and it seems things have now come full circle with OCZ’s new “Indilinx Infused” Agility 4.
In terms of pricing, the 256GB version of the Agility 4 retails for about $189, which puts it as an excellent value at only $0.73 per GB. Prices are often volatile in memory-related markets, but prices have been dropping overall, so that bodes very well for consumers looking to jump onto the SSD bandwagon without breaking the bank. SandForce drives cost considerably more, but most users won’t notice the day-to-day difference between the drives overall. Hard drives are the biggest bottleneck on a modern system, and simply moving to an SSD will make sure a breathtaking difference, we can’t imagine ever going back to a traditional HDD for use as a primary drive.
While the Agility 4 doesn’t display the fastest peak speeds, as any racing enthusiast will tell you, the drag strip is only one test of speed. There’s also Indy, Le Mans, and Baha, so performance can be measured by many other criteria, including price and value as well. The OCZ Agility 4 is one such SSD that offers both performance and value, and it is a very worthy budget-oriented option to the premium SandForce drives.
