OCZ RevoDrive 350 PCIe SSD Review (480GB) – LSI SandForce Driven Once Again

REAL WORLD TRANSFER SPEED TESTING

For this test, four PCIe SSDs were compared, as well as the Samsung 840 Pro SATA 3 SSD for a basis of comparison.  This test entailed placing 25GB files of video, ISO and data samples, on each drive and then copying them into another folder on the same SSD.

The OCZ RevoDrive 350 480GB PCIe SSD performed and placed as we expected, given its IOPS jump on the Mushkin Scorpion Deluxe.  In considering the time it took to transfer 25GB of video, this equates to 2 seconds per GB, or a HD movie in less than that if you consider many HD movies are 800MB.  Something particularly interesting ,however, are the transfer speeds when moving 25GB of OS files.  Prior to the Revo 350, the Revo 3×2 was the clear victor in this test.  Considering how much faster that file was transferred with the new Revo 350, one might think OCZ has fine tuned this drive for just that type of transfer.

REPORT SUMMARY AND FINAL THOUGHTS

Our opinion of PCIe SSDs is such that we believe the demand for this type of SSD has been there for some time.  OWC has had incredible success with their Mercury Accelsior, as had Mushkin with their Scorpion Deluxe PCIe SSD line.  We typically receive one or two e-mails a week requesting availability of the Scorpion as it always seems to be out of stock.  Given OCZ typical supply and marketing efforts, plenty of RevoDrive 350 PCIe SSDs will be available in several outlets at the time of this report, which means the problem of availability has now been eliminated.

Considering performance, the OCZ RevoDrive PCIe SSD appears to be slightly lower than the Scorpion Deluxe in throughput at just under 2GB/s, whereas they are considerably higher in IOPS at the 150K mark.  Taking a look at the true transfer speed of data, the Revo 350 betters the Scorpion in the transfer of all file types, and destroys all other PCIe SSDs when transferring small files such as that of the typical OS.  Performance of the OCZ RevoDrive, considering its position and price point, is great.  A quick comparison of warranties show all to have a similar three-year limited warranty.

The key to consumer success with the RevoDrive 350 PCIe SSD will be value.  If the price point is affordable to consumers that have a desktop PC, who could resist that kind of power?  A quick check at the time of this report shows the OWC and Visiontek 240GB PCIe SSDs around the $430 mark with the Mushkin Scorpion not available.  Don’t even consider the KingSpec Multicore as it’s price is easily 4x of any other.  Initially, we expect the OCZ RevoDrive 350 to fetch a premium for those who have to have one fast but you just never know.  This SSD will be offered at or below the listed MSRP at some point and, quite frankly, to get a PCIe SSD that performs at just under 2GB/s read and write for around $500, is a wicked deal.

FINAL THOUGHTS

When push comes to shove, the closest comparable to the OCZ RevoDrive 3 PCIe SSD is the Mushkin Scorpion Deluxe.  The Revo uses 4 x SF-2282 enterprise flash controller, whereas, the Scorpion uses the more popular 4 x SF-2281.  The only difference in specs is that the SF-2281 is BGA-256 and the SF-2282 is BGA-400, meaning there is more contact with the ball grid array on the base of the chip.  The RAID controller used by Mushkin is the LSI SAS 3008, whereas OCZ uses there own RAID controller.  End performance displays stronger write transfer throughput for the Scorpion, however, incompatibility concerns are evident when we run AS SSD, Anvil Storage utilities and PCMark Vantage.  Availability has been questioned with the Scorpion Deluxe since release and the two just might be fighting for the lowest price point before long.

The OCZ RevoDrive 350 PCIe SSD is awarded our Editor’s Choice for its performance, value warranty and availability.

Check Out RevoDrive 350 Pricing at Amazon