Which SSD right NOW?

[groberts101]

comparing cheaper and pricier drives is easily noticed just by simply navigating the GUI of the OS. I've tried 5 different controllers so far and there are very noticable differences to say the least. Still SSD like of course, but there nonetheless.

Latency is key and not all have the same by design.

 

[ronbo613]

What are your reasons for choosing Intel G2 over Vertex 2 and C300?
I am beginning to think that a larger drive (120GB - 160GB) is wiser, too.

I would strongly recommend at least an 80G boot drive, 100 or 120G would be better.
I can't speak for the C300(no direct experience) but I have the 120G Vertex 2 and a friend of mine has the Intel X-25, both on SATAII. After a couple weeks of use, the performance of the two drives was more or less the same. Real world, couldn't tell which one was faster. The main factor is that my friend's X-25 is still working great, my Vertex 2 died after a few weeks of use. The drive I got back from OCZ was not the same one I bought(see "OCZ bait and switch"), but it failed after a week anyway. OCZ is a nightmare to deal with, I truly wish I would have gone with the Intel, I would have saved $200 and a lot of grief.

 

[groberts101]

In all the ranting there from ronboy.. I would have to actually agree with the capacity recommendations bit. I'm good at pickin' through the bull**it like that.. as forums are often full of it.

here's an easy analogy to understand SSD capacity. These things are like a coffee maker. Buy one of the smaller models and you have less reserve once you start pouring off the pot(installed OS/apps eat quite a bit of space most times). Trim and GC can only replenish so quickly and having a larger pot will ensure decent reserves when you really need to pour off more coffee. Simple if you "boil" it right down. lol

 

[Termie]

In all the ranting there from ronboy.. I would have to actually agree with the capacity recommendations bit. I'm good at pickin' through the bull**it like that.. as forums are often full of it.

I thought his personal experience was relevant to the OP. I have both brands, no problems with either, but he wasn't making that up, so even if it was ranting, it certainly wasn't BS.

 

[chong67]

I got me a new Adata S599 for $89 this week. This one is a 64gb.

I bought me a new Agility 2 last week. It is a 60gb.

60gb is enough for me with OS and about 30 1080p movies on it.

I will not get a Kingston SSD. They only have one drive which can do firmware upgrade.

 

[coldmeat]

I got me a new Adata S599 for $89 this week. This one is a 64gb.

I bought me a new Agility 2 last week. It is a 60gb.

60gb is enough for me with OS and about 30 1080p movies on it.

I will not get a Kingston SSD. They only have one drive which can do firmware upgrade.

how do you fit an OS and 30 1080p movies on a 60gb drive? They must be terrible quality.

 

[mosco]

Some good deals on the C300 today on newegg. 199 for the 128 GB model. the intel 510 is 284.

 

[nanaki333]

how do you fit an OS and 30 1080p movies on a 60gb drive? They must be terrible quality.

maybe they're 5 second clips each?

 

[ronbo613]

In all the ranting there from ronboy.. I would have to actually agree with the capacity recommendations bit. I'm good at pickin' through the bull**it like that.. as forums are often full of it.

Well, oczgroberts101, if you had to buy your drives from OCZ instead of getting them free and they turn out to be $200 paperweights, you'd be ranting too. As far as "pickin' through the bull**it", your OCZ sponsored posts are adding to the piles of it.

I think I may go for this Crucial C300 on sale at newegg for $199. That will make the cost of installing an SSD in my computer $399; $199 if I would have been smart enough to not buy the OCZ Vertex 2.

 

[Morg.]

Well .. if you want to buy an SSD now, I would suggest you wait ...

No kidding, I'm pretty sure the new SF2k2 is going to alter the pricing.

 

[aghusker]

Some good deals on the C300 today on newegg. 199 for the 128 GB model. the intel 510 is 284.

Close to paying extra for Intel reliability and to avoid C300 bugs....but it sounds like C300 bugs can be fixed, so I ordered one today:

http://forum.crucial.com/t5/Solid-S...eze-ups-in-Windows-7-solved-for-me/td-p/38766

http://www.vilepickle.com/blog/2011/03/14/00103-fixing-crucial-realssd-c300-stuttering

Am I wrong? Should I cancel my C300?

 

[aghusker]

Well .. if you want to buy an SSD now, I would suggest you wait ...

No kidding, I'm pretty sure the new SF2k2 is going to alter the pricing.

I doubt it...look at Intel 320 release for recent evidence.

All articles I read don't indicate any price drops until years out (think Anandtech C400 review mentions it).

 

[Acanthus]

I just bought a cheap Corsair Force SF1200 based SSD.

I plan to switch to a Vertex 3 after a price drop or two.

 

[drizek]

C300 for $199 is a pretty easy recommendation I think.

I have the 64GB and have been happy with it. Glad I didn't get OCZ and I haven't experienced any of the issues people are complaining about.

 

[groberts101]

Well, oczgroberts101, if you had to buy your drives from OCZ instead of getting them free and they turn out to be $200 paperweights, you'd be ranting too. As far as "pickin' through the bull**it", your OCZ sponsored posts are adding to the piles of it.

I think I may go for this Crucial C300 on sale at newegg for $199. That will make the cost of installing an SSD in my computer $399; $199 if I would have been smart enough to not buy the OCZ Vertex 2.

I have spent over $2000 on their SSD's. So apparently my firsthand knowledge may be a bit better then some others in regards to stability and long term reliability, regardless of recently getting a free drive to test...AND RETURN.

Hows about we call me "OCZ Fanboy" and you could be "Johnny Storm"?

"Flame on!"

 

[chong67]

Do you all have Microcenter nearby? They got it now for $79. Its a rebag Adata 64gb and got the Sandforce controller. Dont know how long it will last.

 

[finbarqs]

I'd still say intel > all for the reliability, and good speed!

 

[SickBeast]

I just got an OCZ Vertex 2 and I'm happy with it.

It's really a personal choice in terms of which SSD to get.

If you're a cheapskate, you can get the Vertex 2 60gb or the Kingston V100 64gb for around $85.

If you want a really fast SSD, you can get a C300 64gb for around $120.

If you want the fastest SSD possible, you can get the new Vertex 3 120gb for around $240.

It all depends on your budget, how much space you need, what type of SATA ports you have, and how much importance you place on things like performance and reliability.

 

[finbarqs]

you guys, just get a shit load of iRAM's, buy a shitload of DDR2's, and BAM! Or whatever they have out there for RAMDrives... As long as your computer's psu is on, (computer doesn't have to be on) you'll have the fastest drive, EVER! RAM > NAND memory!

 

[Hyperlite]

Close to paying extra for Intel reliability and to avoid C300 bugs....but it sounds like C300 bugs can be fixed, so I ordered one today:

http://forum.crucial.com/t5/Solid-S...eze-ups-in-Windows-7-solved-for-me/td-p/38766

http://www.vilepickle.com/blog/2011/03/14/00103-fixing-crucial-realssd-c300-stuttering

Am I wrong? Should I cancel my C300?

I haven't been on AT in forever, but i'm about to purchase and SSD and i'm reading up. Am i correct in that the C300 issue only effects the P67 and possibly X58 chipsets?

Also looks like there is a fair bit of hate around here for the V2, etc...which is tough because it's $180 AR on teh egg now. Errr and C300 is back to $254, so no reason not to wait on the X25 to come back in stock, i guess.

 

[SickBeast]

you guys, just get a shit load of iRAM's, buy a shitload of DDR2's, and BAM! Or whatever they have out there for RAMDrives... As long as your computer's psu is on, (computer doesn't have to be on) you'll have the fastest drive, EVER! RAM > NAND memory!

Even cheap memory is about $7/gb. Multiply that times 60, and it winds up costing $420.

I agree it would be faster, but it's a PITA to have to keep your computer on all the time, and then copy 60gb to the ramdisk whenever you boot up.

 

[Emulex]

don't forget the G2 intel's were the ones that set the price that we have today (low). other wise we'd be paying a ton more. so don't diss ole reliable. they did change the market for good.

you will never go wrong picking the intel SSD. i can find issues with every other supplier.

 

[SickBeast]

don't forget the G2 intel's were the ones that set the price that we have today (low). other wise we'd be paying a ton more. so don't diss ole reliable. they did change the market for good.

you will never go wrong picking the intel SSD. i can find issues with every other supplier.

And I can find issues with Intel. Performance. If you're looking to spend under $100 on an SSD, there are several faster options compared to the X25-v, plus they have higher capacity for the same price.

It's also worth noting that with their G3 drives, Intel is using a 3rd party controller.

Sandforce has actually caught up with and surpassed Intel in terms of performance.

 

[Termie]

And I can find issues with Intel. Performance. If you're looking to spend under $100 on an SSD, there are several faster options compared to the X25-v, plus they have higher capacity for the same price.

It's also worth noting that with their G3 drives, Intel is using a 3rd party controller.

Sandforce has actually caught up with and surpassed Intel in terms of performance.

The reliability would trump the small difference in performance for a lot of people.

Yes, my Agility 2 is faster than my G2. And yes, Intel has nothing in its price class, but if I were looking for a 120GB drive right now, especially for a system for someone else with less technical knowledge, I'd choose the G2 120 over the SandForce/Crucial 120 models. This is in the $200 price range. Unfortunately, we somehow have third-generation drives that are both underwhelming in regard to performance improvements and significantly more expensive that similarly-sized second-gen drives. This is not what we saw with the move from 1st to 2nd gen. For myself, if I were going 120GB, I'd probably take the Vertex 3, but I'm not buying it at its offering price, with its crippled performance versus the larger drives. I'm personally waiting for the 200-250GB drives to come down to the price of today's 120 drives before replacing my app/data drive.

 

[SickBeast]

If you're gonna drop $200 on an SSD, you should look at the Vertex 3 IMO, or else the Micron C300.