Patriot Torqx 128GB MLC SSD Review

[Apoptosis]

Patriot Torqx 128GB MLC SSD Review

Patriot's Torqx 128GB Solid State Drive boasts impressive specifications and a 10 year warranty that definitely catches your eye. We take a closer look and put it through some benchmarks to see if it's a performer or a pretender.

The Torqx performed very well and near or at the top in just about all benchmarks. That being said, benchmarks do not always equate to how the drives perform in the real world and over time. I spent some time playing around on Windows 7 installed on the drive for quite while. I did a lot of multi-tasking, simultaneous file copies and moves, and played a game or two as well. I didn't notice any problems with stuttering and the system felt very crisp and responsive with Windows booting in less than twenty seconds from completion of BIOS load.

Article Title: Patriot Torqx 128GB MLC SSD Review
Article URL: http://www.legitreviews.com/article/1087/1/

[InspectahACE]

I've been lookin at one of these for awhile now..not sure how you read my mind for a review

[FZ1]

We aim to please :D

[Skippman]

Very good article and an interesting read. I'm personally still out on the whole SSD thing. I know they have thier uses in applciations such as HTPC where sound is an issue or in the field where vibration and shock are considerations that a traditional hard drive might not be able to withstand.

But for the gaming enthusiast such as myself I keep feeling I'd be better served with several HD's in a RAID 0/5 array than buying a SSD. I'd have fault tolerance (if using RAID 5) and fairly decent speed for a cheaper price. I could buy 4 640GB WD Black drives for what this single SSD costs.

I suppose that's the price you pay for bleeding edge.

[FZ1]

Yeah, SSD's aren't for everyone right now. Once Windows 7 hits, native trim is supported, and there are some longer term usage reports, we should see the need for firmware updates (especially destructive ones) and workarounds drop off. Until then a lot of people will stay away. Fast HDD RAID set ups will rival some SSD numbers for now anyway.

[spitter]

The ten year warranty, is it a full replacement or prorated.

[FZ1]

They don't explicitly state but typically it is a full replacement.

[stopthekilling77]

I could buy 4 640GB WD Black drives for what this single SSD costs. I suppose that's the price you pay for bleeding edge.

Yeah, I found a great deal a few weeks ago, essentially a buy-one-get-one (for $10 after MIR) on some 500 GB SATA drives, and tallying up my cost i'll have 4x500GB SATA II drives in RAID 5 for under $300. Looking at the numbers and the whole no-noise thing, I'll probably be looking for a good deal so I can move all those drives into a server and just keep one single SSD in my rig and back everything up to the server

Great review, I keep reading even if I'm not posting much!

[Deanzsyclone]

Just bought one tonight, tech at fry's said my unreliable raptor raid 0 has failed. He recommended this drive, but I'm confused he and his supervisor tech were gleaming with joy when they spoke about assembling another customers computer two days earlier with the same drive and especially bragged about how windows booted in less than 6 seconds! But you stated it took around 20... what could be the issue here???

[FZ1]

Just bought one tonight, tech at fry's said my unreliable raptor raid 0 has failed. He recommended this drive, but I'm confused he and his supervisor tech were gleaming with joy when they spoke about assembling another customers computer two days earlier with the same drive and especially bragged about how windows booted in less than 6 seconds! But you stated it took around 20... what could be the issue here???

Depends on a multitude of factors, the most relevant being:
> speed of processor/RAM
> Windows configuration - drivers installed, etc
> hardware installed
> Measurement of boot time. I did mine from completion of BIOS load to desktop. Some measure it differently.

[Deanzsyclone]

Just bought one tonight, tech at fry's said my unreliable raptor raid 0 has failed. He recommended this drive, but I'm confused he and his supervisor tech were gleaming with joy when they spoke about assembling another customers computer two days earlier with the same drive and especially bragged about how windows booted in less than 6 seconds! But you stated it took around 20... what could be the issue here???

Depends on a multitude of factors, the most relevant being:
> speed of processor/RAM
> Windows configuration - drivers installed, etc
> hardware installed
> Measurement of boot time. I did mine from completion of BIOS load to desktop. Some measure it differently.

Oh I absolutely agree. I'll ask today what the sytem build was when I see them today.. but you were using i7 920 that I recall was overclocked, common cpu for a new build I'm betting his was the same or close to it. But I'm sure they were using Vista and not 7 like you were, that could be a bigger factor. Again I'll ask questions to find the variable. But that's still a huge timming difference for what maybe a small variable.. I can't imagine they were timing the bios portion either. Thanks for the reply, I'll keep you informed. Especiall since I'll be installing fresh vista on my new drive on my system.

L8

[FZ1]

Also, note that I say "less than 20 seconds" in the article which was deliberate on my part because I timed it manually so it's not perfect and second, there is usually a variability of a few seconds. If I recall correctly, it seems like it was ~18s on average.