14 DAY TRIAL // Not too long ago, the still unavailable Vertex 2 Pro solid state drive (SSD) from OCZ was reviewed by the team at AnandTech.com. This may have suggested to end-users that this SSD would be the first SandForce-powered unit to come from OCZ. While this might have been a sound assumption, it may prove wrong now that the Vertex 2 Limited Edition is already listed on Alternate.
Fudzilla has been doing its best to keep tabs on these solid state storage solutions and it seems that whatever information it uncovered concerning the Vertex 2 LE was on the mark. The listing of the SSDs has the 100GB version capable of read speeds of up to 270MB/s and write speeds of 250MB/s, with a sustained writing rate of 235MB/s.
Seek time is indicated at 0.1ms and the random read speed is said to reach 50,000 IOPS, although this ambitious figure has yet to be confirmed. The product has standard dimensions of 70 mm x 9.5 mm x 100 mm (which make it suited for installation in a 2.5-inch drive bay), and a weight of 77g. The Vertex 2 LE SSD consumes 2.0W under load and only 0.5W in idle mode. In addition, the product specifications give the solid state drive an MTBF (mean time before failure) of 1.5 million hours.
In addition to the 100GB version, the 200GB was also found listed with the same ETA (estimated time of arrival), specifically, February 5th. This drive's properties are quite similar to its 100GB sibling, with identical read and write speeds, the same form factor and powered by the same SATA 3.0Gbps interface. Both devices support the TRIM command and are accompanied by a three-year warranty.
Currently, the Vertex 2 Limited Edition models of 100GB and 200GB are respectively listed with price tags of 339 Euro and 879 Euro. Fudzilla, however, reports that other retailers and e-tailers say that Alternate may be wrong about the name. In the meantime, the Vertex 2 Pro is still rumored to be on track for launching just in time for or after Cebit.