looking for advice on an ssd

hey everyone, i was just wondering what everyone thinks is a great SSD for an m17xr3. i dont need it to be huge since i probably wont install windows on it (have read too many horror stories about windows not working right on ssds) . mostly it is just to load a few games on that i will be playing at the time. say 90-128gb.

just wondering what everyones opinion is of the best bang for my buck here, not looking to spend more than 200 bucks but i want something thats comparitively fast and most of all wont crash out after 5 months. thanks for reading

 

You could look at the sand force cache ssds(dont remember the exact name). They are designed to be used exaclty as you discribed, but i dont know dependable they are.

 

Best deal I have seen are the Kingston hyperx ssd, with the 50 dollar rebate, drives go for about 200. Basically a 120gb ssd for about 150.

 

i understand it might be a bit cheaper than the caching setup, but whats the point of putting all you games on a small SSD for a bit faster load times. The caching setup will make windows boot quicker and operate faster in general. Here is an article on what im talking about: OCZ Synapse Cache SSD Review

 

Why wouldn't you put Windows on an SSD? As long as you have half a brain, and can follow very simple directions, Windows will be perfectly at home on one. I've been running Windows on an SSD for two years, and haven't run into a single problem.

All you really have to do - if it's not done automatically, is disable your pagefile, Hibernation, System Restore, and Defragmentation.

 

Best bang for the buck? OCZ OCtane 128gig drive. Has a very stable Inilinx controller

I'm partial to Crucial M4's because i like to stick with what i personally know works. The m4's are slightly more expensive, but 128gig M4 was on newegg recently for $160 shipped.

If you are willing to pay more, the samsung 830 is good. Intel 510 is good too, but again, at a higher regular price

 

Why would you need to disable the Hibernation and System Restore? Some people use hibernation, and it shouldn't affect a SSD's performance. Same goes for System Restore, just makes system backup points in case you jack something up.

 

I agree with the recommendation of the 128GB Crucial M4, very reliable and an excellent value. However, do not purchase an SSD unless you are going to install Windows on it. Otherwise, you defeat the whole performance purpose. Putting games on an SSD, while leaving the OS on HDD, is insane. Windows functions perfectly on a SSD.

@blink_c -- it is widely recommended that Hibernate be disabled on SSD's because (a) it frees up a substantial amount of disk space and avoids wear and tear from the voluminous disk writes required to store and maintain the ever-changing state of the Windows and the active apps running at any given time and (b) because of the speed of the SSD, Windows and associated apps can be directly reloaded in about the same time as required by Hibernate to restore the session. Hibernate is useful with HDD's, but the speed of SSD's had made it mostly redundant while at the same time imposing additional wear and tear on the drive. Disabling System Restore is more controversial. It uses a lot of space and also imposes additional wear and tear on the drive, but it depends on how often you screw up your installation and need to restore. Depends on the user and how important that capability is.

 

^^^ I've set my SSD to be always on and I've disabled system restore. I figure if i need something to be backed up, it should be backed up somewhere else