Packaging
Patriot's drive comes packaged in a fresh orange package that will certainly draw some attention on store shelves. The back has further product information.
You will receive:
- The SSD
- Quick Install Guide
The Drive
The drive conforms to the dimensions set forth by the 2.5" form factor. Unlike many other SSDs, the Torqx 2 comes in a rugged metal casing that feels extremely solid and high quality.
Patriot's Torqx 2 SSD uses a SATA-II 3 Gbps interface. The interface is compatible with all SATA standards, including SATA 6 Gbps. However, when used on a SATA 6 Gbps port the drive will only provide up to 300 MB/s throughput.
Patriot is using eight flash chips, the Phison flash controller and a DRAM chip which provides memory for the SSD controller.
As controller a Phison PS3105-S5 is used.
The DRAM chip is made by Hynix. It provides operating memory and cache for the SSD controller.
The flash chips are made by Toshiba and have a capacity of 16 GB each, they are produced on Toshiba's 32 nm process node. Interesting fact: The Apple iPad 2 uses the exact same flash memory.