Vertex 3 BSOD

[Callsign_Vega]

I bought two V3 120GB MAXIOPS for Raid 0. Ever since I updated to firmware 2.06 I get a BSOD and then one of the drives disappears from the raid array. The only way to get it back is to cold boot it.

If I return these V3, what drives would you guys go with?

[dengyong]

I bought two V3 120GB MAXIOPS for Raid 0. Ever since I updated to firmware 2.06 I get a BSOD and then one of the drives disappears from the raid array. The only way to get it back is to cold boot it.

I can definitely see why people say to stay away from OCZ. They blame pretty much everything besides their drives and firmware on their support forum. Tons of people are having this issue.

If I return this crap to Newegg, what drives would you guys go with?

Intel is hard to beat for reliability. I just bought a 120GB intel 320 series to run my os and programs and I'm gonna put my steam folder on the 120GB g.skill phoenix pro which has served me well for about a year so far.

[Computurd]

Man, sorry to hear that, i know how much time and energy you spent on not only your build, but the drives as well. I would start to spout troubleshooting advice, but i think you are past that point. If you are shying away from the V3 i wouldnt go running to another SF controller is thats what you feel bit you. You do have to bear in mind that OCZ is merely using controllers from other mfr.

Intel, or M4.

[LexDiamonds]

I just did a fresh Win7 install on a new 256Gb crucial m4. Its my first ssd, so of course I am impressed. In reviews, the m4 is usually in 2nd place just behind the vertex3.

Be warned, that the crucial isnt without its own quirks. After a fresh install, with everything setup correctly (AHCI in bios, etc.) I was getting random 20-30second pauses in Windows. Turns out this is a common problem stemming from even the C300 days. The newest intel AHCI drivers enable what they call "link power management" that causes trouble with these drives. A quick registry edit fixed the problem and things are now running smooth. Crucial looses points for not addressing this problem headon... only diehard enthusiasts would hunt down this solution. This being said, its a great drive.

[Lu(ky]

Well isn't the problem your 1366 mobo using the Marvell SE9128 SATA3/6Gbps controller? I thought everyone out there had problems with this thing even with the C300 ssd's? If you had a P67 using the Intel SATA3/6Gbps controller I do not think you would have this problem..

Also note I am using 1 x OCZ V3 240GB without any problems at all. Maybe wait for 1 x V3 MI 240GB and forget the R0 setup..

[LexDiamonds]

heh... havent updated my sig yet... I am running a P67 MSI GD80 w/ the native 6gbps sata ports.

[INFRNL]

I just did a fresh Win7 install on a new 256Gb crucial m4. Its my first ssd, so of course I am impressed. In reviews, the m4 is usually in 2nd place just behind the vertex3.

Be warned, that the crucial isnt without its own quirks. After a fresh install, with everything setup correctly (AHCI in bios, etc.) I was getting random 20-30second pauses in Windows. Turns out this is a common problem stemming from even the C300 days. The newest intel AHCI drivers enable what they call "link power management" that causes trouble with these drives. A quick registry edit fixed the problem and things are now running smooth. Crucial looses points for not addressing this problem headon... only diehard enthusiasts would hunt down this solution. This being said, its a great drive.

do you have a link to the registry fix. Curious to see it. Thanks

[RyderOCZ]

Did you apply the LPM fix to get rid of the BSOD?

[Aedubber]

I have 3 c300 ssds in raid0 with no issues at all , they are up to date on firmware as well , never had a hitch with them .. the problem might lies with Marvell connector , its garbage .. I have a gigabyte x58 ud5 mb using the 3gb SATA ports .


To the OP I would suggest crucial or Intel as your best choices

[Callsign_Vega]

Did you apply the LPM fix to get rid of the BSOD?

I've tried everything listed in the "fix it" threads about this issue, including the LPM registry fix. A reboot and ten minutes later a BSOD and a V3 dropped out of Raid array.


I just ordered two Corsair Force Series 3 120GB. 85k MaxIOPS sounds sweet.

http://www.corsair.com/blog/corsair-...gn=SocialMedia

As much as I love RMA'ing drives and reinstalling Windows constantly, I don't think I will be buying another OCZ product for quite a while. Too bad I will have to waste more time Ebaying the new V3 drives that I get back from Newegg as they won't refund this crap.

BTW I am using these drives on a Z68 board.

Edit: My V3 have crashed my computer as I was writing this, thats two BSOD with a drive lost out of Raid array in just one hour. Now I can barely use my computer until the Corsair drives arrive. Sweet!

[Andrea deluxe]

ocz/sandforce=fail

i leaved from my system: agility3 60gb (fake data spec.) and Vertex3 120gb (trotthling RULEZ)

in favor to M4 128gb....

[Reflex1]

is this issue only with the MAX IOPS version of the V3 or also the original?

[LexDiamonds]

Here is a link to the thread on the crucial forums that describes the problem/fix in detail:

http://forum.crucial.com/t5/Solid-St...-me/td-p/38766

After 2 days of extensive use, I can say this %100 fixed my issue with the random pauses. Note that I was not getting BSODs.. my system would just "hang" for about 30-40 seconds in the middle of whatever I was doing (prime, web, game, etc.) then suddenly resume what I was doing like nothing ever happened. It was quite odd actually.

[LexDiamonds]

I was initially sold on the Vertex3 maxiops 240gb after reading a bunch of reviews on 3rd gen SSDs.

Problem of course is the reliability... every ssd has some quirks, but far and wide the OCZ drives just didnt have a great reputation. I like that crucial develops their own firmware in house and has a track record of releasing updates to fix known issues.

I also got my m4 for $200+ less than what the 240gb maxiops will likely sell for when it becomes available. The m4 is still ridicuoulsy fast and when I added everything up in my head, the m4 was a clear choice.

[One_Hertz]

I just ordered two Corsair Force Series 3 120GB. 85k MaxIOPS sounds sweet.

So you have a problem with a Sandforce SSD, you sell it, and buy another Sandforce SSD that is basically the same as the ones you just sold, minus a NAND difference? Impressively solid logic there . It isn't OCZ that screwed you, it is Sandforce.

[Andrea deluxe]

So you have a problem with a Sandforce SSD, you sell it, and buy another Sandforce SSD that is basically the same as the ones you just sold, minus a NAND difference? Impressively solid logic there . It isn't OCZ that screwed you, it is Sandforce.

agree....


marvel FTW

[Hondacity]

So you have a problem with a Sandforce SSD, you sell it, and buy another Sandforce SSD that is basically the same as the ones you just sold, minus a NAND difference? Impressively solid logic there . It isn't OCZ that screwed you, it is Sandforce.

+1

i already killed 3 sandforce.. its no fun

[Callsign_Vega]

It was only until OCZ released firmware 2.06 that everyone has the BSOD problems. Crucial comes up with their own firmware, hence the late entry into the party.

[LexDiamonds]

It was only until OCZ released firmware 2.06 that everyone has the BSOD problems. Crucial comes up with their own firmware, hence the late entry into the party.

Crucial develops their own firmware... corsair is still a slave to whatever sandforce decides to release... Get yo brand names straight son..

[Computurd]

he newest intel AHCI drivers enable what they call "link power management" that causes trouble with these drive

not the drives fault!! note key words : "newest drivers"

I have 3 c300 ssds in raid0 with no issues at all , they are up to date on firmware as well , never had a hitch with them .. the problem might lies with Marvell connector ,

^^^THIS as well could be the issue. combination of this and LPM i believe.

It isn't OCZ that screwed you, it is Sandforce

i agree. TBH all of ocz's real probs started with the SF controllers, and believe me they get crucified for it. I would be the first to light the torches, believe me, BUT i really dont feel that they are deserving of all of the negativity, they ARE at the whims of SF in many areas.

[Callsign_Vega]

Crucial develops their own firmware... corsair is still a slave to whatever sandforce decides to release... Get yo brand names straight son..

I was talking about Crucial and their M4 series since they were brought up in this thread and not the Corsair Force 3 that I bought. I love little kids that think they are tough on the internet by calling someone "son".

[INFRNL]

Just out of curiosity for the Micron lovers. Is the M4 a better choice than C300? Also are the Micron Branded Drives the exact same as the Crucial Drives? I noticed that the Micron Drives are usually a little cheaper than Crucial branded.

I currently own 2x128gb C300's and a 64 Gb C300. Seem to be fine. Will have to check firmware; I have never updated them because of the issues with the newer firmware. 007 or whatever it is is the current recommended firmware, correct?

Thanks

[LexDiamonds]

I love little kids that think they are tough on the internet by calling someone "son".

[LexDiamonds]

Just out of curiosity for the Micron lovers. Is the M4 a better choice than C300? Also are the Micron Branded Drives the exact same as the Crucial Drives? I noticed that the Micron Drives are usually a little cheaper than Crucial branded.

I currently own 2x128gb C300's and a 64 Gb C300. Seem to be fine. Will have to check firmware; I have never updated them because of the issues with the newer firmware. 007 or whatever it is is the current recommended firmware, correct?

Thanks

The m4 is very very similar to the C300s. Firmware tweaks (both use the same basic marvell silicon) and 25nm NAND is really the only difference. In a nutshell, they traded some read speed for better write performance. The m4 is generally all around faster in system benchmarks (Vantage, etc.) but the C300 remains faster in specific read based synthetics.

Yes, the micron (C400) and crucial (m4) are exactly the same. If your C300s are treating you well, I wouldnt be in a hurry to upgrade.

[Ao1]

OCZ are not a retailer. They manufacture a product with their name on it. That includes the PCB, the case, NAND and SF controller.

• They messed up on the case - wrong size does not fit in laptops
• They messed up the PCB boards - post production botch fixes
• They screwed people over with 25nm nand. They said 34nm was no longer available and now they are posting on their forum asking members to push retailers to start selling V2 drives with guaranteed Intel 34nm NAND that they refuse to stock
• They push out drives with RC firmware without any validation

The Core was blamed on MS & JMicron. The V1 was blamed on Indilinx. Now it seems Sandforce are the problem?

Let's see if Intel bring out a SF drive. If they do you can guarantee it will be just as reliable as their own controllers. Why? Because Intel will make their own firmware and it will be properly tested before it goes to market.

http://www.anandtech.com/show/4256/t...review-120gb/5

Before we get to the Vertex 3 we have to talk a bit about how validation works with SandForce and its partners. Keep in mind that SandForce is still a pretty small company, so while it does a lot of testing and validation internally the company leans heavily on its partners to also shoulder the burden of validation. As a result drive/firmware validation is split among both SandForce and its partners. This approach allows SF drives to be validated heavier than if only one of the sides did all of the testing. While SandForce provides the original firmware, it's the partner's decision whether or not to ship drives based on how comfortable they feel with their validation. SandForce's validation suite includes both client and enterprise tests, which lengthens the validation time.

The shipping Vertex 3s are using RC firmware from SandForce, the MP label can't be assigned to anything that hasn't completely gone through SandForce's validation suite.