Best 200 dollar SSD

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cbrunnem

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Simple, i want to know the best SSD for around 180-200. if i can get more storage by going a little over 200 then im open to that. i just want the fastest SSD while being reliable.

ive never gone the SSD route so im new but have some knowledge. you guys just have more.

BTW i have a sata 3 connection on my MB
 
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Check out this list from Newegg. It shows 180GB and higher SSDs that use the SATA III interface and cost less than $350. I chose $350 for the price cap to give a little extra wiggle room (and because limiting the price to $260 would not have shown a $270 drive with a $20 MIR).

In a nutshell, if you want a 240 GB or better drive then you have only one option: the 240GB OCZ Agility 3 AGT3-25SAT3-240G for $260.

Here's a more detailed synopsis of what is catching my eye for under $270:

1) The only drives Newegg currently has in stock for $270 and under without a mail-in-rebate required are...
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DarkMatterTrace

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Hi cbrunnem!

As far as I know from tests and from personal experience this one is among the fastest and most reliable ones:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820147134

There is a test here and Im sure many more if you google it.

http://thessdreview.com/our-reviews/samsung-pm830-sata-3-256gb-msata-ssd-review-ultrabooks-to-gain-capacity-and-sata-3-speed/

Hope its of some use to you

Kind regards

Dark

EDIT: Sorry for the redundant post... when I opened thread no one had answered :)
 
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Chainzsaw

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Here is a good SSD:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820148529

Crucial M4 128GB SSD. I currently have it - and it's a great SSD. 170$

It's not nearly as fast as the Vertex 3 - however it is reliable and slightly cheaper :)

Also IOPS usually refers to Input/Output Operations Per Second. Basically the higher this number is - usually means it's better. Also you cannot just look at the IOPS alone, you need to look at the entire controller as well. Those JMicron controllers with first gen SSD's had horrible IOPS - which would make most SSD's based on them "hang" if too much was done. This isn't an issue these days with modern SSD's.

Edit: One more thing - out of all the SSD's listed here - you will definately not notice any real world difference between them. They are all that fast.
 
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Chainzsaw

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Slightly more than the 200 SSD you were looking for :p

I haven't read anything bad about that SSD drive you linked. With reads @ 550MB/S and Writes at 520MB/S and 85k IOPS it will be near the top of SSD charts, besides PCIEx4 based SSD drives.

It would be a solid choice, but still costing more than the price you originally mentioned.
 
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Isaiah4110

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From what I have read, these two are among the fastest (if not the fastest) 120GB SSDs you will find.

Patriot Wildfire PW120GS25SSDR
Mushkin Enhanced Chronos Deluxe MKNSSDCR120GB-DX

Both use the SandForce 2281 Controller, SATA III (6.0 Gb/s), and Toggle NAND. Newegg currently has the Patriot for $230 ($190 after MIR) and the Mushkin for $200.

I'm having issues with everyone else's links right now, so I can't tell what else is being recommended, but I would hands down go with one of those two drives. If you are looking for something with greater capacity that doesn't sacrifice performance then try to get a 256 GB drive with Synchronous ONFI NAND (as opposed to Asynchronous ONFI NAND) since you stand no chance of finding a 256 GB drive with Toggle NAND.

Oh, and if you go with the Mushkin, make sure you get the Chronos Deluxe. The non-Deluxe model uses a slower type of memory (I think Asynchronous, but might still be Synchronous).
 
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cbrunnem

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i dont have a problem going over 200 to get a bigger drive... but not a ton over 200




i will consider those but i think im going to try and snatch a larger drive for a tad over 200(240 max).
 
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Chainzsaw

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Before you really decide let me give you some information.

Firstly - not sure if you used a SSD drive before or not - but going to almost any SSD we all listed here - you wouldn't notice "real world" performance opening programs/games/scanning. The SSDs access times are around 100x faster if not more than HDDs. The only way to truly know the difference between these SSD drives listed here is if you benchmarked them all, or if you do HD video editing/rendering and copying lots of large files.

So what you really should be basing your buy on is:

Capacity. How much are you willing to get by on? A 64GB SSD is just about enough for the OS and maybe a few games/apps. 128GB will give you more breathing room, and anything between 128GB and 256GB would probably last you a good deal of time.

Price. You don't necessarily want the most expensive SSD. SSD drives have come a long way since the first gen. ones came out. BSODS due to SSD firmware issues seem much rarer these days.

Reliability. As I mentioned above, most SSD's (especially the ones listed by the members here) are quite reliable.
 
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techwannab

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I guess every one is in the dark when it come to other ssd's.. I highly recommend the Kingston Hyper X 240 or 120 SSD ...it comes with a 3.5 mounting bracket and a 2.5 case to use any drive as an external... comes with all the cords and a handy Hyper X screwdriver. I bought 2 for a raid 0 and getting just over 1gig read and write...non raid config I got 527 write and 566 , configed as Sata 3/3 GBs set up reads 280 reads and 250 writes.. using Atto and similar testing with crystal.... much cheaper than PCIe and with the same performance... it's a no brainer I returned my Patriot after I got these... the hyper X were faster in about all test and comes just behing the samsung's 8 in reliability check reviews... prices are 189 most places and has rebates for 60 got mine from Amazon less than 130 ea after rebate.... and 249 for 240 gig...not one blue screen or updates.. uses the same sandforce as Mushkinand all other top brands...good luck..
 
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Ohmybad

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+1 for everything said, SSDs are so damn'd fast you could pick the slowest one and be happy with it... buy for budget/size/reputation... DON'T WORRY about bench marks, they're just piles of numbers that won't matter when browsing the web or doing random tasks.
 
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momazboy

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I can personally recommend the samsung 830,I havent been let down yet, I can say i ALSO HAVE A CORSAIR m4 AND ITS NOT AS GOOD.I have heard great things bout intel though so samsung or intel you cant go wrong
 
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Isaiah4110

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Check out this list from Newegg. It shows 180GB and higher SSDs that use the SATA III interface and cost less than $350. I chose $350 for the price cap to give a little extra wiggle room (and because limiting the price to $260 would not have shown a $270 drive with a $20 MIR).

In a nutshell, if you want a 240 GB or better drive then you have only one option: the 240GB OCZ Agility 3 AGT3-25SAT3-240G for $260.

Here's a more detailed synopsis of what is catching my eye for under $270:

1) The only drives Newegg currently has in stock for $270 and under without a mail-in-rebate required are 180GB or less. You could grab a 240GB OCZ Agility 3 AGT3-25SAT3-240G for $260 after mail in rebate and pick up a free copy of Mass Effect 3 in the process, but everything else in stock with greater than 180 GB capacity is $270 or higher.

2) They are out of stock on a couple really nice options. The 240 GB Mushkin Enhanced Chronos MKNSSDCR240GB (uses Asynchronous ONFI NAND) is listed for $244 + $5 shipping and the 240 GB Mushkin Enhanced Chronos Deluxe MKNSSDCR240GB-DX (Toggle NAND) is a more pricey $279 + free shipping. The second one is obviously more than you are looking to spend, but I mention it because I checked for both on Amazon. On Amazon, the Deluxe is selling for the same price as Newegg, while the "slower" of the two drives is actually going for $300+. The Deluxe would be a great buy if you can scrape together the extra money.

3) There are a couple drives in stock selling for $300 and up with mail in rebates bringing your final cost down to $270 (still a little higher than you wanted). I'll simply list those options below:
Corsair Force Series 3 CSSD-F240GB3A-BK (240 GB)
OCZ Petrol PTL1-25SAT3-256G (256 GB)

Oh, and the least expensive Intel option is the 180 GB Intel 520 Series Cherryville SSDSC2CW180A3K5 for $280 after a $20 off promo code. You are looking at $330 if you want a 240 GB Intel SSD.


If it were me doing the purchasing, I would grab the Mushkin Chronos Deluxe from Amazon. It seems like the best bang for your buck option and doesn't require a mail in rebate. If I were making a strictly financial decision, then my recommendation is the $260 OCZ drive. I can't speak to OCZ's quality and durability, so someone else will have to weigh in there. I think I've heard people say they are good SSDs while others say they would stay away. I hope that info helps.
 
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Isaiah4110

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I'm not seeing any Intel SSDs with greater than 120 GB capacity in cbrunnem's price range. If you know of somewhere he can get one of the drives you are suggesting for ~$250 then please post a link.
 
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cbrunnem

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this is awesome. this is what i was looking for. i definitely will look into the Mushkin. ive seen the deluxe recommended before.

Also can anyone weigh in on the OCZ drive?
 
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bruvvamoff

bruvvamoff

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I've researched alot on this and the OCZ Vertex seem to hold up in benchmarks.
Surprisingly the Sata II vs III thing is not as relevant in the grand scheme of things.
What you want to do is look into the random read speeds of each drives and ignore the hype.
 
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cbrunnem

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the mushkin has twice the IOPS then any OCZ drive listed.
 
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