Round Up Test: SandForce 2 SSD

The Contestants

Corsair Force GT 3

This red-hot SSD is the only contestant from Corsair sent to participate in our test. Its transfer rate measures up to as high as 555 MB/s, according to the manufacturer’s claim. This is made possible by the use of synchronous flash memory on the GT3. Corsair uses a different memory type (asynchronous) on the Force 3, which unfortunately could not make it to our round up.

To get this SSD, you can contact its official distributor in Indonesia, Dimensi Tiga Computer (DTG) at 021 6230 1917. The GT3 sells for Rp 2.150.000 (around US$ 240) in the market. While that price tag might scare off those with limited budget, it is actually fairly reasonable for a SandForce 2 SSD.

Kingston HyperX SSD

Kingston’s HyperX SSD is an enthusiast product coming with an attractively-designed body that also looks solid. The manufacturer once informed us about a firmware update for this SSD that would supposedly increase its performance. However, until the end of this test, we have not obtained a download link for this firmware. Latest development suggests that the firmware is already installed on this new Kingston HyperX SSD.

Kingston HyperX 120 GB SSD is currently available for around US$ 295. With that higher price, you will also get extra accessories along with the SSD. Check this address to find out where you can buy one: http://www.kingston.com/asia.

OCZ Vertex 3

OCZ sent two different models for this test. The first one is Vertex 3, whose 240 GB version had been tested in our previous article. Armed with the speedy synchronous memory, it’s the company’s flagship product that’s designed purely for performance.

The manufacturer provides a software called “OCZ Toolbox” that will help users with their SSD. This software allows you to easily update the firmware and execute secure erase without having to switch operating system first. Care must be taken to not secure erase a storage media by accident, since it will effectively destroy all data contained within.

Here in Indonesia, Vertex 3 sells for $307 (Rp2.793.700), which makes it the most expensive unit in our comparison test. You can contact OCZ’s distributor, Spectrum Utama, at 021 612 5505 to get your hands on one.

OCZ Agility 3

The second contestant from OCZ is the Agility 3, which was also featured in our previous articles. Both 120 GB and 240 GB versions have been reviewed.

OCZ Agility 3 and Vertex 3 share the same SandForce 2 chip, but are based on two different technologies. While Vertex 3 utilizes synchronous memory, the controller in Agility 3 is paired with asynchronous memory type. Different memory results in slower performance, but the price is significantly reduced as well.

Agility 3 can be purchased for $227 (Rp2.065.700 ), making it one of the most affordable SSDs in our comparison test. Contact Spectrum Utama at 021 612 5505 if you’re interested in buying one.

Team Xtreem S 3

Last but definitely not least, we have the Xtreem S3 from Team Group Inc. This SSD’s package box is noticeably larger compared to the other contestants’. That is because Team includes a 3,5” bracket in its sales package, something that should come in handy if you haven’t already owned one.

During our first test runs with this SSD, we encountered a drive recognition problem in our test computer’s BIOS. This SSD would sometime disappear from the storage list in the BIOS’ AHCI menu. Upgrading its firmware to the latest version solves this problem entirely and improves performance as well.

We were surprised to learn that the Xtreem S3 sells for a relatively low price of US$ 188 (Rp1.710.800). This makes it the most affordable SSD in our test. Team’s distributor in Indonesia, FoxHound, can be contacted at 021 6230 4573.