14 DAY TRIAL // If extreme storage performance is what you are after then you have no better option than going with an PCI Express SSD, this type of solutions becoming ever more popular along solid state disk manufacturers, OCZ just unleashing the second incarnation of its high-performance RevoDrive, dubbed the X2.
Compared to the already outstanding performance delivered by the original RevoDrive, the X2 further improves its specs reaching an impressive read speed of 740 MB/s and a write transfer rate of 720 MB/s.
IOPS performance was also increased, the RevoDrive X2 offering up to 120,000 IOPS when it comes down to aligned random 4K writes.
As is usually the case with SSD drives, write performance varies depending on the drive's capacity, the values mentioned above being specifies for units above 240GB, 100GB to 160GB capacity SSDs having to “make do” with a 690 MB/s write speed and “just”100,000 4K random write IOPS.
The extreme performance reached by the RevoDrive X2 is possible thanks to its four SandForce-1200 controllers (versus the two used in the original drive) that are configured into a fast RAID 0 array, the PCIe x4 interface eliminating the SATA II speed bottleneck (3Gbps).
Unlike other PCIe solutions that are available out there, the RAID controller used by OCZ when designing the RevoDrive X2 is bootable, allowing its users to install an OS and boot of OCZ's drive.
"The original OCZ RevoDrive SSD was designed to be the first high-performance, bootable PCIe SSD solution and has become a popular choice for demanding computing applications that require faster, more reliable storage," said Ryan Petersen, CEO of OCZ Technology.
"Building on the success of the original design, we are excited to introduce the RevoDrive X2, which delivers both increased performance and capacity, making the RevoDrive X2 a viable option for a wide spectrum of applications that include professional graphic design, multimedia rendering, and workstations.
With our recently announced new state-of-the-art SSD manufacturing facility in Taiwan, OCZ will continue to be at the forefront of developing and deploying game-changing solid state storage solutions," concluded the company's rep.
Available in 100GB to 960GB capacities, the OCZ RevoDrive X2 comes with a price that completely matches its performance, the 160GB model coming in at $464.04 while a 480GB drive will set you back a hefty $1,424.99.
Pricing for the 960GB models is not yet known, but then again if you need to ask then you most likely can't afford it.