SSD Thread (Benchmarks, Brands, News, and Advice)

I don't think any of those games stream data in-game, only level load times would be greatly reduced.

 

Has anyone updated their Intel G2 to the latest firmware (02M3) via USB flash drive? My system is a Lenovo X200 which doesn't have an optical drive so I can't burn the ISO.

So far I've used a win98 USB boot disk with the firmware .exe but it just hangs when I try to run it. Any ideas?

 

I have done it exactly the same way and it went through without any problems.

 

how long have you waited? took a while on one of my systems till it found it, but it did.

 

Was that first benchmark when you first got the drive, before you'd written to every block at least once? I suspect part of it may be the natural consequence of a "dirty" drive. Have you noticed any actual slowdown?

 

its very limited what you gain in the gaming sense, loading levels faster, zoning in and out faster, etc. In pure game mechanics.... Nothing, although games like mmos might benefit some due to having such huge worlds and having a lot of hdd activity.

When ever its loading sure, but its not going to hinder your gaming experience, as often all the textures are loaded on the gpus.

 

Hmm I just tried a different flash drive and it worked no problem. Weird.

 

Thanks dude. Ok quick question though.

Now if i were to SE the drive... in order to not lose all my data i'd create an image on a backup hdd...

but when i would copy that 50gb image back on the ssd... wouldn't that induce a much worse durawrite state?? 50gb at once is a hell of a beating...

I think ima leave the computer idle overnight and see what that does.

 

You have hit the nail. This frequent SE only works for scratch disk usage(i.e. you don't restore your system back).

Leaving it overnight @ login and pray that it will recover is the only thing you can do for SF's DuraWrite. It has its own brain.

Though the question is, have you noticed any difference or it is just the benchmark that make you feel bad.

 

naw man still boots up mad quick, apps launch at lightening speed, and installs and everything is lightening quick.... just those numbers tick me off.. lol

 

that is what I guess. All these 'who is the benchmark king in SSD' is IMO quite meaningless for everyday usage. We can't noticeable the difference between 1.01s vs 1.03s

 

Worth mentioning that according to a user testing the OS X 10.7 Beta, Trim support has been added to all drives sold by Apple. Hopefully that gets expanded, but I highly doubt it, knowing Apple.

 

The new Macbook Pros have options for big SSDs. Not the standard boot/OS SSD that was rumored, but the options are there.

 

It was there since last gen. Kingston drives.

 

Ah... I'm not an Apple guy, but my daughter is very into them. I'll be helping her get a new MBP this summer to take to college. She's a photographer, and her current (non-Pro) Macbook won't process Photoshop filters while streaming music. Stutters and bumps along, she says. I think the new MBPs will be her cup of tea, especially with a nice SSD.

 

For photoshop you need more CPU/GPU power which is given by new MBP's. 256GB SSD is more than enough for OS/Programs and files.

 

SSD story. Long ago I got a Corsair 128 NOVA SSD. I cloned my drive to it and enjoyed it immensely. It was fast, and boot time was great. Then, times got tough nd I sold it on Ebay. Guy had an issue with it and I took the return.

I was not going to mess with it so sent it back to Corsair for RMA.

Got the drive yesterday. And again, I did not have time for a fresh install which is preferable, so again, I cloned it using Active@disk imaging software. Actually, I used the COPY DISK function.

I had deleted as much as possible so had less than 70GB filled.

I did not realize how much I missed the ability to open programs immediately after boot and the quick boot times. And instant open on programs. This time, one difference is that even Photoshop and Dreamweaver POP open fast. They were pretty much pigs on the first SSD. Big difference right there. No idea why, but I do not care it is just awesome.

Thing was, my spinner was just seeming very slow and I was really getting pissed at how long stuff would take. I am so happy to be back! SSD's rule, and going back to a spinner is not for me.

 

haha that's why i spread ssds to all my friends.. when ever i have to help them on their systems i go crazy otherwise

 

Is there a certain way i have to configure firefox to run on the ssd? or do i just install and im good? any advice or a guide would be helpfull.

 

-> On an Intel I'd just install it and be done with it.

Some people might say get rid of the Cache etc. -> but unless the Nand is rubbish there is no need to do that.
(Small writes are worse in terms of wear than sequential or "big" writes)

 

So nothing for to worry about with the cosair ssd that i hve in my sig then?

 

-> Only if you have trim/slowdown issues.
Else, don't worry I'd say.

 

Yeah, my computer feels "normal" again! I am getting ready to do the ACHI tweak but must have a good backup with boot disk before I do it in case it tanks.

Since I have always cloned, (bad, I know, but I have too much crapola that I like and do not want to have to setup Dreamweaver again and try to find Office disks etc.) I have always been with IDE and I think I want to see if I can tell any difference with the ACHI. I will be following the ACHI tweak mentioned here: The SSD Optimization Guide | The SSD Review

 

-> Make sure you switch that registry entry before you switch it in the BIOS
Error message when you start a Windows 7 or Windows Vista-based computer after you change the SATA mode of the boot drive: "STOP 0x0000007B INACCESSABLE_BOOT_DEVICE"

 

Got it. Will do. thanks!

 

Thinking about picking this guy up... any thoughts on it?
Newegg.com - OCZ Agility 2 OCZSSD2-2AGTE120G 2.5" 120GB SATA II MLC Internal Solid State Drive (SSD)

 

I have the 240GB Agility2 and love3 it. Never had one problem. Did a fresh install and just use it. I am not inclined to do a benchmark as it loads and shuts don way fast and programs are loaded almost as fast as I can click on them. Whats to benchmark. Use it and forget it. Be happy

 

^ Thanks. Planning on using the SSD as my primary and relocating my 320GB to my ODD.

 

Feel the same way about my drive. It will never see a benchmark program even installed on it, much less run. Already fastest I have ever used.

OK, transfer to ACHI mode worked! Nice! I cannot tell if it is faster!

 

AHCI will really benefit you most with multitasking operations, supports hotplug, and reduce CPU overhead. Plus the drivers are updated for it and help with performance and stability a bit.

 

So from what I can gather on SSD's since I don't own one, is that the 4k write/read is very important based on this article.

The SSD Manufacturers Bluff | The SSD Review

It looks like the majority of computer usage is used on the 4k.

I have a gateway p6831-fx stock and am thinking about upgrading. Later on down the line I will probably move to a whole new laptop and the SSD will then switch to that. Space is not a concern to me, honestly I could live with the 40gb intel and use my current drive for storage.

What SSD would you guys recommend for my laptop? From that test it looks like the crucial 300 is doing well, but seems expensive and I have heard of firmware issues. I have heard a lot of good things about intel, but again they seem slightly expensive compared to other companies. Personally I feel as if this would be a good buy, and possibly later on maybe even raid two of these together.

Newegg.com - Intel X25-M SSDSA2MH120G2K5 2.5" 120GB SATA II MLC Internal Solid State Drive (SSD)

Let me know your thoughts!

 

The 120GB periodically go on sale. I got mine for $169 (with newegg discount and mail in rebate), and the other just recently for $189 out the door. I have used Corsair Nova, Kingston V-series, OCZ Vertex 2, Intel X25-V 40GB, Intel X25-M 80GB, and Intel X25-M 120GB. I much prefer the Intel for several reasons.

Unless you have a specific need for specific speeds in certain areas (like fast sequential writes or reads), stick with Intel because it is an all around good drive, and great for Windows in general. 4K reads are pretty good too still comparatively. The 4K writes are lacking a bit these days but the way I see it, my system reads 4k probably 10x more than writing anyhow.

The drives are reliable and require no maintenance really. They are low power consumption which is great for a netbook. Intel also offers some nice tools that are simple to use. Download the Intel SSD Toolbox and you can manually TRIM your drive (shouldn't be needed but doesn't hurt to do it once a week, only takes a second), tune it to Intel recommendations (one time thing after an install really), and even secure erase if you decide to do that at some point to regain performance if needed (shouldn't be, but I do it if I do a fresh install). Plus they offer a migration tool to copy from any hard drive or other SSD to an Intel for free. It maintains alignment and everything.

 

ignite,

The 120GB X25-M Intel G2's are the best price/performance/reliability kings right now. Nothing else even comes close.

The next step up is a Samsung 470 Series @ 240GB or bigger capacity.

The Intel's cost more because they are worth it.

Good luck.

 

hey folks,

ive got a sata 2 laptop and plan to get an ssd within the next month.

will the new sata 3 drives from intel, vertex, etc still have better sata 2 performance than last years drives or will performance be relatively the same?

i'd prefer to get a sata 3 drive in case i get a new computer.

thanks

 

It is likely that the new SSD's will perform better at SATA II speeds than the previous generation SSD's.

But the difference in SATA II SSD -> SATA III SSD for use in SATA II laptops may not be justifiable for the upgrade cost that may be pricey..

 

yeh but like i said, i will likely reuse the drive in a new pc at some point so i'd like sata 3.

thanks though.

 

Yup.

I always sell my laptops without the SSD as I know I need the data and I can reuse the drive whenever I get a new laptop.

GL!

 

I'm going to buy a new laptop and I'm wondering whether to order it with an SSD. I understand the benefits of an SSD. What is the downside? Does an SSD have any disadvantages I should be aware of?

 

The most disadvantage to traditional spinning drives would be cost per GB, just about every SSD on the market costs more per GB to a standard platter drive and the maximum capacities for SSD drives are more constrained compared to their traditional counterparts.

 

Expensive, small sizes, and difficulty of recovering data in the event of failure (not that HDDs are easy, but unlike HDD recovery, SSD recovery hasn't really been setup yet). Those are the "real" disadvantages of SSDs. A "fake" disadvantage is the limited life issue; SSDs have a limited number of writes before the NAND can no longer be written to. However, the rated life for released SSDs is much higher than most people will reach in 5-10 years, so unless you do a lot of writing to your drive, it's not really an issue. Other than that, it comes down to individual models of drive.

 

ssd recovery doesn't matter as everyone has a nice working backup. right? RIGHT??

 

Oh how we wish that was true... maybe once we get personal cloud spaces that follow us around like they're talking about doing with phone numbers... Not that you would trust it, of course.

 

i have my personal cloud. it's linked in my signature. my backups work. i learned the hard way that it's the most important thing in my life: having my stuff safe (not just digital stuff of course).

everyone who still doesn't understand it does not deserve to get it's data back.

 

Intel 6GB/sec 510 SSD now in hands of PCPer.com testers.
Full review later today, they've posted some preliminary test results.
http://www.pcper.com/comments.php?nid=9804

I thought these were going to be mSATA drives like the 310....nope

">500MB/sec reads. >315MB/sec writes. Looks good."


SSD Shocker!!!! They use Marvel Controllers!!!

 

Speaking of backups, are there any issues restoring an SSD from a Windows 7 system image. That would be a lot of disk writting. Does it matter how often it is done?

 

I am wondering, are they abandoning their own G3 controller ?

 

If you do an SE/TRIM first, it would not be too harsh on the SSD.

It is disk write but is sequential in nature so the WA is guaranteed to be 1(or lower for SF).

 

Is that saying the 4k reads/writes are > 100MB/sec?

So what imaging program should you use and maintain alignment?

 

I just used the Windows 7 system image backup/restore. In fact, I transferred a pre-installed(and optimized) Windows 7 from a bigger HDD to my x25m this way. Alignment is preserved(as it just copy back the partition table).

 

^ yes, that's what it says.

those benchmarks would be on an empty drive .. so when filled I would expect huge drop in write speed.