While we don't expect solid-state drives to become mainstream just all the same, they are by all ways moving chop-chop in that direction. Electric current generation SSDs deliver more value than always earlier, plus they have the speed reward, features, and adequate capacity to become viable alternatives to standard disk drives to most users.

I of the driving forces behind SSD technology has been Intel, whose drives take e'er remained 1 footstep ahead of the competition. Not surprisingly, the second generation Intel X25-Thou is arguably the best MLC-based solid-state bulldoze money can purchase.

That'due south not to say there are no more choices out there, but quite the contrary equally you've seen united states of america reviewing a variety of drives from different manufacturers, and perhaps most importantly using different controllers under the hood. The Crucial M225, A-DATA S592, and of course, the original OCZ Vertex are all great examples of quality Indilinx Barefoot-based SSDs. In fact, the OCZ Vertex is likely the most recognizable and praised Indilinx SSD series, and for good reason.

SSD technology is nonetheless immature and there'southward oft the demand for updated firmware that can right compatibility issues, add new features, and even improve operation in some cases. Without a dubiety, OCZ has been the busiest manufacturer when it comes to firmware releases, keeping their products such as the Vertex constantly up to date.

OCZ has also been very aggressive with their SSD line upwardly, offering a multitude of products based on a range of different controllers. As time has passed, the majority of their drives have adopted the Indilinx Barefoot controller equally it has stood out as the best alternative to Intel's. And so late last year we received an interesting announcement suggesting that the majority of OCZ's side by side generation SSD products would be dropping Indilinx in favor of a new controller from an unheard of company chosen SandForce.

SandForce is not an SSD manufacturer and only create the controller. At the moment they are developing two controllers, the SF-1200 and SF-1500, both of which will be used past OCZ. The SF-1200 is the consumer-oriented model supporting simply MLC flash memory, while the SF-1500 is designed for the enterprise market, adding back up for SLC flash.

OCZ'due south kickoff SandForce-based SSD will be the Vertex two Pro which is ready for release this March. The Vertex ii Pro uses the SF-1500 controller with MLC memory and is intended to provide enterprise-level reliability and functioning. Therefore, the Vertex ii Pro is non going to be an affordable SSD as its primary focus will be on performance.

The more pop choice is probable going to exist the Vertex 2 that will use the SF-1200 controller. This version should deliver similar performance to the Vertex 2 Pro with the exception of random writes, which is said to be lower. Nonetheless we are keen to see how the SandForce SF-1500 controller performs as we examination OCZ'southward upcoming flagship SSD.