Top 3 SSD manufacturers

[Obsoleet]

Industry bests-
1. Intel (best active GC, no potential negatives with the 510 series besides no ~500GB capacity)
2. Samsung (830 is amazing, only manu of these 3 that is OEM into notebooks)
3. Crucial (just good drives)

What I'd spend my money on today-
1. Samsung (830, but newer drive)
2. Intel (510, top end 250GB model near the 830 512GB's price. Personally I demand ~500GB+ at this point)
3. Crucial (I wouldn't buy these now. But worthy- decent value, bugs should all be worked out)

Looked into the market again because I want a 512GB drive, and it appears the M4 is the way to go for price/performance/reliability. Though I believe and agree with Anand that Intel's instant GC is the way to go, and Samsung/Crucial have the wrong idea to leave that until idle.. I still think they should be considered for purchase regardless as they are still rock solid.

Anything outside of this list would never receive my money, nor recommendation. Though I'm a solid believer in the Intel drives (all models released)- I am solely recommending Crucial today to those who ask, unless they disagree of course. I still steer towards Samsung or Intel if they want something other than the Crucial.
So far, everyone is buying Crucial. When people are looking for ultrabooks, I steer them to those with Samsung controllers (usually Samsung models).

I'm extremely pleased with the performance (going on 4 years now) with my Intel G2's.
That said, I'll likely migrate my 160GB G2 into my laptop, and put the 512GB Crucial M4 into my desktop.

 

[Ricochet]

I tend to agree with you. After hearing about all the OCZ horror stories and what happened to my WD, I'm going to stick to your list.

I put an Intel 120gb in my friends PC. His has been rock solid going on several years now. I heard nothing but praises for Intel.

For my PC, I had put in a WD SiliconEdge Blue 256gb drive. I found it used for $240. At the time I thought it was a really hot deal. Just several days ago it died on me. I only had it for 6 months.

 

[ctk1981]

Still rocking an OCZ vertex 2.5 years later, right along with an OCZ summit drive 2 years old. Granted, I did go with an Intel G2 for my lenovo last year, but I've had good luck with ssd so far.

 

[bryanW1995]

2 + years with an x25m g2 with no issues. Just bought a 320 series on BF as well.

 

[Obsoleet]

It's very difficult for me to pull the trigger on a 512GB M4 when like you, my Intel drives have been extremely solid. I'm tempted to just take the 250GB Intel 510.

 

[ExcaliburMM]

I've been looking at Corsair's Force 3 series and it looks like that's what I'll be buying soon. I think they've been doing pretty well on the SSD front.

 

[Obsoleet]

I'm seeing the Samsung 830 512GB for around $700 online. That's very close to the M4's price.

I think I'd have to go for the 830 over the M4 in that case. $700 is not a bad price at all, cheap enough that I might have to spring for this.

While I like the Intel series, I basically already own the 320, and the 510 has never sat well with me due to the Marvell controller. For new drives that leaves the 830 and M4.

 

[groberts101]

I've been looking at Corsair's Force 3 series and it looks like that's what I'll be buying soon. I think they've been doing pretty well on the SSD front.

that's an asynch nand equipped model.

I'd rec to go with the synch nand equipped GT for better low end grunt where the OS runs. :thumbsup:

Just my opinion based on experience with that Sandforce 2281 controller , is all.

 

[Obsoleet]

I've been looking at Corsair's Force 3 series and it looks like that's what I'll be buying soon. I think they've been doing pretty well on the SSD front.

If you want Sandforce, just wait for Intel's Sandforce drive (if the rumors are true). You'll have the best of every world, probably lower (benchmark) performance than other SF drives but it will be done right.

I'm torn between Intel and Samsung drives myself, with the 510 being the hands-down way to go. It just has no 500GB+ model.

Intel needs a high performance 510-like drive with 512GB - 1TB capacity for users like myself that demand that. If the 520 is 500GB+ and Sandforce maybe we'll all (besides those who buy non-Intel drives partially based on their high price)- be happy.

With the Samsung 830 being as (or close) to being as reliable as the Intel, and using the same delayed garbage collection method as Crucial, I'm going to stop recommending Crucial drives and stick to Intel or Samsung depending on need.

For me, due to the way sometimes I will utilize the majority of space on my SSD, Intel's 'worst case scenario' is a superior situation. I think people (esp SSD haters who think we're all beta testers) would be shocked at how even my 'lowly' G2 40GB has been an amazing performer with never a hiccup for years.

 

[=Wendy=]

An interesting read with the statistics built from a sample of 350,000.
http://www.storagesearch.com/ssd-top10.html

 

[RavenSEAL]

IMO:

1.Crucial
2. Intel
3. Corsair

Honorable Mention: Samsung

 

[groberts101]

If you want Sandforce, just wait for Intel's Sandforce drive (if the rumors are true).

wait no more.. er.. NM.. wait some more.
http://www.applied-computer.com/Inventories/ProductDetail.aspx?PG=0&GroupID=5467203

midsized.
http://www.applied-computer.com/Inventories/TechnoteDetail.aspx?Acpn=000000&GroupID=5467199

and for the more budget conscious high-end drive users the wait is over.
http://www.applied-computer.com/Inventories/TechnoteDetail.aspx?Acpn=000000&GroupID=5467193

 

[Obsoleet]

An interesting read with the statistics built from a sample of 350,000.
http://www.storagesearch.com/ssd-top10.html

'Who are the top 20 most important SSD companies?'
Huh?
I'm not sure what that 'importance' (rather vague and meaningless without definition) list is supposed to represent other than the wishes of a supposed group of people.

The largest, most trusted and reliable OEM manufacturer out there in most Apple products (Samsung) not being on a list of "importance" is absurd. Not to mention whoever put that together says Intel are the WORST drives out there. Right!! That has to be the biggest joke I've ever heard. The fact Micron/Crucial and Samsung aren't even in that "top 20" makes the list worthy of automatic dismissal.

I'm sticking with Anand's opinions and reviews.. that said, thanks for the laugh.

IMO:

1.Crucial
2. Intel
3. Corsair

Honorable Mention: Samsung

I'd be interested in your reasoning out of curiosity. Just want to see what people know about the drives and market that cause them to define those opinions.

For me, I can't put together how Crucial comes out ahead of Samsung 830 or Intel 510 (both Crucial and Intel use Marvell, but the Intel 510 has proven to be the better drive according to critical flaws and Anand's analysis).
Also, Samsung, the largest most trusted OEM in the world who works for Apple coming up behind Corsair (while I also appreciate Corsair as well)- is strange. No one else besides Intel or Samsung could provide the quantity and quality of product necessary for someone like Apple, which translates to the consumer drive being guaranteed to be some of the industry's most solid drives.

 

[Coup27]

An interesting read with the statistics built from a sample of 350,000.
http://www.storagesearch.com/ssd-top10.html

That link is complete rubbish.

Samsung is not even on there at all, and Samsung have advertised themselves as the worlds largest SSD shipper. Seagate above Intel? Seagate even on there? And I quote from the Intel passage:

Down 8 places since the last quarter.

"Intel has shipped some truly terrible SSDs - which demonstrated the company's lack of knowledge about the fundamental building blocks needed to design a reliable storage drive.

"In the summer of 2011 - after yet another SSD / firmware recall - this led me to comment - "If Intel's SSD design business was a horse - it would have been shot a long time ago and put out of its misery..."

"Intel's customers have painfully learned that there's a lot more to designing SSDs than soldering a bunch of memory chips to a controller and host interface. Intel's designers should have known that too. In the long term I expect Intel will buy an SSD company or license more SSD technology."

The X25-M was the first reliable SSD on the market. That link appears nothing more than spin by the chosen person for their chosen reason.

 

[Obsoleet]

wait no more.. er.. NM.. wait some more.
http://www.applied-computer.com/Inventories/ProductDetail.aspx?PG=0&GroupID=5467203

midsized.
http://www.applied-computer.com/Inventories/TechnoteDetail.aspx?Acpn=000000&GroupID=5467199

and for the more budget conscious high-end drive users the wait is over.
http://www.applied-computer.com/Inventories/TechnoteDetail.aspx?Acpn=000000&GroupID=5467193

Nice, the 480GB / $1,000 drive is exactly what I'm looking for. It's about $250 more than the comparable 512GB Samsung 830, but I'm guessing it's the best of every world.
Active GC + Sandforce with Intel reliability.

I'm no OCZ or other odd-ball drive user (anymore), and I'm willing to bet that 480GB drive is worth the price of admission and last as long and be as rock-solid as my G2s have.

I'd like a little more information on it, hopefully we'll see a review soon.

 

[groberts101]

ROFLMAO.. you guys make it too easy. Wendy was just yankin' yer chains.

Nice one Wendy! Cute, smart, witty and with an accent. What more could a guy ask for? lol

 

[Coup27]

You know I like a laugh mate but not really sure about that one.

And depends what area of Scotland she's from. There's some pretty shocking Scottish accents about

 

[groberts101]

Active GC + Sandforce with Intel reliability.

I'd like a little more information on it, hopefully we'll see a review soon.

don't count on Intel making these drives immediatey recover blocks after a TRIM command as that's best left to the internal design of the controller.

No firmware will ever change that inherent flaw regardless of how much money they throw at it. Other more "tweaker friendly" companies would have surely done it already if it could be done.

You're right though.. time and reviews will tell the real story.

 

[=Wendy=]

Far to many people around here take things to serious, and figure they have it all worked out.

The way the page is laid out in the link I gave, should have said enough about it's validity.

hook line and sinker, to coin a phrase.

Said it before, people will buy what they want to buy, and what they can afford. As long as they are happy with their purchase, no harm is done.

Now that reminds me. I must look out all my old JMicron based SSDs.:whiste:

[EDIT]
@Coup.
I'm from the posh part, Edinburgh.

 

[groberts101]

Thanks Wendy.. that made my day. :wub:

 

[Coup27]

I've been to Edinburgh. Spent the weekend there. Really nice place, nice night life and didn't see any trouble, esp for being English!

You're obviously easily pleased Roberts

 

[Obsoleet]

don't count on Intel making these drives immediatey recover blocks after a TRIM command as that's best left to the internal design of the controller.

No firmware will ever change that inherent flaw regardless of how much money they throw at it. Other more "tweaker friendly" companies would have surely done it already if it could be done.

You're right though.. time and reviews will tell the real story.

I hope they maintain the lower peak performance, but keep the active GC of the Intel controller and Marvell controller based drives. Either way, I'm excited to see what Intel has done if it is SF. I'll be surprised if they go the route of Crucial/Samsung. If so, I'll be leaning even more towards going Samsung.

Far to many people around here take things to serious, and figure they have it all worked out.

The way the page is laid out in the link I gave, should have said enough about it's validity.

hook line and sinker, to coin a phrase.

Said it before, people will buy what they want to buy, and what they can afford. As long as they are happy with their purchase, no harm is done.

I think you would love to defend the link if you could, as it lines up with your previous posts on SSDs. That, and it would be totally destroyed by most ATers in the know about the market. The comment on Intel and complete absence of Samsung is the work of a cheapskate who is trolling the highest quality manufacturers of the world that are simply impossible to match.

In regards to people will buy what they want to buy- True but no one should be recommending garbage products. Especially those of us who have used multiple OCZ (or similar) products and try to give a strong message to newcomers to not go off benchmark highs or lower prices as a reason to buy something. True they have to work for some of those out there, even flawlessly in some cases, but the compatibility testing and QA is infinitely miniscule in comparison which is why you see so many complaints.

Spend on quality and reliability, that's the message most of us are saying. Especially in a relatively new market segment. If you can't afford the good stuff, buy a smaller size or save up a few more paychecks.

 

[=Wendy=]

I think you would love to defend the link if you could, as it lines up with your previous posts on SSDs.

You don't know me at all, so let's just leave it at that.

 

[groberts101]

I hope they maintain the lower peak performance, but keep the active GC of the Intel controller and Marvell controller based drives. Either way, I'm excited to see what Intel has done if it is SF. I'll be surprised if they go the route of Crucial/Samsung. If so, I'll be leaning even more towards going Samsung.

I think you would love to defend the link if you could, as it lines up with your previous posts on SSDs.

In regards to people will buy what they want to buy- True but no one should be recommending garbage products.

I know you can't help but to keep pouring on the salt here but there is no other controller on the market that can write at those speeds without use of compression. And there is no other controller that uses compression at this time either. So,.. if the shoe fits.

as for questioning Wendy's knowledge base on the SSD industry as a whole over most of the fellow AT'ers around here?.. that's pretty rich when you consider she does that for a living.

She knows far more than she lets on simply because she prefers to avoid the venting and hassles of constant never ending debates with some of the frustrated overbearing folks who often frequent this place.

Just cut her some slack and she'll seriously compare notes with added personal opinion if that's all you want to do.

And finally.. one man's garbage is another mans gold. Get off the horse already.

 

[Obsoleet]

I've been to Edinburgh. Spent the weekend there. Really nice place, nice night life and didn't see any trouble, esp for being English!

You're obviously easily pleased Roberts

I've been to London. Same sentiments, no troubles- especially being American traveling with a Frenchman. Took the eurotunnel from Calais IIRC.