Not all vendors have booth space on the main show floor; some choose to get a suite at one of the hotels for a more intimate setting. OCZ is one such company, and they had quite a bit to show off in their hotel suite.
SSD
While not first to market with SATA 6Gbps SSDs, OCZ will soon enter the market with a claim to the fastest SATA 6Gbps SSDs.
The Vertex 3 EX is an SLC SSD part. The controller is a SandForce SF-2582, providing SATA 6Gbps and turning in some incredible performance results: Up to 550MB/s read and 525 MB/s write speeds with an 80K IOPS 4K random write. These are speeds that were previously only available in OCZ’s PCIe offerings. These speedy little storage devices will be available in 64-512GB capacities (50-400GB useable).
Vertex 3 PRO is basically an MLC version of the EX. It uses the same SF-2582 controller, which means read/write speeds are pretty much identical to the EX. The only exception is a maximum 75K IOPS 4K random write speed.
Finally, a new Z-Drive is coming. The new drive is a half-height, half-length PCI Express form factor with a PCIe 2.0 x8 connector. SLC versions come in 150, 300, and 600GB varieties while the MLC versions will have 300, 600, and 1.2TB capacities. The SandForce SF-1565 controller provides some really impressive performance numbers: 1,000MB/s read, 950MB/s write, and 135,000 IOPS 4K random write.
PSU
There are eight new power supplies this year: six under the OCZ banner, and two under the PC Power and Cooling label.
The ZS series is the entry level OCZ product. The series comes in 500, 600, and 700 watt varieties, and is 80+ Bronze certified. The high-end ZX series have 850, 1000, and 1250 watt models, and all have a single 12V rail, are 80+ Gold certified and support either two (850W) or three (1000, 1250W) GPUs.
The PC Power & Cooling Silencer line has been expanded with two new models: 760W and 910W. Both are 80+ Silver certified, support up to two GPUs, and come with a 7-year warranty.
Full specs for the new power supply lineup are below.
RAM
OCZ’s DDR3 RAM offerings this year involve three lines: Gold XTE for the mainstream value market, Platinum XTE for the enthusiast grade market, and Blade 2 for ultra-high-speed. All three lines come in both 4GB dual and 6GB triple channel kits and use aluminum alloy heat spreaders.
| Line | Capacity | Speed | Timings | Voltage |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Blade 2 | 4GB/6GB | DDR3-2400 | 9-11-9-30 | 1.65V |
| Blade 2 | 4GB/6GB | DDR3-2400 | 10-11-10-30 | 1.65V |
| Blade 2 | 4GB/6GB | DDR3-2133 | 7-10-7-24 | 1.65V |
| Blade 2 | 4GB/6GB | DDR3-2133 | 8-9-8-24 | 1.65V |
| Platinum XTE | 4GB/6GB | DDR3-2133 | 9-10-9-24 | 1.65V |
| Platinum XTE | 4GB/6GB | DDR3-2000 | 6-9-6-24 | 1.65V |
| Platinum XTE | 4GB/6GB | DDR3-2000 | 7-9-7-24 | 1.65V |
| Platinum XTE | 4GB/6GB | DDR3-2000 | 8-9-8-30 | 1.65V |
| Platinum XTE | 4GB/6GB | DDR3-2000 | 9-9-9-30 | 1.65V |
| Platinum XTE | 4GB/6GB | DDR3-1600 | 6-8-6-24 | 1.65V |
| Platinum XTE | 4GB/6GB | DDR3-1600 | 7-8-8-24 | 1.65V |
| Gold XTE | 4GB/6GB | DDR3-2133 | 10-10-10-30 | 1.65V |
| Gold XTE | 4GB/6GB | DDR3-2000 | 10-10-10-30 | 1.65V |
Energy Drink
While not my cup of tea, OCZ now has an energy drink. Binh and I were offered one and, not wishing to be impolite, both sampled it (for science!). Binh thought it tasted like Venom Energy Drink (a good thing in his opinion). I thought it tasted like nothing I had ever tried before; it wasn’t bad, but it isn’t something I’d make a part of my daily routine. But given the popularity of energy drinks, my opinion is obviously in the minority.
Articles RSS