Three months ago we tested the first SandForce-based solid-state drive when OCZ treated us with a sample of the Vertex 2 Pro. As a true newcomer to the SSD market, the new controller took us by surprise with encouraging results, but the fact remained that this was an enterprise class product and few consumers were ever going to lay their hands on one of these drives. At the time we were also told that a successor to the original consumer-oriented Vertex would be arriving just a few months down the road.

Then last March we got a taste of what the Vertex 2 would be all about with the OCZ Vertex Limited Edition. Yet, we were still left waiting for the true successor to the highly popular Vertex, and here it is, in our lab ready for testing and expected to be hitting shelves pretty soon.

The OCZ Vertex 2 is based on the more affordable SandForce SF-1200 controller and it's actually expected to outperform the Vertex LE. This is not a mainstream part, though. OCZ will be targeting performance oriented users with the Vertex 2 while dropping down the price of the original Vertex to service the mainstream segment.