SSD Brand Suggestions

[Andreas414]

Hi,
This week I realized my HDD was rapidly running out of space, so I figured it was as good a time as any to make the switch to an SSD. The sales rep I talked to at Microcenter recommended a Samsung 840 (non-pro) 120GB for $100 on the grounds that its controller is better than those in other drives. That being said, pretty much every review I've read indicates that Samsung has slower write speeds and a shorter lifespan than comparable drives.
I really don't know what factors are most important for SSDs, or where the line between benchmarks and actual performance is drawn.
Any advice on choosing an appropriate 120-128GB SSD would be helpful; I plan use it as a boot drive to run SWTOR, Eclipse, AutoCAD, and other load-time-intensive games and programs.
Thanks in advance

 

[Eximo]

Samsung 840 Pro is considered one of the better products, the 840 isn't bad just slower write speeds. Crucial M5, Kingston HyperX, OCZ Vector or Vertex, Plextor makes a decent drive from what I hear as well.

I find it difficult to push enough data to an SSD to reach the top end. Read speeds, on the other hand, are amazing and game load times dropped considerably.

 

[swifty_morgan]

840 non pro has different and slower nand. If you go for that brand buy the pro version............. or perhaps you're running on SATA 1.5 whereas it wouldn't make a difference.

what is the rest of your hardware. What is the size of your current HD and how much room is actually taken up?

If you buy an SSD get one that has cloning software included if it is your goal to transfer your HD to the new SSD.

 

[Dark Lord of Tech]

The write lifespan of a non 840 pro is 3x what's advertised.

 

[Andreas414]

I'm running a Phenom II x4 960T on a Gigabyte GA-78LMT-S2P mobo atm, but am planning to upgrade to a SATA 3 platform shortly. This SSD looks better than the Samsung non-pro version based on read/ write speeds:
http://www.microcenter.com/product/382699/Extreme_SDSSDX-120G-G25_120GB_SATA_60Gb-s_25_Internal_Solid_State_Drive
Is SanDisk a good option?

 

[swifty_morgan]

NO! Maybe the newer ones but they have no track record. Sandiscs imo have a bad track record and seem to always be the slowest. others might disagree but it is what it is. don't slum it. don't buy by price.

 

[Andreas414]

The Samsung is more expensive atm, and I don't really have a problem with paying more for it if it really is higher quality. The slow write speeds compared to some alternatives are somewhat puzzling though. Is the difference noticeable, or something that only shows up in benchmarks?

 

[swifty_morgan]

only yoman data from the enterprise will notice the difference. it's just a quality thing. had varying results with sandisc ssd's and controllers/drivers.
want to spend $90 try toshiba... the new ones. should have the latest controller. or corsair neutrons. they have something completely different.

forget the neutro. guess you gotta catch them when they're selling cheap

what about this. the newest kid on the block
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820168062