Toshiba OCZ VX500 SATA SSD Review: Fast, Affordable Storage
Introducing The Toshiba OCZ VX500
We’ve got the full list of features and specifications for the new OCZ VX500 series posted below. Give that a gander to get a feeling for where these drives fit in the market, and then we’ll tear one open, take a tour, and finally burn through a bunch of benchmarks...
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Performance | 128GB | 256GB | 512GB | 1024GB |
Sequential Read Speed | Up To 550MB/s | Up To 550MB/s | Up To 550MB/s | Up To 550MB/s |
Sequential Write Speed | Up To 485MB/s | Up To 510MB/s | Up To 515MB/s | Up To 515MB/s |
Random Read (4KiB, QD32) | Up To 62K IOPS | Up To 90K IOPS | Up To 92K IOPS | Up To 92 IOPS |
Random Write (4KiB, QD32) | Up To 49K IOPS | Up To 58K IOPS | Up To 64K IOPS | Up To 65K IOPS |
Endurance | ||||
TBW (Total Bytes Written) | 74TB | 148TB | 296TB | 592TB |
Daily Usage Guidelines | 40GB/day | 81GB/day | 162GB/day | 324GB/day |
Pysical | ||||
Usable Capacities | 128GB, 256GB, 512GB, 1024GB | |||
NAND Flash | MLC | |||
Interface | Serial ATA (SATA) 6Gb/s | |||
Form Factor | 2.5", 7mm height | |||
Dimensions | 100 mm x 69.85 mm x 7.00 mm | |||
Drive Weight | 128 GB, 256 GB: 49 g (typ.) 512 GB: 52 g (typ.), 1024 GB: 54 g (typ.) | |||
Environmental | ||||
Operating Temperature | 0 °C to 70 °C | |||
Storage Temperature | -40 °C to 85 °C | |||
Shock Resistance | 1500G/0.5ms | |||
Vibration | 20G (10-2000Hz) | |||
Certifications | CE, BSMI, RCM, KCM, UL, WEEE | |||
Power Requirements |
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Supply Voltage | 5.0V | |||
Power Consumption | Active: Up to 3.4W, Idle: 125mW (128GB-512GB), 260mW (1T), DEVSLP 5mW max | |||
Reliability / Security | ||||
MTTF | 1.5M Hours | |||
Health Monitoring | Self-Monitoring, Analysis and Reporting Technology (SMART) | |||
Compatibility | ||||
Serial ATA | ATA/ATAPI Command Set-2 (ACS-2) and Serial ATA revision 3.1 interface spec | |||
Operating System | Windows, Linux, MacOS X | |||
Connector Type | Standard SATA Power Connector | |||
Additional | ||||
Performance Optimization | TRIM, Idle Time Garbage Collection | |||
Service & Support | 5-Year Advanced Warranty Program, Toll-free and online Tech Support | |||
Software | SSD Utility, Command Line Online Update Tool (CLOUT), Acronis True Image 2016 |
The new OCZ VX 500 series drives feature textured aluminum housings, similar to previous-gen mainstream offerings, though they're not quite as rigid or heavy as some of OCZ's older drives. The enclosures are held together with screws, however, and the PCBs inside are securely mounted with screws as well, so the VX500s should be somewhat more durable than drives that simply snap together. There are also thermal pads on every chip inside the drives, which aid in dispersing heat and ad a bit of cushion as well.
Bundled with the VX500 series is a serial number for a copy of Acronis True Image 2016 (which supports Windows 10) and the drives are supported by OCZ's excellent SSD Utility as well. It's becoming more and more rare for companies to provide any cloning software with their drives, so we have to give kudos to OCZ for coming through with a copy of Acronis here, which is widely regarded as one of the better utilities in its class.