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Today we are checking out how the new Patriot Pyro SE drives perform when placing two of them in a RAID array. The Pyro SE is the latest SSD range from Patriot and it is their answer to the Vertex 3 as well as numerous other SandForce SF-2281 based SSDs...
Shortly after the release of the performance-orientated Wildfire series, Patriot developed a cheaper alternative for mainstream system builders. Based on SandForce's SF-2281 controller, the Pyro series took a similar path to that of the Agility 3. OCZ's budget offering used the same SandForce controller and similar NAND flash memory.
The problem with the Pyro was that while it was indeed cheaper than the Wildfire series, it was not more cost effective. For example although the 120GB version might be a little over 20% cheaper, we found it to be well over 40% slower in a number of our own real-world tests. However it got worse for the Pyro when compared to other SandForce SF-2281 based SSDs. The popular OCZ Vertex 3 120GB currently costs just $190, while the 240GB version retails for $440. In comparison the Pyro 120GB retails for $200 and the 240GB version $395, given how much slower the Pyro is neither option makes sense. This left Patriot with two SandForce SF-2281 based SSD’s at either end of the spectrum. The Wildfire being a no compromise kind of SSD designed to tackle the Vertex 3 MAX IOPS Edition, while the Pyro is supposed to be a bargain basement product that competes with the Agility 3. Neither targets the mainstream Vertex 3 and this is a problem. Therefore Patriot announced the “Pyro SE” on October 11th 2011 in 60GB, 120GB, and 240GB capacities. Whereas the original Pyro series used cheaper asynchronous memory, the Pyro SE brings the added performance of synchronous NAND to the brand. The 120GB version is only slightly more expensive than the original Pyro, fetching $205, while the 240GB version is surprisingly expensive at $470, making it pricier than even the Wildfire. To-date we have tested a number of SandForce SF-2281 based SSDs, making the Pyro SE rather unexciting as we really know what to expect. Therefore we are curious to test the RAID0 performance of the Pyro SE. At $410, a pair of Pyro 120GB drives cost considerably less than a single Wildfire 240GB drive ($255), which could reveal some compelling results. We could speculate on drive performance all day, but let's press onward and see where Patriot's Pyro SE stands in the market... |
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