Best SSDs For The Money: April 2012

Detailed solid-state drive specifications and reviews are great—that is, if you have the time to do the research. However, at the end of the day, what an enthusiast needs is the best SSD within a certain budget.

So, if you don’t have the time to read the benchmarks, or if you don’t feel confident enough in your ability to pick the right drive, then fear not. We at Tom’s Hardware have come to your aid with a simple list of the best SSD offered for the money.

April Updates

Earlier this month, OCZ unveiled the Vertex 4 (check out OCZ Vertex 4 Review: A Flagship SSD Powered By...Indilinx?), a notable SSD for the company considering its new flagship wasn't based on SandForce's technology.

Leveraging a second-generation Everest controller, the drive's performance results are pretty impressive. Sure, it trailed the Vertex 3 a bit when we presented both drives with compressible data, but that's where the SandForce controllers shine, so we weren't particularly surprised. More important to many folks is consistency, and the Vertex 4 demonstrated consistently-good results. As a result, we were quick to praise OCZ's efforts in forging ahead with its own controller. But that only turned out to be partially true.

Shortly after our piece went live, OCZ confirmed that its Everest controller (first- and second-gen) were based on Marvell logic, and issued the following statement:

OCZ has a strong relationship with Marvell who we have collaborated with on both the Everest and Kilimanjaro platforms. Just as any product, a complete platform consists of many components, and in this case includes silicon that is run at higher speeds and Indilinx proprietary firmware, which was developed completely in-house, and allows OCZ to enable enhanced features, performance, and endurance. All of these elements come together to form the complete platform that can only be found in SSD products like the Octane and Vertex 4.

It may seem a little strange that OCZ essentially switched from one third-party controller provider to another. To be fair, though, Marvell provides the basic firmware framework for its logic, and vendors are allowed to optimize as much as they'd like. That's not possible with SandForce's controllers, since the nature of its technology results in a common foundation shared across every partner.

In a world where SSD vendors continue trying to differentiate themselves, we certainly understand why OCZ wants to move away from a me-too approach. And maybe that's the bottom line here. If we spend less time focusing on the hardware specifics and emphasize performance more prominently, then there's no question that OCZ has an impressive product on its hands. With that said, we're still looking forward to a day when OCZ uses the IP it acquired from Indilinx to show off its own controller hardware, rather than simply using the brand to describe one-of-a-kind firmware build.



Some Notes About Our Recommendations

A few simple guidelines to keep in mind when reading this list: