Testing The 256 GB OCZ Vector

The Testbed

Testing Methodology

We tested the drives in Microsoft Windows Vista and Microsoft Windows 7, with the latest updates. We chose to use AS SSD, ATTO, IO Meter 2008 as well as our "old faithful", WinBench 99 2.0, with the following tests :

• Platter Data Transfer Profile
• Business Disk WinMark 99
• High-End Disk WinMark 99
• Disk Transfer Rate (Beginning)
• Disk Transfer Rate (End)

Business Disk WinMark 99 is a real-world simulation based on three office application suites - Microsoft Office 97, Lotus SmartSuite and Corel WordPerfect Suite 8, as well as a web browser, Netscape Navigator. They are quite dated, but should still reflect the usage patterns of users in an office environment using such applications. The test runs through a script that keeps multiple applications open, while it performs tasks that switches between those applications and Netscape Navigator. The result is the average transfer rate during the script run.

High-End Disk WinMark 99 is a real-world simulation based on AVS/Express 3.4, FrontPage 98, MicroStation SE, Photoshop 4.0, Premiere 4.2, Sound Forge 4.0 and Visual C++ 5.0. However, it differs by running the applications serially, instead of simultaneously. There are individual results for each application but in this comparison, we will be looking only at the weighted average score, which is the average transfer rate during the tests.

Unfortunately, WinBench 99 seemed to have some issues with Windows Vista and Windows 7. It would register a SetFilePointer error in the Disk Access Time test. So, we were not able to obtain any Disk Access Time results.

The IO Meter 1.1.0 RC1 tests were carried out with the alignment set at 4 KB. In addition, we tested each drive with repetitive (compressible) and random (non-compressible) data, and used the average of the two results. This will give us a more accurate representation of how the drive will perform in real life.

AS SSD Benchmark is a simple and easy-to-use SSD benchmark by Alex Intelligent Software. It not only tests the drive's sequential transfer rates and access times, but also its performance at both single-threaded and multi-threaded 4K IOPS.

ATTO Disk Benchmark is a free benchmark that allows you to compare the performance of the solid state drive using a variety of transfer sizes. The total size of each test is limited to 256 MB, which is good enough for most intents and purposes.

Maximum Surface Temperature

We monitored the surface temperature of eight solid state drives, together with a low-powered hard disk drive for comparison, during their benchmark runs. The following chart shows their operating temperature range, from idle to maximum load. Please note that instead of giving you the absolute numbers, we are showing the temperature delta, which is the difference between the actual temperature and the ambient room temperature.

The 256 GB OCZ Vector solid state drive had the second-lowest idle temperature in this comparison. However, when it ran at full load for some time, it produced a lot of heat, ending up as the hottest-running SSD in this comparison. This is no surprise because the 256 GB OCZ Vector consumes a fair bit of power.

When compared with the 240 GB Intel 520 Series SSD, it consumes 50% more power idling (900 mW versus 600 mW) and 264% more power when it's actively reading or writing (2.25 W versus 0.85 W). As such, the OCZ Vector is less suitable for mobile applications and would do better in a desktop system.

Transfer Rate Profile

Unlike hard disk drives, solid state drives do not have different areal densities. Hence, a virtually flat transfer rate profile across the entire capacity at around 415 MB/s. As the practical limit of the SATA 3Gb/s interface is around 280 MB/s, the OCZ Vector should never be wasted on a system that only supports SATA 3Gb/s.

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