OCZ Agility EX

OCZ Agility EX Series SSD Review

When shopping for an SSD, consumers are confronted with two general options: single-level cell (SLC) or multi-level cell (MLC) flash memory based drives. The market is filled with numerous drives featuring MLC chips that are primarily aimed at more mainstream users. These products are typically less expensive and offer larger capacities than their SLC-based counterparts. On the other hand, drives featuring SLC flash memory offer increased performance and greater reliability, but cost much more as a result of these advantages. Due to the high asking price, single-level cell SSDs typically target the enterprise market where the extended endurance feature is an important consideration. Until recently, the price gap between SLC and MLC solid state drives has been massive. Single-level cell drives can cost anywhere from three to four times the price of multi-level cell SSDs of the same capacity. Even for the most extreme hardware enthusiasts, it made very little sense to splurge on an SLC drive considering the value, size, and continuous performance enhancements occurring in MLC products. But now, OCZ aims to fill the price gap with the release of the most affordable SLC drive on the market.