OCZ Vector 256GB review

The 256GB version of the OCZ Vector SSD marks the first time OCZ has used a controller developed entirely by Indilinx, which it bought in early 2011. Previous Indilinx-branded components have used Marvell chips, but the Barefoot 3 controller inside the Vector is an entirely home-grown chip. It’s based on an ARM Cortex design, and has eight channels that carry data to and from SSDs flash memory.

The chips in question are constructed from 25nm NAND, and the entire PC is wrapped inside one of the most attractive designs we’ve seen. The Vector’s made from brushed aluminium, it feels incredibly strong, and we’re fans of its black and blue colour scheme. It’s also 7mm thick, which means it can fit inside very slim laptops – handy if you want to improve the speed of a slothful laptop.

We’re happy to report that the novel controller worked extremely well in our benchmarks. The Vector’s large-file write and read scores of 518MB/s and 437MB/s just managed to beat those of the Toshiba THNSNF, which scored 516MB/s and 426MB/s in the same tests.

The OCZ Vector performed well in our small-file tests, too. Its small-file write result of 162MB/s beat the Toshiba’s 150MB/s score, and the Vector maintained a transfer speed of 84MB/s when reading small files, which isn’t far behind the Toshiba’s score of 91MB/s.

Those are fast transfer speeds, and the Vector’s good value too. Its £170 inc VAT price makes it an excellent 66p per gigabyte. In comparison, the 512GB THNSNF costs £387, which works out to be 83p per gigabyte.

The OCZ Vector offers more than speed, too. The five-year warranty is as lengthy a deal as you’ll get with any SSD, and the inclusion of a 2.5in-to-3.5in bracket means you can install it in your PC right away.

It’s quicker than the Toshiba in three of our tests and isn’t far behind in the fourth. It also looks fantastic, has a lengthy warranty, and has extras in the box.

The Toshiba THNSNF has been our best-performing SSD for a while but, capacity aside, it’s outclassed in every department by the faster and cheaper OCZ Vector. The OCZ Vector is a brilliant debut for OCZ’s new controller, and is our new Ultimate award-winning SSD.