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intel 510 vs 520

S

setzer_

n00b
Joined
Mar 25, 2008
Messages
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Looking for a 120gb ssd, Locally I can get the 510 and 520 for the exact same price.

Will be initially installing it on my motherboard which only has SATA II, but will be doing a major upgrade down the road at which point I will be using SATA III speeds.

I know the 520 is faster, but my real question is reliability, if you wanted the most reliable drive with the least amount of headaches, would you get the 510 or the 520 ?

This is my first ssd ever and I am scared of sandforce controllers from all the past problems I have read. How much more reliable is the marvell controller used in the 510 over the SF one in the 520 ? Or do people think intel has really refined the SF controller at this point that its just not an issue anymore ?

Basically at equal price, and pretending speeds were the same, wouldn't you get a 510 over a 520 ?

I know it sounds like I'm probably beating on a dead horse with the amount of "Which SSD should I buy" posts, but this one is specifically about the 510 vs the 520 and reliability only.

Thanks..
 
Intel supposedly spent a year validating the controller for the 520, so I'd go ahead and get one of those if the price is the same. Quite a bit faster than the 510, I believe. Are you getting a really good deal on the Intel? Have you considered the Crucial M4, or Samsung 830?
 
The 510 doesn't make sense now. The M4 is cheaper and uses the same controller and as reliable as Intel. The 520 is a new product and performs better than both, but more expensive. I would rather get the 520 if deciding between both.
 
I say get the 520 120GB. I have a 510 120GB, and it's pretty awesome, but I think Cherryville is the way to go. If you really want something reliable, get the X25-M. I wouldn't shy away from the Marvel powered drives, especially the M4 and Plextor drives, but there is a strong case to be made for Intel drives.
 
cool, thanks for the replies !

I will be getting an intel 520 120GB..... priced at $240 CAD
 
Only now I found this topic. I have the same question between Marvell controller ( people say is much more stable and reliable) and about the new 520 series, I am worried about the infamous BSOD of the sandforce controller. So... Wich one?

have people using the 520 series? What are your experiences?
 
Supposedly Intel spent a year validating the Sandforce controller for it, so it should be solid. I wouldn't expect Intel to risk their reputation in that area if they weren't sure they had it figured out.
 
I've had both the 510 and the 520 since each launch respectivaly. Have had zero issues with either and fully stand behind Intel ssd's. Having said that currently I have 2 520's in raid 0 and could not be happier. Havent noticed and performance issues or slowdowns, and never a blue screen.
 
Personally, I wouldn't buy the 520 myself (partly for price reasons), but there are issues with all drives to some extent. I don't doubt that the drive is solid though.
 
I recently upgraded from a 320 to 520. I have had 0 problems with either drive.
 
If we do not consider the price and speed. If we consider that a model has Marvell controller and the other has SandForce, which model the users have had less problems? I do not want super speed. I want only reliability
 
Sandforce drives are great. I have a Corsair Force GT, no problems for 4 months so far, sure that's only a short period of time. Intel 520 is probably even more reliable since Intel validated it for a long time, and they definitely don't want to blemish their records as the most reliable SSD.

The great thing I personally prefer is that the Sandforce controller does encryption on the fly, whereas Marvell doesn't have any encryption. The encryption is great if you ever sell the drive (ATA secure erase), otherwise may not be that significant. Since I wheel and deal to upgrade my drives, it's an important feature for me if I ever sell it.
 
I've been using two Intel 510 SSD's since they launched and have never experienced a single problem with them. Not the fastest, but an awesome drive. If it matters to you, they also use 34nm memory chips, which could help with longevity in some situations.


I honestly don't even remember having to update the firmware on them. Pretty sure they just came out and worked. :)

Edit: To the guy above, it is super easy to secure erase an Intel drive from their toolbox. Basically just delete the partitions, pull the power plug out of the drive and put it back in to get it out of security lockdown, and click secure erase.
 
Edde said:
If we do not consider the price and speed. If we consider that a model has Marvell controller and the other has SandForce, which model the users have had less problems? I do not want super speed. I want only reliability
Click to expand...

Ignoring cost and speed, I'd just get a Marvell controller. Or actually, I'd probably get a Crucial M4.
 
Thank you for all. I think I really going to get the 510 series, I want it for my OS, windows 7 pro.
I need a very reliable SSD.
I think, for everything I read on internet and everything I talked with people around the world, that sandforce still not reliable.

Even Intel has problems with blue screen in 520 series. Just read the intel forum. I know the 520 have super speed and price and bla bla bla. But I really don't want one SSD that I can't trusth .

Maybe in one more year they can improve. Same about Intel, I think 520 series it's a great project and Intel have a great potential to make great SSDs because they are the best in processors, but the problem is the sandforce controller. I think Intel only did it for sell more ( offering more speed and a less price) I am sure Intel will improve the quality in the next projects as 530 or 540 series. Thank you all for the tips and advices. :)
 
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i do not know what you mean by 'very reliable'

Intel SSDs are more reliable than WD HDDs, going by RMA rates. but that's just statistics... and i dislike statistics. But that's personal preference so yeah let's move on

If you need reliability, for a mission critical system, you can't get it with just one device that is online constantly. You need redundancy, error correction and backups.
 
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