Looking into a ssd

[kjb1686]

Hi everyone i was considering buying a ssd. I have no clue whatsoever about them so i need help. I don't know how big of a one i should get for one and what brand. The price i have no clue about either so i can't define a range. Please help me find one that is good.

 

[rolli59]

I just installed one of these Mushkin 120GB http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820226236
It is good for the price and can handle my OS, all my programs and 1 or 2 games at a time.
Lots of good info on SSD's http://www.tomshardware.com/forum/270102-32-useful-articles-part

 

[kjb1686]

Hi i found this ssd http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820148447 would this be a good choice i am ordering everything in a hour or so.

 

[chesteracorgi]

kjb,

I highly recommend pairing one of these with your HDD, http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820227755. You get SSD performance and a lot more storage.

I just installed one to replace a year old Corsair 300 128 GB and the performance is comparable.

 

[kjb1686]

link not working what is it

 

[RetiredChief]

Size:
64 Gig is the MINIMUM. (usable is about 50 gigs)
Recommended size = 80+ gigs with the 120/128 gig being the most popular.

Brand:
1) Of the sata III drives, most have rather simular performance in real Life - may show big diff in benchmarks but that does not often translate to real life.
2) I normally go with reliability/LEAST user problems. Based on that my choices are the Intel 510 or 520, Curcial M4 and the Samsung 830 - which one of the three - I go by cost.

 

[kjb1686]

so should i upgrade and get say the 128 gb one and use that instead. if so is the one rolli recommended good.

 

[RetiredChief]

Mushkin 120GB - Great price, and about the best (excluding Intel's 520) using the sandforce SF22xx controller With 85% 4/5 (good) eggs and 12% 1/2 egg (Bad) reviews.

Slightly Higher cost (but 8 gigs more space) the Curcial M4) - 90 % 4/5 eggs vs 6% 1/2 egg reviews. ($150).
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820148448&SortField=0&SummaryType=0&PageSize=10&SelectedRating=-1&VideoOnlyMark=False&IsFeedbackTab=true#scrollFullInfo
And my favorite (even higher cost), the samsung 830 (would be lower if on sale). 94% 4/5 eggs vs only 4% 1/2 reviews:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820147137&SortField=0&SummaryType=0&PageSize=10&SelectedRating=-1&VideoOnlyMark=False&IsFeedbackTab=true#scrollFullInfo

 

[photonboy]

The short answer is, I recommend the OCZ Vertex 3 120GB (on sale for $130 after MIR): http://us.ncix.com/products/?sku=59354&vpn=VTX3-25SAT3-120G&manufacture=OCZ%20Technology&promoid=1101

or the Agility 3 for even cheaper (but see notes below)

Do you have SATA1, SATA2 or SATA3 on your motherboard?

I ask because some drives, like the OCZ Agility 3 have a glitch on some systems and can revert to SATA1 speeds even though the connection is SATA2.

If you have a SATA3 connection OCZ Agility 3 120GB is a great choice and can be found for as little as $120 after MIR.

(there's a fix in the OCZ forum if you have the SATA1 issue on SATA2. I fixed the drive I bought.)

*There are a few choices, but:
1) check your SATA connection
2) then look at SATA drives that maximize that connection, or are faster
3) if in doubt google the drive for reviews
4) get a 120GB drive

 

[chesteracorgi]

It is the OCZ Synapse at the same price as the Mushkin. http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820227755

 

[photonboy]

The best benchmark tool IMO is "atto":
http://www.techpowerup.com/downloads/1749/ATTO_Disk_Benchmark_v2.46.html

SATA1 - max of 140MBytes/second roughly
SATA2 - max of 280MBytes/second
SATA3 - max of 560MBytes/second

If you have a SATA2 connection benchmark with ATTO to make sure you get over 200MBytes/second with the large files.

(also, flash the firmware first thing if needed)

 

[RetiredChief]

Reference agility III (I have 2 120 gig drives) - NOT my recomended.
Cheap for a reason. Perofromance wise, it performs about the same if on a Sata III interface. This was in a review and I verified on my I5-2500K system. It's overall score on AS SSD is mid 400's while the M4 and the 830 both score in the low 700's
70% 4/5 eggs vs 22% 1/2 egg
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820227726&SortField=0&SummaryType=0&PageSize=10&SelectedRating=-1&VideoOnlyMark=False&IsFeedbackTab=true#scrollFullInfo

If looking @ vertex, might want to consider the vertex 4, However it is to new to get a real "user" feel for the drive.

Added:
atto is the benchmark most often quoted by the manuf. If You are only interested in seeing how close you come to manuf specs, use it. It uses Highly compressable data and is NOT representative for a OS + Program drive.
While not Perfect, as ssd comes much closer to what one can get in real life use as it uses compressed data.
Real life OS + Program usage is closer to the compressed end of the spectrum.

 

[kjb1686]

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131701

This is the motherboard i am getting in case the link doesnt work it is a ASUS P8P67 DELUXE

The crucial is 64gb which is all i feel i need all i need it for is a os, maybe office and a couple other programs but that is all. I will just probably buy the 64 for now and upgrade at a later time. i don't have that much money that i want to spend on a ssd my budget for new parts is 700 and with the 64gb i am at 692 and with 120 i will hit 714.

ok i am ordering everything now so i dont need any more suggestions the 64 is fine for me now hdds are always easy to upgrazde so i can buy another in the future

 

[RetiredChief]

$109.99 After $20 MIR with Free Shipping!
OCZ Vertex 3 VTX3-25SAT3-120G 2.5 Inch 120GB SATA III MLC Internal Solid State Drive (SSD) With Promo Code: EMCYTZT1426
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820227706&Tpk=20-227-706&nm_mc=EMC-GD040612&cm_mmc=EMC-GD040612-_-index-_-Item-_-20-227-706