OCZ Arc 100 240GB SSD review

Review Pages

1. Features, specifications
2. A close look at the Arc SSD
3. HDTachRW, HD Tune
4. ATTO Disk Benchmark
5. CrystalDiskMark
6. AS SSD benchmark
7. IOMeter
8. Anvil Pro
9. PCMark 7, PCMark 8
10. Conclusions

OCZ launched the Barefoot 3 platform and the Vector SSDs in late 2012. Since then, the Barefoot 3 was met in the company's Vertex 450 SSD series, which was a more mainstream version of the Vector and came backed by a three-year warranty.

OCZ is back in the mainstream SSD game with the ARC 100. The SSD uses Toshiba's latest 64Gbit A19nm MLC NAND and the Barefoot 3 M10 controller. The smaller process node NAND means that performance takes a slight hit from the newer NAND. But endurance is still rated at the same 20GB per day for three years, which is more than enough for typical client workloads.

The ARC 100 does not support low power states (slumber and DevSleep), so idle power consumption remains high compared to the competition. In addition, ARC 100 only supports ATA passwords and no TCG Opal encryption.

Today we take a look at the 240GB (256GiB of raw NAND) version of the OCZ ARC SSD, which (256GiB of raw NAND) has sixteen dual-die packages with each die being 8GB (64Gb) in capacity. Here are the specs for all the OCZ Arc series:

PERFORMANCE	20GB	240GB	480GB
Sequential Reads	475 MB/s	480 MB/s	490 MB/s
Sequential Writes	395 MB/s	430 MB/s	450 MB/s
Random Read Speed (4KB, QD32)	75,000 IOPS	75,000 IOPS	75,000 IOPS
Random Write Speed (4KB, QD32)	80,000 IOPS	80,000 IOPS	80,000 IOPS
Steady-State Random Write Speed (4KB, QD32)	2,000 IOPS	8,000 IOPS	20,000 IOPS

PHYSICAL
Usable Capacities (IDEMA)	20GB, 240GB, 480GB
NAND Components	Toshiba A9nm Multi-Level Cell (MLC)
Interface	Serial ATA (SATA) 6Gb/s (SATA III)
NAND Controller	OCZ Barefoot 3 M0
Form Factor	2.5-inch, 7mm height (fits ultra-thin notebooks)
Dimension (L x W x H)	00.20 x 69.75 x 6.70 mm

RELIABILITY / COMPATIBILITY
Data Path Protection	BCH ECC corrects up to 44 random bits/KB
MTBF	2 million hours
Encryption	256-bit AES-compliant
Product Health Monitoring	Self-Monitoring, Analysis and Reporting Technology (SMART) Support
Endurance	Rated for 20GB/day of host writes for 3 years under typical client workloads
Serial ATA (SATA)	Fully compliant with Serial ATA International Organization: Serial ATA Revision 3.2. Fully compliant with ATA/ATAPI-8 Standard Native Command Queuing (NCQ)
Operating System	Windows / Linux / Mac OSX
Power Requirements	Standard SATA Power Connector
Targeted Applications	Client desktops and laptops

ENVIRONMENTAL
Power Consumption	Idle: 0.60W, Active: 3.450W
Operating Temperature	0°C ~ 70°C
Storage Temperature	-45°C ~ 85°C
Shock Resistance	000G/0.5ms
Vibration (Operational)	2.7Grms (7-800Hz)
Vibration (Non-operational)	3.3Grms (5-800Hz)
Altitude (Operational)	-,000ft. to 0,000ft
Altitude (Non-operational)	-,000ft. to 40,000ft
Certifications	UL C/US, FCC, CE, C-Tick, KCC, BSMI, VCCI, WEEE

ADDITIONAL FEATURES
Performance Optimization	TRIM (requires OS support), Idle Time Garbage Collection
Service & Support	3-Year ShieldPlus Warranty, Toll-Free Tech Support, 24 Hour Forum Support, Firmware Updates