AkG
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- Oct 24, 2007
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When it was launched a few months ago (yes, we’re a bit late with this review) the AMD R7 series SSDs were well placed within a highly competitive market segment and even now that hasn’t changed. Originally conceived to be part of a much broader push towards and all-inclusive AMD system offering alongside processors, graphics cards and memory modules, even now the R7 series is a unique product that focuses on delivering an affordable, high endurance and performance-oriented SSD from a company that has plenty of brand recognition. However, there’s more going on here than what first meets the eye.
While the R7-series SSDs carry the AMD namesake, their internal architecture has been developed and manufactured by the relatively new Toshiba / OCZ conglomerate. Even the warranty coverage is done through OCZ which should come as a relief since they’ve always had one of the best customer support teams in the industry and that hasn’t changed under Toshiba’s stewardship. However, to say the R7-series are merely rebranded OCZ drive is doing them a serious disservice since their combination of parts and technology isn’t available on any drive in the current OCZ lineup.
Despite have its roots firmly placed in OCZ’s camp, the R7-series isn’t supposed to compete with their current stable of SSDs. While the Vector 150 targets the higher end segments and the Vertex 460 aims to give entry-level users a taste of SSD goodness, the R7 drives are supposed to deliver performance that matches the Vector at a lower price point while offering a generous 4 year warranty.
To achieve their goals without overlapping too much into other segments, AMD and OCZ have turned to the venerable Barefoot 3 M00 controller and Toshiba’s own new A19nm MLC NAND. In relative terms within the current competitive landscape the R7 240GB SSD is exceedingly well positioned. It provides significantly more consistent performance across the read / write spectrum than its closest rivals while also costing less than higher end drives like the aforementioned Vector 150. The only area where it brings up the rear is NAND endurance but it is still rated for an incredible 30GB per day and there’s also 16GB of over-provisioning going on behind the scenes to ensure consistent output delivery.
By opting for what could easily be argued to be best combination of components available today, AMD are making a powerful statement to the industry; they are serious about SSDs and intend to be a force to be reckoned with. This is an interesting position since the SSD market as a whole has seen a fair amount of consolidation as of late with several “rebrand any Sandforce product” companies either cutting back on SSD offerings or eliminating them altogether. Obviously AMD sees an opening here and that’s good news for everyone.
With all that said, the 'AMD' R7 is not an exact copy of the Vector 150 series despite the specification similarities. While the internal architecture is classic Vector 150 - right down to the 16 NAND ICs, two RAM ICs, and M00 Barefoot 3 controller – there are some major points of differentiation. First and foremost while these NAND ICs are high grade A19 chips, they are not the cream of the crop. Toshiba reserves the best of the best, highly binned modules for exclusive use in their Vector series. That doesn’t mean that AMD’s R7-series gets the cast offs though since the A19 chips being used are still some of the best around; they just aren’t rated for workstation-centric environments.
The firmware is also similar to that of OCZ branded drives, but it is not an exact duplicate. Much like what Intel and SandForce have done with their respective partnership, firmware refinements in one will eventually trickle down to the other but for the foreseeable future they should not be considered clones of each other. Whether or not any firmware differences will be noticeable remains to be seen.
All in all AMD didn’t risk much with this launch since they’ve partnered with an excellent set of vendors who know the SSD industry’s ropes. Meanwhile, OCZ and Toshiba are able to provide OEM services to a potential long-term partner. Whether or not this plan actuall works remains to be seen throughout the course of this review.
While the R7-series SSDs carry the AMD namesake, their internal architecture has been developed and manufactured by the relatively new Toshiba / OCZ conglomerate. Even the warranty coverage is done through OCZ which should come as a relief since they’ve always had one of the best customer support teams in the industry and that hasn’t changed under Toshiba’s stewardship. However, to say the R7-series are merely rebranded OCZ drive is doing them a serious disservice since their combination of parts and technology isn’t available on any drive in the current OCZ lineup.
Despite have its roots firmly placed in OCZ’s camp, the R7-series isn’t supposed to compete with their current stable of SSDs. While the Vector 150 targets the higher end segments and the Vertex 460 aims to give entry-level users a taste of SSD goodness, the R7 drives are supposed to deliver performance that matches the Vector at a lower price point while offering a generous 4 year warranty.
To achieve their goals without overlapping too much into other segments, AMD and OCZ have turned to the venerable Barefoot 3 M00 controller and Toshiba’s own new A19nm MLC NAND. In relative terms within the current competitive landscape the R7 240GB SSD is exceedingly well positioned. It provides significantly more consistent performance across the read / write spectrum than its closest rivals while also costing less than higher end drives like the aforementioned Vector 150. The only area where it brings up the rear is NAND endurance but it is still rated for an incredible 30GB per day and there’s also 16GB of over-provisioning going on behind the scenes to ensure consistent output delivery.
By opting for what could easily be argued to be best combination of components available today, AMD are making a powerful statement to the industry; they are serious about SSDs and intend to be a force to be reckoned with. This is an interesting position since the SSD market as a whole has seen a fair amount of consolidation as of late with several “rebrand any Sandforce product” companies either cutting back on SSD offerings or eliminating them altogether. Obviously AMD sees an opening here and that’s good news for everyone.
With all that said, the 'AMD' R7 is not an exact copy of the Vector 150 series despite the specification similarities. While the internal architecture is classic Vector 150 - right down to the 16 NAND ICs, two RAM ICs, and M00 Barefoot 3 controller – there are some major points of differentiation. First and foremost while these NAND ICs are high grade A19 chips, they are not the cream of the crop. Toshiba reserves the best of the best, highly binned modules for exclusive use in their Vector series. That doesn’t mean that AMD’s R7-series gets the cast offs though since the A19 chips being used are still some of the best around; they just aren’t rated for workstation-centric environments.
The firmware is also similar to that of OCZ branded drives, but it is not an exact duplicate. Much like what Intel and SandForce have done with their respective partnership, firmware refinements in one will eventually trickle down to the other but for the foreseeable future they should not be considered clones of each other. Whether or not any firmware differences will be noticeable remains to be seen.
All in all AMD didn’t risk much with this launch since they’ve partnered with an excellent set of vendors who know the SSD industry’s ropes. Meanwhile, OCZ and Toshiba are able to provide OEM services to a potential long-term partner. Whether or not this plan actuall works remains to be seen throughout the course of this review.
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