AMD Radeon R7 Series 240GB SSD Review
Introduction and Specifications
AMD is launching a new family of products today, but unless you follow the rumor mill pretty closely, it’s probably not something you’d expect. It’s not a new CPU or APU. And it’s not a new GPU or memory kit either. Well then, “what could it be” you ask? Today, AMD is launching its first line of solid state drives (SSDs), targeted squarely at AMD enthusiasts. Whodathunkit?
AMD is calling the new family of drives, the Radeon R7 Series SSD, similar to its popular mid-range line of graphics cards. The new Radeon R7 Series SSDs feature OCZ and Toshiba technology, but with a proprietary firmware geared towards write performance and high endurance. We’ll give you the full scoop on the pages ahead, but first let’s take a look at the Radeon R7 Series’ specifications. If you’re familiar with some of OCZ’s higher-end drives (namely the Vector 150), some of these specs will probably ring a bell...
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| 120GB | 240GB | 480GB | |
| Max Read | 550 MB/s | 550 MB/s | 550 MB/s |
| Max Write | 470 MB/s | 530 MB/s | 530 MB/s |
| Max Random Read IOPS (4K QD32) | 85,000 | 95,000 | 100,000 |
| Max Random Write IOPS (4K QD32) | 90,000 | 90,000 | 90,000 |
| Steady-State Random Write IOPS (4K QD32) | 12,000 | 20,000 | 23,000 |
| Physical Specifications | |||
| Controller | Barefoot 3 M00 | ||
| NAND Components | A19nm Toshiba Multi-Level Cell (MLC) Flash | ||
| Interface | SATA 3.0 6GB/s | ||
| Form Factor | 2.5"; Ultra-Slim 7mm | ||
| Reliability Specifications | |||
| Data Path Protection | BCH ECC Corrects up to 44 random bits/1KB | ||
| Encryption | 256-bit AES-compliant | ||
| Product Health Monitoring | Self-Monitoring, Analysis and Reporting Technology (SMART) | ||
| Endurance | Rated for 30GB/day host writes for 4 years under typical client workloads | ||
| Environmental Specifications | |||
| Power Consumption | Idle: 0.6W Active: 2.70W | ||
| Operating Temperature | 0°C ~ 70°C | ||
| Shock Resistance | 1500G/0.5ms | ||
| Vibration (Operational) | 2.17Grms (7-800Hz) | ||
| Vibration (Non-Operational) Price: |
16.3Grms (20-2000Hz) $99 (120GB), $163 (240GB), $298 (480GB) MSRP |
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Before we take a look at closer look at AMD’s new OCZ-built Radeon R7 series solid state drives, we want to quickly draw some attention to their accessory bundle. These drives are part of a small and shrinking group of products that include not only 2.5” to 3.5” adapters, but a license for Acronis True Image HD as well. The adapters are growing less important as newer cases that include 2.5” mounting locations are released, but the inclusion of Acronis is an excellent value-add in our opinion, that also makes it easy to migrate data from an existing drive.
