X

OCZ releases 'budget' high-performance SSDs

OCZ announces new SATA 6Gbps solid-state drives that offer high performance at lower prices.

Dong Ngo SF Labs Manager, Editor / Reviews
CNET editor Dong Ngo has been involved with technology since 2000, starting with testing gadgets and writing code for CNET Labs' benchmarks. He now manages CNET San Francisco Labs, reviews 3D printers, networking/storage devices, and also writes about other topics from online security to new gadgets and how technology impacts the life of people around the world.
See full bio
Dong Ngo
2 min read

The new Agility 3 solid-state drive from OCZ.
The new Agility 3 solid-state drive from OCZ. OCZ

You love the OCZ Vertex 3 solid-state drive but can't afford it? Well, there are now more affordable choices from the same company.

OCZ announced today that it's now shipping new SSDs that offer an "outstanding balance of performance and value," the Agility 3 and Solid 3.

Like the Vertex 3, the two new drives support the latest SATA 3 standard (6Gbps) and, according to OCZ, feature the SandForce SF-2200 SSD processor and will significantly outperform traditional hard drives as well as SATA 2 (3Gbps) SSDs.

The new drives come in the 2.5-inch (laptop) design and will work in all applications where regular 2.5-inch hard drives are used. They can also be used in desktop computers.

OCZ claims that the Agility 3 can deliver up to 525MBps in reading, 500MBps in writing, and up to 60,000 4KB random-write IOPS, while the Solid 3 can reach 500MBps reading, 450MBps writing, and 20,000 4KB random-write IOPS. Basically, they are fast.

Now, the most important part is always the price. The Agility 3 comes in 60GB, 120GB, and 240GB capacities that carry the estimated price tags of $135, $240, and $480 respectively. The Solid 3 comes in 60GB and 120GB capacities that are slated to cost $130 and $230 respectively. They will all be available for purchase later this week.

While these prices are lower than those of the Vertex 3 or the Plextor PX-256M2S, they are not really within the "budget" level that most of us have in mind.

If you want to find out about how "outstanding" the balance between performance and value these new drives offer is, stay tuned for full reviews!