SSD suggestion

DeaconFrost · 03 Mar 2011

I have some gift cards waiting to be used at a local retailer. I think I'd like a 120-128GB SSD. I'm hoping someone would be able to check out the SSDs available and let me know what the best or best bang for the buck purchase would be. It would be the OS drive for the system in my specs. Below is a link to the retailer's selection. Any suggestions?

If it matters and you're feeling creative, if you chose the PA-Philadelphia store from the very top of the page, it will only show what's in stock at my local store.

Thanks in advance!

Micro Center Products : Computer Parts : Hard Drives & Data Storage : Solid State Drives&

whs · 03 Mar 2011

I would pick this one: Micro Center - OCZ Technology Vertex 2 OCZSSD2-2VTXE12 120GB 2.5" SATA 3.0GB/s Internal Solid State Drive (SSD) OCZSSD2-2VTXE12 - I have 3 of those and am very happy with them. In fact one is a Vertex1 which I have already since 2 years. With my 2 Intels I am not quite as happy, but they work.

Also check with NewEgg. They often have a sale for the Vertex and may be cheaper. I buy all my stuff from them - very good service. My very first Vertex had a problem and they exchanged it without any question asked. Then the next Vertex needed a firmware update that I could not do myself. OCZ did it for me free of charge - even paid the postage.

whs · 03 Mar 2011

Deacon, forgot to mention my tutorial for SSD newcomers which you can download from here: Install an SSD and transfer the Operating System.zip - Windows Live I am sure it will be useful once you get to install the SSD and transfer the OS. It is all in one place.

DeaconFrost · 03 Mar 2011

I'll be doing a clean install, but I remember you helping me out with my older 64 GB SSD and the alignment, so I definitely trust your judgement. I also normally compare MicroCenter and Newegg to see who's cheaper. I'm thinking of MicroCenter only because I have some gift cards there from Christmas, but I will definitely still compare.

The Howling Wolves · 03 Mar 2011

Totally agree with WHS on getting a Vertex SSD!
Waiting for the Vertex 3 to come out and the price it comes with!
Should have been in February but delayed as they had a problem with Vertex 3.

whs · 03 Mar 2011

I am really curious how the performance comparisons for Vertex3 will be. I have the feeling that this is the same hype as USB3. It is nice to see the R/W speeds to go up, but that has little effect for the OS. A much faster access time would be more interesting.

That is, of course, a different story if you use the SSD for large masses of data - especially data that is written in large blocks. But who can afford that.

Phone Man · 03 Mar 2011

Everyone is releasing new versions of SSD very soon, so if you can wait a short while you can either get a faster SSD or the price will drop on the current versions. Some of the new ones are OCZ Vertex 3, Crucial C400 and Intel 510. Do some research and see what hits the stores.

Jim

The Howling Wolves · 03 Mar 2011

Not me.....

DeaconFrost · 04 Mar 2011

That was going to be my follow up info...if anything new was going to hit the market, like a new SandForce chipset. I was going to do a fresh install once I get my replacement B3 board from MicroCenter, so maybe I will hold off.

pparks1 · 04 Mar 2011

whs said:

I am really curious how the performance comparisons for Vertex3 will be. I have the feeling that this is the same hype as USB3. It is nice to see the R/W speeds to go up, but that has little effect for the OS. A much faster access time would be more interesting.

That is, of course, a different story if you use the SSD for large masses of data - especially data that is written in large blocks. But who can afford that.

Agreed 100%. For the OS and such, I don't think the increased read/write speeds are that important. These are lots of very small reads/writes. The access time is the real thing which impacts performance.

Someday, I might just buy a craptastic SSD and a fabulous state of the art SSD and do a real world benchmark test of the 2 of them in the same rig doing the same things to just see what difference I can actually measure between the two.

There is some speculation that Intel is going to release a 520 series SSD with a SandForce controller. However, Intel will neither confirm nor deny this. But again, like stated above, I'm not sure if the faster speeds will really impact "day-to-day" standard usage.