Average Bench: 68.6% (691st of 1072)

Based on 25,948 user benchmarks.  Models: OCZ-VERTEX3, OCZ-VERT OCZ-VERTEX3, OCZ-VERTEX3 LP, OCZ-VERT EX3

The 120GB OCZ Vertex 3 is almost 3 years old which makes it twice as old as most of the drives in the group test. With sequential peak and average read/write speeds of 510/157 and 390/130 MB/s the 120GB Vertex 3 has good read speeds but lags the group leaders by 50% at writing. This is explained by its Sandforce 2281 controller which is infamous for stability issues and relatively slow incompressible data write speeds. Small file 4K peak and average read/write speeds clocked in at 31/103 and 23/61 MB/s which matches the group leaders, a superb result considering the Vertex 3's age. Overall the 120GB Vertex 3 has an effective speed of 383 MB/s which is only 16% lower than the group leaders which averaged 444 MB/s. The Vertex is a capable drive let down only by its relatively slow peak sequential write speed of 157 MB/s. [Feb '14 SSDrivePro]

Above average average bench

The OCZ Vertex 3 120GB averaged 31.4% lower than the peak scores attained by the group leaders. This isn't a great result which indicates that there are much faster alternatives on the comparison list.

Strengths

Avg. 4K-64Thread Mixed IO Speed 135MB/s
Avg. 4K Random Read Speed 28.9MB/s

Good consistency

The range of scores (95th - 5th percentile) for the OCZ Vertex 3 120GB is 28.9%. This is a relatively narrow range which indicates that the OCZ Vertex 3 120GB performs reasonably consistently under varying real world conditions.

Weaknesses

Avg. Sustained Write Speed 122MB/s
Avg. Sequential Write Speed 143MB/s
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Average Bench

(Based on 25,948 samples)
Min Avg Max
309 Read 381 434
121 Write 143 158
162 Mixed 192 208
93.8 SusWrite 122 138
46.2% 210 MB/s
Min Avg Max
20.7 4K Read 28.9 35
34 4K Write 76.7 113
22.9 4K Mixed 33.2 41.7
127% 46.3 MB/s
Min Avg Max
118 DQ Read 174 191
105 DQ Write 138 155
88.4 DQ Mixed 135 163
107% 149 MB/s
User Benchmarks BenchSequentialRandom 4kDeep queue 4k
The fastest SSD (mainstream) averages a speed of 100%
104GB free
Firmware: 2.22
SusWrite @10s intervals: 110 131 129 131 131 132 MB/s
Read 410
Write 152
Mixed 194
SusWrite 128
49% 221 MB/s
4K Read 33.4
4K Write 98.7
4K Mixed 38.6
152% 56.9 MB/s
DQ Read 191
DQ Write 146
DQ Mixed 157
121% 165 MB/s
54GB free
Firmware: 2.15
SusWrite @10s intervals: 123 116 125 127 125 125 MB/s
Read 417
Write 146
Mixed 194
SusWrite 124
48% 220 MB/s
4K Read 32
4K Write 82.6
4K Mixed 36.7
139% 50.4 MB/s
DQ Read 191
DQ Write 144
DQ Mixed 157
120% 164 MB/s
26GB free (System drive)
Firmware: 2.15
SusWrite @10s intervals: 91 100 101 95 96 94 MB/s
Read 382
Write 131
Mixed 181
SusWrite 96.1
44% 198 MB/s
4K Read 29.8
4K Write 92.2
4K Mixed 34.7
138% 52.2 MB/s
DQ Read 189
DQ Write 124
DQ Mixed 139
109% 151 MB/s
36GB free (System drive)
Firmware: 2.15
SusWrite @10s intervals: 100 114 114 117 118 113 MB/s
Read 383
Write 146
Mixed 194
SusWrite 113
46% 209 MB/s
4K Read 22.7
4K Write 45.5
4K Mixed 26.4
92% 31.5 MB/s
DQ Read 184
DQ Write 147
DQ Mixed 160
121% 164 MB/s
25,948 MORE »

 Market Share (See Leaders)

The number of benchmark samples for this model as a percentage of all 75,874,183 SSDs tested

 Prices

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MSRP ≈ $116 @ launch in Mar '11
EbayUS $4213 mins
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Typical Vertex 3 120GB Builds (Compare 5,637 builds) See popular component choices, score breakdowns and rankings
Gaming
Gaming 37%
Jet ski
Desktop
Desktop 76%
Battleship
Workstation
Workstation 29%
Raft

Motherboard: Asus P8Z77-V LX

EDIT WITH CUSTOM PC BUILDER Value: 61% - Good Total price: $378

Popular Vertex 3 120GB compatible motherboards:

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Solid State Drive Rankings (Price vs Performance) May 2024 SSD Rankings

Welcome to our 2.5" and M.2 SSD comparison. We calculate effective speed for both SATA and NVMe drives based on real world performance then adjust by current prices per GB to yield a value for money rating. Our calculated values are checked against thousands of individual user ratings. The customizable table below combines these factors to bring you the definitive list of top SSDs. [SSDrivePro]

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Group Test Results

  • Best user rated - User sentiment trumps benchmarks for this comparison.
  • Best value for money - Value for money is based on real world performance.
  • Fastest real world speed - Real World Speed measures performance for typical consumers.

 Comments

Controller: SandForce SF2281. NAND: Intel 25nm Synchronous MLC

More bang for the buck...

Added 10 years ago.

Good (edit your comment) Add link

6 years ago.

Have used this drive for about 7 years now. Still performs wonderfully. I got it for about 80 bucks on sale at the time and it seems to outperform many other drives that are newer around the same price today.


Excellent

4 years ago.

Still going strong after 10 years.


Very poor

10 years ago.


Terrible

6 years ago.

ocz vertex 120gb = very useful on garbage


Your
opinion?
1072 Drives (Compared) Thousands of user benchmarks compiled into one comparison list

See how consistently different SSDs perform with varying real world conditions. The charts also illustrate overall performance, popularity and rank.

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