OCZ ARC 100 Series SSD review

Memory (DDR4/DDR5) and Storage (SSD/NVMe) 367 Page 20 of 20 Published by

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Final Words & Conclusion

Final Words & Conclusion

The new OCZ Storage Solutions ARC 100 Series SSD is released as a reaction towards a quickly changing SSD arena. Some players in this game have put out some very competitive priced SSDs. As such the OCZ ARC 100 series was released to battle that problem. OCZ can now use their own NAND flash storage, their own proprietary controller and as such position the product more attractive. The biggest benefit is that you gain the experiences from OCZ's development, endurance and lifespan for example with this SSD are truly excellent. Though OCZ the ARC 100 series is a notch slower compared to their top end SKUs, we really can't complain as at roughly 400- 500 MB/sec you're all set really. You will receive a 3 years warranty with this series.

Architecture & Perf

Performance and features wise the SSD series is actually darn close to the Vertex 460 we recently tested and overall it is faster than the Crucial MX100 really. That MX100 will drop in performance fast once you start to really utilize that SSD, that's not the case with this ARC 100 though. 

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The long term performance of this SSD will remain level, fairly high and fast

The ARC 100 series is based upon the Indilinx Barefoot architecture controller as well, paired with A19nm Toshiba NAND Flash memory and the symbiosis seems to work out really well. The SSD IOPS performance is really good but we stated it before though, IOPS is not something you as a consumer should worry about too much unless you are doing a lot of database related stuff on your PC, but this SSD certainly hauls the proverbial ass on IOPS perf. Our trace testing shows impressive results as well. Our 64-bit PCMark trace run for example shows excellent numbers. This is a trace test and can emulate what you guys do on your PC but then multiplied with factor 100. The results with the SSD are very good. Zoom in at both IOPS and Trace performance then you'll notice that the SSD can manage very high workloads without breaking a sweat as well. Also sequential writes did not disappoint, copying an ISO or MKV file of 10 GB takes merely a few seconds to write to the SSD.

Software

Alongside the SSD comes the OCZ Toolbox, which is a handy utility alright. The tool will check for available firmware and updates it trouble free, 9 out of 10 times it can flash your drive non volatile and thus keep your data intact. Very handy. The software will also allow you to erase your drive and check out some functions. 

 

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Overall SSD Usage

An SSD is enjoyable, very much so. If you put a drive like this into your SATA 3 compatible laptop or SATA 3 compatible PC, you'll have no idea what is about to hit you. We very much enjoy the grand sustained performance of this SSD series, if you copy a vast amount of compressed data, then the OCZ Vector will perform seriously fast in performance. Make no mistake, replacing a HDD with an SSD in your desktop PC or laptop eliminates the random access lag of the HDD head, it is no longer mechanical. That combined with the performance SATA3 offers these days is simply a massive difference and probably the best upgrade you can make for your computer anno 2014.

SATA Controllers

Some overall recommendations then. Should you be in the market for a SATA 3 SSD then we have a couple of hints though. First and foremost if you have a SATA2 controller only on your motherboard, then you'll get limited at roughly 270 MB/sec read and writes. SATA3 (6Gbps) will free you up from that allowing the SSD to perform in the 500 MB/sec range. It is however important that you connect your SSD towards the proper controller. We absolutely prefer the performance of the Intel Series 6 and 7 (H67/P67/Z68/Z77/H77/Z87/X79/H97/Z97/X99) integrated SATA 6G controller over anything else available in the market. If you run the SSD from a 3rd party controller like say a Marvell 6G controller, you will see lower performance. The new AMD 85X chipsets also offer fantastic performance. The more recent Asmedia controllers we spotted lately on motherboards are also offering good performance, albeit still 20% ~ 25% slower than Intel's controllers. Also make sure you run your drive in AHCI mode, it does make such a difference in performance... really guys, a big difference.

OCZ ShieldPlus warranty

As explained you receive three years warranty with the ARC 100 - the following info on the new OCZ ShieldPlus RMA handling just came in from OCZ, and I wanted to post it into this review:

All ARC 100 SSDs are engineered and tested to ensure superior quality, reliability, and compatibility and also come backed with OCZ’s brand new “ShieldPlus Warranty”, an industry-leading approach to service that  eliminates all the hassle surrounding support and warranty claims consumers often have to deal with. With no original proof of purchase required, end-users simply provide their ARC serial number and a dedicated OCZ customer service representative will provide high-caliber troubleshooting and support. In the event that the product is determined to be defective, a brand-new ARC SSD of the same capacity will be advance shipped to the customer. When the replacement is received, end-users will find a pre-paid return label and need only to place their original drive in the box for a free return to OCZ. With the value added ShieldPlus Warranty there is no support hassle, no endless return loops, no shipping costs, and end-users will benefit from significantly reduced downtime to maximize their SSD experience and productivity. OCZ ShieldPlus is available in both North America and EMEA at time of launch, and additional supported regions will be announced in the future.

With the security of the ARC’s ShieldPlus Warranty, OCZ’s valued customers will have the peace of mind that they not only have a quality solid state drive, but also the very best service and support should they ever require it.

Guru3d-recommended

Concluding

The ARC 100 series has been released in a market where a rule, more for less applies. Stringent competition required companies to make compromises. OCZ has been doing exactly that, making compromises. But not in the overall build quality. The ARC 100 series is very fast, but is not enthusiast grade. The help of somewhat cheaper 19nm NAND flash memory is key factor. Other than that, the compromises made have little to do with the actual hardware. OCZ stripped away the classic Acronis Clone backup software and they are no longer delivering a 3.5" drive bracket (which nobody really uses anyway). The one caveat one might argue is the warranty. OCZ will give you 3 Years warranty at 20GB writes per day. That's close to 22 TB written. Now as I have already exampled at 20GB a day this drive will likely still last you 15 years. But people like long warranties, especially with a product that carries the most precious of all, their local data and thus base their purchasing decisions on that. 

Pricing wise the product is competitive enough, OCZ Storage Solutions will release three models with the following prices:

  • 74.99 USD for the 120GB
  • 119.99 USD for the 240GB
  • 239.99 USD for the 480GB

Deduct roughly 10% for EURO prices. That said, OCZ / Toshiba will need to move to 16nm quickly as Micron is just killing the market. A smaller fabrication node means they can place more chips onto a wafer. That results into lower production costs and that in the end drives prices down. The market is fierce and competitive, the biggest danger of them all being Samsung and Micron. However now being owned by them, Toshiba offers everything OCZ needs to put product on the market with a bang. The ARC 100 series are lovely products with good endurance, long-lasting performance and lifespan. 

The Arc 100 series SSDs are being placed into a highly competitive and saturated market, and that is not making the choice any less difficult. We really have little to nothing to complain about with the new Arc 100 series, the product is nice and fast, it comes with the excellent Barefoot controller and Toshiba 19nm NAND flash memory. It is a product you'll like and use for a long time, and as such comes recommended by Guru3D.com, the warranty however need to be a bit better, say 5 years.

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