While solid state drives have become the must have storage product for enthusiasts, it is drives with the SandForce controller, specifically the SandForce SF-1200 series, that have been garnering the bulk of attention lately. OCZ Technology uses this new controller with an optimized firmware in order to power their new Vertex 2 series of high speed solid state drives. The response to this product has been overwhelmingly positive, which you might expect with published maximum read speeds of 285MB/s and a maximum write speeds of 275MB/s.



Before we check out the 50GB drive provided for review, let's look at some of the features and specifications taken from the official product page on the OCZ Technology website.

Features and Specifications:

» Part Number: OCZSSD2-2VTX50G
» Capacity: 50GB
» Max Read: up to 285MB/s
» Max Write: up to 275MB/s
» Sustained Write: up to 250MB/s
» Random Write 4KB (Aligned): 50,000 IOPS

» Native TRIM support
» Max IOPS Firmware
» Seek Time: .1ms
» Slim 2.5" Design
» 99.8 x 69.63 x 9.3mm
» Lightweight: 77g
» Operating Temp: 0°C ~ 70°C
» Storage Temp: -45°C ~ +85°C
» Low Power Consumption: 2W in operation, .5W in standby
» Shock Resistant up to 1500G
» RAID Support
» Included 3.5" Desktop adapter bracket
» Compatible with Windows XP, Vista, 7, Mac OS X and Linux
» MTBF: 2 million hours
» 3-Year Warranty

Other than the impressively fast transfer rates, the balance of the published data includes everything you might expect. 50GB may seem like an odd size for a drive, but it may be well suited for use in a gaming laptop or as a boot drive in a desktop system where 32GB or 40GB isn't quite enough space.

Packaging:

The OCZ Technology Vertex 2 solid state drive is sold in the glossy black box shown below. While not all that much larger than the drive itself, the front and back provide enough room to include the bulk of the key features and specifications, as well as a picture of the drive.