OCZ RevoDrive Review: SSD RAID + PCI-Express

It's hard to remember that before the advent of SSDs, storage performance was a rather tepid topic. Save for the introduction of occasional new features like NCQ, hard drives continued along a mostly predictable path of rising capacities and (slightly) higher performance. If you wanted top-end performance, you bought a WD VelociRaptor or constructed a RAID config or arcane assembly of repurposed workstation and / or server-class hardware.


Now the market has flipped upside down. SSD manufacturers have been energetically rolling out new high-end, high-capacity products based around updated Indilinx, SandForce, or Marvell controllers, while simultaneously introducing smaller SSDs with better performance and lower prices than we saw with first-generation products. As SSDs become more popular and economical, we're seeing the rise of yet another consumer storage tier, over and above even the more expensive, high-performing SSDs:  Flash storage mated to PCI-Express. OCZ has launched its own product into the burgeoning sector—presenting the RevoDrive.

OCZ RevoDrive 120GB (842024018377)  2x SandForce 1200 Specifications & Features

Max Read: up to 540MB/s Max Write: up to 480MB/s Sustained Write: up to 400MB/s Random Write 4KB (Aligned): 75,000 IOPS Seek Time: 0.1ms Interface:  PCIe x4 Power Consumption:  Idle 3W, Active 8W Operating Temp: 0°C ~ 70°C

Storage Temp: -45°C ~ +85°C Shock Resistant up to 1500G RAID Support via Silicon Image 3124 Included 3.5" Desktop adapter bracket Compatible with XP, Vista, 7, and Linux (32 and 64-bit flavors) MTBF: 2 million hours 3-Year Warranty

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Its features and specifications put the OCZ RevoDrive in lofty territory along with likes of Fusion-io's ioXtreme card. The RevoDrive's maximum read and write speeds far surpass any standard SSD currently on the market and its sustained and 4K random write ratings are also very impressive at 75K IOPS.