Final thoughts and rating

There's a lot resting on the launch of the Vertex 4, yet, in this unique case, drive performance arguably isn't the make-or-break component.

The Indilinx Infused drive is fast, there's no doubt about it, and the second-generation Everest controller is able to hit new heights in certain synthetic benchmarks, but what OCZ really needs to deliver is a problem-free experience for the masses.

Early adopters who fell foul of teething problems with the Vertex 3 may be reluctant to take another bite, and our advice to you would be to sit on the fence to see how the Vertex 4 matures. OCZ's five-year warranty offers plenty of reassurance, as does the use of an in-house processor and firmware, but this is a new architecture and one that's likely to further evolve in the coming weeks.

Bottom line: The Indilinx Everest 2 controller is a real competitor to SandForce and Marvell, but for the everyday user, we see no compelling reasons to overlook the tried and trusted for something new and unproven.

The Good

Good sequential throughput
Outstanding IOPs performance
No compression-related bottlenecks
Five-year warranty as standard

The Bad

No disk migration software included in the bundle
Struggles when working with misaligned I/O

HEXUS Rating

OCZ Vertex 4

HEXUS Awards

OCZ Vertex 4

HEXUS Where2Buy

The 256GB and 512GB Vertex 4 solid-state drives are available to purchase from Scan Computers*.

HEXUS Right2Reply

At HEXUS, we invite the companies whose products we test to comment on our articles. If any company representatives for the products reviewed choose to respond, we'll publish their commentary here verbatim.

*UK-based HEXUS community members are eligible for free delivery and priority customer service through the SCAN.care@HEXUS forum.

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Never mind the Vertex 4 - dat' m4 performance!

Crucial uses Intel controller though doesn't it? This uses a new ‘in house’ one which performs overall to about the same level.
The actual noticeable performance of an SSD is pretty much irrelevant though, they are all basically the same in typical usage, the thing which is important for customers is reliability. We have no idea how this controller will perform, it could be a good or a bad… only time will tell. I personally have pretty high hopes for it though i must say.

Biscuit
Crucial uses Intel controller though doesn't it? This uses a new ‘in house’ one which performs overall to about the same level.

Crucial uses a Marvell controller. :)

Looks good on paper, and I actually think Indilinx controller will be good as AFAIK, the OCZ Vertex is pretty good. Personally I try my best to stay away from SF controllers and welcome the others.

Unfortunately, due to Vertex 2 and 3 both using SF controllers and OCZ being plagued with problems, I can't imagine much of the general consumer market buying the OCZ Vertex 4. I'm not sure how the general consumer market compares to the business enterprise market though in terms of SSD adoption/sales.

Terbinator
Crucial uses a Marvell controller. :)

Oh yeah thats it, the same one as the intel SSDs use though isnt it?

Ulti
Looks good on paper, and I actually think Indilinx controller will be good as AFAIK, the OCZ Vertex is pretty good. Personally I try my best to stay away from SF controllers and welcome the others.

Unfortunately, due to Vertex 2 and 3 both using SF controllers and OCZ being plagued with problems, I can't imagine much of the general consumer market buying the OCZ Vertex 4. I'm not sure how the general consumer market compares to the business enterprise market though in terms of SSD adoption/sales.

i think the whole ‘plagued with problems’ comment is a bit OTT. The issues where all fixed with firmware and a lot of users didnt notice them. Its just FUD mostly i reckon. OCZ still sold very well and probably will do the same again, as long as the price is right.