GIGABYTE GA-Z68XP-UD3-iSSD or same with MLC SSD

[orionshadow]

Hey guys,

Should I get the GIGABYTE GA-Z68XP-UD3-iSSD
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128505 $239

or the GIGABYTE GA-Z68XP-UD3 with an OCZ Agility 3 60GB SSD?
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128512 $149
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820227725 $105

Im a little torn. Im building my first rig in about 3 years so Im having to learn all the new goodies. But having an onboard SSD for caching seems pretty cool.

The two options would basically be the same cost.

Thanks for the help

 

[j2j663]

Some comparisons:

iSSD:
-a SLC SSD will always be faster than its comparable MLC SSD. So if you are planning on using the 60GB SSD as a cache drive as well you will be sacrificing some speed to do it.
-it would be interesting (I don't know where you would find one) to price out buying your own SLC SSD miniSATA drive to see if you can at least get a bigger one for $90

Regular SSD:
-personally I like the control that comes with managing a boot drive. I would use the SSD for windows and a few programs that you want quick access to.

 

[rvilkman]

I would definitely go with the separate SSD, the speed increase you get is much more than with the caching solution when installing the OS and common programs on the SSD.
Also consider Crucial M4 64Gb.

 

[ps3hacker12]

that OCZ drive will give much better performance than the intel drive that comes with that board, you might want to consider the OCZ solid variety too and the corsair force 3 series.

 

[orionshadow]

I would definitely go with the separate SSD, the speed increase you get is much more than with the caching solution when installing the OS and common programs on the SSD.
Also consider Crucial M4 64Gb.

So Im moving up to the 120GB-128GB region now, looking at the performance increase vs price, it just seems worth it.

So....

OCZ Solid 3 $169 $150 AR
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820227729

OCZ Agility 3 $195 $165 AR
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820227726

Crucial M4 $207
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820148442

Is it that much more worth it to get the Agility over the Solid? The benchmarks really dont show that. The Agility and M4 are neck and neck on benchmarks as well.

Thanks for the help guys!

 

[ps3hacker12]

So Im moving up to the 120GB-128GB region now, looking at the performance increase vs price, it just seems worth it.

So....

OCZ Solid 3 $169 $150 AR
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820227729

OCZ Agility 3 $195 $165 AR
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820227726

Crucial M4 $207
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820148442

Is it that much more worth it to get the Agility over the Solid? The benchmarks really dont show that. The Agility and M4 are neck and neck on benchmarks as well.

Thanks for the help guys!

the price difference between the agility 3 and the solid 3 is really not worth it.

 

[orionshadow]

Just checked the August SSD Charts and this ADATA drive seems on par with the Vertex for around the same price as an Agility:
ADATA S511 120GB $189.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820211551

And I finally found a benchmark (http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/sf-2200-sandforce-ssd,2987.html) that put the Solid 3, Agility 3, ADATA S511 and Crucial M4 on one. The M4 and the ADATA are pretty much on par, but the solid is definately below the two.

The ADATA is right up there with the Vertex so it seems like a good deal. I think I just might wait on the SSD for a couple weeks to see if prices come down again

 

[orionshadow]

Best answer selected by orionshadow.

 

[orionshadow]

Update:

Got the Crucial M4 128GB as a Shell shocker for $169.99. So far I love this drive.

Thanks for the help