Samsung 840 Pro 256 or Samsung 840 512?

[ShadowTiger]

Hi,

Sorry up front - I'm an SSD noob.

I'm about to refit my system - new MB/CPU/Memory, new graphics card, and so on. One of the things I want to do is join the world in SSD land (right now I have some Samsung 7200 drives).

So first, my plan is to organize my filesystem like I have it now: A C: drive with the operating system, program files (including Steam), and other system stuff (including paging space), and a D: drive with my user directory tree, search index, and all my data (pictures, videos, audio, etc). Does that make sense in SSD land, where the C: drive would be an SSD and the D: drive would continue to be mechanical? (I should add, I use the computer for graphical editing (photoshop, flash) and some very minor video and audio editing (so I have big files open sometime) as well as a lot of gaming (mostly FPS and Simulation type games - Crysis 3, Sim City "5", Civ 4 and 5, Flight Sim X, etc.).

Assuming it does...looks like I'm using about 165GB on my current C: drive. It doesn't grow very quickly (a few times a year I'll get some new games, that's about it) so I was assuming a 256GB SSD would do me for at least a few years. Do you all agree?

I typically like to get the best/fastest hardware I can get without going crazy on the price. So while I could spend $1000 on a new CPU, I won't - I'll stick to the $150-$300 range. Looking at 256GB SSD drives I see the "top tier" drives are all in the $190-$230 range, so in this case I figured I'd go ahead and get what sounds like the current king, the Samsung 840 Pro ($230).

However, I noticed then that the Samsung 840 (non-pro) 256GB is to be had for only $155, and performance-wise it seems to be heads above the other SSD drives in that price range. So next question: Would the "Pro" difference be worth $75 to me? Would I notice it?

Lastly - should I consider going 512GB instead? I could get a Samsung 840 (non-pro) 512GB for only $280, which isn't pretty good considering it's $50 for double the space...

Any advice or suggestions are welcome!

Thanks,
Shadow

 

[JohnnyLucky]

A general rule of thumb is purchase the largest capacity ssd you can afford at the lowest possible price.

The Samsung 840 Pro is Samsung's high performance flagship model designed for hardcore gamers and enthusiasts. The 840 is a mainstream value model designed of ordinary everyday use.

I maintain the ssd database listed in the sticky at the very top of this forum section. Here is the link:

http://www.johnnylucky.org/data-storage/ssd-database.html

Scroll down to the Samsung section. The first thing you will notice is that the 840 uses a different kind of memory than the 840 Pro. Follow the links to the technical reviews.

There has been some concern expressed about how long the triple level cell (TLC) memory in the 840 will last. The best estimate is that if a user writes and deletes 10GB of data every day, then the Samsung 840 256GB ssd will only last about 23 or 24 years. A 128 GB will last about 11 or 12 years.

To be honest I do not know of anyone who writes and deletes 10GB of data every day for many years.

 

[ShadowTiger]

So if you were me you'd go with the 512GB 840 non-Pro, then? (And yeah, I don't expect to use this drive for 11 or 12 years.)

 

[JohnnyLucky]

Yes.

BTW - A few days ago Plextor and Lite-On announced new ssd's using TLC memory. Samsung won't be alone anymore.

 

[Gnonoino]

Can this help you?
http://www.tomshardware.com/forum/294170-32-samsung-differences-please

 

[spawnkiller]

I personnaly use 2 different SSD, a 128gb Crucial M4 for windows (similar to the 840 non-pro) and a Intel 330 180gb for my steam games (faster than the m4/840 but not as fast as the 840 pro)

In everyday usage you'll never notice the speed difference, the major difference between the pro and non-pro is write speed and write only matter if you always write on your ssd (if you install windows and programs, only 1 time will be slower by installing then in read it'll be the same as the pro for all it's lifespan...)