Best 256GB SSD & Best HD for $400?

[gkumar]

Given a budget of only $400, I'm interested in purchasing both a SSD and HD (either 2.5" or 3.5"). The most important factor for me is reliability, and then speed for SSD and heat/efficiency for the HD. I am most concerned about reliability since I have heard horror stories with BSODs from SSDs and painful hard drive crashes.

Also, I am not tech savvy. So I am bit of a newbie when understanding differences between Sandforce and Marvel controllers, SATA II versus SATA III, single platter versus multiple platters, firmware updates, and more. But I do know about 5400 versus 7200 RPMs.

I have a Thinkpad T420 if that helps too.

To summarize, given my criteria and $400 budget:
What's the best 256GB 2.5" SSD?
AND
What's the best 2.5" >500GB HD or 3.5" 2-3TB HD?

And obviously, the longer the warranty, the better! Thanks in advance!

 

[rolli59]

Go with the Samsung 830 or Intel 520 SSD! A 3.5" desktop HDD will not fit a laptop.

 

[Worf101]

The Samsung 830 or Plextor 256 M3 are both excellent drives. The Samsung comes with a better bundle but the Plextor has a 5 year warranty. I have the Plextor and I'm quite happy. I also bought a 3 TB Segate Barracude from NewEgg that cost me $169 after rebates. In some respects it runs faster than the Plextor.

Worf

 

[gkumar]

Thanks for the timely reply. I understand Samsung is an "OEM" manufacturer for Apple/Dell so it tends to be more reliable. But Intel has a 5 year warranty, is 16GB smaller, and has a $40 premium. Is this tradeoff worth it in lieu of the Samsung reliability, cheaper cost, and bigger space?

How does OCZ, Crucial, Corsair, and others compare to Intel and Samsung?

And yes I understand that the 3.5" HD will not fit inside the laptop. I'm looking for recommendations on the most reliable and efficient/green 5400 HD for both 2.5" and 3.5" sizes. When I last bought a hard drive, Samsung F4 were the kings of the market, but alas Samsung has been bought by Seagate. Moreover, I heard that the reliability of the hard drive brand changes every year due to manufacturing variabilities and cost constraints, so I am unsure what the most reliable HD manufacturer is today.

Once again, any recommendations would be greatly appreciated.

 

[rolli59]

Samsung, Seagate or Western digital for green drives just select on price.

 

[gkumar]

Are the differences in reliability between Samsung, Seagate, and Western Digital significant? I noticed that Samsung used to give 3 year warranty, but Seagate/Samsung now only give 1. Which hard drive brand and model has the longest warranty? 3 years for me would be the minimum. 5 would be ideal.

And what about 2.5" drives?