Toshiba OCZ RD400 512GB SSD review

The Toshiba OCZ RD400 512GB is another SSD that uses the M.2 port and really shows up the limitations of the aging SATA III connection. 

Unencumbered by the bottleneck, the Toshiba OCZ RD400 512GB produced amazing speeds of around two to three times the speeds of regular SSDs (and the gap between it and traditional HDDs is even more impressive). 

The Toshiba OCZ RD400 512GB isn’t the fastest SSD around (that honour currently goes to the Samsung NVMe SSD 960 Pro M.2), but as a (slightly more) affordable way to get into the world of M.2 SSDs, it’s certainly a tempting prospect.

We liked

The Toshiba OCZ RD400 512GB is an incredibly fast SSD, and if you’re making the move from a SATA III-based drive to this, you’ll be blown away by the performance. The reliability and efficiency of this drive is also superb.

We didn't like

The Toshiba OCZ RD400 512GB is fast, but it’s also expensive, and this will only be an SSD for professional workstations or enthusiast users.

It’s also not as fast as the Samsung NVMe SSD 960 Pro M.2, so if you’re already spending a lot of money on an SSD, paying a bit more for faster performance may seem like a no brainer.

Final verdict

The Toshiba OCZ RD400 512GB is an incredibly fast SSD, only upstaged by the Samsung NVMe SSD 960 Pro M.2. It shows how much potential that M.2 SSDs have over SATA III – this is not just an incremental upgrade but a huge leap. This huge leap also comes with a huge price tag, however, so this is an upgrade that won’t be for everyone.

The PCI adapter included gives this drive some flexibility, and the price advantage over the Samsung could make this an attractive purchase if you’re looking to give your storage a (serious) boost.

It won’t be for everyone, but if your work relies on moving large amounts of data around quickly and reliably, the Toshiba OCZ RD400 512GB is well worth considering.

• Top 10 Best SSDs