OCZ Unveils Faster Vertex "Turbo" SSD

Better, faster... still kinda expensive.

Intel's been at the top of the SSD performance heap since it unleashed its X25 line, giving serious system builders only one real choice for going solid state. Now storage competitors are catching up.

OCZ's Vertex line of SSDs is already a worthy choice for those looking for very fast storage, and now there's a turbocharged option as the company announced the Vertex Turbo Edition.

"OCZ is constantly looking for ways to advance our solutions, and based on feedback from our enthusiast consumers and top system integrators we looked for ways to further push the performance envelope in our popular Vertex Series of SSD’s," commented Ryan Edwards, director of product management for the OCZ Technology Group.

Edwards explained what makes this new line carry the turbo label: "The new Vertex Turbo makes use of the fastest SDR DRAM cache available and a proprietary FTL level firmware that provides an even faster solid state drive for enthusiasts looking for the ultimate desktop or laptop storage upgrade."

Specifically, the 64 MB SDR DRAM cache operates at 180 MHz in the Turbo Edition, as compared to 166 MHz in the regular model. The faster memory coupled with a tweaked firmware claim to deliver read and write speeds clocking in at up to 270 MB/s read and 210 MB/s write.

It's unknown if this firmware would also boost performance of the regular Vertex, but for now it seems to be one of the key distinguishing features of the Turbo Edition.

The Vertex Turbo SSDs are available in the following capacity and prices:

• 32 GB - $139.99
• 64 GB - $249.99
• 128 GB - $409.00
• 256 GB - $774.99