520 vs. 830 vs. Vertex 4

[zepfan_75]

I have been looking at buying an SSD for a while now, but I am confused on these three since the results seem to be a little different then I am used to based on Anandtech's review on the Vertex 4. I am going to buy either a 128 or 256 GB drive use Sata III and I am going to put windows and games on the drive and keep all the large files like movies, pictures, and music on a spare HDD. I don't do a lot of large file transfers, so this is mainly to improve: start up, shutdown, loadtimes in games, and small download times.
So for this type of workload which one of these three drives should I buy? I am open to other brands but I am just more familiar with these than the others.

On a side note, it might be too early to know but is the new Idilinx controller going to be reliable or atleast any better than the SandForce controllers of the past? (yes I know the 520 is a SandForce, but it is also an Intel drive)

 

[rolli59]

I personally would go with either Intel or Samsung (based on price between them) at this point!

 

[foscooter]

Yeah, Intel 520 then Samsung 830. Stick with 120-128GB.

I don't like the reviews of the Vertex 4.

 

[zepfan_75]

ok, I'll stay away from OCZ then. What made you put the 520 ahead of the 830? Was it performance or the fact it is intel?

 

[rolli59]

Intel reliability! Performance http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/ssd-520-sandforce-review-benchmark,3124.html

 

[JohnnyLucky]

I normally recommend the Samsung 830. It has an established track record.

Intel is another brand I recommend. However the 520 is brand new. I would wait a few months until a successful track record is established.

You also may want to consider the Crucial M4. It is very popular with gamers and enthusiasts.

I maintain the ssd database listed in the sticky at the very top of this forum section. Here is the link:

http://www.johnnylucky.org/data-storage/ssd-database.html

Scroll down to the brands and models you are interested in and then follow the links to the technical reviews.

 

[Soda88]

I don't like the reviews of the Vertex 4.

What's wrong with Vertex 4 apart from poor sequential read speeds which will probably get fixed with new firmware anyways?
It's equal or better in every other aspect. And it's not like we can talk about reliability since it has only just been released.

I'd wait for next firmware update if possible.

 

[foscooter]

I'll wait for the new firmware and reviews to see if it's fixed.

 

[zepfan_75]

I normally recommend the Samsung 830. It has an established track record.

Intel is another brand I recommend. However the 520 is brand new. I would wait a few months until a successful track record is established.

You also may want to consider the Crucial M4. It is very popular with gamers and enthusiasts.

I maintain the ssd database listed in the sticky at the very top of this forum section. Here is the link:

http://www.johnnylucky.org/data-storage/ssd-database.html

Scroll down to the brands and models you are interested in and then follow the links to the technical reviews.

Yeah, before the 520 was out I was considering the M4 but I decided on the 830 instead, now that we have the 520 it seems like a better competitor than the 510 did or the M4 did, so I figured I would ask. The thing that concerns me about the 830 is that it has low write speeds compared to SandForce 2 drives. The best thing to do is wait for the 520 to get a reputation i guess, hopefully before the 25th (my birthday) there will be some more reviews.

 

[JohnnyLucky]

Things are getting interesting. The OCZ Vertex 4 does not use an Indilinx Everest 2 Controller. The vertex 4 uses a Marvell 88SS9187 Controller.

Here is the link to the information in another thread:

http://www.tomshardware.com/forum/282834-32-octane-vertex-marvell-controllers#t1918567

 

[cbrunnem]

mushkin inhanced chronos deluxe is toms recommended for 256gb and it is only 270 dollars right now.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820226226
correction 240 dollars right now and its going to be faster then all the drives listed so far.

 

[mactronix]

Hi guys I have been sifting around all the useful links both on here and on the review sites and wanted to ask a question if I may.
I'm considering an SSD but I am torn between just getting a boot drive 64GB say or getting a 120-128 GB drive.
I like the look of the Samsung drives and I think I'm right to say that the bigger drives can be faster ?

I'm not sure my usage model requires anything other than a boot drive though.
I game a bit and the wife surfs and does facebook etc. I do a bit of DVD conversion, holiday films to DVD with X to DVD.

Would you guys agree that probably a boot drive is right for me, would I get any use out of a bigger drive ? Also allowing for what I actually do would I notice which drive I ended up getting ? I would be on a 3gb/s bus, are they all backwards compatible ?

Ok so that ended up being a few questions. You can read for hours but you cant beat experience I say.

Thanks fro your time

Mactronix

 

[rolli59]

I just purchased a couple of Mushkin http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820226236 (for two different desktops)
With 120GB it is plenty for all my programs and OS (apart from games) making the HDD just a storage. Basically my decision to go with those was based on price alone. I believe that 120-128GB is the right size for most given that we want to leave at least 15% free space on there.

 

[traver]

I'm in the same dilemma as the OP.

Pretend Mushkin werent available (as its the case in Europe), choice is between Intel 520 and Samsung 830!

Sidenote: I'm going to buy the 240/256 GB version and prices are within 20$ of each other (samsung cheapest).

 

[rolli59]

I'm in the same dilemma as the OP.

Pretend Mushkin werent available (as its the case in Europe), choice is between Intel 520 and Samsung 830!

Sidenote: I'm going to buy the 240/256 GB version and prices are within 20$ of each other (samsung cheapest).

Either is going to serve you well, the question is if the $20 extra for the Intel is not worth the 5 year warranty over Samsungs 3 years. I think so!

 

[JohnnyLucky]

Here is my standard recommendation.

If reliability and stability is a major concern, then I recommend Samsung. Samsung was awarded contracts to supply Dell, Sony, Lenovo, Apple and other off the shelf brands with OEM versions of their 470 Series SATA 2 3Gb/s ssd's. Eventually the 470's were released for retail sale to consumers. There have been no major issues reported. The 470 has an absolutely stellar record.

Then Samsung released their 830 Series SATA 3 6Gb/s ssd's as successors to the 470. The first ones were OEM versions for Dell and the other off the shelf brands followed by release of retail versions for consumers. The ssd's are Samsung's own design with their own components and firmware. It looks like Samsung got it right again.

Here is a link to the ssd database:

http://www.johnnylucky.org/data-storage/ssd-database.html

Scroll down to the brands you are interested in and follow the links to the technical reviews.

 

[jo_adam]

today i'd GO for the Samsung 830 as it comes on amazon now @ 129$ !
intel 520 and vertex 4 comes about 159 $

 

[cbrunnem]

today i'd GO for the Samsung 830 as it comes on amazon now @ 129$ !
intel 520 and vertex 4 comes about 159 $

the mushkin chronos deluxe is just as good if not better for 25 dollars less.

 

[cbrunnem]

today i'd GO for the Samsung 830 as it comes on amazon now @ 129$ !
intel 520 and vertex 4 comes about 159 $

the mushkin chronos deluxe is just as good if not better for 25 dollars less.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820226236