$265 Intel G2 X25-M-160GB

Intel X25-M 160GB SATA 2.5" Internal SSD for $265 after rebate + free shipping

Buy.com has it in retail box for $340-$75 rebate. As found on Fatwallet.com's Hot Deals. NewEgg has it for $390-$75 rebate.

 

Already posted in the deals forum.

 

And for around $50 more you get this one.
Amazon.com: Intel 320 Series 160 GB SATA 3.0 Gb-s 2.5-Inch Solid-State Drive - Retail Box SSDSA2CW160G3B5: Electronics

You would be a fool to buy G2s now when G3s are just around the corner with better performance

 

I didn't realize there was a significant performance difference between G2 and G3. Also, I tend to wonder if the G2 will last longer, being built on larger (34nm?) structure. Anyway, my apologies for the repost.

 

$50 is a big difference..And the difference between the G2 and G3 is negligible..Seen in this benchmark, there are minimal gains..Mostly you won't notice the difference between the G2 and G3..Emphasis on the "mostly"..I don't think it's worth $50 IMHO..

 

i'd rather pay $50 more and not have to deal with rebates. plus you get a newer product.

 

Some benchmarks show the G3 actually performs worse than the G2..real world benchmarks..i believe it was with multitasking..

 

Have you read the Anandtech review? It is faster than G2. The difference is NOT negligible. It is over 2x as fast in Sequential write and a little faster in Sequential read. Shure in 4K it is almost identical with G2, but with bigger files it is faster. The G3 performance is equal C300.
That review you linked to, you can also see that it is faster there too. Shure we are not talkin minutes in a single task, but that goes for ALL SSDs. You won`t notice much difference in normal tasks with a Vertex 3 compared to C300 either.

All i am saying is that if you are going from a HDD for the first time and will be buying a Intel SSD, you will be a fool to buy a slower drive for almost the same amount of money. If you already HAVE a X-25M, you be better off by sticking to that drive until something better comes along. But it all depends on the buyer anyway. Someone likes to have new technology. Like me. I am sick and tired of this 160GB G2.

 

A matter of whether 50 bucks worth it, which is very personal decision. I probaly would get the G2 as well given my intended usage.

G3 is an even more balanced product than G2. I would say the king of the SATA II interface.

 

Absolutely. In order to consider a 160GB G2 its price should be around $150.


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No one will notice the difference between a G2 or G3 160 in real world performance, except for one area: if you do a lot of large file copies the G3 will be faster. Whether that and slightly improved power consumption are worth $50 is up to the individual to decide.

That's what I also thought until I saw this review.
Intel SSD 320 (300GB) Review - A Review of the Intel SSD 320 (300GB)

Turns out the 320 is just an average performer in real life.

 

Different people value different things. To me, the 320(160 and 300G) fixed the obvious problem of low sequential write in the G2. So it no longer has any specific weak point anymore. All these SSD are more or less the same in real life as drive speed is one factor of many things that contribute to user experience.

What we have is an already very reliable G2 with additional reliability measure and a nice AES encryption(that is important for privacy/security reason). It doesn't need to be head and shoulder above the rest.

That said, I would pay for the G2 if it is 50 bucks cheaper as I can make better use of that, like just bought a LG Optimus One at 60 bucks.

 

When a company introduces a new product, it's only natural for it to be a better product than it's predecessor or else it won't really be an improvement then, and it would be a waste of money. Well being intel who has already made a name for themselves, I guess they can get away with increasing sequential write speeds (which again won't be felt MOST of the time) and call it a new product and sell it for $50 or whatever more and people will still say "Wow, Intel's new 320 stumps the G2 and everything else!". I'm not saying it's a bad drive, what I'm saying is people shouldn't get all crazy about it cause the truth is people won't even notice the difference between the G2 and G3 except probably when copying large files. So you pay $50 or whatever to copy and paste large files faster..

 

I bet you all buy used ancient cars when you need a new car

 

No, but I'll buy last year's model car new sitting on the lot that has a year's worth of solid reviews and feedback at 10% less than the new model that just came out!

 

the analogy is a bit off.

How about I would buy last year's model(those promotion offers at the beginning of the year) when I need a new car. Yup it does add 1 year to its life(may affect bluebook value) but is otherwise a new car.

edit:
HTWingNut beat me

 

My opinions don`t count anyways. I will buy 1600 RAM although it will basicly give me no visible performance boost in return. But that is just how i roll. Screw old technology. We live in a materialistic world. Gadget is my middle name.

 

Inspector is your first?

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I am actually quite interested in the G2 vs G3 debate.

The G3 looks faster on paper but we know that is not always the case in real life, and even if it is a bit faster when we are already at SSD speeds is that really a big deal?

I am more interested in what will happen with prices, and the durability of the drive. I have read this new smaller process is cheaper to make so that means lower cost but also should in theory have a lower life, it is rated quite a bit less in life span if I am not mistaken.

Then you have to think over the course of time it maybe was a much worse investment, and no matter what I think loss of data from a failed drive is the worst thing that can happen so I would much rather have the slower SSD it if is going to last longer.

So I would like to know more about lifespan, and if the G3's cheaper manufacturing process will make it cost less than the G2 at some point, or if the G2 will cost less simply since its not being replaced.

160GB is a sweet spot for me so I am looking at intel as my most probably SSD purchase when I do get one.

 

On G2 vs. G3: I'd say there's no real speed difference (see Laptopmag).
One exception: large file copies are a bit faster on G3.

Reliability: Intel x25m is the winner for me. 34nm flash has proven itself already and the firmware on the x25m is really mature.

 

most likely, not. even getting the fastest pcie ssd won't give a noticable difference except in the cases where you look for it (copying files from/to it, for example, as there the raw bandwith matters).
but still, getting the last gen doesn't have benefits, as they sure improved since then (and they have, see their write-numbers).

so far, intel prices moved down over time just nicely. resellers do block that trend quite a bit. when ever intel goes down, no one else does => they can make more money
reliability is NO problem AT ALL. why? because the g2 is RATED for a certain lifetime, but internally, at intel, it's RATED FOR 5X AS LONG. g3 is rated for the same, and is internally rated for less. but that doesn't matter. as long as you're within the public stated ratings, it's all fine. it'll last longer as you use it, anyways.

no. really, we're talking about years in the future. the "backup day" was yesterday, everyone should do backups anyways.

it'll get cheaper over time. and lifetime is NO problem.

g3 i'd go for, then.

 

No G3 here and G2 prices didn't move an inch.. No good news for me at all..I'd still get the G2 though..Even though they cost as much as a G3 would there in the USA.. Have amazon and newegg prices gone down on the G2s yet?

 

I would not expect it to drop right away, once the G3 market is saturating it will.