Today we will test the Agility 3 SATA III SSD by OCZ Technology. This new series of SSDs is based on new technology and has been promoted by the company as a more cost-effective alternative to current SATA 6Gbps SSDs on the market.

The Agility 3 feature the SandForce SF-2281 SSD processor, which contributes to impressive performance figures: up to 525MB/s reads, 500MB/s writes, and up to 60,000 4KB random write IOPS.

As a mainstream SF-2281 drive by OCZ, the Agility 3 series is available in a boot-drive size 60GB capacity as well as 120GB and 240GB options, it features TRIM support to optimize performance over the drive’s lifespan and it comes backed by a 3-year warranty.

The Agility 3 retails for $140 for the 60GB model, $230 for the 120GB model and $450 for the 240GB model.

Compared to the Agility 2 series of SSDs, the Agility 3 has a new SandForce controller and MLC NAND (25nm) memory. In addition, the key difference between the Vertex 3 and the Agility 3 series, is the type of memory they use. The Vertex 3 uses synchronous NAND while the the Agility 3 uses more affordable asynchronous NAND. This gives an edge to the more expensive Vertex 3 series in terms of peak performance.

Below you see the specifications of the 240 GB version of the Agility 3 SSD (AGT3-25SAT3-240G), which we will test today:

Specifications

• Capacity: 240GB
• MLC NAND Flash
• Controller: SandForce 2281
• Interface: SATA 6Gbps / Backwards Compatible 3Gbps
• Native TRIM support
• Seek Time: 0.1ms
• Slim 2.5" Design
• 99.8 x 69.63 x 9.3mm
• Weight: 77g
• Operating Temp: 0°C ~ 70°C
• Ambient Temp: 0°C ~ 55°C
• Storage Temp: -45°C ~ 85°C
• Power Consumption: 2.7W Active, 1.5W Idle
• Shock Resistant up to 1500G
• RAID Support
• Compatible with Windows 7, Vista, XP 32-bit/64-bit, Mac OSX, Linux
• MTBF: 2 million hours
• 3-Year Warranty

Max Performance

• Max Read
  up to 525 MB/s (SATA 6Gbps)
  up to 280 MB/s (SATA 3Gbps)
• Max Write
  up to 500 MB/s (SATA 6Gbps)
  up to 260 MB/s (SATA 3Gbps)
  
• 4KB Random Read: 35,000 IOPS (135 MB/s)
• 4KB Random Write: 45,000 IOPS (175 MB/s)
• Maximum 4KB Random Write: 85,000 IOPS (330 MB/s)
• Sequential ReadAS-SSD: 190 MB/s
• Sequential WriteAS-SSD: 210 MB/s
• 4K Random Read AS-SSD: 38,000 (150 MB/s)
• 4K Random WriteAS-SSD: 50,000 (200 MB/s)