500GB SSD: 850EVO, 850Pro, Corsair LE?

[Peroxyde]

Hi,

I would like to upgrade my desktop computer with a 500GB SSD. Can you please advise a model?

- Desktop specs: Core2 Q9550, 8 GB RAM, 128 GB SSD Crucial M4, 1.5 TB Western Digital black, low end $50 video card.

- Usage: casual & development. No games. Linux. All the dev works is mostly text based. Usage of the SSD is quite modest. The amount of daily writing is generally less than 1GB, rarely go above 10 GB daily.

The current Crucial M4 128 GB works OK, I just need a bigger one. The reliability is the most important criteria. Price is not really important, but it would be nice not to overpay. Going with the most expensive is probably the way to go. But somehow I manage quite OK with the old Crucial M4. Not sure how good modern SSD are now. I think of the following models. But any brand you advise will do.

- Samsung 850 Pro 512 GB, $218
- Samsung 850 EVO 500GB, $150
- Corsair Force LE 480GB, $115

Thanks very much in advance for any help.

 

[arandomguy]

This is just me personally but I will not be considering sub 20nm litho TLC NAND drives until there is more documented testing on what the data retention characteristics are as well as how that is achieved (if it is via periodic refreshing of data, how often?) unless there are massive price savings. I think all the focus on out of the box fresh data speed tests and write to failure endurance testing misses the actual issue.

Crucial MX200 is available for $135, might go lower once MX300 actually starts to replace it.

OCZ ARC100 is $125 at Amazon but you might be paying taxes for that.

 

[Elixer]

I agree, I think people should stick with MLC based NAND SSDs if reliability is the #1 factor, until we can have more data on the TLC units.

 

[Peroxyde]

Crucial MX200 is available for $135, might go lower once MX300 actually starts to replace it.

OCZ ARC100 is $125 at Amazon but you might be paying taxes for that.

How come, the MX200, 500GB, $150 is only 3 years warranty if it is better? The 850 EVO is 5Y for the same price.

It's not a critic of your advice (I know almost nothing). Whether the memory is MLC or TLC, would the manufacturer warranty reflect the quality?

 

[nerp]

EVO. Samsung is the part to get in all cases unless you're shopping for enterprise.

 

[nanaki333]

I try to only go with MLC based drives for my personal machines. The Sammy EVO series are the only exception to that rule though. I read a torture test of the Samsung 840 Pro drives and they got like 18PB (yes, PB, not TB) before it finally crapped out.

 

[arandomguy]

How come, the MX200, 500GB, $150 is only 3 years warranty if it is better? The 850 EVO is 5Y for the same price.

It's not a critic of your advice (I know almost nothing). Whether the memory is MLC or TLC, would the manufacturer warranty reflect the quality?

I never said the MX200 was better than the 850 EVO.

At the time of posting the MX200 was available for $135 at Newegg. That and the ARC 100 were given as alternatives to the Corsair Force LE.

As for the MX200 vs. the 850 EVO in my opinion it's a pick em in that comparison. You aren't really going to make a clear case that one is significantly better than the other. In that type of situation I tend to slide to whatever is noticeably cheaper, which it was at $135 vs $150.

 

[jhansman]

When shopping for a new boot drive, I managed to pick up the 850 EVO 500G for $135, and so far it has delivered the best performance (I don't BM; this is day-in, day-out) of any drive I've owned. Under Win10 Pro, my computer now runs as I have always wished it would. My other components are pushing 3+ yrs. old now, but manage to keep up with this drive nicely.

 

[nerp]

It really is a wonderful component. Those Samsung EVO drives are just fantastic. Worth the extra few bucks.

 

[poohbear]

The Samsung 850 evo uses 3D Nand. Isn't that a different beast all together? Much more reliable no? It's the best for price/performance ratio from all the recommendations online.

 

[Slacker]

Summary
- SATA 6Gb/s SSD for Client PCs
- 2.5 inch form factor
- Samsung 3D V-NAND 3bit MLC

from the 850 evo (not pro) data sheet.

http://www.samsung.com/global/busin...nt/Samsung_SSD_850_EVO_Data_Sheet_rev_2_0.pdf

I just recently got one as my first ever ssd, it is well worth the $149.00 and performs fantastically.

warranties are the blue pill.

 

[Shmee]

Evo would be a good bet IMO. I would consider upgrading the platform as well if I were you, to something with Sata3, USB3, and a faster more modern CPU. Of course, if it does everything you need it to already, this isn't necessary if all parts are in good condition.

 

[[DHT]Osiris]

Honestly right now, until someone can bring up a superior offering and I see some benchmarks/torture tests to compare it to, I *always* recommend a Samsung something. Evo, Pro, doesn't really matter in my book, it's worth the few extra bucks. They've basically secured themselves in my brain as the only SSD to purchase for the forseeable future due to the 840/850 series.

 

[nanaki333]

Honestly right now, until someone can bring up a superior offering and I see some benchmarks/torture tests to compare it to, I *always* recommend a Samsung something. Evo, Pro, doesn't really matter in my book, it's worth the few extra bucks. They've basically secured themselves in my brain as the only SSD to purchase for the forseeable future due to the 840/850 series.

If you Google, you can find a torture test for the first TLC 840 (non EVO or PRO) and they got like 8PB or something ridiculous out of it. Ever since that, I try to stay with Samsung for all of my OS drives.


EDIT: I can't find the one showing several PB, but now I think of it, it may have been the PRO to hit those numbers. The standard 840 there's tons of torture tests showing anywhere from 700TB to right around 1PB.
http://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2015...rked-to-death-and-last-far-longer-than-rated/
http://us.hardware.info/reviews/417...-with-final-conclusion-final-update-20-6-2013
etc.

 

[Dave2150]

850 EVO's are my go to SSD at the moment. Much higher endurance than most other drives, fantastic performance and great reliability.

The 840 EVO's were the ones that had a speed issue with old data, which was resolved with a firmware update, though that did increase the writes of the drive. Never heard of a 840 EVO dying after this firmware update either, and with the numbers of them out there, we would have heard by now.

3D VNAND > normal MLC.

 

[thilanliyan]

3D VNAND > normal MLC.

Why is that? Asking a genuine question, I would actually like to know. I don't keep up much with storage tech.

 

[Slacker]

I'm going to assume he meant
=
Because that is the case here as stated in the data sheet I linked here
http://forums.anandtech.com/showthread.php?p=38196886

The nand in the evo is mlc

 

[Beer4Me]

I'm a big fan of the PNY MLC-based CS21xx and CS22xx series of SSD's myself. I've got 3 of them spread across 2 machines.

 

[dlerious]

Sandisk Extreme Pro here, but I'd buy Samsung too.