SSD recommendations

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rampantandroid

[H]ard|Gawd
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Hi all,

Looking at nabbing an SSD right now, and I have to admit I'm throughly confused by the benchmarks, given the benchmark numbers seem to mean so little; In trying to no exceed 300USD (not by much, at least - the 120GB 510 could be an option) on 3 gbps SATA II, what is a good drive to be looking at, avoiding the Vertex 2 debacle and all that?

The 510 looks OK, if expensive...the Vertex 3 looks like a waste given I'm on SATAII...etc.

Thanks!
 
I recommend the 160GB Intel 320 SSD. Should be able to find it for $285 - $300.
 
But don't all the reviews say the 320 series is a waste? Or is that just benchmarks?

(I honestly see no one doing real world tests other than booting up into Windows. Why not load up...Outlook. Or a level of a game? Something that is a real world application and something that is a good representative of a drive...)
 
I recommend Intel Elm Crest or Crucial C400s. Stay far far away from SSDs that use the Sandforce Controller IMO.
 
IMO no OCZ is a terrible company and they use Sandforce controllers. They dropped their memory which is a sign to me they had to re-organize due to loses. They might not last much longer in today's economy.
 
keep in mind newegg has 10% of all SSDs this weekend
I just ordered a 510 Elm 120GB
 
rampantandroid said:
But don't all the reviews say the 320 series is a waste? Or is that just benchmarks?
Click to expand...

A waste? Hardly. If you want to have the highest benchmark numbers, then the Intel 320 is not for you. But its performance is good, definitely not a "waste". The important thing, though, is that the Intel 320 is reliable and compatible. Of all the SSDs, it is the least likely to fail, the least likely to have compatibility problems with your system, and the least likely to lose your data in the event of a power loss or some flash memory wearing out.
 
Falcon_CMH said:
IMO no OCZ is a terrible company and they use Sandforce controllers. They dropped their memory which is a sign to me they had to re-organize due to loses. They might not last much longer in today's economy.
Click to expand...

Aren't they purchasing Indilinx? Guess they aren't doing to bad.
 
Copyright said:
Aren't they purchasing Indilinx? Guess they aren't doing to bad.
Click to expand...

They aren't doing bad. I think they realized that SSDs carry a much higher profit margin and the want in while the getting is good.

Still, in recent memory I don't remember a company's reputation taking such a drastic nosedive. I don't think they eat puppies, but they've made some pretty bad decisions recently. I gotta blame management.
 
Copyright said:
Aren't they purchasing Indilinx? Guess they aren't doing to bad.
Click to expand...

Wasn't it a stock deal? I don't think they paid cash. And besides, OCZ just took out a big loan. And Indilinx may be a one-hit wonder, since they haven't had anything new for a long time. I think the Vertex 3 will need to be a huge success for OCZ not to go under. At the moment, the Vertex 3 is looking like a success, but it will be interesting to see how well it does once all the other companies start selling their own Sandforce 2XXX SSDs. Given a choice, I think a lot of people would rather not buy from OCZ since they have repeatedly screwed their customers.
 
I don't think sandforce is killing OCZs rep. It's the memory NAND issue.

Regardless, sandforces drives will give you the fastest speeds
 
Sandforce will not give you the fastest speeds just headaches with peformance and reliabilty is all search the web it all over the web and this forum too. And the NAND issue makes it even worse.
 
Sata II, i would go with C300 (even on sata II has good speeds) or Samsung 470, really amazing drives they released, they havent made much noise, but the 64gb has better speeds than most in that size, the 128gb has the performance of the 256gb, most manufactures have the fastest on their biggest drive, but with samsung seems really good for value oriented builds.

SAMSUNG 470 Series MZ-5PA128/US 2.5" 128GB SATA II Internal Solid State Drive (SSD) $219
Crucial RealSSD C300 CTFDDAC128MAG-1G1 2.5" 128GB SATA III MLC Internal Solid State Drive (SSD) $254

I would probably go with Samsung out of being cheaper, with the weekend cupon EMCKFJE23 another 10% off, seems like good deal for good performing ssd.
 
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rampantandroid said:
What about the revodrives? They worth a look?
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Revo's are the fastest thing out there mainstream, but there's two problems with them in my opinion

1) OCZ--risky

2) They are basically a raid setup of like 4 mini SSD's so if one craps out its done. 4 points of failure and it being OCZ makes em like margin trading risky
 
Gahzirra said:
Revo's are the fastest thing out there mainstream, but there's two problems with them in my opinion

1) OCZ--risky

2) They are basically a raid setup of like 4 mini SSD's so if one craps out its done. 4 points of failure and it being OCZ makes em like margin trading risky
Click to expand...

Yeah, I realized this...and I saw the headaches on people getting it to boot - and there's no TRIM support either, just whatever the controller implements for garbage collection.

Either way, a friend was looking for a new CPU to replace his Q6600 and knew I was looking at a new CPU...and is taking my CPU/mobo/HSF assembled off my hands for a good price, and I'm selling him my backup RAM and ending up witha new CPU/mobo that has SATA3 on it, so the newer SSDs are back on table.
 
Abula said:
Sata II, i would go with C300 (even on sata II has good speeds) or Samsung 470, really amazing drives they released, they havent made much noise, but the 64gb has better speeds than most in that size, the 128gb has the performance of the 256gb, most manufactures have the fastest on their biggest drive, but with samsung seems really good for value oriented builds.

SAMSUNG 470 Series MZ-5PA128/US 2.5" 128GB SATA II Internal Solid State Drive (SSD) $219
Crucial RealSSD C300 CTFDDAC128MAG-1G1 2.5" 128GB SATA III MLC Internal Solid State Drive (SSD) $254

I would probably go with Samsung out of being cheaper, with the weekend cupon EMCKFJE23 another 10% off, seems like good deal for good performing ssd.
Click to expand...

I have the Samsung 470 128GB and I absolutely love it. It may not be the fastest drive out there, but of all the reviews I've seen it seems to be very well rounded.
 
As an Amazon Associate, HardForum may earn from qualifying purchases.
rampantandroid said:
(I honestly see no one doing real world tests other than booting up into Windows. Why not load up...Outlook. Or a level of a game? Something that is a real world application and something that is a good representative of a drive...)
Click to expand...
http://www.anandtech.com/bench/SSD/65
You get actual benches for real world stuff if you compare two drives.

The OCZ Vertex 2 100GB seems to be the price/performance winner if you do not need tons of storage, just make sure you get the 50k IOPS version.

Not quite clear what the difference between the OCZ Technology 100 GB Vertex Limited Edition 2.5-Inch SATAII Solid State Drive (SSD) OCZSSD2-1VTXLE100G and the OCZ Technology 100 GB Vertex 2 Series SATA II 2.5-Inch Solid State Drive (SSD) OCZSSD2-2VTX100G is though. They are both shown at 50k IOPS on Amazon and I am beginning to think that the "Limited Edition" is just a marketing ploy to command a hefty premium from chumps.
 
I just dropped $550 on this Intel 320 300GB drive: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820167056. Can't find a single review on it (other then the one NE customer review). I have an Intel X-25M 120GB drive in my desktop that works wonderfully. I'll be using this 300GB drive in my new laptop. Should be perfect and provide plenty of space for laptop use. I was going to go with the 160GB version of the Intel 320 for $350, but decided to splurge and get the "huge" 300 GB drive so I am not stressing over space.

I briefly considered going with a different brand like OCZ or Crucial because they have faster advertised speeds on their drives, but decided to stick with Intel. The Intel drive in my desktop is awesomely fast and I doubt I would really notice the slight gains that these other manufacturers talk about.

I guess you could consider this post my recommendation for getting an Intel 320 SSD. You could also go for an Intel 510 (Elmcrest) drive that has the faster speed listings, but those drives also carry a significant premium over the 320's or X-25's.
 
gn0me said:
I just dropped $550 on this Intel 320 300GB drive: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820167056. Can't find a single review on it (other then the one NE customer review). I have an Intel X-25M 120GB drive in my desktop that works wonderfully. I'll be using this 300GB drive in my new laptop. Should be perfect and provide plenty of space for laptop use. I was going to go with the 160GB version of the Intel 320 for $350, but decided to splurge and get the "huge" 300 GB drive so I am not stressing over space.

I briefly considered going with a different brand like OCZ or Crucial because they have faster advertised speeds on their drives, but decided to stick with Intel. The Intel drive in my desktop is awesomely fast and I doubt I would really notice the slight gains that these other manufacturers talk about.

I guess you could consider this post my recommendation for getting an Intel 320 SSD. You could also go for an Intel 510 (Elmcrest) drive that has the faster speed listings, but those drives also carry a significant premium over the 320's or X-25's.
Click to expand...

The OP is on SATA II.. the Intel 320 should work really well for him.
 
Copyright said:
The OP is on SATA II.. the Intel 320 should work really well for him.
Click to expand...
And in his post on the top of page 2 here, he said SATA III was back on the table.

I was hemming and hawing about SSDs myself since around Thanksgiving. I finally pulled the trigger on the Crucial C300 128GB a few weeks ago when newegg had them for $200 (and it'll be a like a 'free' upgrade when I finally go SATA III :D). If I had caught the Intel X25-M G2 160GB on Buy.com for ~$264 after rebate before it sold out, I probably would have grabbed that instead.

I wanted to wait until I saw the benchmarks for the new generation of Intel and Crucial/Micron drives, but frankly, I wasn't all that impressed by the gains. For me, the value of the outgoing generation felt more impressive than the performance bump.

But in reality, I don't think you can go wrong with any of the previous or the new generation of Intel and Crucial/Micron offerings.

Thuleman said:
Not quite clear what the difference between the OCZ Technology 100 GB Vertex Limited Edition 2.5-Inch SATAII Solid State Drive (SSD) OCZSSD2-1VTXLE100G and the OCZ Technology 100 GB Vertex 2 Series SATA II 2.5-Inch Solid State Drive (SSD) OCZSSD2-2VTX100G is though. They are both shown at 50k IOPS on Amazon and I am beginning to think that the "Limited Edition" is just a marketing ploy to command a hefty premium from chumps.
Click to expand...
The Vertex Limited Edition was a SF-1500 drive OCZ made just before the SF-1200-based Vertex 2.
 
havermeyer said:
And in his post on the top of page 2 here, he said SATA III was back on the table.

I was hemming and hawing about SSDs myself since around Thanksgiving. I finally pulled the trigger on the Crucial C300 128GB a few weeks ago when newegg had them for $200 (and it'll be a like a 'free' upgrade when I finally go SATA III :D). If I had caught the Intel X25-M G2 160GB on Buy.com for ~$264 after rebate before it sold out, I probably would have grabbed that instead.

I wanted to wait until I saw the benchmarks for the new generation of Intel and Crucial/Micron drives, but frankly, I wasn't all that impressed by the gains. For me, the value of the outgoing generation felt more impressive than the performance bump.

But in reality, I don't think you can go wrong with any of the previous or the new generation of Intel and Crucial/Micron offerings.


The Vertex Limited Edition was a SF-1500 drive OCZ made just before the SF-1200-based Vertex 2.
Click to expand...

I missed the SATA III post.. my bad. Good deal on the C300.. I did the same. I have to say it's an impressive drive and feels faster then my Intel's did in RAID 0.
 
Just snagged 2x 120gb 510s @Amazon for 275/each same price as the X-25 I was going to order :eek: :eek:
 
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