OCZ Enyo 128GB USB 3.0 Portable SSD Review

The HDTach results shine a pretty good light on the performance of the Enyo from OCZ.  The burst rate is lower than that of the Super Talent thumb drive but performance in sustained read speeds are about equal at 185-195 MB/s.  Write speeds are a very different story though as the Enyo is by far the faster of the two USB 3.0 drives. 

Our ATTO benchmark runs show a noticeable difference between the Enyo and the Enyo with the custom OCZ driver – read speeds go from 200 MB/s to over 250 MB/s while writes go from about 175 MB/s to 220 MB/s.  Without the driver the OCZ Enyo is just slightly slower in top read speed than the Super Talent USB 3.0 thumb drive but the Enyo does run faster once the driver is installed.  On writes the Enyo is dominate with or without the driver. 

Conclusions

The OCZ Enyo portable SSD is an incredibly fast external storage solution that easily rivals the performance of internal SSDs but in a much more convenient package.  The drive has some style to it as well with a slick anodized aluminum finish and clean lines enveloping its svelte dimensions.  As our performance numbers above indicate the Enyo is faster than the Super Talent SuperCrypt USB 3.0 thumb drive we first tested last month and should appease even the most demanding mobile user. 

Of course, with all/most USB 3.0 accessories you get the benefits of backwards compatibility to USB 2.0 speeds so you will still be able to use the OCZ Enyo on your notebook or on your secondary systems that don’t have USB 3.0 support integrated into them yet.  Speeds will still top out at the near maximums of USB 2.0 but there is nothing that can be done about that other than pushing the move to USB 3.0 along. 

The Enyo isn’t cheap though:

• 64GB – $229
• 128GB – $409
• 256GB – $819

That puts both the 64GB and 128GB models at about a 15% lower price than the Super Talent SuperCrypt USB 3.0 thumb drive though the 256GB model is actually just a bit higher.  No doubt this is still a high premium for USB 3.0 external and SSD storage: $3.19/GB for the 128GB model I tested today.  OCZ tells me that the availability of the Enyo will start in about a week or two as the parts hit the channel.

For those of you curious, there are usage models for super fast external drives:


I feel it bears repeating that despite all of my exuberance about USB 3.0 I am wary about its adoption speed thanks to Intel’s platform division dragging its feet.  Intel has stated that consumer desktop chipsets will not see an update for the remainder of 2010 and thus we can be sure that Intel-based motherboards will not come with USB 3.0 support unless the vendors pay to integrate a third party controller.  While enthusiasts will likely find USB 3.0 all around, the Dells and HPs of the world may not and it is that mass customer base adoption that will really push vendors like OCZ (and hundreds of others) to update to USB 3.0 ready hardware and allow them to lower prices.  Just as I fear is happening with Intel holding back SATA 6G adoption, we need to work to make sure they don’t do the same to USB 3.0.

If you have USB 3.0 in your system already, or were thinking about the ASUS U3S6 or ECS add-in cards, then you need a device like this to truly see its potential.  You can use it for speedy backups or moving large amounts of data between USB 3.0-ready systems or just sit there and read and write to it to see how fast it can go. 

In comparing the two USB 3.0 drives we have seen at PC Perspective so far the Enyo is definitely the faster but has the added requirement of carrying a cable with you everywhere you need the drive.  It is a bit less expensive so that also helps us appreciate the look, design and speed of the SSD.  OCZ’s Enyo won’t fit in everyone’s budget but if you are looking for a slick external drive for incredibly fast backups then it is worth a try!