OCZ’s RevoDrive X2: When A Fast PCIe SSD Isn’t Fast Enough

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In a storage market where it's easiest to take one vendor's controller, another vendor's NAND flash, and put the two in a standard 2.5" SATA drive, OCZ continues innovating, giving IT professionals and power users more performance with its RevoDrive X2.

Test Setup And Benchmarks

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Test Hardware
ProcessorsIntel Core i7-980X (Gulftown) 3.33 GHz @ 3.73 GHz, LGA 1366, 6.4 GT/s QPI, 12 MB Shared L3, Hyper-Threading enabled, Power-savings enabled
MotherboardAsus Rampage III Formula (LGA 1366) Intel X58/ICH10R, BIOS 0505
MemoryKingston 6 GB (3 x 2 GB) DDR3-2000, KHX2000C8D3T1K3/6GX @ 8-8-8-24 and 1.65 V
Hard DriveOCZ RevoDrive X2  240 GB OCZSSDPX-1RVDX0240, PCI Express x4
Row 4 - Cell 0 OCZ IBIS 240 GB OCZ3HSD1IBS1-240, HSDL
Row 5 - Cell 0 OCZ RevoDrive 120 GB OCZSSDPX-1RVD0120, PCI Express x4
Row 6 - Cell 0 OCZ Vertex 2 120 GB OCZSSD2-2VTXE120G, SATA 3Gb/s
Row 7 - Cell 0 Intel X25-M 160 GBSSDSA2M160G2GC, SATA 3Gb/s
GraphicsNvidia GeForce GTX 460 1 GB
Power SupplyCooler Master UCP-1000 W
System Software And Drivers
Operating SystemWindows 7 Ultimate 64-bit
DirectXDirectX 11
Graphics DriverNvidia GeForce 260.99
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Benchmarks
Performance MeasurementsCrystalDiskMark 3.0 x64, set to read and write random data to drivePCMark Vantage 1.0.2.0
I/O PerformanceIOMeter 2008.08.18, default configuration, not reading/writing random dataFile server Benchmark, Web server Benchmark, Database Benchmark, Workstation BenchmarkStreaming Reads, Streaming Writes4 KB Random Reads, 4 KB Random Writes

We went ahead and tested the Vertex 2 and X25-M drives using Intel's ICH10R controller in AHCI mode, since neither SATA-based SSD is able to saturate the interface's peak throughput. In a more business-oriented environment, you might use an Intel- or LSI-based SAS/SATA controller to enable higher port counts. Here, though, we're concerning ourselves with performance typical on a desktop platform.

Chris Angelini
Chris Angelini
Chris Angelini is an Editor Emeritus at Tom's Hardware US. He edits hardware reviews and covers high-profile CPU and GPU launches.
47 Comments Comment from the forums
  • joelmartinez
    Too much money :( will get the vertex 3 though :) or intel
    Reply
  • alikum
    If only they could make SSDs cheaper ... Mechanical drives are still the way to go
    Reply
  • eklipz330
    although i think sandforce's new controller won't be as fast as they claim, i really think it's gonna change the face of the ssd race by the end of the year

    and probably a new iteration of the revodrive as well... can't wait!! =D =D i need me a 160gb for less than $1/gb... that's how much i bought my raptor for like 4 years ago!!
    Reply
  • dauthus
    In related news, OCZ stock is up to $6.80 a share, rising 19%+ today.
    Reply
  • How does this compare to the new Z-drive R3?
    Reply
  • cmi86
    Yeah its really cool and i wish i had 1...or 2 lol but it just costs waay too much money, isnt really practical for enthusiast use until the prices drop
    Reply
  • dirtmountain
    You routinely use $500 graphic cards (GTX580) and $1,200 displays (2560x1600)in reviews. The price for this upgrade ($650)isn't any harder to stomach then those.
    Reply
  • cangelini
    dirtmountainYou routinely use $500 graphic cards (GTX580) and $1,200 displays (2560x1600)in reviews. The price for this upgrade ($650)isn't any harder to stomach then those.
    Aye, but it's a little less tangible than exotic graphics configurations, too.
    Reply
  • razor512
    a pci-e ssd seems good, I want one, MS word will run sooo much better
    Reply
  • alidan
    i realy wish they would put a 7200 10000 and 15000 drive in there, all top of their respective class, just so we can get some prospective of how much an improvement these are over traditional hdds.
    Reply