OCZ Vertex 2 60GB SSD

As solid-state drives are becoming very popular with enthusiasts and a common choice for those interested in high-performance data storage, at Phoronix we have reviewed many SSDs from OCZ Technology including the Agility, Agility EX, Vertex, and Solid 2. Today we are reviewing the next-generation Vertex SSD, which is the Vertex 2, and it promises to offer much faster reads and writes, is rated to last an extra 500,000 hours beyond the 1.5 million hour MTBF of the original Vertex, and is available in capacities up to 480GB.

Features:

- Available in 40GB to 400GB capacities
- Available in 60GB to 480GB extended capacities
- Native TRIM support
- Max IOPS Firmware
- Seek Time: 0.1ms
- Slim 2.5" Design
- 99.8 x 69.63 x 9.3mm
- Lightweight: 77g
- Operating Temp: 0°C ~ 70°C
- Storage Temp: -45°C ~ +85°C
- Low Power Consumption: 2W in operation, 0.5W in standby
- Shock Resistant up to 1500G
- RAID Support
- Compatible with Windows XP, Vista, 7, Mac OS X and Linux
- MTBF: 2 million hours

The lowest-end Vertex 2 SSD offers just a 40GB storage capacity with maximum read speeds up to 280MB/s, maximum writes up to 270MB/s, sustained writes at 200MB/s, and aligned 4k random writes up to 45,000 IOPs. The 50GB, 60GB, 100GB, 120GB, 200GB, and 240GB models feature identical ratings with maximum reads up to 285MB/s, maximum writes up to 275MB/s, sustained writes up to 250MB/s, and aligned 4KB random writes at 50,000 IOPs. Lastly, the 400GB and 480GB Vertex 2 SSDs drop the performance expectations to 250MB/s for a maximum read, 240MB/s for a maximum write, sustained writes up to 200MB/s, and then aligned 4KB random writes at just 22,500 IOPS. The Vertex 2 that OCZ Technology kindly sent over for review was the 60GB model (OCZSSD2-2VTXE60G).

The OCZ Vertex 2 SSD was packaged just like any other OCZ solid-state drive with it being in a slim cardboard package and there being a small padded box inside to reliably protect the drive. Unlike some of OCZ's other SSD series, the Vertex 2 includes a 3.5-inch drive bay adapter for those wishing to install this 2.5-inch SSD in an enclosure that may not support such sizes, although more and more ATX cases are beginning to provide 2.5-inch drive bays for this reason. Besides the 3.5-inch adapter, an OCZ sticker reads "My SSD Is Faster Than Your HDD" and the OCZ installation guide and warranty information.