** OCZ Vertex 3 MAX IOPS and Regular Vertex 3 Users!!! Is your drive freezing or crashing? Read our OCZ Vertex 3 Crashing, Freezing and Stalling Fixes here. **

OCZ pulled a fast one and ended up releasing the “IOPS Edition” of their new Vertex 3 Series. What does that mean for you? Well it means several things….

1. For a $20 dollar premium you can acquire a faster drive.
2. If you want the IOPS Edition you better get it sooner because Venders have been slowly increasing the price of the Vertex 3 Series, and more than likely you will see a bigger gap in pricing between the two.
3. If you bought yourself a Vertex 3 Standard Version you are out of luck here, so feel free to rage.
3B. Now relax and remember that you already have an amazing drive.

Let’s do a quick comparison to the MAX IOPS Edition versus the Regular Edition of the Vertex 3:

OCZ Vertex 3 MAX IOPS 120GB Versus Vertex 3 120GB Regular (VTX3MI-25SAT3-120G Versus VTX3-25SAT3-120G)

The MAX IOPS Vertex 3 120GB has a 4KB Random Read of 35,000 IOPS and a 4KB Random Write of 75,000 and up to 55 bits correctable per 512-byte sector

The Regular Vertex 3 120GB has a 4KB Random Read of 20,000 IOPS and a 4KB Random Write of 60,000 IOPS and up to 16 bytes correctable per 512-byte sector.

You will find that the MAX IOPS Edition will give closer performance to that of the 240GB version of this drive, but at the 120GB price. Remember though, you can alter your drive settings for both version of the Vertex 3 to speed it up. This includes enabling AHCI before installing the drive, and actually using the new SATA 3 port are big helpers.

OCZ Vertex 3 MAX IOPS 240GB Versus Vertex 3 240GB Regular (VTX3MI-25SAT3-240G Versus VTX3-25SAT3-240G)

The MAX IOPS Vertex 3 240GB has a 4KB Random Read of 55,000 IOPS and a 4KB Random Write of 65,000 IOPS and up to 55 bits correctable per 512-byte sector
The Regular Vertex 3 240GB has a 4KB Random Read of 40,000 IOPS and a 4KB Random Write of 60,000 IOPS and up to 16 bytes correctable per 512-byte sector.

Yes that is correct. The Vertex 3 120GB Max IOPS Edition has a higher 4KB Random Write than the Vertex 240GB MAX IOPS Version. I am not really sure why they did this, but ok.

Below, you can view the two Vertex 3 MAX Drives on Amazon. They are are on the left and have red text. Below on the right, the two Vertex 3 Regular Drives. By the way, the Amazon shipment dates are fake and will be updated so do not worry.

To Buy the OCZ Vertex 3 MAX IOPS Edition or the OCZ Vertex 3 Regular Edition?

Here is what it comes down to…

If you already have the Vertex 3, do not worry. There will be a noticeable difference for writing lots of tiny files, but it won’t be huge enough to make you feel cheated. If you are planning to purchase a Vertex 3, then adjust your budget and spend the extra $20 for the MAX IOPS Edition.

I hope this article helps clear up things. I will provide more information as it comes available.

You can order the MAX IOPS Edition 120GB from Newegg.

You can also order the MAX IOPS Edition from Amazon. They offer the 240GB Version for pre-order as well. Lock in your price before it raises even further.