OCZ Technology Launches Agility 3 and Solid 3 SSD Models

OCZ has officially taken the lid off of the new Agility 3 and Solid 3 SSD model families. For those not familiar with either of those model names, they have traditionally been lower-cost alternatives to each of previous generations of the Vertex SSD family.

The Agility 3 and Solid 3 models are indeed based upon the same potent SF-2281 controller that powers the Vertex 3 solid-state drive, and as such also include the same SATA 6Gbps interface, TRIM, and three year warranty along with the promise for some serious performance. Behind the Vertex 3 is the Agility 3, with the Solid 3 series following in third to fill in for the value offering.

The main difference over the Vertex 3 is that the Agility 3 will get its cost savings by using slightly lower performance NAND, although without the aid of a benchmarking program no consumers will be able to notice. For SATA 6Gbps ports , OCZ lists the V3 with a 550MB/s read 500MB/s write, while the Agility 3 is listed to have 525MB/s reads and 475MB/s writes, with only slightly lower random read/write IOPS. For those keeping track, that’s almost double the performance of the Agility 2, due in no small part to the new second generation SandForce controller and SATA 6Gbps interface.

The Solid 3’s performance differences are a bit larger as it appears to utilize fewer NAND channels. This may also explain why the Solid 3 is only offered in 60GB and 120GB capacities. The Agility 3 offers an additional 240GB option while the Vertex 3 series tops out at 480GB. Even so the 120GB Solid 3 offers 20,000 IOPS for both 4K random reads and writes, ensuring it is no slouch.

As with all other OCZ SSDs these drives carry a three year warranty. No target prices were listed and it is too early to call based off of what few can be found online, but more attractively priced versions of the Vertex 3 family will never be a bad thing. Although the new “Max IOPS” Vertex 3’s are already available, OCZ indicates the Agility 3 and Solid 3 drives should reach availability quickly.

SAN JOSE, CA—May 10, 2011—OCZ Technology Group, Inc. (Nasdaq:OCZ), a leading provider of high-performance solid-state drives (SSDs) for computing devices and systems, today unveiled the Agility 3 and Solid 3 SATA III SSD product lines. The Agility 3 and Solid 3 are designed to cater to speed-seeking enthusiasts in search of the best value for performance. Using the latest technology, these new series deliver nearly double the performance of the previous generation and offer a more cost-effective alternative to current SATA 6Gbps SSDs on the market.