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

This is a perfect example of why Intel is my number one choice:

See:
AnandTech - OCZ Vertex 4 Review (256GB, 512GB)


Just like Hitachi before it (with HDD's), Intel knows the intrinsic value of a balanced (in all ways) product... with reliability right at the top as it should be.

Until OCZ can show us the fixed firmware they have promised for the V4, this is a product to stay away from (once again for OCZ... sigh), just like the fantom firmware upgrade that was to be introduced by Seagate in January/February 2012 for it's XT Hybrid 750GB drives.

 

I think you mean Western Digital. Hitachi always produced hdd's that were great in sequential performance but sucked in access time.

 

Just installed a Corsair Performance Pro 256GB in my Sony SE1 notebook. The bios firmware limits SATA III to SATA II speeds, does this look good?

 

Saturating SATA II interface. Yup, I'd say you're good

 

Here's my 256GB Corsair Performance Pro.

 

hey guys i recently bought my sandisk extreme 120gb ssd and i wanted to show you my benchmarks. are they any good? i have an acer as4830tg i5 cpu with gt540m gpu and 4 gb ram.






but i have an issue. when i run hdtune program it says my ssd is ok




but when it refreshes, it says my ssd is failed




i just don't get it. is my ssd ok or not?
thanks for your help.

 

Very nice, I'm hoping Sony will release new firmware for my notebook so I can take full advantage of SATA III speeds as well. This drive rocks.

 

I'm looking into getting the Crucial Adrenaline 50GB SSD Cache for my Clevo Laptop when they release the P151EM with GTX 670M and Optimus.

Does anyone have experience with this product? For the price it seems awesome and could be allot better than the 750GB Seagate Momentus w/ 8GB SSD Cache.

I would just get a 500 or 750GB 32mb hard drive at 7200 RPM and set the Crucial Adrenaline to cache it. This would be amazing for a laptop and could really improve speeds.

Do you guys think that this would drastically improve Photoshop/Windows/Google Chrome/ and Video game load times[Skyrim, BF3, TF2, Diablo 3, League of Legends].

I've read a few reviews online but they aren't extremely helpful; they do say that it can give you near SSD performance[30-40% slower but still thats great] on all of your most used applications, and 50GB is a lot more cache space then the 8GB in the seagate.

Crucial Adrenaline 50GB
Newegg.com - Crucial Adrenaline CT050M4SSC2BDA 50GB Solid State Cache for Windows 7-based PCs

or is the Corsair Accelerator a better option? It is 60GB [the Crucial has 64GB but 14GB is saved for performance management].
Newegg.com - Corsair Accelerator Series CSSD-C60GB 2.5" 60GB SATA II Internal Solid State Drive (SSD)

 

Of these 2 I would stick with the Crucial because it has a Marvell controller and the Corsair has a Sandforce controller. There are far more problems with Sandforce controllers as there are with Marvell controllers. Crucial also is more active in updating their firmware.
It's difficult to say if it is a good choice having no personal experience.
It seems to be faster than the Momentus XT, but slower than a small real SSD.
Coming from a 5400rpm HDD ==> Momentus XT ==> Samsung 830 SSD I would rate the Momentus XT as having the biggest impact on the performance of my system. So go for it

 

Thanks allot for your input; does anyone have experience using this in a laptop? Is it good? I'm hoping it works well because I would really like some increased load times/program opening times.

 

I edited my post. Bottom line is I really loved the Momentus XT and this solution seems to be a bit faster. The only real disadvantage is that it uses software that needs to run under windows 7 (I'm not completely sure) and if you get another operating system (Windows 8 or Linux) you don't know if or when it will be supported.

 

Yeah it's Win 7 only; I don't like 8 though and plan on sticking with 7 until they release 9 at least. Its weird how every other OS Microsoft makes is good haha. And supposedly it's a lot faster than the Momentus XT; I had the 750GB momentus and it was way better than a stock 7200rpm drive but this has 6 times the cache space and does basically the same thing just with much more available space for caching! I'm going to put this in my main drive so I get SATA 3 and a 500GB or 750GB in my optical bay. .

Hopefully on a P151EM or P150EM from Clevo when they come out later this month.

 

Searched the Forum for thread dedicated to Intel Turbo Robson Memory and the closest result I got was this. Would like to ask if anyone tried or even heard about 8GB/16GB Turbo Memory modules as there are some interesting offers on AliBaba. They seem to be updated knockoffs, so just wondering if they are of any use...

Buy trubo memory 8gb, intel turbo memory 8gb, frmt, intel turbo memory 8gb robson,FRMT,speed up 2 times of the loading speed,enhance the performance,FRMT at Aliexpress.com

 

Greetings , I'm new to the Forum . I just built my laptop from 2 identical units my kids trashed . I swapped the monitor, backlite keyboard , changed the CPU from 2.0 to 3.06 & added the 2nd. drive . Both are 320 HDD .Now I'm looking to upgrade to an Intel ssd . Can someone share some experience with either the 320 or the 520 series ? I'm also open for any suggestions.Thanks


Dell 1737/Intel core [email protected]/8gb ddr2 6400 (800MHz)/SamsungHMJ320JI x2/Mobil Intel 4 series Express Chip set/AO8 BIOS

 

320 Series is SATA 3Gbps and uses an Intel controller, 520 is SATA 6Gbps and uses the infamous SF-2281 controller.

 

Thanks for the reply . Either one should work with what I have ?

 

Correct, but generally speaking it is wise to avoid anything with a Sandforce controller. get something with an Intel, Marvell or Samsung controller.
Intel controller ==> Intel 320
Marvell controller ==> Crucial M4, Intel 510, Plextor M2/M3
Samsung controller ==> Samsung 470/830
Sandforce controller ==> Intel 520 and a lot of others
The most popular choices at this moment are Crucial M4, Intel 320 and Samsung 830.

 

Thank Gray , I'll take your advise . Cheers

 

^^^This!

I have a 320 in my work system, runs great. Also really love the M4 in my laptop

 

Generally speaking making a blanket statement that it is "wise to avoid anything with a Sandforce controller" is wrong/misinformed.

Sandforce controllers are generally the highest overall/average performing controllers on the market right now. Sure there are specific situations where they can be outperformed but if you look at the overall picture they are the best.

Early firmware from Sandforce did have some compatibility issues with certain system setups that would cause instability but those issues have been taken care of. Most of the vendors shipping Sandforce based SSD's have updated their firmware to take care of those issues.

I have been running my Sandorce based Corsair for nearly 8 months now and have never had a single issue with it and I would bet my laptop that it will out perform any Crucial m4 drive (again overall performance not 1 or 2 specific scenarios).

 

Good for you that you have not run into problems with your particular setup and most likely you never will...
but like Anand Lal Shimpi says in his latest review of a Sandforce based SSD: AnandTech - Kingston HyperX 3K (240GB) SSD Review

With a lot of other good SSD controllers out there (Intel, Marvell, Samsung), why take the risk?

 

I might get the P150EM Clevo laptop; if I use the 240GB OCZ

Newegg.com - OCZ Agility 3 AGT3-25SAT3-240G 2.5" 240GB SATA III MLC Internal Solid State Drive (SSD)

Could I use it as my main and only drive; or would it cause the life/speed of the SSD to decrease if I used it as my sole drive. I plan on storing all of my Movies/Music online or on my 750GB External drive so the 240GB will be for my Win 7; Photoshop; Video Games; and basic programs that I use. It should be more than enough room for all of that + my photoshop files that I am currently working with [files that I no longer am working on will be moved to my External after a few days] + my school files and software [finance/accounting software].

It should be fine correct??? This drive is only $220 and $200 after rebate; it's hard for me to turn down! I might even try to get a second one eventually and put it in the optical bay drive.

If I bought another one later could I RAID 0 it? Or do you have to wipe the original drive and reset up everything in order to do a RAID O?

 

You didn't read the posts above yours?
Personally I wouldn't buy anything from OCZ and with a SandForce SSD controller and the Agility has both
If you read all the reviews at Newegg they are not all very positive...
My suggestion would be to get a Crucial M4 or Samsung 830 256GB.
Good luck with your choice.

 

I'd like to direct the group's attention to a thread in the Alienware subforum: http://forum.notebookreview.com/alienware-m17x/656638-how-can-i-improve-my-ssd-performance.html

Would like to get your input on the suggested tweaks literature and specifically the use of fancycache.

 

All I'll say is you get what you pay for...

The reason the OCZ drives are often found so cheap is that that is the only way they can justify selling them. Still way too many unresolved issues with them...and OCZ Customer Service is the worst you will ever run into. Having my 5-year old cousin handling CS would be better than theirs.

 

Why are the majority of the reviews good then? 4 out of 5 stars average. I looked through and most of the 1 and 2 star reviews are people that most likely didn't switch to ACHI mode and turn off hibernate/sleep and all the optimizations that are necessary to stop errors from occuring.

Seems that most of the people with errors are not technical and all of the people who seem to know what they are doing give it 4 or 5 stars.

Half of the 1 star reviews are probably tards who defragged the drive.

 

The issues with the Sandforce controller used in that and many other drives has a long-documented string of problems. Many technical people have had constant BSODs with such drives. A new firmware late last year did improve things for a lot of people, but far from all. Even Intel hasn't managed to get all the issues sorted from all indications.

Not sure why that drive in particular isn't rated lower, but look at the 20% who rate it 1 star...yes some are idiots, but not all. And other drives using that controller have upwards of 40%+ 1-star ratings.

Not saying it won't work fine for you, just warning you that there are many yet-unresolved issues with Sandforce controllers. Crucial M4 (and other drives using the Marvell Controllers) and Samsung 830 have by far the best track record among Sata 3 (6Gbps) SSDs. I've seen 240/256GB versions of those selling at the $1/GB mark of late too on sale.

 

Yeah the Crucial M4 seems to be the best but it is a good bit more expensive.

 

Not really when you catch sales. The 128GB has been going for $100-$110 on sales of late. 256GB version I've seen for $240. Just keep your eye out. And don't discount the Samsung 830 either, seems to be a rock-solid drive.

 

I'm having issues with boot up with my new Lenovo W520. I suspect that is with my new Corsair Performance Pro 256GB SSD.

Sometimes when I boot up my W520 (it happened this morning), it starts up, after seconds it shows "Windows" loading in a black screen (which is normal). After that, it loads Windows with the "Windows" logo in blue screen (normal as well). Then, my screen goes completely blank with only the mouse icon show in white.

After 1 to 2 minutes, it loads up completely. I'm suspecting it's my Corsair SSD.

Can someone with this SSD has the same issue? Thanks

 

I've never seen the 256GB M4 for $240, if it was $220 I would buy it in a heartbeat. I might just get the 128 and a 500GB normal HDD. Still hard to decide haha. That build is probably better though. Or I was thinking of possibly getting a 240GB or 256GB SSD as the sole drive because it generates less heat and takes a little less power to run not to mention it will be much quieter for when I have to use it in class. I have a 750 external that I use to store movies for when I'm home; I usually just use net flix though; and if I really needed a little more room for save files/random pictures and stuff I could buy a 64GB or 128GB flash drive and just pop that in the side when I need it.

 

I have the same drive but have had no problems at all. Did you change anything recently? (install new drivers, new software, etc)

 

I have the 256GB Corsair Performance Pro as well and I don't have those issues either.

 

I'd like to direct the group's attention to a thread in the Alienware subforum: http://forum.notebookreview.com/alienware-m17x/656638-how-can-i-improve-my-ssd-performance.html

Would like to get your input on the suggested tweaks literature and specifically the use of fancycache.

 

SSD vendors set to trigger price war to force out smaller peers

 

I'm looking to get a Samsung 830 SSD in the next couple of months, how much of a speed improvement can I expect over my x25M G2? Laymen terms as much as possible please, I'm not very technical with SSDs.

 

I think you would not notice it in real life. Only upgrade if you need a bigger SSD or have problems with the one you use now.

 

So have we heard anything recently as to how close we are to new SSDs? I'm going to be in the market in about two months' time, and I would want to be on the front of the product cycle rather in the end.

 

Yeah it's mainly for a storage increase. I'm surprised to hear that I won't notice any real life differences though, I mean I bought this drive in like 2010.

I would also like to know this. Looking for a new, fast and reliable drive like Intel or Samsung.

 

I'm pretty sure gandalf didn't research the 830 or the G2 from intel...
The read and write speeds of your G2 160GB from Intel are 250mb/s and 100 mb/sec because it is only Sata 2 and is an old drive.

The samsung 830 256gb [if you are upgrading for speed and space] has read/write speeds of 520mb/sec and 400mb/sec considering it is newer tech and is Sata 3.

That is more than 100% faster read speeds and 4 times the write speeds.

You WILL notice that; that's double read speeds and quadruple write speeds....

 

Hi guys, i'm sry if this has been mentioned or asked before, but i wasn't to keen on reading through 1000+ pages, and search didn't show what i wanted

I've been looking on the Kingston HyperX 3K 90gb SSD recently. Is this is good disk? I dont want a to big disk, maybe i could go for a 120gb. I've planned only on having OS, Office pack and Diablo 3 on the disk, and then have 500gb on side for other stuff. Would you suggest another disk at approx same price and size, instead of the kingston?

 

I read that a lot of people put their OS on SSDs to make start-up much faster, but would it affect Windows operation much besides start-up? The reason I ask is I only do one start-up per day, so saving the space for games, which I can load and close several times a day, seems like a better option for me (I plan to get a 128GB).

Is there anything wrong with this line of thinking?

 

I don't agree... Specs are overrated.
The speeds are of course faster, but I think you will only notice it when you have 2 laptops with the different drives next to each other.
In my laptop I had a 5400rpm HDD, bought a Seagate Momentus XT (hybrid drive) and that made a very big difference.
Then I bought a Samsung 830 SSD and there was a difference but not that spectacular.
Don't get me wrong I love my SSD but it is not that much of an upgrade coming from a hybrid drive.
So I think you will have the same (slightly disappointing) feeling going from one SSD to another newer one.
Unless you have problems or not enough space on your current SSD I see no reason to upgrade.

 

I newer saw someone put it better than that, bravo!

Going for a faster ssd makes sense if you can clearly see limitations to your current one, and in that case you exactly know what you need your new drive(s) to do and what to buy.

If I'd swap 830 in my gaming computer for x25-m i wouldn't notice any difference as they both access data instantly and 99.999% of time wouldn't be under pressure. Also I don't have any media attached to that computer that can push data at more than 100MBps.

@omnivor... least important thing when you have OS installed on ssd is boot time, more important is that whatever you do, computer will read or write something to some system file, so when you start your game, disk will access OS files as well, first of all directX, and it's the same with all other apps, they all need some OS resource that sometimes is already loaded in memory, but sometimes isn't.

You should put on ssd your os and most frequently used apps. 120gb ssd has more than enough space for most users (no, that game you didn't run for last 2 weeks doesn't count as frequently used)

 

Sorry for the lame question....

I've got an X-25 M (160gb) that has been flawless for me (in my Dell m4500). I am looking to replace it to pick up a little space and to have a new drive. I am confused by the new Intel Line.

Would the Intel 520 be fine? I see the new 330 line just came out.

I can't find a comparison table on Intel's website. My MAIN concern is reliability (which is why I want to stick with Intel). I've heard some rumors about sandforce being problematic?

Any advice appreciated.

 

The 520 uses a Sandforce controller. Intel has done a lot to improve the issues with that controller with their firmware, but there are still a lot of BSOD issues. Personally I'd avoid the 520.

I believe the 330 is Sandforce too? I haven't looked in a while, perhaps someone can correct me if I'm wrong.

A Samsung 830 would be my pick today, or a Crucial M4, the prices on which are plummeting right now, probably a sign of a new SSD coming from Crucial (the M4 was released over a year ago).

If you want Intel, go with the 510, that uses a Marvell Controller and hardware-wise is very similar to the Crucial M4. But at a major price premium.

 

Thanks for the info! That helps.

Looks like Sandforce released some sort of update in December of last year to address the BSOD issue. Was that update not sufficient? Seems like it has been out there for months now. I wonder how the feedback is.

Do you know what controller the X-25M G2 used? I couldn't find out definitively by searching Google.

 

I brought Sandisk Extreme 240GB SSD (SDSSDX-240G-G25) for £168.49

lowest priced 24nm Toggle Nand SSD available in UK. SanDISK using their own nand chips with custom Sandforce FW.

 

The update late last year by Sandforce was the first time they even admitted there was a problem with the controller (in nearly a year with the 22xx controller)...and yes, it fixed a lot of the problems, but no where near all. Feedback has understandably improved, but it is still low compared to basically every other controller on the market, since a lot of people still have BSOD issues.

The early Intel drives (320 and before) used Intel's own in-house controllers. They were good ones.

 

Very interesting. Maybe this is neither here nor there, but it makes you wonder: why did Intel stop making their own controllers?

Thanks again for the info, I'm looking at the samsung or maybe the 510 with the marvell controller!