Help with choosing SSD brand and size

[ohenryy]

I am looking to buy a SSD to run my OS and do some PhotoShop and suggestions?

 

[anti-duck]

What capacity are you looking for and what's your budget?

 

[atmos929]

chekc here
http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/ssd-recommendation-benchmark,3269.html

 

[digitaldoc]

I like the Crucial MX100 with a 256 GB capacity. Plenty good for a little over $100.

 

[ocer9999]

IF your on a budget, you can either go MX100 or ARC 100..

 

[leedreamer189]

OCZ Vertex units are pretty good! but obviously has a bit more premium compared to the MX100 / ARC 100.

 

[digitaldoc]

On a tight budget, you can get away with a 120 Gb SSD. I would not go any smaller than that capacity these days. Combine it with a HD of 500 to 750 GB, and it is plenty of storage for most folks.

 

[FutureDoc]

On a tight budget, you can get away with a 120 Gb SSD. I would not go any smaller than that capacity these days. Combine it with a HD of 500 to 750 GB, and it is plenty of storage for most folks.

Hi Digital Doc,

This is similar to what I was hoping to do: Select a 120 Gb SSD.

I do not use a whole lot of data, but I'd like my system to be fast. I hope to store my important files on a cloud platform.
I found several 120 Gb SSD's on amazon and other sites. I am very unfamiliar with hard drive stats, but I have been reading for a few hours. It has been stated that "The lowest-performing SSDs have lower performance than the HDD."
(Source: thessdguy.com/not-all-ssds-are-created-equal/)

I don't want to select a dud 120 Gb SSD. I believe there are deals to be had, but not all SSD's are created equal.
Here is what I have found (I understand it may be difficult to judge books by there cover, but any insight would be great):

Item Title:
Kingston Digital 120GB SSDNow V300 SATA 3 2.5 (7mm height) with Adapter Solid State Drive 2.5-Inch SV300S37A/120G
Cost: 57$ w/ shipping free
Link: http://www.amazon.com/Kingston-Digital-2-5-Inch-SV300S37A-120G/dp/B00A1ZTZOG/ref=sr_1_252?s=pc&ie=UTF8&qid=1420610661&sr=1-252&keywords=hard+drive

Item Title:
Kingston Digital HyperX FURY 120GB SSD SATA 3 2.5 Solid State Drive with Adapter (SHFS37A/120G)
Cost: 58$ w/ shipping free
Link: http://www.amazon.com/Kingston-Digital-Adapter-SHFS37A-120G/dp/B00KW3MTBS/ref=sr_1_255?s=pc&ie=UTF8&qid=1420610661&sr=1-255&keywords=hard+drive

Item Title:
Seagate ST9250410AS Momentus 250GB 7200 RPM Serial ATA-300 SATA-II 7-pin 2.5 Inch Form Factor 16MB Buffer Internal Hard Drive for Laptop .
Cost: 59$ w/ shipping free
Link: http://www.amazon.com/Seagate-ST9250410AS-Momentus-ATA-300-Internal/dp/B0035G0J6Q/ref=sr_1_258?s=pc&ie=UTF8&qid=1420610661&sr=1-258&keywords=hard+drive

Item Title:
Eluktro Performance 120GB SSD SATA III (6 GB/s) MLC 2.5-Inch 7mm Internal Solid State Drive TRO-SSD7-120GB
Cost: 60$ w/ shipping free
Link: http://www.amazon.com/Eluktro-Performance-2-5-Inch-Internal-TRO-SSD7-120GB/dp/B00KCH96BA/ref=sr_1_261?s=pc&ie=UTF8&qid=1420610661&sr=1-261&keywords=hard+drive

Item Title: PNY Optima 120GB 2.5-Inch Solid State Drive SSD7SC120GOPT-RB
Price: 60$ w/ shipping free
Link:http://www.amazon.com/PNY-Optima-120GB-2-5-Inch-SSD7SC120GOPT-RB/dp/B00OIXZGOK/ref=sr_1_337?s=pc&ie=UTF8&qid=1420611203&sr=1-337&keywords=hard+drive

Item Title: MyDigitalSSD 120GB BP4e 2.5" Slim 7 Series 7mm SATA III (6G) SSD Solid State Drive - MDS7-BP4e-128
Price: 60$ w/ shipping free
Link: http://www.amazon.com/MyDigitalSSD-120GB-Solid-State-Drive/dp/B00OTUO8UU/ref=sr_1_353?s=pc&ie=UTF8&qid=1420611203&sr=1-353&keywords=hard+drive

Item Title: MyDigitalSSD 128GB (120GB) 50mm Bullet Proof 4 BP4 50mm mSATA Solid State Drive SSD SATA III 6G - MDMS-BP4-120
Price: 60$ w/ shipping free
Link: http://www.amazon.com/MyDigitalSSD-128GB-120GB-Bullet-Proof/dp/B00B3X72OU/ref=sr_1_1426?s=pc&ie=UTF8&qid=1420611438&sr=1-1426&keywords=hard+drive

Item Title: WESTERN DIGITAL WD3200BEKX / 320GB SATA 16MB 7200RPM Black
Price: 64$ w/ shipping
Link: www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00F5W5MLK/ref=olp_product_details?ie=UTF8&me=

Item Title: Crucial MX100 128GB SATA 2.5" 7mm (with 9.5mm adapter) Internal Solid State Drive CT128MX100SSD1
Price: 63$ w/ shipping free
Link: http://www.amazon.com/Crucial-MX100-adapter-Internal-CT128MX100SSD1/dp/B00KFAGD88/ref=sr_1_1430?s=pc&ie=UTF8&qid=1420611438&sr=1-1430&keywords=hard+drive

Item Title: Transcend Information 128 GB SATA III 6Gb/s 2.5-Inch Solid State Drive TS128GSSD370
Price: 63$ w/ shipping free
Link: http://www.amazon.com/Transcend-Information-2-5-Inch-Solid-TS128GSSD370/dp/B00K9HID0I/ref=sr_1_1431?s=pc&ie=UTF8&qid=1420611438&sr=1-1431&keywords=hard+drive

Item Title: Kingston SSDNow V Series 128 GB SATA 3 GB/s 2.5- Inch Solid State Drive SNV425-S2/128GB
Price: 50$ w/ shipping
Link: http://www.amazon.com/gp/offer-listing/B00378KHV4/ref=olp_twister_child?ie=UTF8&mv_size_name=0

 

[digitaldoc]

Go with the Crucial MX100. I use the 256 GB, and it is way faster than any hard drive I have ever owned. In fact, any SSD will be faster than any mechanical hard drive.

At the lower price point, it looks like Western Digital is offering the better deal as it has more capacity so go with that.

 

[ohenryy]

@FutureDoc, its really nice list, but to be honest I've never heard of some of them. BTW, didn't someone also mention OCZ ARC 100? Is that any good?

 

[The Ether Bunny]

MX100. Period. It is a "value SSD" that performs like a top tier SSD. Best $/speed on the market.

 

[digitaldoc]

Yes, another vote for the MX100. Nothing to overthink here.

 

[yoramowen]

I just added a SSD to my laptop last month. The SSD I chose is 128GB. I install Win8 and programs on it. now it takes 10 seconds to start up.

 

[digitaldoc]

I just added a SSD to my laptop last month. The SSD I chose is 128GB. I install Win8 and programs on it. now it takes 10 seconds to start up.

Yes, these SSD's are quite fast. I was blown away how much faster my boot time decreased (from literally minutes to 30 seconds), and how fast the software installs now.