Patriot Torqx 2 256GB Solid State Drive Review

Introduction

Back in May we previewed the Patriot Torqx 2 120GB solid state drive and found that it offered average mainstream performance that was better than the large OEM system builder solutions. In short, that was code for saying the 120GB model sucked for enthusiasts, but then again, this isn't an enthusiast SSD. The Torqx 2 did offer low access times that were a lot less than platter drives, so Twitface and web surfers still get the SSD feel, but only see small performance increases when transferring data.

After Patriot released the Torqx 2, they followed it up with the 2011 flagship WildFire that uses a SandForce SF-2281 controller and synchronous flash, and then the Pyro that uses the same SandForce SF-2281 controller, but paired it with asynchronous flash. The price difference between the Pyro and the Torqx 2 at the time of writing is very small, so that leads us to wonder what Patriot is planning to do with the Torqx 2 and the long established Torqx Series of products all together.

The original Patriot Torqx featured an Indilinx Barefoot controller that was paired with Samsung flash and was quite a performance beast when launched. The most notable feature, though, was the 10 year warranty that Patriot gave the drive, the longest for a consumer SSD to date. Then Patriot launched the Torqx TRB, a JMicron controlled drive available only in 32GB and 64GB capacity sizes. It was the TRB model that moved the Torqx from the enthusiast section and into the mainstream product market. The massive 10 year warranty was shortened to 3 years. The warranty has taken an even further hit and is now down to just 2 years with the new drive. Now we have the Torqx 2 with a Phison controller and this is the product we'll be looking at today.