Looking for an SSD, not sure where to start

I want to get an SSD for my current Dell e4300. I'm not really sure where to start though.

I found this on Tigerdirect, Patriot

will this work with my computer? It has plenty of space for me, its SATA III, but I'm not sure if that matters...

thanks

 

SATA III drives are backward compatible, meaning it will work with MB that only supports SATA II. But why spend extra money to buy SATA III SSD while SATA II drives are much cheaper? Your laptop doesn't support SATA III, I would advise you to get a SATA II SSD instead, like this one: OCZ OCZSSD2-1VTXPL120G Vertex Plus 2.5 Solid State Drive - 120GB, SATA II at TigerDirect.com only $104.99 after rebate, good deal for a 120Gb SSD.

 

The one I posted is only $10 more...wouldn't getting a SATA III be more "future proof", if I were to get another comp. I realize its backward compatable, but it'd be nice to have it if I needed it.

Is there any thing to look out for that would make an ssd no compatible with my comp?

 

Before purchasing anything determine what kind of controller is on the drive. If it is a SandForce controller, DO MORE RESEARCH!! There have been well documented problems with certain models of these controllers.

The worst thing you could do is start off purchasing something that might fail down the road. I'm sure others will opine, but I'll start them off. Consider purchasing a Crucial, Samsung, or Intel (non- Intel 520) drive to start off.

 

ok...I'll look out for SandForce. The one I linked had it.

How about this then?

Amazon.com: Crucial 128 GB m4 2.5-Inch Solid State Drive SATA 6Gb/s CT128M4SSD2: Electronics

 

That's a good choice.

I would like to say not every single SandForce based SSD is going to fail sure, they are not as realiable as Intel and Crucial but I still believe you shouldn't totally avoid them if they appear to be a more reasonable solution.

The Intel 320 drives often go on sale for close to a $1/GB and Intel is def the best.

 

snowbrdkid, I have the one you posted in your original link. Love it. Great drive!

 

Just to be clear, I'm not saying that either. If it is a SF controller, run some more searches on the exact model # to see if there is a higher rate of failure when compared to the other SSD models listed above.

Just do the research to know what you're getting. Run some searches on reviews. Look at (with a grain of salt) user reviews on things like newegg. Gather all the info you can. Only when you've done your "homework", can you make an informed decision.

 

@jclausius: There's minor issues with every drive and those who research too deeply, especially on these forums, just end up having a very skewed view on SSD (un)reliability. I've seen several threads where the OP ended up sticking with their HDD because someone or other recommended against every single model.

So far I've read on NBR:

Intel 320: The 8MB bug
Intel 510: Too expensive
Crucial M4: Apparently the LPM issue is still not fully fixed
Samsung 830: It seems that under certain scenarios it gets stuck in a degraded performance state from which it can never recover
Sandforce: Controller failures and BSODs

The best thing to do would be to just find a retailer with a generous return policy. Then if you don't like the SSD you can just return it for a full refund.

 

As you pointed out there are issues everywhere, but I disagree with your assessment. Note, I *don't* disagree that you shouldn't use a reputable retailer w/ a customer oriented return policy, but rather that you imply buy whatever, and just return it when you have problems. Just because a retailer has a good return policy, you still have the headache of possibly lost data, shipping it back, re-stocking fees, etc. In order to *minimize* this risk (note, I did not say eliminate), you should *do your homework*. For me, it's piece of mind that I bought something that should work great right out of the box and if not, then I bought from a reputable place that can remedy the situation.

In regards to SSD reliability, we all know due to variations in component materials, manufacturing techniques, storage environment, shipping care, etc. ALL things will have defects that need to be replaced - including SSDs.

But, it's the numbers / percentages you want to look at here. For example, from what I've seen, Crucial's [FW] 0309 has solved most ppl's problems with the M4. Haven't seen the 830 problem, nor the 320 issue you mention, but I'm sure they exist. The thing is, they exist in a really small percentage of drives.

However, in regards to SF controller issues take a look at the number of problems. Not just ones here, but other forums, other product reviews, etc. Does that mean there is a problem with *all* SF controllers in everyone's use case? No. (which was my point above), But there is an alarmingly large number of problems (at least larger than complaints against the other SSDs mentioned above) that should give ppl pause.

 

From a sample of recent posts made in the last month or two, I can easily find complaints about the M4 and the 320.

Here's one against the M4. It was made a couple of days after 0309 was released, so I'm not sure if that was reflected in the assessment:

http://forum.notebookreview.com/sol...-ssds-crucial-m4-samsung-830-intel-510-a.html

And one against the 320:

http://forum.notebookreview.com/sol...h-storage/636696-intel-320-ssd-8mb-brick.html

You don't have to go back too many pages to find these threads, and while you and I realize that it's the power of vocal minorities at work, someone new to SSDs would simply end up thinking that all SSDs are unreliable, as I said before. Like this:

http://forum.notebookreview.com/sol...ash-storage/639618-best-300gb-ssd-market.html

Most people will be happy with whichever SSD they buy. Most of the problems have been fixed and any SSD is several orders of magnitude faster than an HDD. Even the Agility 3, which started off with nothing but complaints, has climbed up to a 4 star average in Newegg reviews over the course of the past year. Of course, if you're saying that buying any SSD should "give ppl pause" as you put it, then I have nothing more to say.

 

FWIW, when I was deciding very recently, it was down to the Crucial M4 or Samsung 830 for me.

I ended up getting the 830. I ruled out the Intel 320 due to the above bug, which apparently still isn't resolved by the latest firmware updates. Agree about the 510.

I just now learned about the supposed Samsung 830 issue. I will look into it.

I ruled out Sandforce and was wary of anything from Indilinx/OCZ. I'm i in general concerned about reliability and possible data loss from smaller companies who I doubt have nearly the resources for validation and design expertise that larger companies have. Even the larger companies like Intel can get it wrong sometimes. Fortunately, the Intel X25-M G2 that I've been using since 5/2010 in my desktop machine has been trouble free.

I was unaware of the Crucial M4 LPM issue at the time I made my choice, but it seems I probably ran into the same LPM issue on my Samsung 830. See http://forum.notebookreview.com/sol...age/613245-samsung-830-ssd-5.html#post8287055 and the workaround I had to use. The workaround works great.

 

No. I don't think there is anything you can say, really.

To quote my post again...

So, no. Not *any* SSDs, just the SandForce (SF) based SSDs. As stated from another one of my posts in this thread...

Reading the posts of this forum, the are a small number of complaints (and a smaller number of RMAs/returns) against NON-SF based SSDs, but those are complaints. For instance, the LPM is a pausing issue, *not* a my SSD just up and died kind of problem. However, in regards to SF based SSDs, there are a *larger* numbers of problems (relative to non-SF SSDs), and the complaints *are* RMA/return in nature.

To help prove my point, even today, there's a new post - http://forum.notebookreview.com/solid-state-drives-ssds-flash-storage/645102-ocz.html

 

@cwerdna: You should take that list with a big grain of salt. They're merely things I've heard about from others.

@jclausius: I think we should just stop here. At this point, we're simply contributing to the pervasive negativity that's pushing people away from SSDs in general.

 

Again, you're a bit perplexing, Peon. Not sure what negativity you're talking about.

Let's try a concrete example. Consider the automobile. There can be problems w/ any vehicle as there will be miniscule problems with any manufacturing process regardless of quality control. When you buy a new vehicle, there can be failures in many parts - belts break, exhaust system rattles, check engine light comes on at 345 miles, etc. And guess what. Those ppl gripe. Does that mean there is something wrong with this make/model of vehicle? Absolutely not! Should you *not* buy a car because 20 ppl griped about there problems on some web site? Absolutely not! But you keep hearing on how great a car is, and you think you need to purchase one. Then what should one do? Research is the answer.

The same thing applies to SSDs. The "negativity" your referring to is very similar to the car example. These problems you're linking to are just a mere fraction out of all the owners, and most are extremely happy with their SSD purchase. Even the majority of the Sandforce SSD owners seem to be happy. But only with research can you determine if it is just a few ppl griping or there is something larger at play, or perhaps there is an acknowledgement of some kind of problem with a product. Again, the list above for Crucial, Intel (non-520) and Samsung SSDs seem to have the smallest number of complaints.

In sum, SSDs are great. BUT, they are not necessarily a 1:1 HDD replacement. SSDs *do* have their limitations w/ number of write cycles, problems on non-TRIMMED systems, etc. But like any tool, you need to know how to apply it in your use case. If you do know how to use it, and their abilities meet your use case, they are fantastic! Period!!

With that said, I agree. We can stop now.

 

That is the crux of the matter. However, if you browse through the threads of this forum, the vast majority of topics fall under these 2 categories:

1) What SSD should I buy?
2) People having problems with their SSDs seeking help

If I didn't know anything about SSDs, I'd be convinced that all SSDs are unreliable by the time I got to page 5, thanks to the category #2 threads. I'll elaborate on this in a moment.

People who are content about something rarely speak up. It'd be great if more people who were happy with their SSD purchases relayed their experiences, but that's simply human nature.

My concern isn't so much about the relative reliability of various SSDs so much as it is the fact that in a number of threads, a combination of different posters end up tarnishing the image of all SSDs in general.

As an example, let's say a hypothetical OP is looking at a Sandforce drive. Someone responds by cautioning them and telling them to thoroughly research it. Someone else recommends the M4. A third person recommends the 320. So the OP now starts to thoroughly research these 3 drives as instructed.

Of course, Sandforce is quickly ruled out, but upon further research, the M4 and 320 don't look all that reliable either (see my previous post for quotes). So our hypothetical OP, who knows nothing about SSDs and therefore would have no way of knowing that those are isolated occurences, simply concludes that all SSDs are unreliable (again, see my previous post for a quote of that) and ends up not getting any SSD at all. Wouldn't you agree that this is counterproductive?

Given the rather stable state of the SSD market at the moment, I'd rather see 10 people trying out SSDs and have 2 of them come back unhappy, than 5 people trying out SSDs and the other 5 people being discouraged because of what they read.

Hopefully this makes it more clear as to where I'm coming from.

 

I have the intel 320, works great....6 months now and going strong...