AMD Radeon R7 Series 240GB SSD Review
AMD and OCZ Partner On SSD Storage
It was only a matter of time before AMD and/or NVIDIA got into the SSD mix and ultimately AMD ended up being the first to slap their Radeon brand on a consumer drive. It makes sense that in doing so, they partnered with an existing SSD maker like they did with their Radeon branded RAM offering. This time the partnership is with OCZ (Toshiba). Ultimately, it’s basically a hybridization of the OCZ Vector 150 and ARC 100 drives with the brains of the operation being the powerful Indilinx Barefoot 3 M00 controller which is paired with Toshiba A19nm MLC NAND. The AMD version is officially named the Radeon R7 and we received the 240GB version to see what it can do but it’s also available in 120GB and 480GB capacities. Obviously, this will appeal the strongest to the AMD faithful but being sourced from OCZ, it has potential to draw in their loyalists as well. Best of all, those wanting a full Radeon themed system have another piece available to complete that quest.
The transparency of this collaboration is refreshing as most times such things are kept under wraps or at least not openly acknowledged. In fact, if you flip the drive over, there lies OCZ’s branding very prominently on the back sticker and OCZ even lists the Radeon R7 drive on their product page. Plus, there’s even a special version of the OCZ Toolbox with the AMD branding and support will be handled through OCZ. Obviously, OCZ is handling most of the heavy lifting in this partnership I’m sure they are betting on the AMD brand to draw in customers. Looking at the specifications, you can see the reads of 550MB/s and writes of 530MB/s are identical to that of the OCZ Vector 150 drive. In fact, many of the specs are the same except for the IOPS which are rated 5,000 less on the writes at 90,000 and the warranty is one year shorter at four years – which is still a year longer than many other drives and likely as a result of the different NAND used.
AMD Radeon R7 SSD Features and Specifications:
| PERFORMANCE: | 120GB | 240GB | 480GB |
| Sequential Read Speed: | 550 MB/s | 550 MB/s | 550 MB/s |
| Sequential Write Speed: | 470 MB/s | 530 MB/s | 530 MB/s |
| Random Read Speed(4K, QD32): | 85,000 IOPS | 95,000 IOPS | 100,000 IOPS |
| Random Write Speed (4K, QD32): | 90,000 IOPS | 90,000 IOPS | 90,000 IOPS |
| Steady-State Random Write Speed (4K, QD32): | 12,000 IOPS | 20,000 IOPS | 23,000 IOPS |
| PHYSICAL: | |
| Usable Capacities (IDEMA): | 120GB, 240GB, 480GB |
| NAND Components: | Toshiba A19nm Multi-Level Cell (MLC) |
| Interface: | Serial ATA (SATA) 6Gb/s (SATA III) |
| NAND Controller: | OCZ Barefoot 3 M00 |
| Form Factor: | 2.5 inch, 7mm height |
| Dimension (L x W x H): | 99.70 x 69.75 x 7.00 mm |
| Weight: | 115g |
| RELIABILITY / COMPATIBILITY: | |
| Data Path Protection | BCH ECC corrects up to 44 random bits/1KB |
| MTBF | 2.3 million hours |
| Encryption | 256-bit AES-compliant |
| Product Health Monitoring | Self-Monitoring, Analysis and Reporting Technology (SMART) Support |
| Endurance | Rated for 30GB/day of host writes for 4 years under typical client workloads |
| Serial ATA (SATA): | Fully compliant with Serial ATA International Organization: Serial ATA Revision 3.2. Fully compliant with ATA/ATAPI-8 Standard Native Command Queuing (NCQ) |
| Operating System: | Windows / Linux / Mac OSX |
| Power Requirements: | Standard SATA Power Connector |
| Targeted Applications: | Client workstations and laptops |
| ENVIRONMENTAL: | |
| Power Consumption: | Idle: 0.60W, Active: 3.450W |
| Operating Temperature: | 0C ~ 70C |
| Storage Temperature: | -45C ~ 85C |
| Shock Resistance: | 1000G/0.5ms |
| Vibration (Operational): | 2.17Grms (7-800Hz) |
| Vibration (Non-operational): | 3.13Grms (5-800Hz) |
| Altitude (Operational): | -1,000ft. to 10,000ft |
| Altitude (Non-operational): | -1,000ft. to 40,000ft |
| Certifications: | UL C/US, FCC, CE, C-Tick, KCC, BSMI, VCCI, WEEE |
| ADDITIONAL FEATURES: | |
| Performance Optimization: | TRIM (requires OS support), Idle Time Garbage Collection |
| Service & Support: | 4-Year ShieldPlus Warranty, 24 Hour Forum Support, Firmware Updates, Direct Tech Support: USA/Canada: 408.440.3770 EMEA: +44(0)1235 822098 |
| Accessories: | 3.5″ desktop adapter |
| Software: | Bundled with Acronis True Image HD |
| ORDERING INFO: | PART NUMBER | UPC | Current Retail Pricing: |
| 120GB: | RADEON-R7SSD-120G | 842024036814 | $89.99 |
| 240GB: | RADEON-R7SSD-240G | 842024036821 | $144.99 |
| 480GB: | RADEON-R7SSD-480G | 842024036838 | $279.99 |
In addition to the drive and the usual warranty and install guides, the drive comes bundled with a AMD Radeon branded 2.5″ to 3.5″ adapter plate as well as a software key for Acronis True Image HD which also happens to be our preferred imaging tool. Let’s have a closer look.