Conclusion, Pricing, and Final Thoughts
Conclusion:
PROS:
- IOPS scaling close to that of the faster Vertex 3
- Asynchronous flash makes it *faster* than Vertex 3 in some workload scenarios
- Lower cost*
CONS:
- IOPS at lower queue depths outpaced by Intel 320 Series
- Asynchronous flash makes it *slower* than vertex 3 in some workload scenarios
- Street price likely to be on the high side (see below)*
Pricing and Availability:
MSRP:
Agility 3:
- 60G @ $140 ($2.33 / GB)
- 120G @ $240 ($2.00 / GB)
- 240G @ $470 ($1.95 / GB)
Vertex 3:
- 120G @ $249 ($2.07 / GB)
- 240G @ $499 ($2.07 / GB)
Street Pricing (at time of writing)
Agility 3:
- 60G @ $141 ($2.35 / GB)
- 120G @ $242 ($2.02 / GB)
- 240G @ $471 ($1.96 / GB)
Vertex 3:
- 120G @ $310 ($2.58 / GB)
- 240G @ $620 ($2.58 / GB)
Final Thoughts:
While the switch to asynchronous flash memory makes the Agility 3 cheaper to produce and therefore sell, the performance dynamic can shift in either direction, varying with what you plan to do with the drive. Many users saw the same type of thing back with the Agility 2 / Vertex 2, and some users actually preferred the cheaper drive performance wise. We may see the same thing here once users (and us) get some actual seat-of-the-pants time logged with it.
A side issue is that with the Vertex 3 and other SATA 6Gb/sec SSD’s, MSRP appears irrelevant. It boils back down to an economic game of supply vs. demand, and while the introductory street pricing may be low, it quickly rises as demand outstrips supply. While the Agility 3 MSRP may be below that of the Vertex 3, it may constantly end up matching it on street pricing.
I tested a Vertex 2 120GB
I tested a Vertex 2 120GB against an Agility 3 120GB on an X58 (3Gb) and found them to be very close in most things with the Vertex having a slight advantage except for Random Read/Write 4KB (QD=1) and burst speeds.
I realize that the Agility 3 is designed for 6Gb so my test is not entirely fair.
dude, they both peak at
dude, they both peak at 275mb/s which is max speed for sata 3gbps…its not exactly a wonder why u cant see much of a difference when you put a 550mb drive on a 275mb line and compare it with a 275mb drive
Allyn: another good review.
Allyn: another good review. I’m just adding this Comment to remind you about our private correspondence, in which we discussed a test to determine if TRIM works on OS software RAIDs when the RAID members are formatted as “dynamic” partitions.
Cheers and … thanks for the great reviews!
MRFS