SanDisk Extreme II 240GB

Hey everybody,
Has anybody tried out the new Sandisk Extreme II?? I'm finally biting the bullet and investing in an SSD but its relatively new so i don't know if I should trust it. If anybody has used it please let me know their experience with it and if they recommend it versus other current SSDs. Thanks
Sam

 

Well, as of a month ago it was Anand's new favorite SSD: AnandTech | SanDisk Extreme II Review (480GB, 240GB, 120GB)

 

yea but i was wondering about real-world user experiences with it and how they thought it compared to other SSDs they have had etc.

 

I would buy something that has been on the market for some time. I would vote for the Samsung 840 as they are the best value SSDs around. Samsung has made some of the best SSDs for quite some time.

Amazon.com: Samsung MZ-7TD250BW 840 Series Solid State Drive (SSD) 250 GB Sata 2.5-Inch: Computers & Accessories

Samsung 840 Series 250GB Review & Rating | PCMag.com
Samsung 840 SSD 250 GB Review | techPowerUp
Samsung SSD 840 Review (TLC) | StorageReview.com - Storage Reviews
AnandTech | Samsung SSD 840 (250GB) Review
Samsung 840 Series SSD: Cost-Efficient Performance - HotHardware

Every part of this SSD is made by Samsung and I haven't come across many issues on these forums. If you just need some fast storage with good reliability, this would be the way to go. If your workload involves lare amounts of data being moved around repeatedly, the 840 Pro would be the SSD of choice.

I have had it for 5 months. No issues at all. Not even one.

I use the SSD because I like the user experience. I like my programs opening without delay, fast boot up and shut down, etc. I would never go back to mechanical HDD. I also got a big increase in my battery runtime performance. Got an average of 45min to an hour over the 4 hour runtime of my X200.

 

I do know about the Samsung 840 and I know a lot of people like it. But I've always been concerned about the steady state performance which makes the drive perform a lot less well as time passes.

 

Are you going to be writing 30-40 GB of data a day (or some huge number like that). You will have to do this for about 3-4 years to wear out the drive. People talk a lot about TLC technology shortening the number of cycles NAND flash can be written. Agreed, but I like the lower prices better. It would be impossible for a user with normal workloads to do that ever. The only thing you need to worry about is the drive failing. *Touch wood* nothing happens.

To avoid this issue, enterprises use SLC and MLC flash (Intel S3500 series). This should be a non issue for you.

 

actually the Sandisk is the same price as the 840 Pro and I'm not talking about wearing out the drive I'm just talking about having good read/write a year from now (when I will hopefully still have this computer)

HARDOCP - Iometer & Steady State Testing - SanDisk 240 GB Extreme II SSD Review

as you can see the sandisk has much better steady state read/write than the 840pro
but then again that's lab testing which is why I wanted to hear some testimony from actual users.

ALSO i enjoy the fact that I don't have to worry about leaving a bunch of the drive open for good performance. I don't wanna worry about that with my music/movies etc.

 

I have no idea about the reliability of the LSI controller on the Sandisk Ultra. The Samsung 840 Pro is well know for its reliability and is used by almost all the OEMs. I am hesitant to recommend any other SSD for these reasons alone. Unless a long term test comes out with the LSI controller based SSD, I will not risk buying it. And it is extremely difficult to simulate a normal user's workload. If you see that the drive has been given a good rating consistently, then go for it. My pick would still remain the Samsung 840/Pro. I don't like being a guinea pig. Just my opinion.

And always back up your data no matter what storage device you use.

 

I'd say go for it.

I've had 3 original SanDisk Extreme SSDs running in my notebook and desktop since they came out and I've had zero issues with them.

The only complaint is with SanDisk being very slow getting new firmware out the door.

The SanDisk Extreme USB 3.0 flash drives are top notch also.

 

I've been using and recommending the SanDisk Extreme 240GB versions for many clients and all have been satisfied with them; performance and reliability-wise.

The SanDisk Extreme II is probably my next 'standard' SSD (when they become readily available in my area) due to their impressive Steady 70/30 Read/Write Mix 'scores' at HardOCP.


If the real world results match the indicated performance in the MOST important mixed r/w steady state metric (and we have no reason to doubt that they won't...); then SanDisk Extreme II's will eventually be the epitome of the ultimate performance, yet affordable SSD's for SATAIII based platforms imo.

Every other manufacturer is now concentrating their efforts (for performance) towards the newest NGFF standards.

Good luck.

 

Have you tried the Extreme II yet tiller? Sometimes things seem good on paper and then aren't which is what I'm slightly afraid of

 

No, I have not had a chance to use/play with one yet.

But based on the reliability and performance/price ratio of the original SanDisk Extreme (they compete against my 'gold standard' Intel 520 Series 240GB models very, very favorably) - these gen II's should knock my socks off.

Just look at the graphs vs. the original Extreme (random pattern) - that is approaching the performance of the Plextor M5 Pro 256GB and the Seagate 600 Pro 400GB models (not quite; but close enough considering the cost...).


See:
HARDOCP - Iometer & Steady State Testing - Samsung 840 Pro SSD Review

See:
HARDOCP - Iometer & Steady State Testing - Seagate 600 and 600 Pro SSD Review



What is even more telling to me in the SDE II Steady State Mixed R/W graphs is that the Samsung 840 Pro, while obviously a more powerful storage device than the original SDE - is easily superseded with the SDE II at queue depths of 2 or more - and... the Samsung 840 Pro feels 'laggy' to me (all Samsung's do, actually) - even against the original SDE.


Sure, the actual product in my workflow may very well do a 180 on me (and I'll faithfully report that here if that is what I do find...) - but all indicators hint otherwise.


Why don't you take a chance and let us know your experience first?