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Help me chose a SSD

Viper87227

Viper87227

Fully [H]
Joined
Jun 2, 2004
Messages
18,017
I've finally decided to take the plunge on an SSD. I've been a naysayer for a long time, these things are just so damn expensive for the amount of storage they have. But a friend assures me its one of the best feeling upgrades you can get. So, I have come across a bit of extra cash, and I've decided to order something. But, because I haven't really warmed up to the idea before, I don't have a damn clue what I am shopping for. From what I've gathered, there are massive performance differences among these, and I don't know how to properly shop for one. With the amount of cash it will cost, I want to make sure I get it right. I see people talking about controllers a lot, but I wouldn't have a clue as to whats good and bad.

The intent is for it to be an OS/Apps drive only. No games will go on it. The drive it will be replacing currently has 70GB used on it. I don't quite know why it's so full, but I am hesitant to only get a 64GB drive. It saves me a lot of cash if I can slim things down a bit, but I imagine its a huge pain and a waste of money if I fill it up. For the sake of conversation though, lets consider both 64GB and 128GB drives on the table.

I have $200 to spend, but I really don't see myself willing to part with that much cash, unless its really going to get me something special. I'm a bit more comfortable sticking between $1-$1.25 per GB.

The two drives I am currently looking at are:
64GB - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820220581
128GB - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820171545

It seems to me that both drives will perform similarly (assuming the numbers on Newegg are accurate.) If so, the 120GB drive seems like a better value for being only $45 more. Are either of these good drives? Is there something else in this price range that I should be looking at? I don't have a problem with secondhand either, but again, I'd like to know what I'm looking for. It seems from what I've read that a lot of earlier SSD drives have problems. I don't want to save $20 to get a slow and unreliable drive.

Soooooo, thoughts? Suggestions? Anything at all is appreciated.

EDIT: Theres a new OCZ Vertex 96GB (OCZSSD2-1VTX96G) in the FS forum for $85. Seems like the read is fairly close to what I've linked above, but the write appears to be a lot slower. What's this going to mean in real world performance? Also, I've heard questionable things about OCZ drives, but I don't know if that applies to all of them. What I do know is 96GB for $85 feels a lot better to me than 120GB for $144. Transfer speeds don't matter so much to me, what I'm looking for is faster boot times and an overall snapper feel to windows. Will this drives feel comparable in that aspect?
 
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reading the spec , i see you are gaming on a Z68 mobo.

So, you are looking for either a cheap RAID0 of good garbage collection drives, possibly using a Toshiba controller, or old school Samsung.
If you can find 2 96GB Kingstons, dont think twice: you will have premium space and premium speds.

If you value safety above all else, increase your budget and search ebay for a deal on the Intel 320 series 160GB, that is found hoving the $230 on ocasions.

If you value speed above all else, finally the Plextor M2P is in the shelfs. This a Marvell controller paired with Toshiba toggle NAND and a lot of cache. It will cost less than an m4 and trade blows with the premium Sandforces like Max IOPs, GT, Deluxe.

http://www.storagereview.com/plextor_pxm2p_ssd_review_256gb
 
I think you guys may be missing the mark here on what I want ;) (not that I do not appreciate the suggestions).

I do not need the best... not even close. I wan't something reliable, but even by that, I don't mean I need a drive where not a soul has ever heard of one failing... I just don't want a known time bomb. I also don't need the fastest thing out there. I want the best bang for my buck, keeping in mind that I've never used anything with an SSD in it, ever. I want something that's going to feel like a decent upgrade from having an OS on an HDD. If last years model is capable of that, I'd rather spend the money on that until these come down in price. The price per GB ratio on some of these drives just aren't in area I am comfortable with yet.

Unless there is something fundamentally wrong with the 96GB Vertex drive, I think I'm going to get that. Under $1 a GB is something I can buy without hesitation. If that is enough to feel like a solid upgrade, it will likely hold me off for another year or so when the higher performing drives will hopefully be more mainstream and therefor more affordable.

So, that said, I'd really like some input on that OCZ drive. It's a new drive, so it should have warranty. There are 4 models on newegg, 30/60/96/120, and all of them are rated at 4 stars, and there's over a thousand reviews across all skus. That says to me that it was reliable enough to get a lot of buys, and fast enough that people were happy. Unless I'm missing something, this drive at the price i've found it at seems like the right drive for my needs.
 
all these users have great suggestions. for your bang of the buck and top of the line m4. if you want it to be reliable stick with intel ssd's you cant go wrong.

if you want to pay $1 per GB go with kingstonV series.

any apps you install would work and degredation really doesn't want to exist anymore in this world because nobody cares.

Does anyone know about the new OCZ SSD's i heard they were having hardware problems check other threads to see
 
Some reading. Read page 3, at least there is some data on reliability in a small sample base. But there is data though.

http://www.anandtech.com/show/4202/the-intel-ssd-510-review

Also, be careful when reading reviews. Some reviews have the notation "runs fast, it's great" and then they give it 4 or 5 stars. That's not a good source. So when you see a lot of "good" reviews my advice would be to really read them. Besides, anything new is always great.

And don't forget that Christmas is around the corner. Keep the $200. in your pocket, research some more, at Christmas ask Santa for an SSD of your choice and still keep the $200 in pocket.
 
AirPower4ever said:
And don't forget that Christmas is around the corner. Keep the $200. in your pocket, research some more, at Christmas ask Santa for an SSD of your choice and still keep the $200 in pocket.
Click to expand...

Nice logic in theory, but since Santa does his Christmas shopping with my pocket money, it's all the same. ;)

I bit on the OCZ drive, it was too good to pass on. It's just exactly where I want to be price wise on an SSD, and its something new, so its going to feel like a good upgrade whether its the fastest or not. It should do the job just fine until these things come down in price.
 
Good. I feel the same way like you, got to look at everything, but also do not need to spend an absorbent amount.

I have been looking for some for my main drives and the newer ones (SATA 3) are cheaper that the older ones (SATA 2) which is strange. On some manfacturer's that is.

Just trying to help you out buddy. Some times the lady, mom, pops, brother, sis or all combined can pitch in for one gift. Worth a shot though.

You are going to enjoy it. Some extra information, no more defragging. Not sure if you have Windows 7, just make sure that the Windows defrag version is shut off. It should take care of it by itself, but always check. And then never defrag the SSD, one less responsibility only to be replaced by checking their forums for firmware updates every now and then. Good trade off though from a work prospective.

Have fun!
 
AirPower4ever said:
Good. I feel the same way like you, got to look at everything, but also do not need to spend an absorbent amount.

I have been looking for some for my main drives and the newer ones (SATA 3) are cheaper that the older ones (SATA 2) which is strange. On some manfacturer's that is.

Just trying to help you out buddy. Some times the lady, mom, pops, brother, sis or all combined can pitch in for one gift. Worth a shot though.

You are going to enjoy it. Some extra information, no more defragging. Not sure if you have Windows 7, just make sure that the Windows defrag version is shut off. It should take care of it by itself, but always check. And then never defrag the SSD, one less responsibility only to be replaced by checking their forums for firmware updates every now and then. Good trade off though from a work prospective.

Have fun!
Click to expand...

Good to know on the defrag thing, had no idea. I heard OCZ has a TRIM utility, good idea to run this every once and a while?
 
If you are using Windows 7 in NON raid, then TRIM is automatic. In your BIOS make sure to set the drive to AHCI, then load Windows 7. TRIM will run behind the scenes, especially when you leave the system on. Example, you leave your computer on while you go to the store for some beer (or Scotch).

There are a couple of ways to check though;

* Open a command prompt and run as "Run as Administrator". Then type the following at the prompt (without the quotes) "fsutil behavior query DisableDeleteNotify". Then look for the result, if it "0" then it is on.

the other way

* Open the registry and go here;
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Session Manager\Memory Management\ and then highlight PrefetchParameters. Now look to the right side and look for the following entries

- EnablePrefetcher
- EnableSuperfetch

Look over from them and they should both have a value of "0"
 
I got the drive today, good lord what a difference. I suppose any one of my friends who I told they were a waste to gets to gloat now. I'm glad I got the drive I did. It feels like a huge upgrade at a price I am comfortable with.
 
jwcalla said:
Once you go SSD, you can never go back.

It's just a fact. :)
Click to expand...

I'm seeing that. I did a fresh install of Windows, and after I started it I went to go tinker with my car. Came back 7 minutes later to see how I'd progressed, and it was already doing it's first boot. I was totally shocked. After I got everything loaded, I could go from being off to being in windows with a mouse cursor in 8 seconds. It probably took over a minute on my slow ass HDD.

I don't see myself ever building another computer without one of these things...
 
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