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SSD Controller

J

JCNiest5

Supreme [H]ardness
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Hey, guys, why is an SSD more expensive with the SandForce controller? Is it like the big boy of the SSD controller?
 
One reason is this controller implements hw compression which the other controllers do not. With that said there have been quite a few bugs with this controller however I admit it seems to be getting better.
 
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Everest controller any good? It seems to transfer very slow compared to the SandForce's.
 
Everest controller any good
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Never heard of it.

Edit: This seems to be an OCZ development of the old Indilinx controller. I do not recommend purchasing any products at all from OCZ currently. Read some threads about their reliability problems and customer service..

It seems to transfer very slow compared to the SandForce's.
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Remember that as a result of compression Sandforce STR numbers are over inflated and not realistic. This assumes your data compresses at 2:1. If you are using already compressed formats (most video, graphics, audio, zip files ...) your performance will be around 1/2 the numbers quoted in the literature.

Also with that said the power of an SSD is not how fast it can read and write large files sequentially. Its how fast it can read and write small files. Since this is what you typically do most on a PC.
 
Most people are going to recommend the Crucial M4 or the Samsung 830, although there are some other manufacturers selling Marvell-based drives as well. Personally, I'd stay away from Sandforce drives and OCZ drives of any type.
 
What is IOPS and how is it rated? The more IOPS the better?
 
IO operations per second. This is the real power of an SSD. One problem with this number is manufacturers tend use the best case scenario and not the real world.
 
Crucial has three(if not more models of) 128GB M4, what's the difference between them anyway?

M4 CT128M4SSD2BAA
M4 CT128M4SSD2
M4 CT128M4SSD1
 
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The differences are usually related to the packaging. Some come with an adapter bracket, or a transition / upgrade kit. OR in some cases there are (physical) size differences.
 
There have been no issues with the Vertex 3 for the large majority of users since the October firmware update. Further, aforementioned issues resulted in BSODS or motherboards not even detecting the drive to begin with. None resulted in data loss. People forget that even the Marvell drives have had a number of issues as well. In the end, a drive with either controller should be solid now as they've been out for a year and all the bugs have been patched out.

Further, the sandforce being 'slower' in real world usage is bull. When it comes to games, standard OS tasks, etc.. the compression is used to a great extent. This is why the sandforce based drives benchmark so highly in PCMark and the Anand test suite which emulate real world tasks. In tasks of moving around allready compressed data the performance does fall a bit. No arguing that. However, I think most people will not be using their SSD for storage of movies/music/pictures. Said items will typically end up on a HDD.

So saying the sandforce drives are 'worse' in real world tasks is a bunch of malarky. Not to mention that even when moving around highly compressed data the latest Sandforce drives still perform quite well anyways. It's not like the Marvell based drives are leaps and bounds better.
 
Aren't games made up of mostly compressed data? Certainly game makers will compress their audio, video and graphics.


Further, the sandforce being 'slower' in real world usage is bull.
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I am not saying they are slow. Just the performance numbers they quote assume unrealistic compression.
 
drescherjm said:
Aren't games made up of mostly compressed data? Certainly game makers will compress their audio, video and graphics.




I am not saying they are slow. Just the performance numbers they quote assume unrealistic compression.
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Unrealistic or not; The proof is in the pudding as they say.

http://www.anandtech.com/bench/Product/350?vs=425

Yes, lots of games do use highly compressed data. However, Sandforce drives only take a hit with compressed data when writing - Not reading. Running games is mostly a read only task unless the page file is being used or a save file is being written.
 
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I have to go back to the OP and ask... Are SF drives really that much more expensive (aside from silly Intel)? They seem to be the cheapest ones out there since every vendor and his brother has their own model out and they're all competing with what is essentially the same product. Maybe that isn't true in terms of MSRP, but on sales they seem to be some of the cheapest.
 
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