Enthusiast hardware manufacturer OCZ is expanding their existing SSD line with the introduction of a new series. The new Summit SSD drives promise to deliver read speeds up to 220MB/s, and sustained write speeds exceeding 200MB/s, depending on model.
OCZ is offering 60GB, 120GB and 250GB sizes, all based on MLC flash memory and using the common 2.5" form factor. Each of the drives boasts 128MB of cache which is twice the amount of the Vertex drives that we reviewed a short while ago in our SSD drive round-up. Unlike many OCZ products, the Summit drives don't come with a lifetime warranty, instead being covered for only two years. Comparing this to most mechanical disks today, you can see there is still concern in the industry that SSDs may not have as long of a shelf life.
As many manufacturers are beginning to, OCZ notes that SSD drives shouldn't be defragmented, as doing so may cause performance to suffer. Performance of the Summit drives is also dependent on size. The 60GB model has a sustained write speed of 120MB/s, just over half that of its larger cousins.