Despite using the same controller, not all SSD's will perform the same. Besides the controller, what dictates the performance of the SSD are the type of the NAND used and the firmware. For an SSD, the controller and the NAND determine the raw performance. The firmware often will allow a manufacturer to tweak the drive’s performance in order to reach a higher transfer speed or IOPS despite the same hardware.

We have previously reviewed 240GB SSDs based on the latest SandForce 2000 controller such as OCZ Vertex 3 and Kingston HyperX. While these drives offer excellent performance, they can be relatively expensive at $200 a pop. Not everyone can afford such an expensive drive. For those who still want the performance benefit of an SSD, choosing a cheaper drive at smaller capacity is certainly an option for your primary drive. Today, we are going to take a look at a 60GB Silicon Power Velox V30 series mainstream/budget SSD based on the same SandForce SF 2000 controller.