OCZ Vertex 450 256GB
Overview
Hardware: Storage, HDs & SSDsWHAT WE LIKED:
Slick aesthetics; Nearly as fast as market leaders; High IOPS; Excellent 4K results; impressively suited for an OS drive; great accessory package with cloning softwareWHAT WE DISLIKED:
Minor price premiumDiscuss in the Forum
Introduction
We’ve said it many times, and we’ll say it again: the hard drive is the biggest bottleneck in modern systems. And for those of you who want to fix that, then a Solid State Drive really needs to be your next hardware purchase. We’ve seen solid improvements in controller technology and the corresponding performance increases have also been accompanied by dropping prices, making these drives far more affordable to consumers who want to experience life in the fast lane on their computer.
One of the companies that has ridden this wave of popularity is OCZ. Not long ago, OCZ acquired Indilinx, with plans to develop their own proprietary controller. First came the “Indilinx-Infused” Everest 1 controller on the OCZ Octane, and it was impressive but not entirely reality-altering. Maybe we’re curmedgeons but we wanted more. Then came the Everest 2 controller which we saw in the Vertex 4. Then we saw the Barefoot 3 controller in the Vector, and today brings the latest chapter in that Indilinx saga, with Barefoot 3 M10 version in an attempt to reach a wider audience.
The OCZ Vector 450 is today’s topic of discussion, and it’s the first time we’ve seen the venerable Vertex name produce an in-house ASIC design for the market. With a power-optimized clock and AES-256 encryption, the M10 derivative of the Barefoot 3 controller promises top performance at a more affordable price point than the flagship OCZ Vector model as well.
Replacing the Vertex 4, the new Vertex 450 looks to chew through incompressible data, unlike the competition’s SandForce-controller drives. So how does the performance of the Vertex 450 measure up? Is it worth the investment? Let’s dive in and find out.
