OCZ Summit 250GB SSD review - Introduction

If there is one segment where OCZ is really strong and pro-active these days it just has to be SSD storage, Solid State Disks. It almost feels like with every passing week or three, maybe four, they start to offer a new model. Let's name some of the models ... the OCZ Core, Solid, Agility, Apex, Vertex, Vertex EX and the all new OCZ Summit SSD.

As such their line-up is now slowly starting to get a little saturated, and for you as an end-consumer that might be even a little confusing. Well luckily for you, you are a Guru3D reader and we push as much as we can to keep you guys informed.

OCZ basically split up their SSD storage range into three segments:

• Mainstream: Solid, Agility and Apex (MLC based)
• Performance: Vertex and Summit (MLC based)
• Enterprise: Vertex EX (SLC based)

Of course we'll explain the differences in-between MLC and SLC in this review. Today our focus will be the latest high-end performance SSD from OCZ, called the Summit. Where the Vertex series is extraordinarily nice, the Summit ups it up a notch once again. Though the theoretical read performance is slightly slower than than on the Vertex, the write performance is slightly better .. and where the Vertex series come with a 64MB cache (which is already a lot), the new Summit drives come with a massive 128MB cache, and that certainly guarantees flawless operation for an operating system like XP or Vista. Historically when you had an OS installed on an SSD, you'd over time run into small 'hiccups' as the file-system had a very hard time dealing with a lot of small files that continually needed to write to the SSD. That's why additional caches recently have been introduced.

These caches are the golden nugget for any SSD drive and at this time we really like to recommend you that if you purchase an SSD and plan to run an operating system of off it, you would be better to opt one with at least 32MB and preferably 64MB cache.

Anyway, let's fire up the review on the all new OCZ Summit SSD, we'll check what's inside the unit and obviously check out it's performance. Next page please, but not before you had a chance to look at the product itself ...