Patriot Torqx Solid State Disk 128GB - Conclusion and Verdict

So how does this drive compare to the competition? Where Patriot's SSD lineup is concerned, no other range but the Torqx is worth considering, as it sports the best controller out of the lot and is the only one compatible with the company's Performance Restore Utility - which as you can see from the PCMark Vantage results definitely has a strong impact. Until Windows 7 brings TRIM support for compatible drives, which will make custom software like the Performance Restore Utility redundant, it's an important consideration and will continue to be so for those using older operating systems like XP or Vista.

Unfortunately the 128GB Torqx didn't live up to its quoted speeds, but nonetheless put in a respectable overall performance. It's worth keeping in mind that the lower-capacity 64GB model also has lower quoted speeds: 220MB read and 135MB write compared to 260MB and 180MB for its larger siblings.

Likewise in the value stakes the Torqx, while not exactly a bargain, doesn't do too badly at around £288 for 128GB. Intel's Intel X25-M might outperform it in most scenarios, but demands over £300 for just 80GB of space. Of course this might be plenty to store the OS and most-frequently used applications, and whether it's worth the premium depends on whether you value the performance difference over the extra storage. Compared to the likes of OCZ's 120GB Vertex, Patriot's SSD presents a less ambiguous alternative, for though the Vertex beats it in straight read and write speeds, in most real-world tests the Torqx comes out ahead, while offering slightly more capacity for slightly less money.

Verdict

Though it fails to excel overall, Patriot's 128GB Torqx SSD is a solid contender offering reasonable value.