Good 240~gb ssd around $200?

I'm looking for an SSD in Dubai that's around $200. atm i've found a Kingston 240gb SSD for 700dhs (that's just around $190) but i'm not so sure about it, i've checked in cheap computer parts selling shops, and the bigger outlets don't sell parts. I could buy it in Canada as well but there it's taxed + more expensive while here i get the installation free too. Any suggestions? I'm looking at the Samsung 840 Pro 240gb which i've seen online for like $200 + atm they're giving AC3 free with it but i already have the game so ye. lol

 

I would recommend the Corsair Neutron GTX - no sandforce reliability/compatibility worries, toshiba toggle nand for speed, reliability, and top performance. Usually around $200-$220 for the 240GB drive. One of the fastest drives on the market available now.

 

The 840 Pro is having some teething problems at the moment; not surprising since it's a first-gen product (never be a paying beta tester ).

Another option you could check out is the Crucial M4 SSD. Should be pretty cheap and it gives some very nice performance per dollar.

 

Kingston of unknown spec's - definitely out of consideration completely - especially when you'll be saving all of ~$10.

Samsung 840 PRO - no. Not if you value consistency and high performance.

The Corsair Neutron and Neutron GTX models are simply too power hungry (and therefore may be too hot running) to be considered for mobile use (imo) - even though they are the most interesting SSD's I would like to try for my desktop's atm.

The SanDisk Extreme 240GB SSD is a good value - but no SSD toolbox like Intel drives offer.

See:
Sandisk Extreme SATA III Solid State Drive, 240GB at Memory Express


The Intel 520 Series 240GB SSD is my recommend drive - sure, it is ~$35 more - but that is very small one time cost for a long, long time of expected service and exceptional, sustained, performance vs. every other current drive when all aspects are considered.

See:
Intel 520 Series 240GB 2.5in SSD MLC 25nm SATA3 Solid State Disk Flash Drive OEM - DirectCanada


The Crucial M4 240GB SSD is also a solid contender - but again, for a mere $10 savings vs. the SanDisk Extreme the performance difference is not worth it (imo).

See
Crucial M4 2.5in SATA III Solid State Drive, 256GB at Memory Express



You may want to see this review of the Neutron GTX's which compares the consistency of some of the drives we've discussed above.

See:
AnandTech - Corsair Neutron & Neutron GTX: All Capacities Tested



In the above link - the comparisons for most consistent drive suggest that the Intel 335 Series 240GB SSD is one of the runners - especially if you won't be hammering this drive.

Although I haven't used/tested these drives myself - it may be the best one right now (depending on how much you 'believe' in the source linked above). And it does come below your $200 price point. With free shipping too.

See:
Buy Intel [SSDSC2CT240A4K5] Intel 335 Series 240GB SSD 2.5in SATA3 6GBS 20NM MLC 9.5MM Solid State Dive Retail


As for the 'free install' - I wouldn't place any value on that - that will simply be a (bad) clone of your current drive - to do this properly; you need to do a clean install of the latest O/S (Win7x64 or Win8x64) that you're most comfortable with (Win8x64 PRO is highly recommended).


Good luck.

 

Definitely a good option. It might not be a brand new product but my SSD has been rock solid since buying it a while ago.

 

Tiller, what's an SSD toolbox for?

Also, i have a 64gb Intel MSata, so would i see a huge performance improvement when getting an ssd?

When i say free install i mean they'll set-up the SSD and everything in my system for me because I'm not good with installing hardware (well, I've never tried it. so i can't say i'm bad either, most i've done is insert ram myself :3 )
I have win8 pro which i bought online and when i do get the SSD i'd clean install win8 pro on it w/ drivers and everything. I'm not sure how to do this but i'll get an SSD before figuring that out. I'm guessing i'll have to go on my bios and change my boot order so that it boots from SSD before my HDD. and then boot from the CD i have win8 on, then install win8 to the SSD fresh (while not tampering with the HDD, then i can format the HDD) < Is that correct?

 

I'm not tiller (obviously), but I'll pitch in...

A SSD toolbox is a piece of software that monitors the SSD, reporting SMART data and the like, and any other useful information. IIRC, most SSD sellers have their versions of a SSD toolbox; Intel has a version, Samsung has a version, so on and so on.

Upgrading from a mSATA (I'm assuming the Intel 310 series) to a full-sized SSD will see some performance benefits (lower random access speeds, higher seq. read/write since your mSATA is running at SATAII). However, if you need to huge capacity of a HDD and you don't have room to have both a full-sized SSD and HDD, I'd keep a mSATA + HDD combination.

Installing a SSD is pretty easy to do actually; the "hard" part is installing your OS of choice (still not very hard). You make sure you're discharged of static electricity (ground yourself) as well as discharge the laptop (remove battery/plug, hold power button for ~10 seconds), take off the panel covering the HDD, remove it (and any cage or rails around it), install said cage/rail on the SSD, install the SSD in the drive bay (same way as removing the HDD, but in reverse), and replace the cover over the drive bay. Boot the laptop up with the OS media, install OS, boom! You're done.

Anyway, the boot order shouldn't need to change (it should point to the drive bay by default), but it doesn't hurt to check the BIOS before installing.

 

Another vote for M4 here. I've had excellent experiences with both C300 and M4 - knock wood - so I might be biased towards Crucial in general.

Obviously, YMMV.

 

Samsung 830 or 840 PRO ($249). Don`t buy 840 (non pro). Its slower than 830

 

I would go for the Crucial M4 256gb, quite cheap now. Got mine for $179 only. Good luck!