OCZ Trots Out Vertex 460A SSD Series Using Toshiba A19 NAND Flash

[[Coi] Mr.CLuBBeR]

New NAND chips means a new SSD line

OCZ may have learned a lesson from its competitors that swapping NAND flash memory in an existing solid state drive line tends to irritate customers. Rather than go that route with its Vertex 460 line and risk a public outcry, OCZ this week announced its new Vertex 460A SSD family using newer A19 Multi-Level Cell (MLC) NAND flash memory chips provided by its parent company, Toshiba.
Though no MSRPs were mentioned in the press release, OCZ's intention is to provide a high performance product at a competitive price point. Indeed, the Vertex 460A line sports speed ratings on the upper end of the spectrum for SATA 6Gbps-based drives. Here's a look:

• 120GB: 530MB/s read; 420MB/s write; 80,000 IOPS (random read); 90,000 IOPS (random write)
• 240GB: 540MB/s read; 525MB/s write; 85,000 IOPS (random read); 90,000 IOPS (random write)
• 480GB: 545MB/s read; 525MB/s write; 95,000 IOPS (random read); 90,000 IOPS (random write)

The drives feature OCZ's Barefoot 3 controller. According to OCZ, the controller and NAND flash memory combination help the Vertex 460A SSD line stand out from the competition by focusing on real world metrics like sustained performance and mixed workloads
OCZ rates the drives as being able to handle 20GB of host writes per day, which it backs with a 3-year ShieldPlus warranty -- if a drive goes bad, OCZ will send an advance replacement with a paid return shipping label.
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