OCZ Vector 150 SSD Review

Review: OCZ Vector 150 240GB SSD
Reviewed by: Wendy
Robertson

Provided by: OCZ Technology
Model: VTR150-25SAT3-240G
Firmware version: 1.1

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A year is a long time in the SSD business, and it's hard to
believe that the original OCZ Vector SSD launched nearly one year ago. The
original Vector was the first SSD to use the Indilinx BareFoot 3 SSD
controller. The original Vector also used IMFT 25nm MLC NAND.

It won't have escaped your notice that 25nm NAND has been
phased out, and is now very difficult to source in quantity. 25nm NAND has now
been replaced by 19nm, and 20nm NAND respectively. Generally, the smaller node
NAND doesn't perform as well as the its larger counterpart. Of course, the
smaller node NAND is cheaper to produce, and allows for more storage in the
same size of package.

It isn't exactly news that OCZ has found it very difficult
to source 25nm NAND for the Vector range of SSDs, so much so that the Vector
range is quite difficult to get hold of. The Vector is OCZ's enthusiast part,
and it's quite clear that they needed a replacement for the Vector, and needed
that replacement immediately. Enter the Vector 150 series of SSDs.

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The Vector 150 utilises the familiar BareFoot 3 SSD
controller, but the NAND has made the transition to the smaller node size. The
Vector 150 now uses Toshiba 19nm toggle mode MLC NAND. OCZ was kind enough to
send me a Vector 150 review sample, the 240GB version to be exact. The Vector
150 is available in 120GB, 240GB, and 480GB capacity versions.

So let's find out how this new SSD performs in our range of
tests.

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OCZ Technology company information

OCZ should need no introduction, but those of you who would
like to find out more about OCZ, can do so at their website.


The OCZ Vector 150 - 240GB SSD

Now it’s time to take a look at the drive itself and what it
came shipped with.

Packaging

The review sample I received was the full retail kit.


OCZ Vector 150 240GB SSD full retail kit

The full retail kit contained the following items. The
Vector 150 240GB SSD itself, 3.5 inch to 2.5 inch drive converter bracket,
eight fixing screws, an 'I love my SSD' sticker, instruction booklet, warranty
information, and a licence key for Acronis True Image 2013 HD.


Box front


Box rear


Drive top


Drive bottom

The casing on the OCZ Vector 150 is 7mm thick and an all
metal affair, with the bottom of the case acting as a heat sink for the
BareFoot 3 SSD controller.

 

Software

The software supplied via download from the OCZ Technology
website is as follows.

  • OCZ SSD Toolbox
  • Acronis True Image HD


OCZ SSD Toolbox

The OCZ SSD toolbox provides a means of updating the SSD's firmware,
Secure Erasing the SSD, and also providing useful information about the OCZ
Vector hardware via S.M.A.R.T.

Bundled Acronis True Image HD 2013

As I mentioned a little earlier on this page, the OCZ Vector
150 is bundled with a serial key for Acronis True Image HD 2013. Primarily this
software is provided to allow the consumer to easily migrate their existing
system partition over to their new Vector 150 SSD. But, True Image HD also has
a few other very useful features. Let's take a brief look at the True Image HD
software.


Note: Not all features are available in the OEM version.


Available tools.


Recover the backup of your system drive to your new Vector 150 SSD

Cloning your system drive to your new Vector 150 only takes
a few simple mouse clicks, and enough HDD space for the backup data itself.
Recovering the backup to your new Vector 150 SSD is once again a very simple
task, only requiring a few simple mouse clicks.

Now let's head to the next page, where we look in more
detail at the OCZ Vector 150 SSD.....

 

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