OCZ's Vertex 60GB drive proved to be fast and costs more or less $200, making it very appealing for entry-level users seeking for a quiet and very fast SSD. The Indilinx controller with 64MB cache onboard makes the difference here and ensures a shutter-free operation . OCZ continues to improve the product with frequent firmware upgrades and the latest Ver1.30 made the drive really stable. Moreover, the firmware upgrade didn't erase the data stored in the drive as we have experienced with other SSD's.

The product also supports the TRIM commands, which means that it will behave even better under the upcoming Windows 7 operating system. For now, the Vertex series works like charm with the e wiper.exe utility, a specialized defragmentation tool for SSD's. (regular defragmentation tools do not work on SSD's.). Once the drive's performance degrade, the e utility will recover most of its original speed.

OCZ Technology has a very active forum where users can read more information and get tips on how to improve the performance of their SSD's. It is really good to see that OCZ supports users in the best possible way!

Getting the 60GB version will cost you less than $200, which is a reasonable price tag. OCZ's 3- year warranty is also there to make you feel confident with the Vertex drive. It seems that you cannot really go wrong with buying this product. Good work OCZ!

Positive

+ Very high reading/writing speeds match the drive's nominal specs
+ 3 years of warranty
+ 64MB Cache buffer permanently solves 'stuttering' problem
+ Supports TRIM command with wiper.exe
+ Upgrading the firmware to the latest revision doesn't erase data
+ OCZ offers very active forums and constant support with new firmware releases
+ Price is below $200

Negative

- Firmware upgrade is performed under DOS although OCZ offers a bootable solution
- No 3.5" mounting kit