Patriot Torqx 128GB SSD Review

Results Analysis and Final Thoughts

Unsurprisingly, considering that they’re physically identical, the Patriot Torqx performs in line with the competing offering from OCZ and G.Skill, but that’s certainly no bad thing. With the latest v1571 firmware (v1.3 if you’re OCZ) we've tested here, Indilinx has further improved the performance of its drives, increasing random and sequential speeds and delivering even faster performance that closes the gap on the Samsung drive controller in a number of circumstances.

The result is, as with the Vertex and Falcon, an SSD that delivers superb performance across the board. The advantage over HDDs is significant in every single test, with the SSD performing between twenty to over one hundred percent faster than a 1TB HDD. It’s this conclusive performance advantage that makes an SSD upgrade worthy, and while the price tag is still high, the huge step up in core tests, especially boot times, goes a long way to justify the cost.

However, we must point out that while our performance graphs show the Torqx to be faster than the Vertex and Falcon, this is only due to the more recent firmware we’ve tested the drive with. Both OCZ and G.Skill have also released versions of the v1571 firmware for their own drives, so there’s no reason why either of these drives shouldn’t perform identically to the Torqx numbers we’ve seen here – after all, they are, when it comes down to it, the same piece of kit (minus the sticker).


The big difference between the three however is the level of support offered by the different manufacturers and sadly it’s this aspect where Patriot really falls down. Despite OCZ and G.Skill releasing the v1571 firmware to their users over a month ago, Patriot has still to make it publicly available, and the same goes for it’s own iteration of the wiper.exe defragmentation tool.

However, because the hardware and firmware versions are identical between the three manufacturers, you can just as easily flash your Torqx using the G.Skill Falcon firmware updating tool (making it think it’s a Falcon in the process), and the OCZ and G.Skill versions of wiper.exe both work just fine with the Torqx. However, the fact that the you’ll have to use the competition’s firmware and software to get decent product support for your purchase reflects pretty poorly upon Patriot and it needs to significantly improve this aspect of it’s operations.

Consumer SSDs are still a developing technology and quality support is a must – This is where OCZ, with its superior firmware flashing tool (which, unlike the Patriot and G.Skill tools, doesn’t wipe the drive) and vast support forum, really shines and it’s why, given the choice, we’d still opt for the Vertex.

This decision is further enforced by the Torqx’s inflated price tag, coming in at a hefty £302.15, or £2.53/GB. In comparison the much better supported OCZ Vertex can now be had for a little over £270 (£2.26/GB), making it the better choice when it comes to value as well. Of course, a 1TB HDD will run you less than 7p/GB, but the two aren’t really comparable – one is performance storage while the other is mass storage, and as always, you pay a premium for being at the bleeding edge.

Final Thoughts

While the Torqx performance is as excellent as the Falcon and Vertex then, it’s let down by a price tag that’s just too high and with a level of support that is too low. You never want to be waiting for new firmware and other tools, especially when the competition is offering such improvements months in advance. While there are work arounds, using a competitor’s firmware and software to support the Torqx is not to be relied upon, and buying a Vertex for almost £30 less to benefit from a blisteringly fast SSD with industry leading support, is clearly the smarter choice.

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Score Guide

Addendum 10th July 2009: Patriot Memory provided this update today: "Patriot Memory has announced that all our Torqx SSD warranty has been extended from 2 year to 10 years.

This is retroactive and valid for everyone who has bought our Torqx!

Thank you!"