OCZ Agility 4 (256GB) - Indilinx Goes Mainstream

Test Setup

Test Setup

The drives tested on our new storage testbed, has the following system specifications:

• Intel Core i5-2400 (3.1GHz)
• MSI Z68A-GD80 (Intel Z68 chipset)
• 2 x 4GB DDR3-1600 memory
• MSI GeForce 8600 GTS
• Windows 7

The list of SSDs tested are as follows:

• OCZ Agility 4 (256GB) (Firmware 1.5.2)
• OCZ Vertex 4 (256GB) (Firmware 1.5)
• Intel SSD 335 Series (240GB)
• Intel SSD 520 Series (240GB)
• Plextor M2S (256GB) (Firmware 1.09)
• Transcend SATA III SSD720 (256GB) (Firmware: 5.0.2)
• Crucial M4 SSD (240GB)
• Kingston HyperX SSD (240GB)

Although the previously reviewed Intel SSD 335 Series was billed as a “mainstream” SSD, it wasn’t really mainstream in terms of performance and price. Performance-wise, it was capable of mixing it up with the current crop of high-end SSDs; and price-wise, it was only a tad more affordable than the Intel SSD 520 Series and about as costly other enthusiast grade SSDs. Hopefully, the new OCZ Agility 4 will be more of a mainstream SSD for casual users. In our review, we'll be comparing how it fares against its sibling, the Vertex 4 and also the recently reviewed Intel SSD 335 Series along with the current crop of high-end SSDs such as the Intel SSD 520 Series and Transcend SSD720.

The list of benchmarks used are as follows:

• AS-SSD benchmark 1.6.4
• HD Tune Pro 4.6
• CrystalDiskMark 3.0.1
• PCMark 7
• PCMark Vantage
• Iometer (version 2006.07.27)