Other World Computing is well known to Apple Mac users, because they've focused on their needs for many years. But when you offer a five year warranty on PC-friendly components, it's hard to ignore the value. The OWC Mercury Extreme Pro 6G SSD OWCSSDMX6G120T is built from the 2nd-generation SandForce SF-2281 controller, and delivers up to 60,000 IOPS over the latest SATA 6Gb/s connection. Best of all, OWC offers a no-risk no-hassle 30-day money back guarantee. In this article, Benchmark Reviews tests the OWC Mercury Extreme Pro 6G solid state drive against the leading competition.

Patriot Memory has been a long-time provider of system components for performance enthusiasts. It was a natural evolution for them to focus their efforts on SSDs to compliment the demand for high-end RAM. They were sucessful with their Inferno series, and now that SandForce has released their second-generation controller they're back with the Patriot Wildfire. In this article Benchmark Reviews tests performance on the 120GB Patriot Wildfire Solid State Drive, model PW120GS25SSDR, specified for up to 555 MB/s read and 520 MB/s write performance with 4K random write speeds as high as 80,000 IOPS in real world testing.

ADATA knows that SandForce-driven SSDs are a win-win combination of performance and speed. In this article, Benchmark Reviews tests the ADATA S511 solid state drive. Based on the popular new SandForce SF-2281 SATA 6Gb/s controller and fast IMFT-branded NAND flash components, ADATA claims the AS511S3 is capable of 550 MB/s read and 510 MB/s write speed with 4K random write speeds as high as 60,000 IOPS in real world testing. We test these claims, and compare performance to competing storage solid-state solutions in this review to find out which SSD is best.

It might not seem like SSDs have been around very long, but OCZ has been a pioneer in the technology for almost four years already. They've traditionally offered several different options for performance enthusiasts, from economic yet responsive storage to premium high-speed enthusiast solid state drive solutions. While their Vertex series deliver the fastest SSD's available, the more affordable Agility family accommodates cost-conscious builders and comes available in 60-240GB capacities. In this article, Benchmark Reviews tests the OCZ Agility 3 SSD, model AGT3-25SAT3, which is based on the SandForce SF-2281 SATA 6Gb/s controller and IMFT-branded async-NAND flash components.

Intel is a company best known for their high-performance computer processors and motherboards, yet they're considered leaders in several different technology sectors. Solid State Drive technology is one particular market segment that has plenty of fresh competition, fighting for both retail consumer and corporate enterprise dollars. In this article, Benchmark Reviews tests the Intel SSD 320 series solid state drive, which includes 25nm Intel MLC NAND Flash memory and Enhanced power-loss data protection. Speed and response time for the Intel SSD 320 is compared to several other competing storage solutions, demonstrating which SSD product delivers the best value for the money.

Not so long ago, Benchmark Reviews tested the OCZ Vertex 3 SSD, which delivered the best transfer speeds and operational performance we had seen from any SATA-connected drive. Not to be outdone, the OCZ Vertex 3 Max IOPS Edition solid state drive debuts with the same SandForce SF-2281 controller but switches to Toshiba TH58TAG7D2FBAS9 3nnm toggle NAND flash components. OCZ suggests up to 120,000 combined IOPS are possible, with speeds reading 550 MB/s. In this article, Benchmark Reviews compares the OCZ Vertex 3 Max IOPS Edition SSD to other high-speed SATA 6Gb/s storage devices.

Phison SSDs aren't as well-known to computer hardware enthusiasts as those controllers from SandForce or Indilinx. For many within the industry, SandForce dominated the 2010 market in much the same way that Indilinx did throughout 2009. But not everyone can afford the premium brand names, or desire the fastest solid state drive technology. Building on the name of their budget Torqx TRB product line that came in 32/64GB capacities, Patriot Memory issues the Torqx 2 series for high-performance power users with capacity up to 256GB. The Patriot Torqx 2 SSD is specified to offer 270 MB/s reads over the SATA 3Gb/s interface, with write speed reaching 230 MB/s. In this article, Benchmark Reviews confirms these results by testing the Patriot Torqx 2 on a B3-stepping Sandy Bridge platform with plenty of bandwidth headroom.

Micron equips the RealSSD C400 with the revised Marvell 88SS9174-BLD2 SSD processor. Marvell's 88SS9174 (aka "9174") controller is used in the following solid state drives: Micron RealSSD C400/Crucial m4, Strontium SSD Matrix, Intel SSD 510 (BKK2 revision), Corsair Performance 3 (BKK2 revision), and many more. This controller is based on the same processor that powered the C300, but its been tweaked to output 90,000 combined IOPS based on Micron's own Iometer tests. In this article, we examine just how much has changed 'under the hood' with the new Crucial m4/Micron RealSSD C400 series.