4th OCZ Vertex dead...

[Sagath]

Originally Posted by AkG

By the same token...Intel have been real wankers. They were the worst at it not that long ago. Anyone remember the numerous bricking firmware they put out and at first blamed it on the end user? Luckily, they have gotten better...but I STILL wait a good 2-3 weeks before updating ANY Intel branded SSD. Let other peeps be unpaid guinea pigs. :)~

Gen 1 to Gen 2 not supporting TRIM firmware backwards was bad enough without even bringing in the 'brick issue' that they had...However they do have the lowest RMA out of all SSD's on the market in comparison to market share going for them.

I'm not sure what firmware my Vertex 2 has on it, but I assume I dont need to worry about this as it is a V3 issue?

[MARSTG]

Originally Posted by SKYMTL

Wow....I'd love to hear more stories about OCZ drives if possible.

Vertex 30 GB at fw 1.6 and Vertex Turbo 30GB at fw 1.5. Not planning any update, they work fine as is, so far. No TRIM possibility either, only ITGC.

[Galcobar]

Vertex 2's issue is apparently they simply drop out of BIOS detection. My first one did so until I tried to update the firmware, which didn't brick the drive but might as well have. This one is exhibiting similar disappearances, signalled by the drive's LED going red, but hard reboots or power-cycling the drive clears it temporarily (about 10 minutes). Chatter on the forums suggest the issue can be resolved by unplugging the drive and letting it completely dissipate any power remaining. Tried that overnight and it seems to be holding in the green. Still going to RMA it though, this time they're paying for shipping.

Generally, OCZ does have good RMA service. I should know, went through five PSUs. GameXStream, EliteXStream, EliteXStream, GameXStream, PC Power & Cooling 910S. The last PSU replacement was annoying as hell though, they offered me a drive they didn't have in stock in Canada and didn't tell me that, had to raise hell on the forums to get them to send it to me from the U.S.. Ended up taking a month and a half.

[AkG]

Originally Posted by Sagath

Gen 1 to Gen 2 not supporting TRIM firmware backwards was bad enough without even bringing in the 'brick issue' that they had...However they do have the lowest RMA out of all SSD's on the market in comparison to market share going for them.

I'm not sure what firmware my Vertex 2 has on it, but I assume I dont need to worry about this as it is a V3 issue?

Yup, the firmware was a bug in sf gen 2 only drives. Some "other" companies are not as quick to update the firmware as OCZ is and still using 2.06

SF 1st gen have a weird issue where they randomly die...but are not always dead dead. Unplug them, poke them with a stick the next day and plug it back in and they are "revived" ala zombie jesus. Personally, when I see that...I do the trick....clone the mofo and RMA it....BUT once again thats a universal prob with ALL SF gen 1s and not just Vertex 2s ;)

[Sagath]

Originally Posted by AkG

Yup, the firmware was a bug in sf gen 2 only drives. Some "other" companies are not as quick to update the firmware as OCZ is and still using 2.06

SF 1st gen have a weird issue where they randomly die...but are not always dead dead. Unplug them, poke them with a stick the next day and plug it back in and they are "revived" ala zombie jesus. Personally, when I see that...I do the trick....clone the mofo and RMA it....BUT once again thats a universal prob with ALL SF gen 1s and not just Vertex 2s ;)

Good to know. I just checked my firmware (1.24) and upgraded it to 1.33. I wasnt having any issues, but whatever. Thanks AkG

[Galcobar]

Sadly, if you run into the problem with the random disappearances on the Vertex 2, it's not the firmware. I've been running 1.33 since I got this thing.

According to Anand Lal Shimpi, the Vertex 3 issue is one shared by all drives based on the SF-2281, and seems to relate to one particular SATA command. The firmware revisions in 2.09 slow down that the timings associated with command. However, whether you're vulnerable to the issue seems to be a matter of luck with your motherboard hardware. There hasn't been any correlation between brands or chipsets, but those who experience the problem with one SF-2281 drive seem to experience it on any replacements as well, while somebody with a setup that's identical on paper may never see the issue.

Makes me wonder if the same holds true for the SF-1200 disappearances. Might explain why some people have such repeated bad luck with the drives.

[chrisk]

Interesting. My 120GB vertex 1 disappeared, and also had a Vertex 2 disappear briefly and wondered if it was my mobo causing it.

[dustin1706]

I've got a vertex 96GB sitting on my desk that appears and disappears from the bios all the time so I've stopped using it.

Vertex 2's though, I've had a V2E 130GB in my desktop for 6 months and a V2E 120GB in my laptop for 2 months and both seem to work fine so far.

[turtletrax]

I am thinking that my Vertex (1) in raid is what kills them so fast. The controllers just puke and that is the end of them. I had one die in a firmware flash, and before you think I did a bad flash it was the last of the three on a non-OCed machine endurance tested stable.

Second one dropped out of bios and the third and 4th ones doing the same but intermittently.

I have a Vertex 2 120G, C300 256 and a M4 128 all of which have had ZERO problem. That is all though multiple flashes and benching and all but the M4 have over 9 months on them. The indilinx stuff isn't fit for trash IMHO.

Also have to LOL over OCZs "For The Loss" indilinx magic firmware that has yet to appear. I wonder if it can kill hardware any faster.

I wont find out because I am shelving these things.

[ultraman7k]

oh man thanks for this thread. I hadn't even thought of updating my firmware since I got the SSD. Currently running 1.23, will have to update when i get home from work tomorrow.

Thanks for the reminders!