OCZ Vertex 3 240GB Max IOPS Edition SSD Review

By Joe Evans

The Vertex 3 To The Max

By now we’ve covered almost the entire OCZ SSD SATA III lineup and today we round things out with the Max IOPS edition of the Vertex 3. From the outside, it looks pretty much the same as the other Vertex 3 drives save for the “Max IOPS” verbiage on the front sticker and the part number. The real difference lies beneath the exterior shell with some hardware changes that have a significant impact on performance. Just how much we’ll bear out in the testing but let’s just say that it does not disappoint.

VERTEX 3 MI 240GB

Unlike the ‘regular’ Vertex 3 drives, the Max IOPS (MI) edition only comes in two capacities – 120 GB and 240 GB, forgoing the 480 GB version which is not really attainable by most consumers anyway due to the lofty price. While on the subject of price, the 120 GB version can be picked up for $309 and the 240 GB for $556. Neither being cheap but these aren’t value drives. Each carries a three year warranty and kick out reads of up to 550MB/s and writes of up to 500MB/s. In terms of IOPS, have a look at the table below and you can see they have been boosted in this edition as well.

V3 MI 120GB V3 MI 240GB V3 120GB V3 240GB V3 480GB
Max Read: up to 550 MB/s up to 550 MB/s up to 550 MB/s up to 550 MB/s up to 530 MB/s
Max Write: up to 500 MB/s up to 500 MB/s up to 500 MB/s up to 520 MB/s up to 450 MB/s
4KB Random Read: 35,000 IOPS 55,000 IOPS 20,000 IOPS 40,000 IOPS 50,000 IOPS
4KB Random Write: 75,000 IOPS 65,000 IOPS 60,000 IOPS) 60,000 IOPS 40,000 IOPS
Max 4KB Random Write: 85,000 IOPS) 85,000 IOPS 85,000 IOPS 85,000 IOPS 40,000 IOPS
Seq Read (AS-SSD): 500 MB/s 510 MB/s 500 MB/s 510 MB/s 495 MB/s
Seq Write (AS-SSD): 230 MB/s 240 MB/s 155 MB/s 280 MB/s 225 MB/s
4K Random Read (AS-SSD): 47,000 IOPS 58,500 IOPS 29,000 IOPS 53,500 IOPS 56,000 IOPS
4K Random Write (AS-SSD): 47,000 IOPS 48,500 IOPS 38,000 IOPS 56,000 IOPS 38,000 IOPS

VERTEX 3 MI 240GB BOX

OCZ Vertex 3 240GB MAx IOPS Edition Features and Specifications:

  • Available in 120GB and 240GB Capacities
  • MLC NAND Flash
  • Interface: SATA 6Gbps / Backwards Compatible 3Gbps
  • Native TRIM support
  • Seek Time: .1ms
  • Slim 2.5″ Design
  • 99.8 x 69.63 x 9.3mm
  • Lightweight: 77g
  • Operating Temp: 0C ~ 70C
  • Ambient Temp: 0C ~ 55C
  • Storage Temp: -45C ~ 85C
  • Low Power Consumption: 3W Active, 1.65W Idle
  • Shock Resistant up to 1500G
  • RAID Support
  • Included 3.5″ Desktop adapter bracket
  • Compatible with Windows 7, Vista, XP 32-bit/64-bit, Mac OSX
  • MTBF: 2 million hours
  • 3-Year Warranty
  • 120GB Max Performance:
  • Max Read: up to 550MB/s
  • Max Write: up to 500MB/s
  • Random Read 4KB: 35,000 IOPS
  • Random Write 4KB: 75,000 IOPS
  • Maximum 4K Random Write: 85,000 IOPS
  • 240GB Max Performance:
    • Max Read: up to 550MB/s
    • Max Write: up to 500MB/s
    • Random Read 4KB: 55,000 IOPS
    • Random Write 4KB: 65,000 IOPS
    • Maximum 4K Random Write: 85,000 IOPS
  • Part Numbers:
    • OCZ Vertex 3 Max IOPS 120GB: VTX3MI-25SAT3-120G – $309.99
    • OCZ Vertex 3 Max IOPS 240GB: VTX3MI-25SAT3-240G – $556.99

    VERTEX 3 MI 240GB CONTENTS

    Packaged with the drive is a 2.5″ to 3.5″ adapter plate complete with screws, installation and warranty instructions, and your own personal bragging rights sticker. In this case, “HDD” can be changed to “SSD” and still be accurate in most circumstances.

    VERTEX 3 MI 240GB

    Around back we have a shiny aluminum backplate with the OCZ product sticker and the pesky void if removed warranty sticker over one of the four screws. Not that we ever heed that around here so navigate to the next page to see the goods.

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