Today we are reviewing the OCZ Vertex 3 Max IOPS 240GB SSD. So far, we have looked at the ‘normal’ 240GB Vertex 3, along with the 120GB Max IOPS. So it will be interesting to see how all three drives compare, with an updated set of benchmarks and firmware versions.

If you are wondering what the difference between the Vertex 3 240GB and the Vertex 3 Max IOPS 240GB might be, it’s all in the flash memory used. The standard Vertex 3 uses standard ONFI 2 flash modules made by Micron, where the Max IOPS 240GB uses Toshiba toggle flash. We’ll get more into that once we crack the drive open on the next page.

As you can guess, under certain circumstances, Toggle flash can perform better than ONFI 2 flash. As for which scenarios, we’ll get to that. It won’t do us much good if it is faster in ATTO but slower in real world scenarios, right? We’ll find out soon if that’s the case.

One thing is for sure, you will have to pay for those extra IOPS; the Vertex 3 Max IOPS 240GB retails for around $430 online right now (with a $20 MIR currently in effect in some stores). The plain ol’ Vertex 3 240GB, which has seen quite a few price drops since its introduction, is around $240 (with the same $20 MIR applicable) – nearly $200 less! For the Max IOPS to be worth the extra cost, it will have to be a LOT better… Let’s find out if that’s the case.