Which SSD to go with?

[frldyz]

1st computer build.
Will be used primarily as a home computer for basic needs. However.... A some point I might buy a couple games just for the heck of it.
I will be having additional HDD for storage of files.
The SSD will only be used to store and run programs.
Windows 7.
i7 4790k
Noctua NH-14
I will be running 2 monitor for sure. I would love to run 3. (Do I need it? No. But why not?)

The entire purpose of this goal is to have an as fast as possible home computer. I want windows 7 to just scream with speed when using it.

That being said. Which SSD card is the way to go. Money is not an issues. However I'd like not to go over the $300 mark if possible.

I've read some great things about the Samsung SSD PRO's. And thought I read something about a new Samsung SSD with 3D or vertical technology or something?

Thanks guys

 

[inachu]

Well the others guys can give you the best info on the SSD's but if you want to be nerdy about speed in relation to how drives can speed up the performance of Windows in general then the best bet would be to use 3 solid state drives but you can get by on just using 2.

Preferably using a hard drive(NOT SSD) as for just backup purposes.

My reason for using 3 drives is to have one dedicated to just the windows swap file
the other for windows temp folder.(I know overkill and will see only minimal performance gains but if you want cutting edge then thats what you do.

This way windows os hard drive is not bogged down by any other process other than its own operation and not any other 3rd party process.

If the pc is just to be used for gaming and no web browsing at all then you do not need a 24/7 antivirus solution as those programs really eat away at the cpu cycles bottlenecking speeds. Also disable themes located under services.

Your system should then now be a speed demon!

 

[Blain]

Go with Samsung, Intel, Crucial or Kingston and you'll be fine.

 

[Ketchup]

Decide roughly how much you are willing to spend, and how much space you will. Should make the decision a lot easier.

Tip: don't get anything with less that 240 GB.
- SSD's a quite fast compared to a hard drive, but the smaller ones are relatively slow for what they are.
- You want enough space for it to last you a while.

 

[Charlie98]

Aside from some cheapo SSD, any modern name brand SSD will provide excellent service. Since cost isn't an issue, don't look at the bottom end offerings...

Size is the overriding factor... make sure you size your SSD to allow 20-25% free space, and, as Ketchup suggests, don't get anything smaller than a ~250GB.

Go with Samsung, Intel, Crucial or Kingston and you'll be fine.

Following those suggestions... the 850Pro, the Intel 730, the Crucial M550 or MX200 would be my choices; to that I would add the Plextor M6Pro.

 

[mikeymikec]

Tip: don't get anything with less that 240 GB.

Any particular reason? I've built a load of systems with 128GB SSDs without any problems and they perform perfectly quickly. Obviously there should be a question of "how much space does the user require / is likely to require in the PCs lifetime", but that would apply in any case.

 

[Ketchup]

Any particular reason? I've built a load of systems with 128GB SSDs without any problems and they perform perfectly quickly. ...

Two reasons:
1. The average person is going to run out of space pretty quickly if they don't have another drive for additional storage, thus destroying some of the benefit of the drive.

2a. Here is one bench that shows the difference:

2b. And here is an example of why:
Capacity.............128GB........256GB.........512GB......1TB
DRAM (LPDDR2)....256MB .............512MB.................1GB
Sequential Read....550MB/s...560MB/s.....560MB/s.....560MB/s
Sequential Write.170MB/s.320MB/s...460MB/s...460MB/s

The write speed. Like I said, compared to a hard drive, still a fast drive, but I would much rather spend a few dollars more and get the full performance out of it, not to mention space. The price diff between this particular 128 and 256 is only $30.

 

[mikeymikec]

Two reasons:
1. The average person is going to run out of space pretty quickly if they don't have another drive for additional storage, thus destroying some of the benefit of the drive.

Again, that would depend on how much storage they're likely to require. Most of the computer builds I've done with SSDs in were 128GB ones only. Please note: I'm not claiming to know what the average user's storage requirements are. I would be interested to see some stats on what the average user's storage requirements are. If a customer's personal data usage gets near 60GB, I suggest going for a higher capacity SSD (if we're talking about building a new PC at that point).

2a. Here is one bench that shows the difference:

Since we're talking about the average user, I suggest this - put two identical systems to the test, one with a 128GB SSD and one with the same series/type of drive but the 256GB model instead. I would be very surprised if you could tell the difference in performance between the two for average tasks.

The price diff between this particular 128 and 256 is only $30.

That depends on the drive and one's location, surely?

In the UK, checking with one of my main suppliers, comparing the 850 PRO SSDs, the 128GB is £47.05 cheaper than the 256GB, the latter is approximately 1.5x the cost of the former.

 

[inachu]

The top 5 uses of computers at home:
1. Gaming
2. Video/image processing/storage
3. Programming
4. Various communication
5. Work at home types.
1,2,3 will see the most benefit from using 256gig SSD drive will be the most noticeable.

 

[mikeymikec]

The top 5 uses of computers at home:
1. Gaming
2. Video/image processing/storage
3. Programming
4. Various communication
5. Work at home types.
1,2,3 will see the most benefit from using 256gig SSD drive will be the most noticeable.

Err, try:

1 - Web browsing / e-mail
2 - Storage of digital camera photos and music
3 - Skype
My list isn't intended to be complete but I'm pretty sure it's a damn sight more accurate than yours!

Programming before "Various communication" and "work at home", are you serious?

- edit - You may have intended "video / image processing" to encompass my second point, but the way you put it sounds a heck of a lot more serious than "look ma, I rotated a photo".

 

[inachu]

Err, try:

1 - Web browsing / e-mail
2 - Storage of digital camera photos and music
3 - Skype
My list isn't intended to be complete but I'm pretty sure it's a damn sight more accurate than yours!

Programming before "Various communication" and "work at home", are you serious?

- edit - You may have intended "video / image processing" to encompass my second point, but the way you put it sounds a heck of a lot more serious than "look ma, I rotated a photo".

Again you are splitting hairs but can agree to a stretch and have seen this myself but I was firstly meaning local performance first. To which I have also noted putting swap and temp folders onto SSD's which related to Internet Explorers cookies and such.

 

[Gunbuster]

Obsessing over an SSD these days is sort of like obsessing over the difference between a Lamborghini, Ferrari, and Bentley. They all go fast.

At that price point get a name brand 480 or 512GB drive and call it a day.

P.S. avoid Kingston because they love to swap in slower NAND chips after the "good" drives have been sampled by reviewers.

 

[inachu]

Obsessing over an SSD these days is sort of like obsessing over the difference between a Lamborghini, Ferrari, and Bentley. They all go fast.

At that price point get a name brand 480 or 512GB drive and call it a day.

P.S. avoid Kingston because they love to swap in slower NAND chips after the "good" drives have been sampled by reviewers.

^ Yes very true!

 

[lucia]

I have a Samsung SSD 850 EVO (500 gb) and use it for my tons of video games.

 

[frldyz]

These are all the ones I'm looking @.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/ProductList.aspx?Submit=ENE&IsNodeId=1&N=100008120 50001077 600038502 600038492 600038491

But I cant decifer the difference between them. Ive read a lot of good things about the pro series. But there are different models. 840? 850? EVO?

This is the one that really caught my attention.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=9SIA3FA2EV1099
Because it was $499 now $287! But there are some pretty harsh reviews.

Help!
Thanks everyone for responding

 

[Charlie98]

As far as Samsungs.... the 840-series is the older model, the 850 is the newer tech. Of those the EVO is the mainstream model, the Pro the better. Most installs won't see any difference between the EVO and Pro models, but the Pro has a better warranty... which you may need. Samsung makes good products, but they are going through some teething pains right now with their NAND and FW, I would look elsewhere. I would easily take a Crucial or Intel drive over Samsung at this point.

OP, don't overthink this... you have the budget, just buy a reasonable SSD in the size and warranty that fits your application... and then spend a little time working up some sort of regular file backup or OS image system. ANY SSD can fail I don't care who's it is... you need to prepare for that eventuality.

 

[pauldun170]

If I were building today, I would likely go with a Crucial MX200 500MB for OS and a Crucial BX100 1TB for storage.
(However...I only buy when sales are going on)

 

[frldyz]

Got an new 850 pro 512gb for $289.
I read and it sounds like Samsung removed the update they had bak in February that was causing people systems to crash