Introduction

Sometimes you really need to experience something for yourself to see what it’s all about. That holds especially true in technology. It was only a short time ago that I found the idea of USB 3.0 a “kind of nice idea, but really not applicable for what I do”. Now, I feel like I’m living in an episode of the Flintstones whenever I have to use a USB 2.0 device. The thing is, you get used to the niceties of new technology. You can look at all of the numbers on paper that you like, and you may see the specs and say “wow, that looks quick”, but until you actually experience it for yourself, you never really have the full picture.

SSDs are the new big thing, and if you have used one that is installed in a system and set up properly, you know why. At first, having your Windows desktop up and running before you get back from fetching a cup of coffee is pretty novel. Applications opening seemingly instantaneously will make you kind of giddy. Need to restart after an update? No big deal – what’s 30 seconds to waste? Once you have experienced it, you see what all of the fuss is about, and there is not a benchmark in the world that can really let you know what a cool experience it is. But, with all of the SSDs coming to market, with all of the different controllers, which way do you look? Since an SSD is, in fact, memory, the best places to start looking may be with your favored memory manufacturers.

Well known and respected memory manufacturer Patriot has released a new generation to their SSD lineup with the Torqx 2 128GB SSD front and center. The Patriot Torqx 2 128GB SSD follows the traditional 2.5” form factor, but bucks tradition in many other ways, going straight for the cutting edge, while keeping pricing in the mainstream. 128GB is often considered the price/size sweet spot for SSD drives, allowing ample room for OS and applications which will take advantage of the speed of the drive. However, in keeping with mainstream pricing, no concessions were made in the speed with the Torqx 2, capable of a blistering 270MB/s read and 230 MB/s write on a SATA II interface. Featuring the latest controller from Phison and 32nm NAND, the Patriot Torqx 2 SSD promises to keep you on the cutting edge for the future, and backs the drive with a 3 year warranty.