M11x R1 SSD (SATAII?) - What is the latest?

So apologies in advance. I've actually spent the last few hours combing the forum looking for the best clues on which SSD to buy for my M11x R1, but many of those posts are fairly dated now since most people have moved on to R2 and R3 models.

It is my understanding the R1 requires a 2.5" SATAII SSD. Looking at some of the older posts there seems to be two modes of thought:

The first is a "hybrid" drive. It has a 4GB SSD that caches frequently used files (system files, Firefox, etc..) and a 500GB 7200RPM drive combined. The plus is, lots of storage, up to 80% increase in opening and closing frequently used programs and 50% increase in most other file access functions. Plus it's cheap $129.00

Seagate Momentus

The other is a pure SSD drive. 120GB OCZ Vertex 2 for 165.00. Pluses are of course speed. I also like the fact that since I tote my laptop around pretty aggressively (in and out of the airplane in my backpack all the time) that it might be a bit more vibration proof. Drawbacks look like the hardware reliability hasn't been all that great with these drives.

OCZ Vertex 2

Are these still the two choices even a year + later down the road for an R1 model? I fly for a living and I end up subjecting my laptop to a lot of carrying around, vibration, and was thinking the SSD might be a good idea for durability sake.. Of course, then I read about the failure rates on SSD and I wonder if the hybrid Momentus might not be a better idea. I don't need a tremendous amount of space since I don't install tons of games..just play one or two here and there and then uninstall them.

Basically I'm just wondering if there are any other more updated options as far as SATAII SDDs go..?

Thanks!
BeachAV8R

 

Your not limited to just SATA2 drives, you can get a SATA3 drive as theyre backward compatible with SATA2 controllers. Just dont expect the same speeds.

The vertex 2 is a nice ssd, also look at some of the stuff intel makes. Theyre just as good if not better and usually have better power consumption.

 

Not all of them.

Many SATA3 SSD's are known to have backwards compatibility issues with SATA2, so it's good to just check beforehand.

 

bavman - Looks like you have the same R1 that I do (from your sig)..so you've been happy with your Vertex II..? No reliability issues with it?

I did look at some Intel stuff..and they get rave reviews..but I can't seem to find any on Newegg that are in stock. Plus I'm not sure exactly which model of Intel to get that would match up to the R1..(there aren't many threads that mention the Intel for some reason..)

 

I have a 240gb Agility 2 in my R1. I love it and have had absolutely zero issues with it.

An SSD is an investment though, so if you are thinking ahead and plan on possibly upgrading your laptop and keeping your SSD, then you might want to opt for a SATA III drive that's known to be backward compatible.

 

I just bought my Vertex II about 1 month ago and I just love it ! It made a great improvement in speeds on my R1.
I absolutely recommend you the Vertex II !

 

Reading through the reviews on OCZ drives on Newegg makes me shudder. Seems there are a lot of SSD failures. Makes me wish I could buy two and have them mirror each other or something..<g>

 

I have been running a 64GB C300 SSD in my R1 for the past couple of months and can't fault it ( I got it for £46 in a sale). This is enough for the OS, basic programs (office etc) and 5 games (depending on their size).

Speed is in line with what is to be expected on a SATA 3GB/s controller and responsiveness is fantastic.

Personally I wouldn't bother with the Momentus XT unless you need the storage space. A Vertex 2E / C300 or Intel equivilant will be faster and more responsive in every usage scenario plus it will consume less power and isn't at risk from shocks. The laptop will also be completely silent when the fan isn't running (quite eerie actually).

 

Check out tomshardware power tests for compairing ssd to a hdd
The SSD Power Consumption Hoax : Flash SSDs Don?t Improve Your Notebook Battery Runtime ? they Reduce It
And the follow up
Flash SSD Update: More Results, Answers : An Apology First ? And One New SSD To Prove Us Right

 

Is there any way I could know if a Vertex 3 (SATAIII) would be backward compatible with my R1? Mephiska brings up a good point that if I want to move it to something with more modern architecture in the future I probably would rather have something that was both backward and forward compatible.

 

Interesting articles there ejohnson. Fortunately, for my purposes battery life and the impact an SSD might have on it for the M11x isn't too much of a problem for me. With my job I'm usually sitting in airfield FBOs near outlets and stuff..so that isn't too much of a problem. It is interesting to see the statistics (I'm a big fan of hard numbers) and see them blow some of the SSD power savings hype out of the water.

I think the durability of SSDs is what is most attractive to me, but at the same time the failure rate of same is a bit spooky. I do a bit of writing for a magazine called PC Pilot (all about flight sims) and I could invest a lot of time into articles while I'm sitting around on flights and I'd hate to see my data go bye-bye because of an SSD failure. I got to thinking about it though..and perhaps I could just stick a high capacity SD card in the media reader and make that sort of my permanent documents backup drive or something..

I appreciate all the comments. I have two SSDs sitting in my Newegg cart right now and am just trying to figure out if I want to hit the purchase button on either of them...lol..

Regards,
BeachAV8R

 

The failures have been on the SATA III drives mostly. Not sure where the problem is. I have four (yes FOUR) of their SATAII SSD's in various sizes in my house and have had zero problems with any of them.

But really the manufacturer doesn't make a big difference. Just make sure whatever drive you get is using a Sandforce controller.

 

Yeah, I have been looking at some ssd's for my aliens, but since I use both machines to DJ also (main and backup) I have nearly 700gb of just music on the drives. Right now I get 10 hours on intel and 7 hours on the nvidea card, so im happy with my battery life

 

These articles are from 2008.... SSD technology has moved on greatly since this time.

This of course ignores the glaring problems with how they actually came to their conclusions - the testing methods which are commented on in the actual review.

All I will say is that in my usal usage scenarios I have seen no material change in battery life since installing my C300.

 

See the second article for them retesting due to the first articles problem in testing. And yes, they are old. I will try to find some new tests.

 

The age of the articles is of more concern due to the rapid progress SSD's have made since the Gen1 models (which the review covered).

It is not impossible for SSD's to use more power than a conventional HD but the usage pattern would be the key driver*. It sounds like the test used hit the SSD in a different way to the HD (almost like keeping it running whilst the HD was able to spin down) and makes it a questionable comparison.

 

Here are some updated numbers for power consumption
AnandTech - The Crucial m4 (Micron C400) SSD Review

 

Yes, that was the major problem with the testing. They said something about how since the ssd does everything faster, it taxes the other parts more, causing a power drain from other parts.

 

Yeah, that was sort of the impetus for me asking the question. When you search the archives much of the information (at least regarding putting an SSD into an R1) is somewhat old. As those early generation drives start to slide off the shelves I was wondering if something better was available that would still be compatible with the R1 but have improvements in reliability, size, and price...

 

Is that component integrated into the SSD? I'm unfamiliar with what that is. Do you have a recommendation on a drive that would have that controller?

I'm still holding off on purchasing hoping someone will chime in with a SATAIII backward compatible with the R1.. I'd hate to order one and find it doesn't work and have to return it..

Thanks..
BeachAV8R