Best 120GB SSD for around 200$?

What is the best 120GB SSD for about 200$?
I'm ordering an NP5175 and there is an option for "120GB Intel 510 Series Solid State Drive (SSD2 Serial-ATA III)". It costs an extra 280$, so I thought it would be more cost effective to just get a lower costing SSD and install it on my own. Unless it is really worth it and a good price for it.

I was looking at:
Micro Center - Crucial m4 CT0128M4SSD2 128GB SATA 6.0Gb/s 2.5" Internal Solid State Drive (SSD) with Marvell Controller CT0128M4SSD2
Micro Center - OCZ Technology Agility 3 120GB SATA 6Gb/s 2.5" Solid State Drive (SSD) with SandForce 2281 Controller AGT3-25SAT3-120

If either of them are good, that would be awesome, since the store in a town away and I can pick it up when I get my laptop and do a clean boot.
In store is not needed, but it would be sweet if I could have it close to when I get my laptop.

 

I have the 510, but I bought it because I couldn't find the m4. IIRC you should stay away from the SF controller. It has built in throttling which can slow down your speeds. The m4 is a very fast and good ssd.

 

B&H Audio (very reputable store in NY) sells the 128GB M4 for $194 with free shipping. Crucial Technology 128GB m4 SSD 2.5" Solid CT128M4SSD2 B&H

 

Are there any other options or is M4 like the best of the best?

 

Most agree that the Intel 510 series is the best, but its like $100 more expensive than the M4.

 

Intel might be fractions more reliable than the M4. But speedwise, it's a rather slow SATA III drive.

I miss the X-25.

 

Benchmark speedwise, yeah it does seem slow - but in actual, real world usage, the 510 250GB SSD is not too far from the top.

What pushes it to the top (and makes the $100 premium worth it...) is the fact that it is even more reliable than the M4.

You get what you pay for. What do you need from your systems... Theoretical top speed for a day/week/month/quarter or top speed day after day, almost indefinitely?

 

Does it really make it worth it though? We're really talking about fractions here, if that. The two are neck and neck in terms of reliability.

 

Even though I am a bit tech-savy, I have no idea how SSDs work; how they are fast, what makes them fast, other than that they are flash memory and not mechanical. So forgive me for being an SSD newb.

Anyway, I want an SSD because I don't need a lot of space for my laptop, and I want a fast bootup. Quick bootup time and less loading screens are selling points for me. What else would the SSD do/how would a nice top speed help me?

 

If you just care about boot times... have you considered just sleeping your laptop instead of shutting it down?

Loading times are reads, general "snappiness" is writes. 4k writes, 4k reads, those are the numbers to watch for. Latency too.

 

Try FancyCache and see how your system would feel with an SSD installed. (Simulated experience, of course...).

See:
http://forum.notebookreview.com/7817512-post27.html


The only difference is that the benchmark will be much lower, and the results will be easily felt on the first 'run' instead of having to be cached first.

Don't worry about about a 'nice top speed' - all the current SSD's are there - be more concerned about keeping that top speed for the next few years with no BSOD's, power issues, sudden death syndrome, or other PITA solid state storage issues/problems.

 

I don't own a laptop right now. I made this thread because I needed to know what SSD to buy. Probably going to get the M4.
Also interested in an SSD because I hear they are quieter than a HDD (a novelty) and can withstand falls and bears and stuff (main plusside to me). If anything ever happens to my laptop, it's nice to know that my files are/have a better chance of being safe.

EDIT: P.S. I am really curious about SSDs. I've always wanted one to compare and love, so I really want to try one with my new laptop. I hear all these people saying SSDs are the best, and that they will not go back to HDDs ever again, and I want to experience the fun speed!

 

You don't need to own a notebook to try FancyCache - just borrow a friend's system for a few minutes or simply find a store display model with an online connection to see what difference it makes.

For the small ~$80 difference between the M4 in your first post's link and the asking price for the Intel 510 right from the manufacturer, I would be easily swayed to pay that and have the whole system guaranteed to work from them.

What is the price of the whole system and what are your most typical usage scenarios with the system, once you get it.

SSD's do not make a system faster/more productive (past boot, shutdown and program load times) except in certain scenarios (reading/editing large (or many, many small) pdf's, updating databases, etc.), only more responsive and some of my client's can't tell they have an SSD inside with their typical/average usage scenarios - so, don't expect to be 'wowed' too much.

I'm glad they opted for an SSD though because the maintenance I do on their systems is obviously speeded up: instead of 2 or 3 hours (on a 5400 RPM HDD based system) I can optimize and fully update their systems in 45 minutes or less.

So, again... waiting for your usage scenario and total cost of your new system.

 

Cost: about 1200$ with out any SSD, about 1500$ with Intel SSD, and 1400$ with M4 SSD. If m4 is really good and it's not a drastic performance upgrade compared to the Intel, i'd rather not spend the extra 100$, because I can use that for a headset or a mouse or something.
If I got an SSD, I would just need to swap it out and install the OS, but I'd probably boot it up with the regular hard drive in to make sure it works before swapping.

Usage scenario:
Multitasking (word, excel, sony vegas, photoshop, browser, etc.), Video editing, and running some games.

Even if I don't really need it, i'm probably going to go for an SSD because I don't need that much space, it's in my laptop budget and I want to try it out and boast to my friends about my 1337 b00t t1m3z0rz

 

Yeah, I understand...

$80 is not even 5-6% more on a system you'll be enjoying for a few years.

Think of it like this: the Intel 510 is based on the same controller as the M4, but it is up to Intel standards - mostly through firmware - and the added benefit of the Intel SSD Toolbox that will keep your investment at tip-top shape for the (useful) life of your system.

Your call and $80 is $80 - but something about pennywise and pound foolish springs to my mind. Lol...

Even if you didn't buy from the notebook manufacturer/reseller to take advantage of the 'whole package' warranty piece of mind, I would still choose/buy the Intel over the M4 after market and still save money (and, have a HDD with the operating system on it to sell with the system at some future time).

See:
NCIX.com - Buy Intel 510 Series 120GB Solid State Drive SSD 2.5IN SATA 6GB/S Elm Crest - Intel - SSDSC2MH120A2K5 - in Canada

Good luck, whichever route you take!

 

The M4 is a great drive, don't let people convince you otherwise. The fact is that the hardware between the 510 and the M4 is identical aside from the NAND size, and both are using Micron-branded memory. They use the SAME controller. Really the differences are mostly in firmware, you will not see a speed difference between them in actual usage unless you sit there with a stopwatch, and even then the differences are tiny. The M4 is faster in some things, the 510 in others, but the differences are minor enough. Crucial has a very good name in SSDs too, keep in mind they are a branch of Micron, who has been making memory for decades.

You can't go wrong with either the M4 or the 510. Yes, the M4 is typically a fair bit cheaper, Intel is using the older larger NAND size hence a lot of the price difference.

Just make sure your M4 has firmware 0002 before you install anything on it. It ought to come with it now as the firmware has been out for a couple months, but if not the update is simple, just burn and boot from a small ISO file. Instructions on the Crucial site.

 

Not trying to argue but the controller is almost inconsequential: look at the gen 2 X25-M's vs. the 320 Series systems: it's the firmware that makes (or breaks, as you note yourself) an SSD.

 

Might go with Intel 510 then, I like the idea of having it all together once I get my machine. If not i'll get the M4 and set it up myself, thanks guys

 

True. I was trying to make the point that they have virtually the same hardware, which they do, the difference does indeed come down to firmware. Crucial has actually been using this controller (or perhaps a variation on it) for over a year longer than Intel (C300). I won't bad-mouth either company, I know of dozens of people with either 510s or M4s, and they are all thrilled with their drives. Myself included. I would have gotten the 510 if it were closer in price to the M4, but it's a significant difference as has been noted. I don't feel there is much of a quality difference, however.