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OCZ RD400 ... advice.

C

Copyright

Supreme [H]ardness
Joined
Nov 17, 2000
Messages
6,004
I had planned on getting the 960 Pro 512gb at my local microcenter but someone beat me to it. I know this drive isn't as fast but I have to finish this PC today and it was my only choice. I read some issues about drivers and not to use certain ones. Does anyone know which drivers I should load for this drive?
 
Hey at least its not that 600p garbage. Per Bjorn3D:

Despite the fact that Windows has native support for NVMe, we do highly recommend anyone with the RD400 to install the driver off the OCZ’s site. We did a quick test comparing the performance with the drive running off the official vs Window’s own driver and noticed a huge performance difference between the two. The biggest performance difference between the two drivers would be in the write area, where the official driver made a huge improvement. The read also shows a slight performance gain but it is not as dramatic as in the write. Oddly, the sequential read with the Windows driver is actually faster than the OCZ’s driver.
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This review was posted three days before the only driver download on the OCZ site so I would just try it out and do before/after benchies.
 
PliotronX said:
Hey at least its not that 600p garbage. Per Bjorn3D:


This review was posted three days before the only driver download on the OCZ site so I would just try it out and do before/after benchies.
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The drive actually feels very quick.. benches seem to be right on par or better than my Intel 750 was. I can't complain.. I know one thing.. it runs WAY to hot when benching. Ill attach some heatsinks to it. Also I found exactly what you sent me and used their NVME driver. From what im reading the read world difference between this and the 950 Samsung can't be felt.. oh well good enough for me! Cleaned up my build for sure.
 
Nice! Yeah I would be happy with one! And I would sink it as well :) Its adequate to just place a sink on the controller usually because the NAND doesn't cause the throttling:

PdKaKJq.jpg
 
My advice to you is to backup your data and return the ocz drive to microcenter as soon as another samsung is available.
 
Copyright said:
I know one thing.. it runs WAY to hot when benching. Ill attach some heatsinks to it.
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All SSD's run hot during benchmarks, that doesn't indicate they will be overheating under normal operation. Do you have proper case cooling? I have my SSD's right behind the front intake fan, no heat related issues, temps at 31C.
 
aztekk said:
All SSD's run hot during benchmarks, that doesn't indicate they will be overheating under normal operation. Do you have proper case cooling? I have my SSD's right behind the front intake fan, no heat related issues, temps at 31C.
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I understand that.. but this one hits thermal throttle barely half way into crystal mark. I am liquid cooled and there is no airflow in that area but ill put a sink on it.
 
acquacow said:
My advice to you is to backup your data and return the ocz drive to microcenter as soon as another samsung is available.
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Why? This is not what I plan on doing at all. The drive is fast. My benches are fast my real world use feels just as strong as my intel 750 it replaced. I can find zero problems (other than typical heat) with drive and what I use it for. It was also 50$ cheaper than the Samsung. If it's because they have a short life I understand but its still a quick drive.
 
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Copyright said:
Why? This is not what I plan on doing at all. The drive is fast. My benches are fast my real world use feels just as strong as my intel 750 it replaced. I can find zero problems (other than typical heat) with drive and what I use it for. It was also 50$ cheaper than the Samsung. If it's because they have a short life I understand but its still a quick drive.
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Because I've been selling flash storage for 6 years and have seen dozens of customers lose their data to OCZ drives.
 
acquacow said:
Because I've been selling flash storage for 6 years and have seen dozens of customers lose their data to OCZ drives.
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Were those experiences pre-Toshiba buyout? The drives these days are Toshiba with OCZ stickers on them.
 
acquacow said:
Because I've been selling flash storage for 6 years and have seen dozens of customers lose their data to OCZ drives.
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Have you done any research on the RD400? I have not read anything failing yet with the RD400 and believe me.. I would not touch an OCZ Drive before this one but the reviews were all so positive I gave it a shot and I am glad I did.. drive is fast.. just needs a little cooling but that's no big deal.
 
acquacow said:
It was pre-Toshiba, but they are doing themselves a disservice by keeping that brand name...
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Honestly.. I agree.. OCZ has been on my list for years as a brand I do NOT trust.. but this drive on the other hand is different. I think it's biggest flaw is heat which I can fix and make my PC look even better in the process... hopefully..

 
The controller heat is not unique to the RD400, heat was a huge problem when benchmarking the 950 Pro and they kind of helped it with a copper backed sticker on the 960 Pro but heatsinks are definitely recommended for any NVME drive.
 
PliotronX said:
The controller heat is not unique to the RD400, heat was a huge problem when benchmarking the 950 Pro and they kind of helped it with a copper backed sticker on the 960 Pro but heatsinks are definitely recommended for any NVME drive.
Click to expand...

Yup I was aware. I consider that a problem lol.. easily resolved tho.
 
PliotronX said:
The controller heat is not unique to the RD400, heat was a huge problem when benchmarking the 950 Pro and they kind of helped it with a copper backed sticker on the 960 Pro but heatsinks are definitely recommended for any ASIC that moves a lot of electrons.
Click to expand...

Fixed.
 
Well I got the cooler on and it made all the difference. Not a huge amount at idle or low loads but peak loads it's a huge help. I have very little airflow in that area.

Idle temp before 58C
Idle temp after 52C

Peak temp before 78C thermal throttle and cancel benchmark
Peak temp after 60C and Crystal disk finished benchmark

Little advice.. the cooler didnt touch the hottest chip on the M.2. I had to double up the supplied thin layer of thermal pad to get contact. As you can see in the thermal image provided earlier this was the hottest area on this drive. The results are excellent with this little 15$ Alpha cool heat spreader.

OCZ RD400 512gb vs Intel PCIe 400gb (intel still dominates the 4k Writes but OCZ held its own on the rest. I can tell no real world difference between the two.)



Cooler installed

 
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